[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/vera edited.jpg” caption=”Vera Rocca, fourth from the left, volunteered with AIESEC in Peru last summer. Photo courtesy Vera Rocca.”]This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer in Arequipa, Peru for three months with AIESEC, the world's largest student-run organization.

AIESEC is an organization with a mission to develop future leaders who will go on to make a positive impact on society. Providing students with opportunities to work and live abroad is one of the ways AIESEC fulfills its mission.

Going to Peru was a tough decision to make. I knew I wanted to go to a developing country because I wanted to gain exposure to the reality of poverty. Since AIESEC is an organization that operates in more than 95 countries in the world, I wasn't short on options.

In the end, my decision came down to the kind of work that I'd get to do. The chance to work as a program manager in a Spanish-speaking country was just the challenge I was up for.

The name of the program I initiated with my team while in Peru is called Arequipa Sostenible (Sustainable Arequipa). Much simplified, the program has two components.

First, it promotes internships with NGOs that work towards development in Arequipa, providing these NGOs with the creativity, talent and passion of youth. Second, it aims to raise awareness in youth about the challenge of sustainable development though learning activities in partnership with NGOs.

Now, back in Canada, I'm continuing to support a one-year strategic plan for the implementation of this program as a mentor.

I believe it is critically important to engage the youth in a vital issue such as sustainable development, and give them the tools to be the leaders of today and tomorrow.

While in Peru, I made sure to investigate the social reality as much as I could. Peru, I discovered, is a country with many contrasts.

Arequipa, for example, has wealthy people living in the city core, yet is surrounded by slums. I soon learned that these slums are directly related to the poverty of la sierra (the mountainous, rural area) in Peru. There is a lack of government investment in this mountainous area of mostly native descendents, so the people migrate to live in abysmal conditions around the city to seek an improved livelihood.

President Alan Garcia was elected in June, and I was able to talk to Peruvians about their distaste for him and competitor, Ollanta Humala. One of the first things Garcia did was pass a free trade agreement with the United States. Many poor Peruvians did not support this agreement, and there were protests in the street.

The farmers are worried their livelihoods will be ruined through subsidized US agricultural products dumped onto their market, while others worry that patent laws will drive up the prices of inexpensive, life-saving medicines.

As a political science student, the opportunity to analyse the presidential election and the free-trade agreement while actually being in the country was exciting.

Seeking to better understand poverty in Peru, I visited a slum in Arequipa, and was fortunate to meet two Peruvians who were very willing to share their stories. They lived in small brick homes, they didn't have electricity or running water, and several people lived in their houses, which were only slightly bigger than my bedroom.

Discussions with these locals reinforced how important it is for the government to invest in health and education. Fortunately, as they were living on the outskirts of a city, their children had relatively easy access to schools. Yet, they could not afford medicines for illnesses, and stated there was a desperate need for more hospitals in the country.

Beyond getting a glimpse of the social realities of Peru, I picked up the basics of Spanish, one of the most romantic languages. I also learned a host of other skills that will enable me to build my career.

These skills allowed me to exercise leadership in order to formulate and motivate a team, to develop and refine new ideas, and ultimately create a program that will benefit Arequipa, the youth involved in planning Arequipa Sostenible and those participating in it.

When I left Arequipa, I left behind great memories and friends that I'm still missing after being home for nearly a month. In the future, I may go back to visit.

As AIESEC allowed me to align my goals with the organization, I'd definitely encourage students to explore what this organization has to offer and what it represents to the world: a network of more than 20,000 students are becoming socially aware, and gaining the leadership skills necessary to effect positive social change.

Volunteering in Peru was a life-changing experience that gave me the opportunity to see first hand the meaning of inequality in this world. At the same time, I gained more confidence through my work and the dedication of my team that a brighter future is possible if we keep the dream alive.