Decolonise IVS!

Get ready for equality…

2022-2024

A Step Toward Equality in Global Volunteering:

For 75 years, ICYE has been at the forefront of long-term international volunteering, bringing people together from across the globe. But while we’ve witnessed incredible shifts in the world during this time, one thing is clear: the history of colonisation still affects us all. From South America to Africa, and the smallest islands in the Pacific, the legacy of Western colonisation continues to impact societies, economies, and even the way we connect as global citizens.

In the frame of Decolonise IVS, we recognise that this legacy shapes the way young people from the Global North (the Western world) engage in volunteering compared to those from the Global South. There is a noticeable gap—more volunteers from Europe and the U.S. head to the Global South, while fewer volunteers from the Global South travel to the North. This imbalance is a direct result of the historical power dynamics of colonisation. Focused on topics like challenging traditional narratives and power dynamics, we work for diversity, climate justice and equal opportunities.

About the project:

With the Decolonise IVS! project! for the period 2022-2024, CCIVS and its partners have aimed at addressing historical inequalities and promoting an inclusive framework for International Voluntary Service. The decolonial approach guiding the whole project included several dialogue spaces for IVS organisations coming from a variety of backgrounds, to engage in decolonial discussions and practice. During the project, critically involved organisations analysed their structures, tools and procedures with the aim to dismantle colonial legacies and ensure fair and equitable participation for all volunteers and communities and developed a new set of guidelines.

Read the full policy papers and other project documents here: Policy Papers and Guidelines

Aims and objectives:

• Fostering Fair Decolonial Partnerships
  The revised guidelines aim to foster fair decolonial partnerships in IVS projects.
• Centering Local Communities
  These partnerships should center around local communities’ initiatives, needs, and desires.
• Promoting Inclusivity through a Decolonial Lens
  The goal is to make IVS more inclusive by applying a decolonial lens.
• Challenging Dominant Perspectives
  The Euro-American/Global North/Western/White perspective should no longer be the reference for norms or values.
• Rethinking Volunteer Movement
  It is no longer assumed that volunteers will come from Euro-America/West/Global North and go to Africa/Central-South America/East/Global South.
• Avoiding Colonial Hierarchies
  Beyond quantitative concerns, the treatment of volunteers and communities should not reflect or reproduce colonial hierarchies.
• Valuing Unique Contributions
  The experience should value each unique perspective and contribution in a compensatory and reparative effort.

What have we done so far?

• Online dialogue on decolonisation and IVS as a pre-ICM session (28/9/2022)
• Workshop during the upcoming SCI EPM ((10-15 Oct 2022) to share the work done so far and look at the next steps. 
• Study session in Vienna (10-15. Oct. 2022). 
• Meet the Decolonise Think tank! (November) Meeting with some of the experts who are guiding us in this important reflection process.
• 13-17. Feb. 2023 (Belgium): Training for peer researchers (getting familiar with the participatory action research and defining the research plan)
• 20-24. Feb. 2023 (France): Advocacy training to support our advocacy task and the changes we want to see.
• 3-7. July 2023 (Italy): PAR Laboratory, to share conclusions and achievements.
• 23. November 2023 Hybrid Conference: Decolonizing volunteering: how can donors contribute to an equitable and sustainable volunteer programme?
• 26.02-01.02.2024 (Belgium): Advocacy Laboratory to create a strategy for advocating for the changes we want to see.