International Voluntary Service (IVS) is a peace organisation working for the sustainable development of local and global communities throughout the world. The organisation was formed in 1931 and is a registered charity in England, Wales and Scotland.
Guiding ethos
The mission of the International Voluntary Service is to foster peace and understanding between peoples and nations through the mutual exchange of volunteers. This ethos is summed up by the organisation's strap line 'Volunteering for Peace'.
History
Formation
In 1931,
Service Civil International
Service Civil International (SCI) is an international peace organisation. Since 1920, it organises international volunteering projects in the form of workcamps and it was the first organisation worldwide to do so. The organisation was founded by ...
sent a team of international volunteers to the Welsh colliery town of
Brynmawr. The volunteers redeveloped a
brownfield site
In urban planning, brownfield land is any previously developed land that is not currently in use. It may be potentially contaminated, but this is not required for the area to be considered brownfield. The term is also used to describe land prev ...
into a public park, which included an outdoor swimming pool.
The Brynmawr redevelopment was the first international project in the United Kingdom and marked the beginning of International Voluntary Service, shortly after IVS became the first recognised branch of the SCI.
Second World War
In 1939 the UK Government officially recognised
alternative civilian service as an alternative to military service. This policy change led to sharp rise in the number of active volunteers.
Current activities
Peace education
Since 2011, IVS has delivered
peace education
Peace education is the process of acquiring values, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and behaviors to live in harmony with oneself, others, and the natural environment.
There are numerous United Nations declarations and resolutions on the importance ...
within UK schools.
International volunteering
European Voluntary Service
The International Voluntary Service is accredited as a sending and co-ordinating organisation for the European Voluntary Service.
Service Civil International
The International Voluntary Service is a founding partner of Service Civil International, a global network of international volunteering organisations.
As a Partner, IVS can send and receive volunteers to and from countries with an active SCI branch.
Notable members
Frank Judd
Between 1960–1966 Lord
Frank Judd, Baron Judd acted as the Secretary General of the International Voluntary Service.
Until his death in 2021 Lord Judd remained a Patron for IVS.
See also
*
Antimilitarism
Antimilitarism (also spelt anti-militarism) is a doctrine that opposes war, relying heavily on a critical theory of imperialism and was an explicit goal of the First and Second International. Whereas pacifism is the doctrine that disputes (espec ...
*
Anti-war movement
An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to ...
*
European Voluntary Service
The European Solidarity Corps (ESC), known until 2016 as European Voluntary Service (EVS), is an international volunteering program by the European Commission for young people to go individually or in teams to another country, usually from one Eur ...
*
List of anti-war organizations
In order to facilitate organized, determined, and principled opposition to the wars, people have often founded anti-war organizations. These groups range from temporary coalitions which address one war or pending war, to more permanent structured ...
*
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
*
Peace movement
A peace movement is a social movement which seeks to achieve ideals, such as the ending of a particular war (or wars) or minimizing inter-human violence in a particular place or situation. They are often linked to the goal of achieving world peac ...
*
Service Civil International
Service Civil International (SCI) is an international peace organisation. Since 1920, it organises international volunteering projects in the form of workcamps and it was the first organisation worldwide to do so. The organisation was founded by ...
References
Bibliography
*Ethelwyn Best, Bernhard Pike: ''International Voluntary Service for Peace 1920-1946'', George Allen and Unwin, London, 1948
*Arthur Gillette : ''One million volunteers: the story of volunteer youth service'', Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, A pelican original, 1968, 258 p.
on-line
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* Hélène Monastier, Alice Brügger: ''Paix, pelle et pioche, Histoire du Service Civil International'', Editions du Service civil international, Switzerland, 1966
*SCI : ''Service Civil International 1920-1990 - 70 years of Voluntary Service for Peace and Reconciliation'', Verdun, 1990
External links
* {{Official website, https://ivsgb.org/
Organizations established in 1931
Organisations based in Edinburgh
Volunteer organisations in the United Kingdom
Peace organisations based in the United Kingdom