History of International
Voluntary Service

The idea of International Voluntary Service came from a meeting of a group of Europeans following the First World War in 1920. In a dual attempt to remove the causes of conflict and heal the dreadful effects of war, International Voluntary Service or Workcamps were born. Volunteers from former enemy countries were invited to rebuild a small war torn French village, Verdun, next to the German border. This international group of volunteers, lived and worked together helping to rebuild the village in the spirit of peace and friendship. From this experience the idea of International Voluntary Service quickly spread throughout Europe.

Newly elected Executive Committee of the Coordinating Commitee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS). Photo taken at the farwell party of the General Assembly/General Conference in Lviv, Ukraine in late November 2007.

After World War II, numerous international voluntary service organizations sprang up in Europe to help reconstruct and heal the internal and external effects of war. International Voluntary Service projects brought former enemy populations together in solidarity. In 1948, with the support of the recently established United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Co-ordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) was created to coordinate these new international voluntary service organizations.

Since 1948, CCIVS went from a Western European base to an expanded membership that includes youth movements in Eastern Europe and volunteer organizations in Africa, Asia, Arab Countries and in the Americas.
For more information on the history of International Voluntary Service visit these websites:

Service Civil International

Co-Ordinating Committe For International Voluntary Service (CCIVS)

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