GYSD0809 Final Report

Global Youth Service Day
2008 & 2009 Final Report
1
Table of Contents
Global Youth Service Day 3

Introductory Narrative
North America 9
Central America and the Caribbean 13
South America 17
Europe 22
Russia and Central Asia 41
East Asia and Oceania 58
North Africa and the Middle East 72
West and Central Africa 80
East and Southern Africa 90
Country Index 97
**Disclaimer: This report contains summaries of the activities organized in each country
that participated in Global Youth Service Day in 2008-2009 The summaries have been
compiled by the GYSD Coordination Team based on reports received by National
Lead Agencies and Local Organizes.
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Global Youth Service Day is an annual campaign that celebrates
and mobilizes the millions of children and youth who improve their
communities each day of the year through service and service-
learning.
Established in 1988 in the United States and in 2000 globally, GYSD

is the largest service event in the world and is now celebrated in
over 100 countries. On GYSD, children and youth address the
world’s most critical issues in partnership with families, schools,
community and faith-based organizations, businesses, and gov-
ernments.
The goals of Global Youth Service Day are to:

• Mobilize
ο youth to identify and address the needs of their communities
ο organizations to provide opportunities for youth engagement;
ο media and policy makers to promote and raise awareness of young
people as assets and resources to their communities.
• Support
ο youth on a lifelong path of service and civic engagement;
ο schools and organizations through training and technical assistance,
grants, and resources that enable them to engage youth.
• Sustain
ο Community improvement through year-round engagement of youth as
leaders and problem-solvers.
Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) 2008-2009 was organized by Youth Service America
with the Global Youth Action Network and an International Coordinating Committee.
Youth Service America (YSA) improves communi-

ties by increasing the number and the diversity of
young people, ages 5-25, serving in substantive
roles.
Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of

engaged youth committed to a lifetime of service, learning, leadership, and achieve-
ment. www.ysa.org
Global Youth Action Network facilitates youth

participation and intergenerational partnerships
in global decision-making; supports collaboration
among diverse youth organizations; and provides
tools, resources, and recognition for positive
youth action.
www.youthlink.org
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INTERNATIONAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE & PARTNERS
The International Coordinating Committee & Partners is a group of 50 international or-

ganizations that promote, organize, and support Global Youth Service Day.
Highlights of international partner activities include:
• Over 70 Student Chapters of People to People International organized Global

Youth Service Day projects. Learn more at www.ptpigysd.org
• Peace Corps sent a message from Director Ron Tschetter to all volunteers, and
organized webinars for Peace Corps volunteers about planning for GYSD.
• Several U.S. State Department Youth Programs Division - Global Connections

and Exchange Program sites organized projects, including Afghanistan and
the West Bank.
• American Councils for International Education featured GYSD on their web-

site, encouraged 17,000 Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program alumni
across Eurasia to organize GYSD events, and offered them the chance to
match money raised locally with the FLEX Alumni/Bureau of Educational and
Cultural Affairs GYSD Matching Grants program.
• IDB Youth, an office of the Inter-American Development Bank, promotes GYSD

through its network, and organizes a youth service project each year as part
of The Annual Meeting of the IDB Board of Governors.
International Coordinating Committee members & partners include:
Academy of Educational Development Centro Boliviano de Filantropia

www.aed.org www.cebofil.org
American Councils for International Education Child Family Health International

www.americancouncils.org www.cfhi.org
Ariel Foundation International City Year

www.arielconsult.com www.cityyear.org
Association of Polar Early Career Scientists Council on International Educational Exchange

www.arcticportal.org/apecs (CIEE)
www.ciee.org
Atlas Corps
www.atlascorps.org Earth Charter Initiative
www.earthcharter.org
Building Bridges Coalition – Brooking Institute’s
Initiative on International Volunteering and Ser- Golden Key
vice www.goldenkey.org
www.brookings.edu/projects/volunteering
Habitat for Humanity International
Center for Cultural Interchange www.habitat.org
www.cci-exchange.com
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Hope Worldwide Service for Peace
www.hopeww.org www.serviceforpeace.org
iEARN-USA Special Olympics

www.us.iearn.org www.specialolympics.org
IFES Student Partnerships Worldwide

www.ifes.org www.spw.org
Innovations in Civic Participation TakingITGlobal

www.icicp.org www.tigweb.org
Inter-American Development Bank U8 Global Student Partnership for Development

www.iadb.org www.u8development.com
International Association for Volunteer Effort Unite for Sight

www.iave.org www.uniteforsight.org
International Baccalaureate Organization United Nations Foundation

www.ibo.org www.unfoundation.org
International Youth Foundation United Nations Millennium Campaign

www.iyfnet.org www.endpoverty2015.org
Latin-American Center for Service Learning United Nations Volunteers

www.clayss.org.ar www.unv.org
Malaria No More United Nations Programme on Youth

www.malarianomore.org www.un.org/youth
Nacel Open Door, Inc U.S. Department of Justice

www.nacelopendoor.org www.usdoj.gov
National Youth Leadership Council U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational

www.nylc.org & Cultural Affairs - Youth Programs Division
www.exchanges.state.gov/education/citizens/
One World Youth Project students
www.oneworldyouthproject.org
VSA Arts
Partners of the Americas www.vsarts.org
www.partners.net
World Federation of United Nations Associations
Peace Child International www.wfuna.org
www.peacechild.org
Young Americas Business Trust
People to People International www.ybiz.org
www.ptpi.org
Youth Employment Summit
Project Harmony Azerbaijan www.yesweb.org
www.projectharmony.org
Youth for Understanding
Relief International www.yfu-usa.org
www.ri.org
Youth Venture
Reverence For Life www.youthventure
www.reverenceforlife.org
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NATIONAL LEAD AGENCIES
In many countries, a National Lead Agency serves as the lead convener and organizer
of Global Youth Service Day. National Lead Agencies promote GYSD in their country,
organize high profile events, engage local media and government officials, and coor-
dinate project registration and reporting. A wide range of organizations serve as Na-
tional Lead Agencies, including youth-led or youth-serving groups, NGOs and volun-
teer organizations, faith-based groups, government offices & agencies, national youth
councils, and national chapters of international agencies. National Lead Agencies are
listed in the country summaries in this report.
LOCAL ORGANIZERS
In all participating countries, Local Organizers play a critical role – everyone who plans
and implements a GYSD project is a Local Organizer. Global Youth Service Day is, at its
core, a grassroots movement of youth improving their communities and changing the
world – and would not achieve the scale, diversity, and impact it does each year with-
out the tireless efforts of thousands of Local Organizers in NGOs, schools and universi-
ties, government agencies, faith communities, and families around the world. Local
Organizers who registered their projects on GYSD.org or submitted project reports are
listed in the country summaries in this report.
YSA GRANTEES
The Disney Minnie Grant program provides $500 to

projects that engage children and youth, ages 5-
14, as volunteers and community leaders planning
and implementing service projects focusing on
the United Nation’s Millennium Development
Goals and other community needs.
Teachers, older youth (15-25), and youth-serving organizations are also eligible to ap-
ply for the Disney Minnie Grant program, as long as the project engages younger
youth (5-14) in planning and implementing the project.
In 2008 and 2009, Youth Service America supported 161 international projects through
the Disney Minnie Grant program. Disney Minnie Grant project organizers are noted in
the country summaries.
2009 GYSD HIGHLIGHTS
In 2009, over 750,000 youth volunteers in more than 100 countries participated in
Global Youth Service Day. The countries with the largest numbers of volunteers in-
clude:
Hungary – 19,000 youth joined 150 projects.
Taiwan – 260,000 youth participated nationally.
Liberia – 4,000 youth participated in Monrovia.
Ghana – A national initiative with over 15,000 youth.
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Highlights of 2009 GYSD activities include:
In Afghanistan, students and teachers partnered with Youth in Action Association and
local Rotary and Lincoln Center members to celebrate Global Youth Service Day in
Jalalabad. More than 85 students with the Global Connections and Exchange (GCE)
program presented skits, followed by group discussions and workshops about narcot-
ics, narcotics, education, volunteer work, time management and ethics. Activities cul-
minated with an awards ceremony sponsored by Jalalabad education officials.
In Bangladesh, students participated in environment, health, traffic safety and technol-

ogy projects. Schools in Dhaka, Jessore, Comilla and Chittagong organized a trash
pick-up project as they cleaned their school, classrooms, and nearby communities. At
the Pahatali Girls’ High school in Chittagong, a teacher and students went house to
house providing information about basic health care such as personal hygiene, nutri-
tion and handwashing. In Gazipur, students of Rani Bilashmoni Boys High School re-
paired the zebra crossing in front of their school.
In France, Association de la Fondation Etudiante pour la Ville (A.F.E.V.) organized stu-

dent events in more than 40 cities across the country around theme of youth solidarity
and the struggle against inequality. The events included concerts, panel discussions
and community gatherings to highlight the role of young people.
In Kenya, National Lead Agency Kenya Slum Youths Development Organization

(KESYDO) organized an awareness campaign around the Millennium Development
Goals, highlighting the role young people can play in the country's development.
In Pakistan, six organizations across the country organized events for Global Youth Ser-
vice Day, including events that combine the celebrations of volunteerism with a focus
on environmental awareness and celebrations of Earth Day.
In Palestine, West Bank Community-Based Learning and Action Centers in Jenin,

Nablus, Hebron, and Salfeet organized GYSD projects. Projects included offering free
medical check-ups for bloodpressure, diabetes, blood type and heigh and weight
measurements in underserved villages, tutoring programs, recycling campaigns,
school repair, and public health education campaigns.
In Rwanda, Disney Minnie Grantees organized a mentoring program for fellow students
with HIV/AIDS and an anti-bullying campaign in their school.
In Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian spoke to youth volunteers, saying "A single individ-
ual who spends 1,000 hours doing good deserves respect, but if 1,000 people each
spend one hour as a volunteer, the benefits to society are even broader and more en-
during.”
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2008 GYSD HIGHLIGHTS
In Brazil more than100,000 young people participated in hundreds of projects around

the country, with a common focus on the United Nations Millennium Development
Goals. An annual “State Volunteer Week” was implemented to coincide with GYSD. As
in past years, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva officially commemorated Bra-
zil’s GYSD events, and stated that “Global Youth Service Day [is] the most expressive,
global celebration of youth volunteerism.”
In Haiti, the two lead agencies mobilized thousands of youth throughout the country
in an effort to raise awareness about environmental sustainability. The Association
Jeunesse Excalibur planted a thousand trees along with participating local organiza-
tions. The Center for Thought, Education and Debate convened a forum on environ-
mental issues, as well as a conference in Port-au-Prince with members of the Youth
Ministry to discuss issues affecting young people in Haiti.
In Indonesia, the Lembaga Manajemen Pendidikan Indonesia (LMPI) Foundation

brought together youth from more than 75 schools from 7 different cities across the
country, in projects that benefited more than 60,000 students. The theme in 2008 was
Strengthening our Global Future through Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneur-
ship.
In Iraq, the Iraqi Democratic Coalition for Youth Empowerment engaged 160 youth
from all over Baghdad in presenting first aid trainings in several primary and secondary
schools. The participants learned how to treat burns and other injuries and received
first aid supplies in order to be prepared to respond to emergency situations.
In Kenya, 14 youth organizations organized all over the country in order to celebrate
the important contributions of young volunteers.
In Russia, the Russian Volunteer Development Center of IAVE engaged almost a million
participants in 15 different regions of the country, under the theme of “Russia Youth
Generation - Energy of Health and Kindness."
In Sierra Leone, African Youth for Peace and Development organized a clean-up
campaign in an orphanage as well as an elderly home. Meanwhile Service for Peace-
Sierra Leone held a forum on peace, non-violence and tolerance in four different
communities throughout the country to highlight alternative methods for achieving so-
cial change.
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North America
Local Organizer
Mexico Libertad en Acción
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Perla Barreda Vidal

