International Volunteer Day celebrations in Vancouver December 5^th was the United Nations day to recognize International Volunteers. We celebrated our commitment and hope for a better world with returned volunteers and people who are interested in international development in Vancouver. In addition, we learned playing the traditional music from the talented South African musician. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lILDQtmSHCs

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The representatives of international volunteer cooperation organisations were gathered in Ottawa from all regions of the world 14th-17th October 2012 for the annual meeting of The International Forum on Development Service (Forum).

Forum, together with other volunteer groups and volunteer involving organisations, have formulated The Ottawa Declaration (http://forum-ids.org/lang/en/news/join-up-to-the-ottawa-declaration.html). It urges the UN to ensure that the voice of millions of volunteers around the world is included in the deliberations ahead for defining the follow up to Rio+20 and the post-2015 development agenda. The declaration has already been supported by 22 international organisations to date and we expect many more in the months ahead. We ask that your organisation also support The Ottawa Declaration and strengthen the recognition of volunteering for development. Simply follow this link: http://forum-ids.org/lang/en/news/join-up-to-the-ottawa-declaration.html

Kate Vereshaka

i am joining Canada World Youth Volunteering program, where i spend 3 months in Canada and 3 months in Indonesia.

Working with young woman through Girl guides of Canada to become inspiring leaders and volunteers has been part of my life for over 35 years. Tonight during our meeting tonight, we will be putting our final plans together to assist a local hospice this weekend with a fundraiser.  Our girls do a minimum of 6 to 8 service projects a year.  They see the benefits of volunteering for themselves and their community.    

We are organizing a cocktail party to gather the volunteers in our organization, Y des femmes de Montreal. I'm in charge of preparing some success stories of volunteers around the world.

Plan on attending a CUSO International celebration at their office in Vancouver, Canada for an evening of drumming, food, silent auction, and podcasts!

Looking forward to crossing paths with fellow CUSO alumni!

We will spread the news about International Volunteer Day on our network of supporters and within our community through Volunteer Prince George

Le Comité Événements de Cuso International au Québec propose un événement enchanteur pour célébrer la Journée internationale des volontaires (JIV) : Contes et musique sous l’arbre à palabres. Vous serez transportés dans un univers chaleureux par les conteurs Hamidou Savadogo et Claudette l’Heureux qui aborderont le thème de la participation citoyenne et du développement des communautés. Ils seront accompagnés par le musicien Dramane Koné, qui vous fera voyager avec son instrument africain, le kambelé n’goni.

Journée Internationale des volontaires à Montréal

Contes et musique sous l’arbre à palabres

Inspirés des traditions québécoise et africaine

Événement présenté par le Comité Un monde de volontaires

Mercredi 5 décembre 2012, 20h30

Bar Balattou, 4372, boul. St-Laurent Montréal

Entrée : 5$

Pré-vente : 514.276.8528 - Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo.

Cuso International in British Columbia is hosting a welcome back event for volunteers that have served around the world. We are also inviting returned volunteers ( Alumni from 1961 to today) as well as members of the international development community.

Drumming circle, podcasts, stories from the field. Join us and celebrate the work of our many volunteers.

Appetizers and chai served.

Place: 1460 Howe Street , Vancouver

Date: Wednesday December 5th, 2012

Time: 6-9 pm

Positives, Pitfalls and Possibilities of Volunteer Abroad

Join Cuso International's Volunteers 4 the World Committee to celebrate International Volunteer Day by exploring some of the issues that surround international volunteering on Wednesday December 5th in Toronto, Canada.

In the past 50 years, volunteer abroad programs have become an extremely popular and transformative pursuit for Canadians interested in seeing the world and contributing to social justice. The benefits for individual participants are substantial, not only through the cross-cultural experiences and skill-building challenges they offer, but also through the international cooperation and goodwill they contribute to Canadian diplomatic relations. But what are the systemic impacts of sending tens of thousands of Canadians abroad to volunteer in projects and programs identified in lower income countries? Is the greater project of social justice threatened by potential pitfalls of these ventures? Drawing on research on and experience with overseas youth programs, this presentation will engage in various theories of volunteer abroad and their implications for practice. The goal of this gathering will be to explore ways to ensure that volunteer abroad programs can authentically fulfill their promise of promoting greater international cooperation, cross-cultural understanding, and global social justice.

Guest speakers: Gary W.J. Pluim, OISE and Jacquie Brown, Cuso International Alumni

When:

Wednesday December 5, 2012

6:30pm – 8:00pm

Where:

Bloor/Gladstone Library, 1101 Bloor Street West, Toronto, Ontario (One block east of Dufferin and Bloor)

Register online at: http://ivd2012.eventbrite.ca/

Questions? Please contact Cuso International at: Esta dirección de correo electrónico está siendo protegida contra los robots de spam. Necesita tener JavaScript habilitado para poder verlo. or 1.647.478.4089