The spark that set off the first Global Conference was a letter about 8 years ago from Mrs. Galaletshang Maakwe. She was the director of Botswana's National Service known as Tirelo Setshaba. She said she wished there would be an opportunity to learn more about what other countries were doing with national service. Her letter led pretty directly to the convening of the first conference in Wisconsin, USA in 1992.
But the roots of NYS as a global idea go back much further.
They go back to 1912, when Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy of Germany called for a Planetary Service. His idea was that young people from all nations would work together on constructive projects.
They go back to about 1919, when Pierre Ceresole of Switzerland created Service Civil International. It arranged for young people to assist in the rebuilding of war-torn countries.
They go back to 1933, when President Roosevelt of the United States established the Civilian Conservation Corps. It enrolled three million young men during the 1930s, giving them work experience, their families food, and both young people and their families hope for the future.
They go back to 1949 when Mao Zedong of China issued his twin mottoes
of "serve the people" and "learn through practice".
These mottoes have formed the basis for huge amounts of youth service
in the decades since 1949, ranging from individual barefoot doctors
in rural areas to millions of soldiers building roads and planting
trees.
They go back to 1958 when CSV's founder, Alec Dickson, established Voluntary Service Overseas. It enabled young people from Great Britain to serve in a number of developing countries.
There are numerous other examples. In India, the roots go back to
Sevagram: in Indonesia, to BUTSI and KKN: in Israel, to the Gadna
Youth Corps: in Russia, to the charitable organisations that existed
decades ago: in France, to the levée en masse of 1793: in
Nigeria, to student demands for national service to help unify the
country following the civil war of the 1960s: in Canada, to the Company
of Young Canadians and to Katimavik: in Cuba, to the literacy programmes
of the early 1960s; and in Mexico and Costa Rica, to Servicio Social.
When we examine the origins of these and other NYS initiatives, we notice that NYS comes into being for a variety of reasons. They include the provision of social and environmental services, a complement to classroom education, the alleviation of youth unemployment, and an alternative to required military service.
But the common element is full-time constructive youth service, normally for a year or two.
At our 1992 conference, the emphasis was on placing NYS within a global perspective. We heard descriptions of the state of national service in each of the 14 countries represented. We then examined the elements that were common to all programmes, and we found a surprising degree of convergence in several areas:
- We agreed that - unlike the way young people are often treated in the media - the basic premise of NYS is that young people represent an opportunity, not a problem.
- We agreed that NYS is properly considered a rite of passage from adolescence to adulthood.
- We agreed that the major areas of activity for NYS were to be found in education, health, and the environment, with care of the very old and the very young next on the list.
- We agreed that NYS is important both as a learning experience and as work experience for those who serve.
- Finally, we adopted an advocacy role, stating in our communiqué that
local and national governments should recognize every young person's
right to participate through voluntary action, that universities
and colleges should ensure that every student has the opportunity
to enrich his or her personal growth through off-campus community
service, and that schools should introduce service-learning programmes
for students 5 to 18 years of age.
The 2nd global conference was held in Abuja, Nigeria,
in 1994 and attracted delegates from 23 countries. Its theme was "Linking Youth Services for Global Understanding".
Discussions focused on several aspects of international co-operation
in the area of national service.
There was agreement that the empirical knowledge about NYS being generated in places like the USA and Europe be shared with other countries.
There was agreement that less developed countries needed international aid to extend their outreach in youth development activities.
There was support for international exchange programmes in the field of NYS, for creating a global network of information and ideas, and for a global youth service.
Thus, it was not surprising that the conference advanced the formation of an International Association for National Youth Service.
The 3rd global conference was held in Port Moresby, Papua
New Guinea in 1996 and had as its theme, "National Youth Service: A Global Idea for Local Action".
We established the International Association for National Youth Service and adopted its charter by unanimous vote (an extract of the Charter is included in this report as Appendix 3 on pages 53 to 55, and is also on the web as part of the 3rd Global Conference report, via: http://www.acys.utas.edu.au/topics/nys.htm ).
We decided that the new Association shall collect and disseminate information about NYS, help countries establish NYS programmes, organize exchanges of staff members and young people in service, convene global and regional conferences, and help set up global youth service teams comprising NYS participants from several countries.
We adopted a resolution which read in part: "In most countries
during the 20th century, the phrase `national service' has been synonymous with military service. The 3rd Global Conference on National Youth Service calls on the young people of the world to move towards greater involvement in Civilian Service through National Youth Service in the 21st Century".
Further information on the Association is included below.
Finally, we accepted the invitation of Community Service Volunteers of Great Britain to host the 4th Global Conference in 1998.
Presidential Position Statement on the International Association for National Youth Service (issued in August 1998)
Donald J. Eberly
The International Association for National Youth Service (IANYS) was established in 1996 to stimulate and facilitate the exchange of information about National Youth Service, and to help realize the promise of National Youth Service (NYS). The Association grew out of the Global Conferences on NYS (participants in the Conferences have come from several international organizations as well as 42 countries on six continents, the Caribbean, and the Pacific Islands).
The common feature of NYS programmes 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.
NYS 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 NYS.
NYS programmes 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 NYS programmes 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 NYS programmes depend on programme 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 NYS participants is equal to or greater than the cost of the programme. In addition, participants benefit from work experience, career exploration, increased self-esteem, and increased awareness of the needs of others. Many NYS 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 NYS, recommending that every country give serious consideration to NYS. To this end, the Association and its members are prepared to exchange information and otherwise assist nations wishing to consider the introduction of NYS.
The Association welcomes participation of people from countries where NYS is under consideration or just getting underway. Persons representing such interests attended this 1998 Conference from Argentina, Russia, and South Africa.
In the future, the Association plans to facilitate exchanges of NYS participants and officials, and to mobilize multi-national teams of young people to serve in areas such as emergency relief and rehabilitation.
There are several other sources of information on the Association, including the Charter (Appendix 3 on pages 53 to 55 of this report), and the reports of the first three Global Conferences which can be found on the web at: http://www.acys.utas.edu.au/topics/nys.htm, with links to an extended bibliography on NYS and related sites.
Additional information on NYS and the Association can be obtained from Donald J. Eberly, President (Honorary) of the International Association, 36 Gavin Road, Raumati Beach, New Zealand, e-mail: 100355.770 [AT] compuserve.com
4th
Global conference on national youth service (1998) 