Libertadenac-
Number of Participants: 100 cion@yahoo.com
Libertad en Acción organized events which promoted access to information and
transparency as a mechanism to fight corruption, and encouraged social responsibility
among participants.
Lead Agency
United States & Canada Youth Service America
Participating Year: 2008 Number of Participants: 180,000
70 Lead Agencies led large-scale, high impact service projects in cities, states, and re-
gions in the U.S. and Canada, involving over 180,000 youth.
State Farm was the Presenting Sponsor of Global Youth Service Day in the U.S. Other
sponsors include Disney and the U.S. Department of Justice.
Examples of Projects:
• In New York City, the Young Women’s Volunteer Summit engaged diverse youth
in educational workshops and service activities benefiting women throughout
the city and around the world. The Summit was spearheaded by the NYC Com-
mission on Women’s Issues, Mayor Bloomberg’s Volunteer Center, Children for
Children, and CosmoGIRL! magazine, in partnership with the City University of
New York.
• In Corona, California Teen Zone engaged over 3,000 youth who studied and de-
livered reports on different areas of disaster preparedness. Their findings were
highlighted during the “Fill the Bus” Carnival, an event dedicated to raising pub-
lic awareness about homelessness and natural disasters.
• More than 1,200 youth participated in Volunteer Frederick's Annual Big Sweep
to help beautify the roads in Frederick County, Maryland. Youth were involved
in service-learning workshops and wrote letters to tobacco companies about
the large number of non-biodegradable cigarette butts they found throughout
their community.
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• Youth in Charlotte, North Carolina conducted a number of science experi-
ments, including comparing the energy consumption between incandescent
and fluorescent light bulbs. The results of the experiments generated substance
for the group’s protest against Duke University’s plan to open a coal power
plant as well as other existing laws permitting local residents to utilize energy-
wasting resources. Through letter writing campaigns and interactive seminars on
GYSD, the group hopes to implement local policy changes.
• Children for Children (CFC) mobilized more than 20,000 volunteers throughout
New York State. Working with over 200 organizations - from schools, to youth
boards - they developed unique, youth-led projects that addressed critical local
and global issues. In addition, CFC's Youth Planning Committee organized “A
Healthy Inside, A Healthy Outside” to promote proper nutrition.
• Oregon Volunteers administered the Fostering Inclusion Mini-Grant Program de-

signed to support GYSD projects that build partnerships between AmeriCorps
programs and disability agencies. All projects were planned and implemented
by youth alongside adults and youth with disabilities, addressing compelling
community needs through service.
• Volunteer Center of Manatee County hosted its biggest GYSD ever, engaging
thousands of youth throughout Florida and hosting more than 100 projects to
address animal welfare, disaster preparedness, the environment, and health
and human service needs.
Partnerships:
• The CMT cable network and Youth Service America joined forces for the second
year in a row to help motivate youth for GYSD. American Idol recording artist
Diana DeGarmo of CMT’s ‘Gone Country’ was this year’s honorary spokesper-
son.
• CMT One Country was launched in the fall of 2005 to promote civic participa-
tion and inspire CMT viewers to take action in their communities. Led by Advi-
sory Board members President Jimmy Carter, Maya Angelou, and General Colin
Powell, CMTONECOUNTRY.com offers tools to help anyone make a difference.
• This year GYSD partnered with World Malaria Day on April 25, elevating the role
of youth service in solving this global health crisis. The UN Foundation and Youth
Service America published a new service-learning module to encourage pro-
jects around malaria prevention. Serve DC created covers for malaria aware-
ness activity books for children in Nigeria. In addition, Children for Children and
its partners hosted a kickoff event where youth engaged in projects that take
action against malaria.
• EarthLab used GYSD to raise awareness about climate change by encouraging
students to take the EarthLab Earth Day Challenge and to lower their carbon
footprint scores by 15% in 2008. Individuals used a web-based carbon calculator
that allowed to save their results, come back, make pledges, and track their re-
ductions over time at www.earthlab.com.
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Government Support:
• The U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution to commemorate Global Youth

Service Day and recognize the significant contributions of youth to their com-
munities throughout the year, with a bipartisan list of 38 co-sponsors. Senator Lisa
Murkowski, R-Alaska, introduced the resolution.
• Additionally, governors in 11 states have issued their own GYSD Proclamations,
recognizing the world’s largest service event in their areas.
Lead Agency
Youth Service America
76 Lead Agencies led large-scale, high impact projects and events throughout the
United States and Canada engaging millions of youth.
160 National Partners promoted GYSD to millions of their members and mobilized pro-
ject organizers in all 50 states.
Young people in Canada initiated and participated in 28 service activities, while

young Americans planned, executed and supported 1,917 service events.
Examples of Projects:
• As recipients of a State Farm Good
Neighbor Service-Learning Grants,
youth in Boston, MA participating in
Massachusetts Promise Fellows Pro-
grams planted flowers, landscaped,
and rehabbed a soccer field.
• As recipients of a UnitedHealth HEROES

grant, High school students from Pay-
son, AZ researched topics on healthy
eating and calories and provided in-
struction to elementary school children
in their community.
• As part of the NEA Youth Leaders for Literacy, Mackenzie Bearup, Alpharetta,
GA, deals with a crippling disease but found that books helped her cope. She
collected books for other kids in treatment centers and homeless shelters and
gave them the opportunity to escape from their situation through the world of
books.
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Partnerships:
• Miley Cyrus and Youth Service

America launched Miley.YSA.org.
Miley created a PSA and twittered
about GYSD asking kids to
change the world.
• CMT cable channel’s pro-social
initiative and the Carter Twins cre-
ated a PSA and promoted GYSD
on their website and on the Coun-
try Music Countdown.
Government Support
• The U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution to commemorate Global Youth

Service Day and recognize the significant contributions of youth to their com-
munities throughout the year, with a bipartisan list of 35 co-sponsors. Senate
Resolution 105 was introduced by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and officially
designated April 24 - 26, 2009, as Global Youth Service Day.
• The U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution to commemorate Global
Youth Service Day. The resolution passed the vote 424 to 0, with a bipartisan list
of 31 co-sponsors. House Resolution 353 was introduced by Representative Rosa
DeLauro (D-CT) and Supports the goals and ideals of Global Youth Service Day.
• Additionally, governors in 21 states have issued their own GYSD Proclamations,
recognizing the world’s largest service event in their areas.
• The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act,
signed on April 20, 2009, by President Obama,
authorizes a massive expansion of national ser-
vice programs for Americans of all ages. Addi-
tionally, the act establishes a Semester of Ser-
vice Program, modeled after YSA's Semester of
Service, which allows K-12 youth to earn aca-
demic credit for service-learning programs tied
to academic standards and of at least 70
hours in duration with a third of the time spent
on community opportunities in school and in
community-based programs. The Kennedy
Serve America Act also recognizes Global
Youth Service Day, encourages White House
participation, and authorizes the Corporation
for National and Community Service and other
federal departments and agencies to organize
activities and make grants to public or private
nonprofit organizations to organize activities on GYSD.
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Central America and the Caribbean
Local Organizer
Bahamas • S.T.R.A.W. Inc. Center for Young Women
• People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Therena Cunningham

straw_inc@hotmail.com
Number of Participants: 200
S.T.R.A.W. volunteers chose two areas of community service to focus on: beautifying
the local area and promoting health and wellness. The Minister of Social Develop-
ment and Miss Teen Bahamas World 2008 supported the events, providing the event
with media exposure and promotion of Global Youth Service Day.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Queen’s College chapter of Peo-
ple to People International embarked upon a unique campaign to educate their
school and community about the many misconceptions, stigma, and discrimination
which surrounds HIV/AIDS in The Bahamas. The chapter planned an entire day of ac-
tivities which took place on Monday, April 28th. The students arranged a school assem-
bly where they presented the HIV/AIDS statistics they learned during their research. Fol-
lowing the assembly, chapter members sold HIV/AIDS bands and bracelets, accepted
donations, signed students up to become members of The Bahamas AIDS Foundation,
decorated boards around their school, gave out AIDS ribbons, and formed a human
AIDS ribbon.
Local Organizer
Dominican Republic Alianza ONG-Sirve Quisqueya
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Rodrigo Segura Franco

athen@alianzaong.org.do
Number of Participants: 1,000
The Alianza ONG-Sirve Quisqueya held a National Youth Service Fair for the benefit
of youth and the public on ways to become involved in service.
Local Organizer
Guatemala Service for Peace
Participating Year: 2008 Number of Participants: 385
Service for Peace Guatemala celebrated Global Youth Service Day with a special
activity focused on strengthening the work previously done by Service for Peace in
the Santiago Atitlan area. 12
SFP implemented a new methodology for this area - projects focused on social aware-
ness. Through a conference and educational activities, volunteers emphasized central
topics as volunteering, service, and social responsibilities as the base for success. On
April 26, SFP held a conference for the young students from the Secondary Educa-
tional Institute of Santiago Atitlan, working together with volunteers that had previously
worked with SFP Guatemala and are more involved in creating a new community. In
this way, volunteers and community members could see a continuity of our initiative
and our goals. Furthermore, this time it was not just SFP’s responsibility to coordinate,
but the volunteers themselves were empowered to do so. There were about 185 par-
ticipants. The young students and adults showed huge interest in those topics and ex-
pressed their firm motivated to try and make a difference: starting with their homes
and continuing in their community.
Thanks to the huge success SFP had on GYSD, SFP held another activity on the 30th of
April. It involved the magisterial block of Santiago Atitlan and approximately 200
teachers took part in it, having been invited by the School Principal and volunteer of
this program Juan Tiney. During the conference, volunteers showed several video pres-
entations about self-motivation, a debate about working together in teams and the
change of social paradigms as a platform for development of the community also
evolved. Throughout the program the teachers expressed their positive thoughts on
how to be a better teacher.
National Lead Agency

