Today, United Nations Day and World Development Information Day, CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) and the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme are pleased to launch a joint publication, Volunteering and Social Activism: Pathways for participation in human development. The paper is based on a study undertaken by the three organisations in 2007-2008.  

The background study finds that both volunteering and social activism are important strategies for fostering people’s participation in social change and human development.

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More than 67 million people are expected to mobilize today under the slogan 'Stand Up Take Action' at events around the globe to demand that world leaders do not use the financial crisis as an excuse for breaking the promises they made in 2000 to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.  Read article

The ServiceNation Movement launched with a national Day of Action on 27 September 2008. Citizen organizers rallied their communities at hundreds of events across America, calling on their friends, families, and neighbours to advocate for a new culture of volunteerism in the US.  Visit site

Louisiana, USA: As the US Gulf Coast braces itself for the onslaught of Hurricane Gustav, this time thousands of volunteers are swinging into action to offer their support to evacuees. The American Red Cross is playing a major part, having prepositioned supplies into the region to shelter 500,000 people for six days. Some 3,000 disaster response volunteers and staff are already in place.  Visit site

Bonn, Germany: The 2008 Beijing Olympics is one of the biggest volunteer-involving events in history. On every street corner and in every venue, there's an army of volunteers meeting, greeting, translating, giving directions and helping visitors in every way imaginable. For an insight into what being a Beijing volunteer is all about, here's a selection of news, views and links - and a space for your own comments.  Read article

Mian Yang, Sichuan province, China: On 12 May 2008 an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale struck Sichuan province in south-western China. Volunteerism is critical to the relief efforts. Read UNV volunteer Liu Lei's diary of his work with the IFRC here.   Visit site

Washington DC, USA: Millions of young people from Cambodia to Peru, from Pakistan to Liberia, from Mexico to Mongolia, are implementing community service projects during the 20th Annual Global Youth Service Day (GYSD).

Young volunteers will address important community needs through service and service-learning projects addressing climate change, literacy, poverty, human rights and many other issues.

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Geneva, Switzerland: Somalia is again polio-free, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) announced last week, calling it a 'historic achievement' in public health. This landmark victory is a result of the efforts of over 10,000 Somali volunteers and health workers who repeatedly vaccinated more than 1.8 million children under the age of five by visiting every household in of the most dangerous places on earth.  Read article

It started with a question: How can we inspire people to take action on climate change?

The answer: Ask the people of Sydney to turn off their lights for one hour.

On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.

With Sydney icons like the Harbour Bridge and Opera House turning their lights off, and unique events such as weddings by candlelight, the world took notice. Inspired by the collective effort of millions of Sydneysiders, many major global cities are joining Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29 2008, turning a symbolic event into a global movement.   Visit site

International Volunteer Day, 5 December, is your day!

Volunteers and their from all over the world, from Brazil to Viet Nam, Trinidad & Tobago to New Zealand, are being recognized and their contribution highlighted through various IVD activities. We sincerely appreciate your articles, photos and videos.

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