Asia Europe Youth Volunteer Exchange (AEYVE 2008)
Intercultural Approaches to Sustainable Development
Volunteering for today and tomorrow: How to foster sustainable choices among volunteers and local communities?

November 5 - 19, 2008, Singburi, Thailand

CCIVS has been organising the AEYVE since 2001, bringing together Asian and European international voluntary service organisations under a specific theme each year. The focus of the AEYVE 2008 is ecological sustainable development.

In the past decades, we have begun experiencing the first waves of a severe global crisis. Whether it is global warming or the melting of glaciers, there are plenty of signs for all to see. Economic and social development is putting a tremendous strain on our environment. Inefficient production and consumption habits will make the situation insurmountable unless we begin to think sustainably and incorporate sustainable approaches in our daily plans.

In a climate of constant change it is important to work with young people who constitute a vital group within our consumerist societies and can function as multipliers of sustainable development. Their decisions as consumers will exert a significant influence on markets and lifestyles. There is thus an urgent need to direct efforts at youth and within the field of voluntary service to change wasteful consumption patterns into those that are more in step with sustainable development.

The project "Volunteering for today and tomorrow: How to foster sustainable choices among volunteers and local communities?" aims at providing participants from various Asian and European countries the opportunity to familiarise themselves with sustainable development and explore the possibilities of introducing issues related to the concept of sustainable development in their voluntary service organisations. Environmental issues including the fact and consequence of climate change will play an important role during the project. At the same time, it will also explore the dimension of sustainable choices and lifestyles in a larger perspective, thus linking local action to global reflection. Intercultural learning, also a central focus of this project, will be used as a key source to deepen understanding and respect for cultural diversity and link it to the environment, society and the economy, the very fabric of sustainable development. This will enable participants to fully develop their knowledge, perspectives, values and skills needed to implement activities in their day-to-day work in international voluntary service organisations, both at the local and global level.

Since the last decade; CCIVS member organisations in Asia and Europe have started to tackle environmental issues. Our sister network in Asia, NVDA, has developed a number of flagship projects around the theme such as the "Greening Asia" project. The AEYVE 2008 will also enable an exchange of good practice on sustainable development between the participating organisations. In collaboration with ASEF, CCIVS is dedicated to making AEYVE 2008 a sustainable encounter by integrating the ecological footprint of the project with the practical experience gained by participants on ground.

For more information on AEYVE 2008, please contact CCIVS: ccivs@unesco.org