Haiti The Center of Thoughts, Education, and
Debate (CRED)
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: John Miller Beauvoir

pathwayhaiti@Gmail.com
The Center of Education, Thoughts, and Debate (CRED) worked with 130 young volun-
teers on the island of Gonave to serve over 450 people to help educate the island
locals on the importance of civic engagement and environmental awareness. This
marked the first ever youth-led initiative in this Haitian community.
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Local Organizer
Puerto Rico People to People International
Participating Year: 2009 Number of Participants: 51+
People to People International student member Nicole Arocho planned a Day of Pets
event at San Jose Colegio in San German, Puerto Rico. All members of the commu-
nity were encouraged to come; there were veterinarians, local pet stores, and edu-
cational presentations by veterinarians and the Saint Francis of Assisi’s Sanctuary
(SAFA), an organization that shelters homeless cats and dogs. Additionally, there was
a fashion show, beauty contests, raffles, and a chance to adopt animals.
Students from the People to People International chapter in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico,
hosted the following activities in honor of GYSD: planting plants, clearing areas
around their college, a celebration Week of Language and the Planet, Earth Day ac-
tivities to raise environmental awareness, and painting the logos of the student or-
ganizations in a mural at the stadium of the College.
Local Organizer
Trinidad and Tobago International Education and Resource Net-
work Trinidad and Tobago
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Gia Gaspard Taylor

iearntnt_net@yahoo.com
Number of Participants: 300 contact@naturaldisasters-
iearntnt.org
The Natural Disaster Youth Summit 2008 was held in Trinidad and Tobago and en-
gaged 195 youth in an effort to create greater awareness on climate change and to
provide a forum for youth voices. 300 students, youth, teachers, and leaders provided
educational material to those who were not able to attend and UNICEF provided child
friendly educational material and games.
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Local Organizer
International Education and Resource Net-
work Trinidad and Tobago
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Gia Gaspard Taylor

iearntnt_net@yahoo.com
Number of Participants: 200+ contact@naturaldisasters-
iearntnt.org
The International Education and Resource Network (iEARN) attracted many teachers
and students who participated in the "Awareness and Education" Workshop on the Or-
ganization of American States Process. Having had a successful learning experience
on Global Youth Service Day, they then earned the opportunity to advance to the
MODEL Youth Summit, with 34 Heads of States, each with their own Foreign Affairs Offi-
cer, one Secretary General, a Political Affairs Officer, media, and supporting staff.
15
South America

Scouts de Argentina
Argentina Local Organizaer
Dirección de Juventud, Municipio de
Quilmes
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Adrian Contursi-Reynoso

Nadia Soledad Morrone
Number of Participants: 1,304 juventud@scouts.org.ar
Scouts de Argentina mobilized volunteers to clean and recover an important part of

the Costanera Ecological Reserve in Buenos Aires, in addition to collecting toys and
food items for donation in other parts of Argentina.
Dirección de Juventud, Municipio de Quilmes staged a performance and collected

clothing and food items through the event.
Local Organizer
Asociación Civil Fortalecer Misiones
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Cristian Manzur

Fortalecermisio
Number of Participants: 1,304 nes@gmail.com
The Asociación Civil Fortalecer Misiones make an event to promote awareness

among youth regarding the right to education as a tool for social inclusion, which was
held on April 25, 2009.
Local Organizer
Bolivia Ambio Chaco NGO
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Peter Schecter

Carlos Llanos Cavero
Number of Participants: 180 ambiochaco@gmail.com
Ambio Chaco NGO organized environmental committees in three communities and

demonstrated activities such as disinfecting water, waste management, and refores-
tation.
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Natal Voluntarios
Brazil Local Organizer
Shirley Ann Sullivan Educational Founda-
tion
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Maria Luisa

acoes@diaglobal.org.br
In its ninth year, Brazil's National Lead
Agency, Natal Voluntarios, mobilized
young people in 255 cities throughout all
27 states in Brazil. Recognizing that the
United Nations General Assembly has
designated 2008 as the "International
Year of Sanitation," all 1,000 service pro-
jects focused on issues of sanitation. Bra-
zil's President Lula sent an official mes-
sage of encouragement to all Brazilian
volunteers participating in Global Youth
Service Day.
Shirley Ann Sullivan Educational Founda-

tion volunteers helped promote entrepreneurial opportunities and create employ-
ment workshops for young people.
Local Organizers
• Rede Nacional de Grupos Movimientos e

Organizações de Juventude – RENAJU
• Instituto Mude o Mundo de Promoção da
Responsabilidade Social
• Instituto Mãos e Vozes
• Instituto Ecoar – INEC
• Instituto Nacional de Solidariedade e
Desenvolvimento Economico Social e Humano -
INSODES
• União dos Escoteiros do Brasil – RN e RJ
• United Way Brasil
• Projeto Formação de l’Ãderes
• Grupo Escoteiro Atiradores - 215/RS
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Maria Luisa

acoes@diaglobal.org.br
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The Rede Nacional de Grupos, Movimientos e Organizações de Juventude carried
out activities such as: joint efforts of cleaning in ecological parks, campaigns of envi-
ronmental awareness in the communities, and services in nursery schools, orphan-
ages, and between other institutions of charity.
In their region, the Instituto Mude o Mundo de Promoção da Responsabilidade Social

coordinated about 50 actions over the year with schools and non-governmental or-
ganizations (NGOs), and enlisted participants from GYSD and the young people who
are volunteering and are acting as agents of change in the world.
The Instituto Ecoar worked on leadership

training and implemented youth-led social
action initiatives.
On the 23 of April, the organization Instituto

Nacional de Solidariedade e Desen-
volvimento Economico Social e Humano
participated in the Global Day of the
Young Volunteers and also promoted the
installation of the INSODES - National Insti-
tute of Solidarity and Development
Economico, Social and Human, which
adopts as a course of action the ten begin-
nings of the Global Pact of the United Nations.
In the State of the Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil, 48 groups of young people chose an
action of service (from an objective of the Millennium Development Goals) such as
efforts of cleaning and restoration, peace, and environmental education in the State
Schools. Also, in the city of the Rio de Janeiro thousands of boy scouts came for the
Great Play Regional Boy Scout, which consists of a basic play in which the young boy
scouts carry out determined tasks appropriate for each age group. Donations, medi-
cine, and food were collected for institutions of charity.
United Way Brasil organized events based on a series of environmental service goals
which focused on a variety of areas such as the environment; the reuse of oil used
kitchens, for which they created workshops for production of materials of spread;
and activities in nursery schools for the children focused on recycling, as well as for
the community.
Over the course of the weekend, the Projeto Formação de l’Ãderes visited the Home
of the Velhinhos (Veterans), visited a hospital, and help a protest march for peace.
The Grupo Escoteiro Atiradores In the day 25 of April, the boy scouts mounted posts
of tax revenue of non-perishable foods in some supermarkets in the city and carried
out the Campaign “It Always Alerts Against the Hunger.”
18
Colombia Corporación Grupo Tayrona
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Juan Diego Valenzuela

grupotayrona@gmail.com
A total of 45 projects were carried out on Global Youth Service Day organized by Cor-
poración Grupo Tayrona. 43 colleges and universities took part in the celebrations.
About 30,000 people across the country received marketing materials, brochures and
posters about GYSD, and 39 bulletins were sent to networks in Colombia to promote
GYSD. People across Colombia appeared on 33 community radios to speak about
GYSD.

Corporación Grupo Tayrona
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Juan Diego & Adriana

Valenzuela
Number of Participants: 30,000 grupotayrona@gmail.com
The Corporación Grupo Tayrona decided to center their GYSD on educating and
motivating individuals and the community at large to modify behavior and develop
habits of health and life on the planet. Some of their activities included motivational
and educational talks at various schools and institutions, advocacy events, aware-
ness campaigns, cultural activities, and reflective discussions on what they had ac-
complished.

Ecuador Educate
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Quito

kmiranda@e_ducate.org
Educate mobilized 300 youth volunteers in Ecuador that helped construct an ele-
mentary school in Ciudad de Israel.
19
Local Organizer
Guyana GuyberNet
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Norwell Hinds

gybernet@networksgy.com
The organization GuyberNet organized a variety of events over the course of the
weekend such as a community clean-up; Street Graffiti - Walk of Tolerance Mural;
Youth Express, which included a dinner and movie for appreciation; a Multicultural-
ism Writing Competition (youth) Award Ceremony; and the Peace Tiles Mural Unveil-
ing.
Local Organizer
Suriname Umooja Foundation for Youth Develop-
ment
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Tanja Pinas

tanjapinas@yahoo.com
The Umooja Foundation for Youth Development celebrated Global Youth Service
Day by raising awareness and making a statement about the importance of youth
service, fostering a discussion about youth participating in service events, and actu-
ally doing different service events in the area in order to help the community.
20
Europe
Local Organizers
Albania • Lac Outdoor Ambassadors Club
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Adel Gana

ganadel@gmail.com
Number of Participants: 45 Blerina Gjonaj
info.lsia@yahoo.com
The city of Lac has been identified by the Regional Environmental Center for Central
and Eastern Europe as one of eight major pollution hotspots in Albania. The students
of the Lac Outdoor Ambassadors club, who meet weekly to clean and improve their
town, completed a community analysis survey that revealed citizens’ fervent desire
for a trash-free city and more urban green space. 25 children and youth gathered
with community leaders to plant a 20x30 foot community garden near the town cen-
ter and paint permanent signs that will encourage people not to litter. Students
worked to alter the views of people in Lac, population 20,000, by demonstrating a
commitment to having a clean and environmentally-friendly city.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Tirana, Albania (Horizon) Stu-
dent Chapter of People to People International organized a collection of clothes,
toys, school supplies, books, and other items from students and teachers at the
chapter’s school. With the help of another humanitarian organization, the chapter
distributed the items to children in an orphanage in Tirana. They also organized a fes-
tival at the orphanage to provide the children with a fun activity.
21
Local Organizer
Armenia American Council Future Leader Exchange (FLEX)
In Yerevan, Armenia, alumni of the American Council Future Leader Exchange (FLEX)
program assisted children at Nubarashen Boarding School #11 for children with mental
disabilities as they planted trees. The activity was part of a follow up project associ-
ated with the Become the Voice of Voiceless environmental project. 15 children and
alumni volunteers planted 30 apricot trees that were donated by the Armenia Tree
Project. Alumni talked to the children about the need for taking care of the environ-
ment and explained how each person can pitch in to help create a better and
cleaner world. Alumni also held a flower planting activity for the children. 30 children
received a flowerpot and a flower. Alumni explained how to plant the seeds and
gave the children directions on how to care for their new plants.
Local Organizer
Austria Service for Peace
On April 27, in honor of GYSD 2008, 16 volunteers with Service for Peace and residents
from the Maradonna House for Young Refugees in Steyr, Austria, went on an exciting
French expedition. Three volunteers of French origin started with communication exer-
cises and games dealing with the French language.
Then the colorful team of 8 nationalities (there were people from Afghanistan, Austria,
France, Gambia, Moldova, Russia, Somilia and Uzbekistan) started cooking together
Ratatouille and Tarte aux pommes alsaciennes. Finally, the group could enjoy the nice
food and serve it to other refugees. Thanks to all participants, partners and supporters,
the next steps will lead the colorful project group to Innsbruck where they will partici-
pate in the international finale of the soccer- and integration-project EUROSCHOOLS
2008.
Local Organizer
Bosnia & Herzegovina OSMIJEH
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Hamdija Kujundzic

