26th Seminar on IAESTE Development – Valencia, Spain

The Seminar on IAESTE development (SID) is an intensive three-day annual meeting, which drives the year-long programmes for IAESTE's working groups. IAESTE members gather to discuss policy, marketing and administrative issues affecting the quality of the IAESTE exchange programme as well as the development and future of the Association.

In 2011, the 26th Seminar on IAESTE Development was held in Valencia, Spain from 7th to 10th of April and we were happy to be able to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of IAESTE Spain with them. A total of 58 participants from 26 different countries flew to the sunny Spanish city to attend the meeting.

The Work…
The Seminar itself took place at the campus of the Universitat Politècnica de Valencia, surrounded by greenery, where delegates could choose to participate in four working groups, led by experienced Work Group Co-ordinators. These Working Groups worked flexibly and dynamically to ensure all delegates were able to contribute ideas and suggestions, as well as avoiding any potential duplication.
Due to the enthusiasm and dedication of the participants, along with the excellent management of the Work Group Co-ordinators, these sessions were extremely positive and productive. To highlight but a few: the Association continued to move its exchange and internal evaluations online, taking account of the varying facilities available to members; significant work was made in harnessing the full potential of the new IAESTE Alumni Network; further steps were taken to continue to improve the quality assurance of our exchange and the welfare of both students and employer; and the groups looked at capitalising on potential sponsorship revenue, among numerous other discussions and ideas.

The “Play”…
In IAESTE, the cultural element is just as important as the work, so, delegates were staying at the Holiday Inn hotel located next to the City of Arts and Sciences, one of the most emblematic and visited icons of the city, and a symbol of Santiago Calatrava’s modernist architecture. The IAESTE Valencia Local Committee treated them to several cultural events, from a guided tour of the beautful historic centre to the Gala Dinner, which took place in a prestigious restaurant located on the outside of Valencia, and where the surprise of the night was a special cake that IAESTE A.s.b.l General Secretary, Mr Goran Radnović, gifted to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of IAESTE Spain.
The International Evening, was held in a Fallas’ house (Casal fallero in Spanish), a place where people from Valencia usually gather in order to prepare and celebrate the huge Fallas festival. Guests were able to take in traditional Valencia’s region costumes and taste the delicious paella, as well as share food and drink from their own cultures
IAESTE LC Valencia took the opportunity of hosting the SID in their anniversary year, to exhibit a photographic history of IAESTE in Spain. It included photos of General Conferences, previous SIDs, and some special pictures showing the great range of possibilities offered by our Association through the eyes of the Local Committee members on their own internships, e.g. Serbia, Croatia, Ghana, Thailand, Australia, Hong Kong or Argentina.

The conclusion…
All in all, it was a highly effective and productive meeting, and we are extremely grateful to both the hosts, IAESTE Spain and the delegates for all of their hard work in making it such a success. The Working Groups will now continue, freshly motivated, to collaborate throughout the year to ensure the creativity of the SID is carried through into concrete action before the next General Conference and beyond.
Working together we continue to develop the IAESTE Association to be better for our employers, our students and all of us!