Children's International Summer Villages
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Children's International Summer Villages (abbreviated CISV) is an international youth exchange organization. Founded with the belief that lasting peace is possible through learning how to live together as friends, CISV runs cross-cultural exchange programs primarily targeting children and youth.
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History
CISV was founded in 1951 by Dr. Doris Allen. Since then CISV has been registered in 62 countries, and over 150,000 delegates have participated in more than four thousand international CISV activities.
For Dr. Allen and the CISV organization, children and youth were seen as the ideal starting point for peace education. Programmes were developed which offered young people opportunities to meet their peers from other countries and to form intercultural friendships. Locally, programmes give people the chance to learn about the cultures in their own communities and explore important themes related to peace and understanding.
CISV Programmes
The CISV International experience is based on the six travel programmes:
- Village: A four week long programme for 11-year-old participants. Delegations from 12-14 countries come together and participate in activities promoting peace and understanding. Each delegation consists of two boys, two girls, and an adult leader.
- Summer Camp: A three week programme for participants 13-15 years of age. Delegations include 4-6 participants and an adult leader. Some summer camps are single-gender.
- Interchange: Involving only two countries, this programme spans two summers (occasionally winters). A delegation of 6-12 youth, aged 12-15, is selected from each participating country. In the first year, one delegation will travel to visit for one month with the other. The next year, the delegations reciprocate. Each delegation has one adult leader, and may also have a Junior Leader.
- Seminar Camp: A three week programme for youth 17-18 in which there is only one delegate from each participating country. Seminar Camps have a more direct educational approach, and youth are encouraged to form opinions on various world issues. Usually youth-directed, this program has only thirty participants in total.
- Youth Meeting: A three-week, regional theme camp for youth under 16.
- International People's Project: CISV's newest international programme is open to persons 19+ and is three weeks long. Participants participate in hands-on work contributing to a community project.
The CISV International programmes page (http://www.cisv.org/s/programmesmain.htm) provides more detailed information.
As well, CISV have chapters hold local programmes that aim to share the CISV experience within the smaller community.
- Local Work: a continuous program that provides peace education in the local level. CISV aims and goals are carried out in the local level to allow community interaction with CISV. It is suitable for all ages, and is ideal to involve people who had not participated in the international programmes
- Junior Branch: a group of local CISVers (typically age 11-25) who carry out CISV programmes and activities in the local level. They are the link between CISV and the like-minded organizations (LMOs).
Chapters and the CISV Organization
The International Office of CISV is located in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. While critical administration for international programmes takes place at the Office, the vast majority of organizational work is done at the local "chapter" level.
Each of CISV's 62 countries has a national association, which oversees and supports municipal chapters. Local chapters are divided into the Junior Branch (youth 25 and under) and the Adult Board (members 25+). Aside from the International Office staff, CISV is entirely volunteer-run.
CISV currently has participatory status with the Council of Europe.
External links
- CISV International Website (http://www.cisv.org)
- CISV Friends Website (http://friends.cisv.org/)de:Childrens International Summer Villages