osmijeh@bih.net.ba
OSMIJEH - Association for Psychosocial Help and Development of Voluntary Work
mobilized 2,200 young people, most of whom decided to construct projects that ad-
dressed environmental and ecological issues, while others focused on helping the
22
elderly, the disabled, and children with special needs.
Local Organizers
• Municipal Council on Drug Prevention
Volunteer Bulgaria
Bulgaria •
• Youth Association Pernik
• Service for Peace
The Municipal Council on Drug Prevention planned, prepared, and presented pres-
entations on drug prevention to two local schools. Volunteer Bulgaria mobilized 14
university students to lead teams of orphans to clean and landscape their orphan-
age's backyard. Youth Association Pernik gave 22 young journalists the opportunity
to receive free career lessons in writing, software, and video and audio program-
ming from professional journalists.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Varna Dolphins chapter of People
to People International organized an environmental initiative and anti-smoking cam-
paign directed toward the youth of their community. Chapter members raised money
to purchase trees, which were planted in the park next to their school. In addition, stu-
dents gave anti-smoking presentations to local 5th and 6th graders and then gathered
along a busy street where they gave demonstrations about the dangers of smoking.
They even put a cardboard mummy on display with sticky clay on its lungs. People
passing by were invited to put their cigarettes out directly on the sticky lungs. Twenty
people volunteered for the effort and 100 individuals participated.
SFP affiliate Volunteers Bulgaria once again brought together young people with dif-
ferent social backgrounds volunteering for a good cause. This year it was the cleaning
and landscaping of the back yard of the Home for children without parental care in
Sofia “P. Slaveykov” to make it a friendly and colorful place to enjoy nature and play.
Fourteen university students, ages 20 to 30, took part as team-leaders facilitating the
work of the volunteers- the actual residents of the Orphanage. They had the chance
to meet and communicate with the children from the Orphanage and through various
workshops during February, March and April to get them ready for the big day on April
26.
Thanks to their efforts, 30 orphans (half of them under the age of 14, 5 of them with
mental or physical disadvantages) experienced the transformation from being a per-
son who receives to being a young volunteer who gives. Through cleaning out their
own backyard, and planting more than a hundred trees, shrubs and flowers, with the
help of a landscaping specialist, they gained an invaluable experience in gardening
and landscaping. They also experienced how it is to work in harmony with one another
and with the environment. The project was a recipient of a Disney Minnie Grant for
$500 and spent it on GYSD t-shirts, new benches (which the children installed and ce-
mented into the ground), two swings, and a seesaw to make the backyard a more
pleasant place to play. А local landscaping company donated all the plants and pro-
vided one of its landscape architects.
23
Local Organizers
• ZAEDNO - Communication for Support
and Development Foundation
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Natalia JIvkova

zaedno@zaedno.net
The ZAEDNO Foundation mobilized youth volunteers, students, business, team leaders,
and orphanage children between the ages of 10- 25 years in Sofia (the capital of Bul-
garia) and over 14 towns and villages in the country. The GYSD campaign was cele-
brated under the slogan: “Youth Service for the Nature of Bulgaria.” The GYSD events
were organized together with the Global Earth day celebrations to help provide them
with the greater chance to cooperate and mobilize both youth and environmental
organizations all over the country. They also created a GYSD Virtual Media Center,
http:gysd.zaedno.net – a very strategic and powerful tool for mobilization and coordi-
nation – with information about the GYSD global campaign in the Bulgarian lan-
guage.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Sofia, Bulgaria (The Doves) Stu-
dent Chapter of People to People International participated in a project to engage
the local community. The chapter promoted responsible waste management by ar-
ranging for special litter containers to be available for use by community members to
separate waste from recyclable materials. Then, the chapter transported the col-
lected materials to a local recycling center.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day
2009, the Varna, Bulgaria (The Dolphins)
Chapter of People to People International
sponsored a project to benefit the commu-
nity. The chapter organized an activity on
April 25 to promote a local observatory in
Varna by performing the Horo, a traditional
Bulgarian dance, around the observatory.
The main goal of this project was to raise in-
terest and awareness of the observatory
among community members. The event was
planned in collaboration with the observa-
tory’s staff, and after the dance there was a
brief lecture and an opportunity for community members to utilize the observatory.
Student member Elitsa Pophlebarova reflected, “Our cheerful dancing resembled
more or less the unending cycle of life that began when the 9 planets started orbiting
round the sun. We are fairly confident that managed to raise the public interest and
we had a lot of promises from the random participants to spread out the word of the
exciting world of astronomy.” The group also participated in a project to promote re-
sponsible waste management by arranging for special litter containers to be available
for use by community members to separate waste from recyclable materials. Then, the
chapter transports the collected recyclable24materials to be recycled.
Local Organizer
Croatia People to People International
Participating Year: 2008
Contact: Marina Krsni
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Oroslavje – Eagles chapter of
People to People International helped build a gymnasium at their school, with hopes
of promoting healthy lifestyles within their community. By the end of 2007, the chapter
had collected 258 signatures among students and teachers for a petition to build a
gymnasium in their school. The chapter received old trees from the Oroslavje Town
Council and used this wood to build the gymnasium during Global Youth Service Day.
In addition, the chapter recently visited PTPI’s Teens Working Together Student Chapter
in Santa Ynez, California through PTPI’s International Visitor’s Program. The students in
California wanted to do something to help their new Croatian friends, so they loaded
a suitcase with supplies for orphaned Croatian children. The Eagles Chapter members
brought the supplies back to Croatia and delivered the supplies, along with new cur-
tains for the facility and a basket of fresh fruit, to the orphanage on Global Youth Ser-
vice Day.
Local Organizer
People to People International
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day

2009, the Oroslavje, Croatia (Eagles) Stu-
dent Chapter of People to People Interna-
tional planned two projects to make a dif-
ference in its community. First, the chapter
cleaned up the local park and the sur-
roundings of an old castle. Second, the
chapter sponsored a meeting and a dis-
cussion with the school doctor on the issue
of AIDS and the ways of protecting one-
self.
25
Local Organizer
Estonia People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Aleksei Smulski

ptpest@hot.ee
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Tallinn chapter of People to Peo-
ple International participated in a major event in Estonia called “Clean our Country!”
The chapter cleaned and planted trees in Kadriorg Park in Tallinn. Chapter members
took the opportunity to promote PTPI to members of other organizations participating
in the event.
Local Organizer
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Ruta Pels (Tallinn)

ruta.pels@mail.ru
Number of Participants: 20+ Tamara Tsvetkova
taamara@mail.ru
The Tallinn, Estonia Student Chapter of People to People International sponsored a

project to benefit the community, where they participated in the National Action Day
on May 1, "Minu Eesti", to clean parks in Tallinn.
The Narva, Estonia Student Chapter of People to People International sponsored a
clean-up to clean a historical castle in Narva. Additionally, the chapter continued its
annual tradition of cleaning the area around a monument from the Second World
War in the suburbs of Narva.
Local Organizers
Association de la Fondation Etudiantpour la
France •
Ville- A.F.E.V.
• Fête des Solidarités Locales

ganadel@gmail.com
A.F.E.V. organizes an event called Holiday Spirit, aimed at developing new forms of
local solidarity and fighting against inequality. In forty cities in France, one hundred
events were organized for festive and socially mixed audiences.
Fête des Solidarités Locales organized a variety of events all over France as part of
the Global Youth Service Day weekend.
26
Local Organizer
Georgia • Group of Children and Youth
• FLEX Alumni
In Gori, Georgia, twenty-five FLEX alumni worked with local volunteers, representatives
from the local government, and members of the NGO We the Greens to hold a mas-
sive clean up at the Akhalbaghi Park. FLEX alumni recruited for the clean up event in
local universities, through NGO listserves and on the GYSD site. Over 70 local volunteers
assisted alumni and members of the local media as they picked up trash in the park,
picked weeds, and planted trees.
10 FLEX alumni traveled to Rustavi, Georgia to hold a tree planting and community
clean up activity. Alumni were joined by 20 members of the local Ecology Club and
the Rustavi Scout Organization. Following the event, alumni held a seminar for partici-
pants on volunteerism and brainstormed ideas about projects to hold in their commu-
nity. The event received media coverage from Kvemo Karti TV Channel and the Rus-
tavi Scouts made a commitment to continue caring for the trees that were planted.
In Tbilsi, Georgia, FLEX alumni and representatives of the Young Medics Union of Geor-
gia and the Framework Convention Alliance for Tobacco Control Implementation and
Monitoring Center organized a Tobacco-Free Youth Project to coincide with GYSD.
Project leaders organized and facilitated an intensive training on the dangers of to-
bacco for 28 children between the ages of 11-16 at the House of the Future Orphan-
age. Throughout the course of the training, the children voiced their opinion on why
people smoke, learned about stereotypes related to tobacco usage, and discovered
the true dangers of smoking and second-hand smoking. The children viewed the
movie “The Insider,” which exposes how tobacco companies raise their profits by add-
ing ammonia to nicotine, which gives cigarettes a more addictive effect.
The film was followed by a roundtable discussion between alumni and children about
the issues addressed in the movie. The project culminated with a meeting between
the organizers and project participants and a media representative, whereby all par-
ties agreed to hold a protest in front of a tobacco billboard. Following the protest, the
children and alumni participated in a walk/run for Tobacco Free Youth. Together with
local community members against smoking, alumni and children ran or walked a five
kilometer distance to show their support of non-smoking youth.
In Tbilisi, Georgia, FLEX alumni held an event at the Gldani Orphanage. This project
was funded in part by Walt Disney Company and Youth Service America Disney
Minnie grant to support youth-led service projects. The children at the Gldani Orphan-
age, together with alumni and embassy representatives visited a local park to clean
up the facility. Participants picked up trash and passed out pamphlets to the general
public about volunteerism and community engagement.
27
Local Organizer
Group of Children and Youth
Georgia has not established a recycling program, let alone inspired a mentality to
conserve resources. Therefore, a group of 50 children and youth are gearing up to
study their local environment, determine the causes for its deterioration and spread
word of what can be done to reverse the harmful trend. Youth volunteers will use
school newspapers and other public media to educate the public on their findings.
Organizers hope the project will help the community and 240 students achieve a new
appreciation for the natural ecosystem in which they reside.

