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May 2007 update: Until recently, the Secretariat
of IANYS has been based in the country which was to host the next in the
organisation's series of global conferences on national youth service.
As of March 2007, the permanent Secretariat of IANYS is at Innovations
in Civic Participation in Washington, DC. Director of ICP, Susan Stroud,
is the Executive Director of IANYS. (This is the position that had been
filled in recent years by the organizers of the organisation's regular
conferences.) Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, Director of the UK's Community Service
Volunteers and organizer of the 4th global conference held by IANYS, serves
IANYS as its Global Council Chairperson.
Contact details:
- For current details on IANYS, contact Donald J. Eberly, Honorary
President of IANYS, email: National_Service [AT] compuserve.com
- For updates to this website, which is to be moved to ICP in the near
future, contact Anne.Hugo [AT] utas.edu.au and Katherine Hutter, hutter
[AT] icicp.org
Background information on
IANYS is included in the proceedings of its global conferences. Additional
information on national youth service and on IANYS can be obtained
from Donald J. Eberly, email: National_Service [AT] compuserve.com.
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IANYS
announcements and press releases:
1998 | 2000 | 2002
1998:
The Association grew out of the Global
conferences on national youth service begun in the United States
in 1992, and continuing in Nigeria in 1994, Papua New Guinea in
1996, the United Kingdom in 1998 and
Israel, scheduled for 2000. (See
reports) Participants have come from several international
organisations as well as 42 countries on six continents, the Caribbean,
and the Pacific Islands.
The common feature of national youth service programs is the involvement
of young people in service to others and to the environment, usually
for a period of six months to two years. Major areas of service are
health, education, environmental conservation, and care for the very
old and the very young.
National youth service also embraces service-learning, where students
utilize their education to serve others and where students reflect
on their service experiences to inform their learning. Service-learning
in secondary school is often a prelude to full-time national youth
service.
National youth service programs can be found under many names: the
Chinese Young Volunteers Association in China, Zivildienst in Germany,
Community Service Volunteers in the UK, AmeriCorps in the USA, Trabajo
Comunal Universitario in Costa Rica, Tirelo Setshaba in Botswana,
the Green Corps in Australia, and the National Youth Service Corps
in both Ghana and Nigeria.
Countries initiate national youth service programs for varied reasons,
including the delivery of social and environmental services, the
alleviation of youth unemployment, an alternative to required military
service, an experiential complement to classroom education, and as
a form of nation-building.
The outcomes of national youth service programs depend on program
design, what the young person brings to the service, and the experiences
of the young person in service. Almost all evaluations to date have
shown that the value of services rendered by national youth service
participants is equal to or greater than the cost of the program.
In addition, participants benefit from work experience, career exploration,
increased self-esteem, and increased awareness of the needs of others.
Many national youth service participants acquire new skills, good
work habits, decision-making ability, social maturity, and a new
understanding between races and ages.
The Association takes a pro-active position on national youth service,
recommending that every country give serious consideration to national
youth service. To this end, the Association and its members are prepared
to exchange information and otherwise assist nations wishing to consider
the introduction of national youth service.
The Association welcomes participation of people from countries
where national youth service is under consideration or just getting
under way. Representatives of such interests from Argentina, Russia,
and South Africa attended the 1998 Conference. In the future, the
Association plans to facilitate exchanges of national youth service
participants and officials, and to mobilise multi-national teams
of young people to serve in areas such as emergency relief and rehabilitation.
There are several sources of information on the Association. A brief
summary of the 1998 Global Conference is available from Ms Bridie
Duffy, 4GC Coordinator, Community Service Volunteers, 237 Pentonville
Road, London N1 9NJ, United Kingdom, e-mail: 113216.1454 [AT] compuserve.com.
Reports of the Global Conferences
can be found online, with links to a bibliography on national
youth service and related sites.
(Source: media announcement after the 4th Global conference on national
youth service, issued by Donald J. Eberley; email message, Date: Sat,
1 Aug 1998 00:43:29 -0400; Subject: Intl Assn for NYS;Sender: National_Service [AT] compuserve.com)
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2000 IANYS announcement
International Association for National
Youth Service (IANYS) PRESS RELEASE 19 June 2000
At an international conference held last week in Jerusalem, an agreement
of cooperation was initialed between the United Nations Youth Unit and
the International Association for National Youth Service (IANYS).
The goal of the agreement is to advance national youth service among
the 188 member states of the United Nations. Dr. Reuven Gal, Vice-President
of IANYS and head of the Carmel Institute for Social Studies in Zichron
Yaakov announced the agreement this morning.
National youth service includes programs such as those operated in
Israel by Bat-Ami, Shlomit, the Israel Association for Voluntary Service,
and the Jerusalem Municipality; the Young Volunteers Association in
China, the National Youth Service Corps in Nigeria, the United States
Peace Corps, and the German Zivildienst.
Representatives of these programs and others around the world participated
in an international conference held at the Zippori Center in Jerusalem.
The subject of the conference was 'National Youth Service: Building
Citizenship and Society'. The four sessions of the conference examined
National Youth Service as a principle of civic responsibility; the
contribution of NYS to cultural integration; NYS as a psycho-social
process; and the political, ethical and religious aspects of NYS -
with particular reference to the Israeli experience.
Keynote speaker, Shimon Peres, said: 'I cannot think of a greater
pleasure than to work, to act, to serve, to contribute. To serve is
really to exist. I am so glad you have your organization, that you
are meeting tonight, people from different walks of life, people from
different countries, and the only thing I can add is to wish you success.'
Other speakers included Donald Eberly, honorary president of IANYS,
Prof. Stuart Cohen of Bar-Ilan University, Prof. Charles Moskos of
the Inter-University Seminar on the Armed Forces and Society, and Jean-Guy
Bigeau, head of the Canadian National Youth Service, 'Katimavik'.
Among the representatives of the 25 nations that took part in the
conference were representatives of Russia, Finland, Denmark, Portugal
and Barbados, all of whom are considering establishing a national youth
service. Donald Eberly: 'Israel is one of the pioneers in the world
in creating a national youth service. The conference participants were
deeply impressed by the quality and importance of the service performed
by the young volunteers in Israel. I expect that the visit to Israel
will serve as an inspiration to additional countries to follow Israel's
example in presenting young people with the challenge of service; in
giving them important work to do; and in giving them appropriate support
for their service contribution. '
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