International Volunteers for Peace

IVP's principal aim is to build a more peaceful society. We believe that an important way to achieve this is by providing opportunities for people of different cultures to work together on practical community projects. This allows our volunteers to form close bonds with people from all over the world and to gain a greater appreciation for the problems different communities face in their struggles for social justice and environmental harmony.

IVP organises volunteer projects in Australia and places Australian volunteers in workcamps overseas. Workcamps allow people of diverse ethnicities, ideologies, nationalities and ages to live together for two to four weeks while working on a community project. The workcamps are initiated and organised by communities groups and are designed to be of tangible benefit to the local community.

Workcamps provide an opportunity for individuals to combine their energies and address problems vital to our shared global future. Democratic decision-making, problem solving and a sense of group identity are promoted. Workcamps aim to increase tolerance and to enable the volunteers to examine their values and preconceptions. Whether working at a children's centre in Paris, on an environmental project in Colorado, or helping with relief programs in Thailand, IVP volunteers help establish paths to peace.

IVP provides the opportunity for young people to volunteer in more than 60 countries, with more than 500 projects to choose from. An important aim of IVP is to make these projects as affordable as possible so that young people from all backgrounds can participate.

IVP also offers young people opportunities to make a difference in Australia, through participating in local IVP groups or by volunteering at the Sydney office. Young people can also participate in our facilitator training programs which qualify them to become a facilitator of an Australian volunteer project or even to design their own project in consultation with IVP.