Hungary People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Agnes Pasztor

a_pasztor@freemail.hu
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Pécs chapter of People to People
International collected garbage in select areas of their community and donated toys
and books to sick children at a local hospital. To conclude the day, chapter member
organized an educational activity in which they visited a recently opened cave.

• Foundation for Democratic Youth (DIA)
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Viktoria Takac

vikics@gmail.co
Through the Foundation for Democratic Youth (DIA), more than 150 projects and over
10,000 volunteers were involved in the KÖZÖD Youth Service Day in Hungary. The pro-
jects were very diverse in nature but all addressed the issue of promoting social re-
sponsibility.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Pécs, Hungary Student Chapter
of People to People International sponsored a project to promote cultural awareness.
In preparation for a visit from the Oroslavje, Croatia (Eagles) Student Chapter of Peo-
ple to People International, the Pecs, Hungary Student Chapter held workshops about
Croatian culture to promote global awareness. Then, the Oroslavje, Croatia (Eagles)
Student Chapter visited Hungary. This GYSD project directly contributed to People to
People International’s mission of Peace through Understanding.
28
Local Organizer
Macedonia Various youth from Valandovo and Topaana
In Topaana, an isolated Roma community, many youth lack an awareness of basic

health and hygienic practices. This is especially problematic since lack of waste man-
agement services has left the community with trash ever-present in parks and along
roadsides, which clogs and pollutes the above-ground water ways, and results in
higher than average mortality rates in Roma communities. The project addressed this
knowledge gap, as well as provided an opportunity for ten youth to be community
leaders and gain skills of decision-making, planning, teamwork, cooperation with or-
ganizations, schools, and local government.
The project included a series of ten training workshops where children meet, plan and
collaborate with organizations to solidify the role of the youth volunteers and the assis-
tance from community partners. They aim to educate more than 3000 people about
public hygiene.
Local Organizers
• Ala Soronga
Moldova • Caroma Nord
• Eugeniu Graur
• FLEX Alumni
Ala Soronga trained 500 children and youth volunteers in clean water management
and rational water usage.
Caroma Nord Caroma Nord held the village of Pirlita’s very first creative writing con-
test, and selected youth were given book prizes for their participation. Also, volunteers
created a small local library of roughly 800 books.
Eugeniu Graur organized 80 volunteers from 10 different villages and trained them in
project development, management and fundraising, and assisted them in completing
their project proposals and implementing their small service learning project in their
local communities.
To celebrate Global Youth Service Day, grant recipient and FLEX alum Olga Dem-
cenco, together with Cristina Poleacovschi, representatives of the NGO ENVIBIO, a
Moldovan NGO promoting sustainable livelihood for youth development, local stu-
dents, and alumni of the Regional Research Program (RSEP), Fulbright Program, and
the Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central Asia organized
the Healthy Lifestyle and Communication Training for Rural Youth. Organizers devel-
oped trainings on life skills, self-esteem and discovery, civil rights, education opportuni-
ties, effective communication, and teamwork. Volunteers held the series of trainings
for 24 youth in the village of Ratus. 29
FLEX alumni in Chisinau, Moldova created the An Inconvenient Truth Seminar for GYSD.
Alumni worked with a team of linguists and peers to translate the movie and record a
voiceover in Moldovan. The alumna proceeded to hold seven presentations and
showings of the film, which offers a look at former U.S. Vice President Al Gore’s move-
ment to halt the destruction caused by global warming, at local universities and
schools. Over 400 youth, including members of the Environmental Association for Chil-
dren and Youth of Moldova, attended the seminars. After watching the film, partici-
pants discussed the movie and expressed their opinions on the current state of the en-
vironment and the movement to halt global climate change. Organizers then shared
information about environmental issues, especially those relevant to Moldova, prior to
a roundtable discussion about practical ways to solve environmental problems and
spread information about the issues. The project organizers mentioned that their great-
est achievement of the event was the number of young people they informed about
the environmental situation and ways to prevent its continuation. Additionally, they
began the creation of a database of people who expressed interest in participating in
further activities.
Local Organizers
• Children and youth of the Siscani elementary school
• Philanthropic Association IRFF ONLU
• Gimnaziul Nr. 1 Siscani
The Philanthropic Association IRFF

ONLUS, located in the center region
Pretura of Chisinau, organized a sanita-
tion and ecological service project at
Rose Valley Park near the building Ro-
manita. They collected two trailers from
the park. They also cleaned the spring
which flows through the park whose
banks were filled with waste. The pro-
ject ended with a picnic in the cleaned
area.
On April 22 Philanthropic Association

IRFF ONLUS, in partnership with Nr.2 boarding school from Chisinau and the Italian
branch of IRFF, organized a small party for orphans of this school. This event is a part of
the Long Distance Adoptions project. This project began work in 1997 by a subsidiary
of Italy IRFF. Colleges in Italy inspire people to raise financial support for one or more
children in orphanages of Moldova. In this way orphans receiving weak support from
the state are supported by the "adoptive parents" from Italy. Support consists of
clothes, school supplies, and. basic needs of the orphan children.
30
When they were a member of the Soviet Union, citizens of Moldova were provided ac-
cess to books only in Russian or in the Cyrillic alphabet. The country's language is now
officially Romanian. However, without money, schools and libraries have been unable
to purchase books in their native language. 47 children and youth of the Siscani ele-
mentary school encouraged students to read by purchasing new books and sponsor-
ing a contest on who can read the most books in one month. The children volunteers
also worked in the library after school, helping 247 younger children with homework
and reading to them. Additionally, they purchased approximately 50 books in the Ro-
manian language for the school library and held a month-long reading contest for the
person in each class who read the most books and for the class that read the most
books overall. They also implemented an after-school reading program with volunteers
from grades 5-9 to help younger students read and do homework.
Local Organizer
Poland People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Aleksandra Kubica

aleksandra.kubica@gmail.com
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Silesian Student Chapter
(Katowice) of People to People International and their friends went to the city of Dąb-
rowa Górnicza to spend some time with children ages 4‐8 staying in a local hospital.
Chapter members read to the children and engaged the children in drawing. Chapter
members had as much fun as the children as they built castles, bowled, set up racing
tracks with blocks, and played shop with the girls. The chapter plans to continue
reaching out to children and will visit another hospital and plan a benefit concert for
children.
Local Organizer
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Janusz Woźniak

cogito62@gmail.com
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day,
the Katowice, Poland (Silesian) Student
Chapter of People to People International
planned a visit to a hospital and read to ter-
minally ill children and engaged them in
other fun activities. Additionally, the chapter
has forged a relationship with authorities
and planted trees so as to beautify a local
park. Finally, the chapter spent time volun-
teering at a local hospice.
31
Local Organizers
Romania • Scoala Fundu Moldove
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Thomas Dieter

