5 Questions with Member Organization, Service for Peace
1. When and why was Service for Peace established?
Service For Peace (SFP) began in 2002 when 300 international youth volunteers from across the United States, converged on Washington, DC, to participate in a summer program that involved a total of 40,000 hours of service and, according to the Washington Post, saved the District $400,000.
Here is our mission: We involve volunteers in ongoing community development programs throughout the world. Our programs are designed to further the growth and development of individuals and communities through the shared experience of voluntary service.
2. How does the Service for Peace engage with local communities across the globe?
As part of our Communities of Peace initiative, we partner with willing communities around the world to help them transform into Communities of Peace. Our programs bring international volunteers to kick-start community-driven development, uplift the culture of service in these communities, and empower and support the personal growth of their residents.
3. How does being a USCCD member organization help to benefit your work?
Citizen Diplomacy is the engagement of individual American citizens in primarily voluntary, private sector programs and activities that increase cross-cultural understanding and knowledge between Americans and people from other countries, leading to greater mutual understanding and respect. Our Global PeaceMakers programs, held in over 20 countries, involve Americans in service to other nations and, in the process, overcome barriers of prejudice towards people of other cultures/races/backgrounds. Not everyone who comes to our programs engages in their community after graduating. USCCD can help us conduct a more targeted search for active citizens to recruit to our programs. While serving other communities, they will become equipped with the skills to lead volunteer projects and promote community-driven development once they return to their own communities.
4. What would you like people who are interested in citizen diplomacy to know about Service For Peace?
Service For Peace has programs that are suitable for active citizens and help them gain access to organized international volunteer experiences, meet people of other countries/backgrounds, learn leadership skills and go back to their communities equipped with skills to lead volunteer projects and promote community-driven development, while always having access to us for support and advice. People who have been to our Global PeaceMakers (GPM) programs become our friends for life and are part of our GPM Alumni Network, an online community of alumni, graduates of our programs from all over the world, who can connect with each other to share their experiences and support each other's initiatives in a variety of ways, while also receiving support and advice from us for their community projects.
5. Do you have any examples of personal stories you would like to share about how Service For Peace has made a lasting difference?
Please visit our testimonials page to read personal stories of volunteers and community members whose lives transformed through the work of Service For Peace.
Learn more about the benefits of a USCCD membership!
Posted Tuesday, October 4, 2011