As we mark the International Year of Youth: Dialogue and Mutual Understanding as well as the tenth anniversary of the International Year of Volunteers, we are pleased to release this discussion paper on “Youth Volunteering, Social Integration, and Decent Work: Inspiring Leadership.”  Read article

The booklet 'Culture of Volunteerisms in Armenia' explores three focus areas - the regulatory environment, motivations behind volunteerism, and volunteer management practices - to explain the under-utilization of volunteers and to suggest opportunities for the promotion of volunteerism in the country. It is the result of the joint efforts of the researcher, Ms. Mane Tadevosyan, and Ms. Lusine Hakobyan, National Coordinator for the CIVICUS Civil Society Index in Armenia, a project within Counterpart International. The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme in Armenia helped to define the methodology and to gather the data for the study.  Read article

The report presents good practices workshops on local youth volunteering projects for conflict resolution and peace building in Europe, discusses the role of donors and governments in stimulating the potential of volunteering, and showcases the diverse contributions of volunteering to the peace building and conflict resolution process.  Visit site

First published in 1968, Arthur Gillette's comprehensive history of voluntary youth service is now available online. The author shows how service has affected volunteers and the peoples with whom they work, and draws guidelines for the future of international voluntary work.  Read article

Cindi Brown writes about the people of Kenya and her time as a VSO volunteer at a university on Lake Victoria, offering an insider's view of international volunteering.
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Standards written by a steering group of experts and practitioners led by the UK Workforce Hub and compiled by the Management Standards Consultancy, after a three month consultation period in which individuals were able to contribute their views via an online consultation or at one of the UK events.  Visit site

A full report is now available about the European Conference held in Dublin, Ireland, on 26-27 June 2008. The theme of the conference was "Best Practice in International Volunteering and Co-operation".   Visit site

This report published by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies aims to provide a picture of development in volunteering, underscoring the value of volunteers, since 1999 until 2007.   Read article

This book, jointly published by the UN Volunteers programme and UN Development Programme in Brazil, contains 50 practical and successful projects on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It aims to encourage people to get involved in development and volunteering, establish new development projects and help civil society organizations with their work towards achieving the MDGs. (Read the original article in Portuguese here)  Read article

To reverse antagonism towards traditional democratic practices and institutions, local politicians must move beyond consumer satisfaction and public consultation to more deliberative and participatory politics such as volunteering, says a new booklet ‘Individual Pathways in Participation’.  Read article