TDieter07@yahoo.com
Scoala Fundu Moldovei mobilized over 200 students and orphans to establish an Envi-
ronmental Club to help make a statement to their parents and fellow community
members regarding how they felt about the state of a nearby river.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Vaslui, Romania chapter of Peo-
ple to People International worked together with a local kindergarten class to plant
flowers on their school grounds. The chapter also shared with students the importance
of volunteering and how to help on Global Youth Service Day. Each chapter member
was paired with a kindergarten student and together they planted pansies and other
seeds. Upon completion of the project, the chapter gave interviews to a local televi-
sion station. In recognition of their efforts, the chapter received a visit from Lars Poign-
ant, PTPI’s Managing Director of European Operations.
Local Organizer
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Vaslui, Romania (Mihail Kogal-
niceanu) Student Chapter of People to People International organized contests be-
tween students from three high schools in Vaslui. On April 24, the chapter planned an
essay, poetry, and drawing contest employing the theme “The World’s Youth-The Am-
bassadors of Peace and Friendship”. The chapter also helped primary students write
poetry and whitewash trees in the schoolyard while teaching the students about the
importance of Global Youth Service Day and service projects. Additionally, the chap-
ter sponsored a roller-skating contest and other athletic games on April 25. Finally, the
chapter held a singing contest on April 26.
32
Local Organizers
Turkey People to People International
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Kids of Gordion (Ankara) chapter
of People to People International painted pictures of animals and made them into
postcards, which were sold among students in their school to raise money for an ani-
mal shelter in Sinop, Turkey. Eighty three individuals participated in the project. PTPI’s
Middle East Associate, Ahmed Roushdy, made a special visit to see the chapter in ac-
tion. Chapter members shared their project with Mr. Roushdy, gave him a tour of the
school, and presented him with school souvenirs.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Ankara, Turkey (Kids of Gordion)
Student Chapter of People to People International participated in a project to benefit
the community. The chapter sponsored a clean-up initiative in areas surrounding the
chapter’s school, including a local park, shopping center, and the main road. In the
future, the chapter plans to continue to demonstrate its commitment to service by
cleaning the school garden once a month and cleaning the park and other areas
once every six months.
Local Organizers
FLEX Alumni
Ukraine •
Starting in April, FLEX alumni in Lviv, Ukraine began participating in Training of Teachers
(ToTs) to learn about healthy living, communication skills, preventative measures
against HIV/AIIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, the dangers of tobacco, alcohol,
and drug use, and contraceptive measures. The ToT was part of the Equal to Equal
Healthy Lifestyles Training Courses for Rural Youth Program aimed to reach out to youth
in rural regions of Ukraine. Alumni, together with local students and members of youth
organizations, participated in the trainings. Materials were provided by the Ministry of
Science and Education in Ukraine, the Ukrainian Academy of Pedagogical Sciences,
and the United Nations Development Program. Alumni and trainers held 17 trainings for
over 40 students at the Rava Ruska Boarding School and the Solonka School, both in
rural areas of Ukraine. The main goal of the trainings was to teach the high school stu-
dents about important issues and instill a sense of responsibility and awareness of how
to live healthily among these rural youth.
33
Four Flex alumni, together with more than 20 local students, held a GYSD clean up ac-
tivity in Lviv, Ukraine. Volunteers picked up over 300 bags of trash in the course of four
hours and ended the activity with a picnic in the litter-free park.
The Flower Power project, previously an annual event for FLEX alumni in Southern
Ukraine, was reinstituted to coincide with GYSD 2008. Twelve alumni visited the children
at Orphanage #1 in Odesa, Ukraine and brought trees and flowers to plant. The event
was aimed at teaching the children to appreciate their surroundings and encourage
them to take care of the plants around the orphanage and in their community.
In Sevastopol, Ukraine, FLEX alumni joined members of the Sevastopol Student Council
and Privat Bank to plant trees for GYSD on April 22. Alumni chose Chersoneses, an an-
cient Greek open-air museum, as the venue for the event as the museum was previ-
ously damaged by a storm and was in need of some landscaping. Over 100 local citi-
zens took part in the GYSD celebration, picked up trash, and planted over 30 trees dur-
ing the event. Privat Bank and the Ecology Department of Sevastopol assisted the
alumni by donating tools and trees for the service project.
City Representative and FLEX alum Ivan Severenchuk ’07 organized a tree planting
project together with 12 students and teachers from his high school. The trees were
planted in the school park and on the main street of Novoguyvynsk. As a follow-up to
the event, Ivan and 14 students from the Novoguivinsk Gymnasium took part in a
clean up activity, picking up trash in a local forest.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Zalishchyky chapter of People to
People International organized a cleanup effort in their local park. Students also visited
children at a local orphanage.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Kiev chapter of People to People
International took part in the International Lingo Festival that was held in their commu-
nity over the course of three days. At the festival, chapter members educated their
community about their chapter’s service efforts and activities in different UNESCO pro-
grams. In addition, one of the student chapter members presented on Ukrainian lan-
guage and the chapter shared old Ukrainian traditions with the spectators. In atten-
dance for the presentation was the Ukrainian poet Mykola Som.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Kharkiv chapter of People to Peo-
ple International organized an event to remember the Chernobyl Disaster of 1986. Stu-
dents prepared reports and presented their findings to the school with the goal of al-
ways remembering the tragic event. Following the presentations, the chapter showed
a documentary about the cause of the Chernobyl explosion and how it continues to
affect the daily lives of those individuals who were exposed to the radiation. In addi-
tion, chapter members organized a cleanup effort within their school’s neighborhood.
Students planted flowers and looked after the trees in the school garden.
34
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day and the Easter holiday, the Khmelnyt-
sky chapter of People to People International performed a charitable concert for chil-
dren on April 27, 2008. In addition to the concert, chapter members presented the pri-
mary school students with pysankas, brightly‐colored eggs which are the Ukrainian
symbol of Easter.
Responding to the growing number of alarming problems, connected with AIDS, vol-
unteers from All-Ukrainian Youth Public Organizations of “Service For Peace” decided
to dedicate the GYSD this year to the AIDS issue under the slogan “Serving the society
through fighting with AIDS, drugs and alcohol”. The project started a few weeks before
GYSD with a children’s art contest called “My contribution in fighting with AIDS and
bad habits” in Zhytomir region, where the main project was held on April 25.
As the main idea of the project was not just to talk about the consequences of bad
habits, but also to show the alternative way of life, the first step of the project was a
service project in a local orphanage. 60 volunteers at the age of 14-25 years from 12
different organizations and educational institutions of Zhytomir region and Kiev to-
gether with international volunteers repaired and painted the fences and the windows
in the orphanage, played with the children, and gave them presents.
The next step of the project was a big festival against AIDS, drugs, and alcohol, which
brought together around 400 students mobilized by Zhytomir City Center of Social Ser-
vices. The festival started with subject games, organized by volunteers. The city vice-
mayor gave an opening speech, which was followed by videos about bad habits,
consequences, speeches from volunteers and interesting entertainment. In the eve-
ning all the project participants had a meeting to share their impressions of taking part
in GYSD and to get familiar with SFP future plans.
The project in Zhytomir City was the biggest but not the only one in Ukraine. Celebrat-
ing GYSD, SFP volunteers in Kiev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Poltava in cooperation with
other volunteer organizations and educational institutions held service actions in local
children's hospitals-cleaning the area, blanching the trees, painting stairs, and washing
and repairing stuff. GYSD brought together 112 volunteers in a region with a high per-
centage of bad habits and AIDS among youth, where volunteering was not so popu-
lar.
35
Local Organizers
• Youth NGO
• Service For Peace-Ukraine
• Other student and youth volunteers
Participating Year: 2009 Number of Participants: 1,275+
The Cherkasy, Ukraine (Light the Way) Student Chapter of People to People Interna-
tional sponsored a collection drive of waste paper and PET-bottles. Funds raised from
the collection were donated to the Gymnasia for the purchase of new chairs. Sec-
ond, the chapter promoted the importance of a healthy environment by planting a
fir tree and creating a flower bed near the schoolyard.
People to People International’s Kiev, Ukraine Student Chapter sponsored an anti-

smoking campaign, decorated the area around a school by planting trees and flow-
ers, organized sports tournaments among the chapter’s students, promoted the
spreading of tolerance through a special program, and educated fellow students
about harmful radiation from mobile telephones.
The Kharkiv, Ukraine (Children to Children) Student Chapter of People to People Inter-
national visited a local animal shelter to deliver collected items. Then, some mem-
bers of the chapter spent time at a local children’s orphanage, Malyatko, and
brought gifts for the children. Finally, the chapter participated in an environmental
initiative by sponsoring a clean-up and planting trees.
Khmelnitsky, Ukraine (Young Leaders) Student Chapter of People to People Interna-

tional gathered waste paper to collect money for a local homeless shelter and
cooked meals for the people there. The chapter also sponsored a games activity,
with games played around the world. Games and toys were collected for children in
a local orphanage. Finally, members participated in an environmental clean-up
around the chapter’s school.
The Zalishchyky, Ukraine Student Chapter of People to People International partici-

pated in the nationwide initiative entitled “An Hour Without Light”, in which the entire
country was invited to turn off all electricity for one hour to promote responsible en-
ergy use. Also, the chapter taught an environmental lesson to a group of primary
school children and the chapter sponsored a clean-up of local special national parks.
Finally, the chapter visited a local orphanage.
36
Youth NGO organized a Workshop on English Language and Leadership (WELL), a
one-day event held in the city of Ternopil, Western Ukraine, and was run by a group of
Ukrainian student leaders and volunteers from abroad. WELL focused on providing its
participants with a basic introduction to concepts such as civics, leadership, and cul-
tural awareness, while immersing them into a new and amazing environment with nu-
merous interactive activities and fun cultural exchange.
Service For Peace in Ukraine dedicated the entire month of April to service activities
throughout the country. On April 1st, the children from three schools in Kyiv and from
an orphanage in Dnepropetrovsk attended a series of ecology lessons. On April 7th,
children took part in an arts contest, making drawings under the theme of “I want to
live in a clean country.” The contest committee chose 8 out of 80 drawings and of-
fered prizes donated by Directorate of Family and Youth at the Kiev City Administra-
tion and other GYSD project partners. On April 13th, SFP in cooperation with the city
administration of Vyshhorod, helped Zina, a 20-year-old pregnant orphan living alone
without food, electricity, running water and furniture in her house. Fifteen volunteers
provided food, furniture and clothes for her and the baby, repaired the house,
cleared the yard from trash and built an outdoor toilet. The GYSD project in Poltava
city took place on April 23rd when about 50 volunteers cleaned the boarding-
school’s yard and played games with the children.
On April 24th, the actual Global Youth Service Day, a few projects took place in three
cities of Ukraine: a cleaning of the Dnepr river bank in Kyiv city, a restoration of a
sports ground in Chernigov city, and a reconstruction of a playground in Kharkiv city.
Over 250 motivated volunteers proved that they could do great deal in the name of
a good cause. One hundred volunteers continued cleaning the Dnepr riverbed in an-
other clean-up project on April 25th and helped a group of orphan children have a
fun time in the local zoo.
One hundred volunteers continued cleaning the Dnepr riverbed in another clean-up
project on April 25th and helped a group of orphan children have a fun time in the lo-
cal zoo. On April 29th, two more projects took place: in Donetsk, SFP volunteers con-
ducted ecology lessons and a clean-up of a school’s sports ground, while in Zhitomir
City the lake’s banks were brought back to their natural state without waste.
Local Organizer
United Kingdom Service For Peace UK
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Grace Barata

uk@serviceforpeace.org
Service for Peace UK mobilized 30 local volunteers in a series of environmental pro-

jects to help clear trees in a dense woodland area in order to allow remaining trees to
survive and grow.
37
Russia and Central Asia
Local Organizers
Afghanistan • Jalalabad GCE School
On April 25, GCE students and teachers partnered with Youth in Action Association
and local Rotary and Lincoln Center members to celebrate Global Youth Service Day
in Jalalabad. More than 85 GCE students gave presentations about technology and
community activities, They also presented skits, followed by group discussions and
workshop, about narcotics, education, volunteer work, time management, and ethics.
Activities culminated with an awards ceremony sponsored by Jalalabad education
officials. GCE Afghanistan Director Abdul Qaum Almas and five GCE team leaders
were given Certificates of Appreciation for their active participation in the community.
Later, GCE students sent messages to their San Diego friends about what they had
learned at the event and discussed their roles and responsibilities as youth leaders. Im-
plemented by La Jolla Golden Triangle Rotary Club Foundation, the GCE program in
Jalalabad includes 800 students and 43 teachers from nine Afghan and eight San
Diego schools. Referring to Global Youth Service Day, Mr. Almas wrote, “For the first
time the youth from high schools were given a chance to express their feelings and
celebrate this day as other youth throughout the world. “
Local Organizers
• Development 2006 Social Support
Azerbaijan Public Association
• IEARN Azerbaijan
• FLEX Alumni
The Development 2006 Social Support Public Association organized 141 youths be-
tween the ages of 8 and 17 to help clean the area around a canal.
IEARN Azerbaijan gave children the opportunity to address environmental issues and
help homeless and disabled children in several cities. Students worked in their
schools, organized community cleanups, planted flowers, helped elderly people in
their communities, and visited local orphanages. GCE students from 6 schools in
Ganja gathered together on April 25, 2008 to plant 30 trees in the city. GCE teachers
and students from School 164 visited a local orphanage they have been working with,
bringing presents and essential supplies, as well as just spending time reading and
playing with the children.
38
FLEX alumni in Azerbaijan, in celebration of GYSD, organized a Down Syndrome Asso-
ciation charity event to draw attention to the disorder in Azerbaijan. The event began
with an opening speech by Hijran Huseynova, head of the State Committee for
Women, Children and Family Issues, who spoke about children with Down Syndrome in
Azeri society. 230 people attended the charity event to raise awareness and support
for people living with Down Syndrome. Following the opening speeches, 15 children
with Down Syndrome put on a performance for the guests. The event closed with a
silent auction, where crafts, artwork, and handmade items created by children with
Down Syndrome were sold. The proceeds of the event exceeded $3,800 and will be
used to make repairs at the concert hall where members of the Down Syndrome Asso-
ciation practice dance and take part in a puppet theater.
People's Institute for Development and Training
Local Organizers
• Blossom
• Cost Trust
• Durgapur Sub. Sports and Cultural Coordination Com-
mittee
India • Educational Trust of India
• Gayatri Rural Education Society (GRES)Liteates Welfare
Association (LAW)
• People Education and Social Action
• READ Project
• Rural Development and Youth Training Institute
• Rural Reconstruction Society
• SPANDAN
• Wing of Research in Local Development (WORLD)
• YOJANA
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: C. Indira Dasgupta

