JCI
JCI is a non-profit international non-governmental organization that addresses the topics of environment protection and social issues and spreads its influence over 124 countries creating local communities to pursue a global purpose. JCI was founded in 1915 and since then has grown to create more and more local organizations that are called "Chapters". The Chapters organize various conferences, projects and local publications aiming to increase the awareness around locally important topics.
JCI World Congress represents the culmination of the year for many JCI members as it gathers people from all around the world to exchange ideas and benefit from each other’s experiences. This year, JCI World Congress took place in beautiful Tallinn - European capital of innovation and technology.
Tallinn & Estonia
When it comes to startups and digitalization, Estonia is definitely a place to be. In 2014, Estonia became the first country in the world to introduce e-Residency to support the development of entrepreneurship and allow easier access for international residents to the Estonian and European markets. Estonian e-Government structure is not only a great role model for many countries worldwide but also a great example for Expatrio as it showcases how the facilitation of the digital relocation can make a huge difference both socially and economically.
Coming back home from the Congress, Expatrio will carry the new practices from Estonian e-Government and digitalization to share them with German politics. We will also keep digitalizing the immigration to Germany and facilitating the integration of expatriates.
German Chapter at JCI
German Chapter of JCI (also known as Wirtschaftsjunioren Deutschland) was established in 1958 and now it is the largest association of young leaders and entrepreneurs in Germany having over 10,000 active members in more than 215 cities around the country. Wirtschaftsjunioren, who were the third-largest delegation at JCI World Congress, are mainly focusing on entrepreneurship, innovation and international cooperation. In recent years they have organized many projects to promote entrepreneurship and digitalization as well as provide equal educational opportunities for everyone (e.g. “Start-Up Your Future”, “Jugend stärken: 1000 Chancen”, “Business Foren”, “Ausbildungs-Ass” and other).
International Meetings & Discussions
Speaking of the general topics discussed during the JCI Congress, it would be important to highlight three major pillars such as transformation, digital innovation and sustainability. Each of those topics had a separate day dedicated to the holistic discussions, presentations, workshops and panels. Despite the fact that all the topics are highly important for Expatrio, the day dedicated to digital innovation and entrepreneurship was more valuable in terms of networking opportunities and information exchange. Still, every day of the Congress brought interesting insights and useful connections.
Expatrio’s Managing Director, Tim, also personally met with the representatives of Turkey and Japan. As long as both are major home countries for international students in Germany, the discussions they had were very fruitful for Expatrio, providing us with a lot of useful insights about the real market need and perspectives for Expatrio’s services in Japan and Turkey.
JCI World Congress is an event that is worth the awareness and especially the attention of those who strive to be engaged in the environmental and social issues contributing to the global benefit using the local channels. Expatrio was happy to be a part of 2019’s edition, we learned a lot and now plan to implement the new knowledge making Expatrio even better.