In 2007 CCIVS initiated a global campaign to promote Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through international voluntary service. The campaign, which is re-conducted in 2008 is linked to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 - 2014) which aims to integrate sustainable development into education and learning throughout the world.

The aim of this campaign

The aim of this campaign is to enable organizations to share their experiences of working on ESD and build on the existing experience within the international voluntary service movement. We aim to support organizations to develop concrete actions that stimulate reflection and deepen understanding of sustainable development issues with volunteers and the communities they work with.

What's up in 2008?

The Beauty and the Beast
Like in 2007 we encouraged organisations in 2008 to introduce games and reflections about sustainable development in their projects and encourage participants to create a piece of art from waste. For more info on the concept of the project click here.

The ESD Kit
For more background material about ESD, which is useful for your projects in general and the Beauty and the Beast action in particular you can download the CCIVS ESD Kit here.

ESD Seminar and Exhibition in Paris
A seminar was organised in September in UNESCO HQ on Volunteering today for tomorrow: Ideas and methods to promote sustainable lifestyles through voluntary service. Click here for the pictures of the seminar and the exhibition. A report will also be uploaded in the coming weeks.

World Tanabata Action
NICE Japan encouraged organizations all over the world to collect "Tanzaku" Papers on which they wrote wishes for World Peace. The papers were presented at the occasion of the G8 Summit in Japan and were exposed in the UNESCO headquarters in late September 2008.

AEYVE 2008 in Thailand
In November 2008 the Asia Europe Young Volunteers Exchange (AEYVE) will take place in Thailand and focus on sustainable development: Intercultural approaches to sustainable development. Volunteering for today and tomorrow: how to foster sustainable choices among volunteers and local communities? Click here for more information on the project.

Pix and news from ESD projects:

A sheep, a cow and the fight for justice:
Young and old volunteers discuss ESD in the SJ delegation at Vaunières,
a "lost" village in the French Alps. Click here to find out more!

"Trash Wear": The Beauty and the Beast in the UK:
Volunteers of Concordia Uk prepared a great fashion show based on rubbish. Click here to find out more.

Check CCIVS 2007 campaign picture gallery here.

How can international voluntary service contribute to ESD?

The values of ESD (as defined by UNESCO) lie at the core of the international voluntary service movement and we believe that the activities of CCIVS members already make a huge contribution to ESD through non-formal / community based education.

Each year, 1000s of volunteers work and live together with local communities on international workcamps that provide an opportunity for learning and reflection on sustainable development issues. Workcamps enable people to explore the concept of sustainable development from different cultural perspectives and exchange ideas for practical actions leading to more sustainable lifestyles. Many CCIVS organisations have developed activities that support these learning processes and run special projects focusing on environmental education / sustainable development issues. This campaign will support organisations to further develop this area of their work.

The role of CCIVS

CCIVS, as a global network of international voluntary service organisations, plays a positive role in supporting organizations to promote ESD with volunteers and local communities. We act as a bridge and information gateway between local volunteer projects / initiatives and UNESCO who are co-ordinating the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

CCIVS Publications related to ESD:

The Freshwater Guide and the Globalization Kit.

Other useful links on ESD:

Official site for the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Some more useful sites on ESD

Vision and definition of ESD

Sustainable lifestyle training kit: A training kit on responsible consumption developed by UNESCO / UNEP

The Earth Charter: The Earth Charter is a declaration of fundamental principles for building a just, sustainable, and peaceful global society in the 21st century. This site has useful resources for exploring sustainability issues with groups.