pidt@del6.vsnl.net.in
The People's Institute for Development and Training coordinated a diverse and suc-
cessful range of projects for GYSD in India, with 3,658 volunteers working with over 17
organizations that reported their GYSD results. Many of these initiatives included pro-
jects that affected people's lives directly.
Volunteers from Blossom also helped create a bicycle-backed library system that
helped fulfill local New Delhians love of reading.
1,085 people from the five villages in Dindigul were taught about HIV/AIDS prevention
methods in a project organized by Cost Trust.
39
For GYSD, the Educational Trust of India helped spread a different type of environ-
mental awareness: natural disaster prevention. Thanks to the efforts of 100 youth vol-
unteers, these 10,000 people learned how to save their lives should a natural disaster
occur in the near future.
GRES organized a series of health-related and non-health related projects that cov-
ered over 2,316 villages and benefited over 206,117 people. In the Srikakulam District,
GRES volunteers successfully organized their first ever Mega Health Camp that ren-
dered health services for over 46,000 poor women while over 14,000 women and
children received health care attention in Sofar.
The LAW chose to spend their GYSD by alerting over 10,000 rural people about the
dangers of tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and STDs while also giving information about family
planning and ways to reduce child mortality.
580 poor, working, disabled, and semi-orphaned children were given the opportunity
to temporarily escape the hardships of their daily lives and perform in theater through
the People Education and Social Action's Community Consultation Program.
Members of the READ Project also chose to dedicate their GYSD towards spreading
messages of disease prevention to lower malaria and chikun kunya rates in the local
municipality of Salemn, Tamilnadu. It is estimated that through this campaign over
10,000 people were made aware of such prevention tactics.
Volunteers from the Rural Development and Youth Training Institute helped plant
10,000 fruit trees in eight villages, restore ten new wells for drinking water, and help
8,000 poor people receive life pensions from the Government of Rajasthan.
The Rural Reconstruction Society helped launch an environmental awareness cam-

paign in Kavali, Andhra Pradesh that reached over 1,775 people. Along with imparting
knowledge, volunteers also organized six cultural shows and planted 2,000 mangrove
saplings.
Members of SPANDAN helped spread messages about road safety to a total of 845
young children and 150 elders.
Through their "Healthy Youth for a Healthy Nation Project," WORLD mobilized over 285
volunteers in Jaipur, Rajasthan to address issues of malnutrition and anemia among
young children and women. Their educational drives have lead to a change in food
habits and hygiene in the surrounding area.
YOJANA organized a campaign that issued birth registration certificates to 1,000 chil-
dren. The children are part of a community of immigrant families who work in the fish-
ing industry.
40
Local Organizers
• NOCER - INDIA
• Gandhi Grama Parivarthana Sangh – GGPS
• Youth Upturn Voluntary Association
• Jyotirmayee Mahila Samiti
• People's Institute for Development and Training
• BLOSSOM TRUST
Various other student and youth groups
A combination of natural disasters, deforestation and inefficient agricultural practices

has resulted in a reduction of water and food supplies for residents of Keeranur. A
group of youth volunteers comprised of Dalit youth surveyed the surrounding geogra-
phy to analyze the harmful impacts of poor public hygiene practices. They worked
with government officials to initiate environmentally sustainable practices such as solid
waste management, and the planting and care of saplings.
One of the biggest problems in a community of the city Madurai is the improper dis-
posal of solid human waste. Youth in the area worked with school officials to turn their
lessons into real world practice by evaluating the problem and providing solutions to
reduce the harmful effects of open defecation and other unsanitary practices.
Among other activities, the youth also helped to plant trees to reinforce a strong envi-
ronment and counteract the detrimental activity.
Climate change and rising prices for fertilizer and other supplies have put many resi-
dents in a community of Trichy out of employment. Youth recognized their own habits
may have contributed to the poor quality of their environment, and so in a united front
a group of 48 youth volunteers took stock of the problem and worked with media con-
tacts, government personnel and community partners to plant trees, dispose of waste,
and educate fellow residents on alternative agricultural techniques.
Lake Chilika is reported to be the largest “body of brackish water” in the Asian Conti-
nent. 120 children of the local school came together to clean the lake and spread
word of the harmful affects the tourists’ practices had on the local environment.
Through pamphlets in multiple languages, drawing competitions, and other recruit-
ment campaigns the children stirred up enthusiasm across hundreds of other youth
volunteers and reached no less than 1,200 local residents and visitors.
In the Salem District, 50 children and youth volunteers recalled the prevalence of birds
in their village in prior years. The bird population became sparse on account of degra-
dation of the birds’ natural habitat, so they worked with local area farmers to build
mud pots to provide the birds with a place to nest and lay their eggs. The project ulti-
mately impressed upon its participants the importance of collaboration and a new ap-
preciation for other species.
41
24 children in Nagercoil understand there is
an environmental problem, so they created
an eco-friendly club about helping their
natural surroundings and about building
character and moral fiber. The club wel-
comes girls and youth from vulnerable cir-
cumstances and collected recyclables,
planted and maintained saplings in their
schools, and created usable items from re-
cyclable materials.
Residents of a local village that was struck

by a tsunami in 2007 are still picking up the
pieces left by the disaster. To put youth in a
better position to help in the event of another natural catastrophe, ninety children and
youth volunteers engaged their peers in an education campaign to learn about re-
sources and tools available to them in preparation for another emergency. The pro-
ject helped youth build self-confidence, put them in touch with their community, and
helped all residents become a united force in times of crisis.
The Edu-Clowns project educated adolescents in technical institutes and middle

schools on the dangers of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and TB through theatrical performances
in the district of Virudhunagar, India, which were orchestrated by 135 volunteers from
members of several children’s groups and support groups for children whose family
members are suffering from HIV/AIDS. Performances aimed to reduce the social
stigma for people suffering from these diseases and offer education that could pre-
vent future generations from contracting similar conditions.
Disasters are frequent visitors of Nagapattinam District in TamilNadu, India. Almost

every year it faces a disaster and a large amount of livestock is devastated. 50 chil-
dren prepared the community for disaster to reduce the devastation by forming volun-
teer groups that lead emergency and restoration operations. The youth educated the
community on disaster Risk Reduction by building a disaster-resilient community.
India is reported to be the third largest mar-

ket for cigarettes in the world and also has
some of the highest rates of cancer-related
deaths. Therefore, 200 young boys and girls
in Jeypore, Orissa, prepared an anti-
smoking campaign which included distrib-
uting leaflets, decorating posters, leading
seminars, and reading to younger children
about the harmful affects of smoking.
42
Unhealthy pesticides have reduced the fertility of the soil, resulting in a number of un-
savory impacts for the residents of Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Fifty Dalit children volun-
teers organized a campaign of posters, pamphlets, street plays and one-on-one com-
munication to bring awareness of this problem to government authorities and mem-
bers of the community and enhance the children’s performance in academic sub-
jects.
The group NOCER organized testing for diabetics, a blood donor’s forum, plastic eradi-
cation from the village headquarters, Malayalam language training, and training on
income generating.
Gandhi Grama Parivarthana Sangh organized a service Project on "Environment and

Climate change" which was carried out by 95 youths of Nambampatti middle school
to ensure environmental sustainability. They were involved in planning, service, reflec-
tion, and celebration so as to raise aware-
ness of environmental problems and
strategies to combat environmental deg-
radation due to deforestation, monsoon
failure and erratic rainfall, and the use of
chemical fertilizers in agriculture.
The Youth Upturn Voluntary Association

organized a cultural program for environ-
mental education, a nursery and planta-
tion program in schools and villages, a
cleanness drive in the villages, computer
education in the un-reached and un-
served areas, creative science education
and vocational training for youth and children, and an art and craft competition for
the children.
Local Organizer
Kazakhstan FLEX Alumni
The annual FLEX Rocks GYSD clean up event in Almaty, Kazakhstan was held to give
alumni and community members the chance to take part in service events and learn
about ways to protect the planet. On April 26, 19 alumni together with American
Councils and Peace Corps volunteers (PCV) and 16 rural high school students took
part in a clean up and landscaping event at the Almaty Botanical Gardens. Alumni
invited a group of local high school students to participate. The students learned
about the fundamentals of community service and alumni and PCVs made presenta-
tions on the basics of landscaping. Participants broke up into groups and rotated from
station to station where they took part in various tasks including weeding, picking up
trash, digging holes for trees, planting trees and plants, and searching for rare or inter-
esting plants in the park. 43
In Uralsk, Kazakhstan, FLEX alumni hosted a training conference for 20 young leaders
on the value of volunteerism and community service at the American Corner on April
26 and 30. FLEX alumni and Peace Corps volunteers made presentations on the signifi-
cance and meaning of volunteerism. The young leaders learned how their contribu-
tion to society in terms of volunteerism and conducting community service projects is
vital to their development as leaders. Following the presentations, participants dis-
cussed service projects that they conducted and were involved in, and brainstormed
ideas about new events that they could conduct and organizations that may be fruit-
ful partners. Three volunteer projects were developed as a result of the GYSD project.
Team one developed the Rainbow Project, where they will develop a program resem-
bling the U.S. based Big Brothers Big Sisters Program, but with residents from the Home
for the Mentally and Physically Disabled. The second group offered to hold English Lan-
guage Clubs at local schools and universities, while the third group developed a series
of professional development seminars for youth from socially vulnerable backgrounds
within the realm of the Business Assistance and Development Club.
Local Organizer
Kyrgyzstan FLEX Alumni
Thirty-nine FLEX and Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central
Asia (UGRAD) alumni together with volunteers from the Molbulak Finance Company,
Alpiyskiy Fund, Habitat for Humanity, and local university students took part in the
GYSD Ala-Archa National Park Gorge Clean Up. The project aimed to show local com-
munity members the importance of keeping the environment clean, while involving
local youth in community service projects. Over the course of six hours, volunteers
picked up trash in over 10,000 square meters of the park and increased community
members’ interest in taking part in service activities.
As a follow-up to this event, FLEX alumni organized an education fair on April 26 at Osh
State University for 15 high school students. The fair aimed at giving young people
more information about higher education opportunities, while teaching them about
the community service projects FLEX alumni are conducting in Osh.
FLEX alumni and local volunteers took part in a clean up activity at the Toktogul Na-
tional Park in Osh, Kyrgyzstan on April 27. This clean up was organized to encourage
the participants of the education fair to take part in community service activities. Par-
ticipants picked up trash around the park and discussed the outcome of the educa-
tion fair.
44
Local Organizer
Group of children and youth from Karakol
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Nursultan A.
Their project began with the training of fifteen children and youth on environmental
degradation as a result of human activity. These fifteen youth then went out to
nearby schools to engage their peers in the same training and public awareness
campaign. Through a poetry contest the organizers began forming the basis for a
book, entitled Save the World, to be distributed to nonprofits, schools, and communi-
ties at large.
Local Organizer
Mongolia Service For Peace – Mongolia
As a National Lead Agency for Global Youth Service Day 2008, SFP-Mongolia organ-
ized a nationwide contest for the best service project. A total of 10,000 volunteers took
part in it through 15 different projects in Darkhan, Uvurkhangai, Khentii, Dornod, Suk-
hbaatar and Khovd provinces, donating over 22,000 hours of service between March
25th and April 27th.
Zalgamjlagch Association coordinated a project for students serving in a home for eld-
erly people. Students from schools 61, 68, 86 spent one day with the senior citizens,
cleaning their rooms and playing a concert for them. About 200 people took part in
this activity and more than 300 people donated money for the elders.
The purpose of another program organized by SFP-Mongolia – “Together we can” was

to provide citizens with environmental education while bringing together youth and
the elderly to share their good experiences. As usual, there was service involved -
cleaning Buddha’s Park. More than 40 people took part in this project.
During the campaign “Help Our Little Brothers and Sisters,” volunteers helped prepare
an educational space, a library, and a playroom for kids who start school for the first
time (6 years old). Secondary school children donated schoolbooks and toys. This
campaign took place in schools number 45, 28, 54, 15, 75, 18.
Members of TUNZA club organized an educational program for kids in Hishig Secon-
dary School, which took place on the 22nd of April, 2008. The purpose of the educa-
tional program was to provide participants with more information on global environ-
mental issues such as climate change and water scarcity. The 170 students who at-
tended the seminars expressed their content with the program.
45
Members of FAN club gave a series of seminars about AIDS for 156 children from an
orphanage in UB as part of the “Pretty World” project. The volunteers from FAN club
spent an entire day with the children, talking about AIDS risks and prevention.
On April 26th in Darkhan Province, a 2-day “Service Party” took place. It involved a
cleaning project with the participation of 500 volunteers on the 1st day and 840 volun-
teers on the 2nd day, including celebrities like Peter Morrow (Khan bank), Bolormaa
(an Asian top model), and Tserendagva (a famous actor).
Local Organizer
Service For Peace – Mongolia
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Erdenebulgan

mn_bulgaa@yahoo.com
In celebration of GYSD, the members of Service for Peace held a variety of events,
including a friendly competition among students to educate people on and raise
awareness about climate change. They implemented an organizational campaign
to provide people with necessary vaccinations, and a project to plant trees and

• Beaconhouse School System
• Christian Youth Development
Organisation
Pakistan • CYWA Christian Youth Welfare
Association
• International Education and Resource
Network Pakistan
Beaconhouse School System organized activities and games for more than 30 or-
phaned children.
Christian Youth Development Organisation led workshops where more than 500 young
people got free education, career counseling, and social assistance.
46
CYWA Christian Youth Welfare Association trained young people in using computers
and focused on how they could transfer the skills to their peers.
International Education and Resource Network Pakistan enabled students and teach-
ers from different parts of Pakistan to create awareness programs for providing com-
munity services to the underserved people. They launched a campaign to highlight
the importance of hygiene and the environment, and enabled young people to ad-
dress the issues of women, health, and education. About 1,000 GCE students from al-
most 50 schools across Pakistan worked on community service activities focusing on a
wide range of issues including: the eradication of poverty, adult education, education
for women, pollution, recycling of waste material, beautification of the community,
traffic problems, the importance of senior citizens, a healthy diet, cleanliness, drug
abuse, the war against terrorism, and world hunger.
Local Organizers
• United Christian Welfare Society

• Movement Against Drug Abuse
• Farz Association of Rehabilitation and Development (Farz)
• Z.V.M. Gany Rangoonwala Trust
• Environmental Rehabilitation for Kids Welfare
Organization
• Young Social Reformers
The United Christian Welfare Society organized a day of sports activities such as run-
ning, cycling, fun games, and three leg running, along with drawing competitions.
The Z.V.M. Gany Rangoonwala Trust organized a Jazz Appreciation Month activity
with Pakistani children involving Broadway songs and videos. They also hosted an
Earth Day awareness program at Jinnah Women University followed by panel discus-
sion with EPA Pakistan & environmental experts. They sponsored a World Children
Book day with VM Public School/ Street children literacy project of Health & Educa-
tion literacy program HELP, and finally they engaged children with their families in dif-
ferent activities on World Earth Day.
Young Social Reformers organized a Best Buddies Tournament pairing young people
with age mates with mental and/or physical disabilities. The tournament involved
young people from different schools and programs, and the activities included
friendly unified sports.
47
Local Organizer
Russia • FLEX Alumni
In Kazan, Russia, FLEX alumni Yuliana Amanova and Alina Nasyrova organized a park
clean up and ecological seminar which took place April 26. The two alumnae held
presentations and designed interactive games to teach the seventh grade class at
School #24 about the need to care for the environment, become more environmen-
tally aware, and take care of their motherland. The ecological seminar focused on the
themes of littering, recycling, and the health and environmental benefits of planting
trees and flowers. Students received statistics about the pollution levels in various re-
gions of Russia and discussed ideas on how to reduce pollution and make the Earth a
cleaner place.
In St. Petersburg, Russia, GYSD grant recipient Anna Abramishvilli and fellow FLEX
alumni organized a Career Day for Orphans project on April 27. Alumni took a group
of 15 teenagers to local businesses to teach them about the structure of a typical work
day and inform them about job opportunities within the organizations. After visiting lo-
cal entrepreneurs and learning about business, the participants received training on
resume-writing and interview skills. In addition to receiving information and skills neces-
sary to apply for employment, students attended a motivational presentation on the
Russian employment market and its need for hardworking young leaders. Finally, repre-
sentatives from the organization Teenager Plus conducted an interactive leadership
and motivational training for the children, where they played games and worked on
their communication skills.
In Tomsk, Russia, FLEX alumni, in collaboration with Tomsk Youth Duma representatives
and seven community youth representatives, organized the GYSD Siberia Clean Up
Project. Volunteers chose a local park and yard in the center of Tomsk and began the
activity by picking up trash and repainting the playground equipment, benches, and
trash cans.
In Novosibirsk, Russia, Flex alumni Aleksey Poleshchuk, Tamuna Otiashvili, and Darya
Velikoivanenko took part in a clean up activity. The Siberia Clean Up project is a Sibe-
riawide event among FLEX alumni. On April 26, the aforementioned three alumni
picked up trash on the campus of the Novosibirsk State University and the surrounding
forest.
In Vladivostok, Russia, FLEX alumni organized a field day event for the children at the
Noviy Orphanage for GYSD. FLEX alumni in Vladivostok have made great efforts to
work with the children at the Noviy Orphanage. From January through April, alumni
visited the children over 10 times and held weekly music and art classes for them. Dur-
ing this event, a larger group of alumni and their friends visited the children to hold a
field day event. Alumni organized various athletic activities and races like the three-
legged race, balloon tosses, and other such activities. At the end of the event, each
child received a prize and the children and48volunteers had a picnic.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Kurchatov Friends Meeting
Friends chapter of People to People International completed three separate projects
within their community. Chapter members provided English language tutoring to junior
students in need of individual help. In another project entitled “Friendship without Bor-
ders”, students shared their experience with PTPI’s School and Classroom Program as
part of their school’s annual Scientific Society Day. The goal was to highlight to their
peers the value of cross‐cultural interaction by sharing information about their cultural
exchange with schools in the United States. In addition, students collected ten large
bags full of clothes, books, toys, and small gifts for children in a local orphanage.
Local Organizer
The Kurchatov, Russia (Friends Meeting Friends) Student Chapter of People to People
International planned three separate projects for GYSD. The first was sponsored by
tenth grade students who held a two hour English language tutoring session for
younger students in need of individual help. They also made bright and colorful post-
ers to offer practice of the 'Reading Rules' of English. Secondly, senior students made
a presentation to the local school community about the 'Languages of the United
Europe' in order to promote cultural awareness and arouse interest in foreign lan-
guages as a means of communication and interaction. Finally, all chapter members
came together to participate in a local clean-up effort.
The Vladmir, Russia (Volunteers) Student Chapter of People to People International

worked to educate others about People to People International as an organization
and focued on promoting environmental protection. The chapter held special lessons
in an elementary school to teach children about the environment, and also planted
a flower bed to beautify the community.
Local Organizer
Tajikistan • Relief International - Schools Online Tajikistan
• FLEX Alumni
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Ibrahim Rustamov

ibrohim@schoolsonline.org
More than 250 students volunteered with Relief In-

ternational - Schools Online Tajikistan to help more
than 400 students and community members by
conducting multiple service projects. The youth
conducted basic computer trainings, organized
community clean-ups, and clothes and books do-
nations.
49
From April 23-25, GYSD grant recipient Farangisi Nozimzoda, together with fellow FLEX
alumni and professional trainers from the Operation Mercy Community Development
Program in Hisor, Tajikistan conducted a three-day training for 25 children with visual
disabilities scheduled to age out of the orphanage system. The trainings, focusing on
micro business and business planning, were conducted to develop the children’s self-
esteem, assuredness, problem-solving skills, and confidence, while helping this socially
vulnerable group better integrate into their communities.
Also, representatives from Operation Mercy’s health and wellness branch talked to the
children about modern contraception and the dangers of unprotected sex. On the
final day of the training, participants visited local businesses and had a chance to ask
business leaders and entrepreneurs about their experience in the workforce and in
business development. Organizers hope that this training event will give these orphans
a head start as they enter the workforce. Participants left the training with a greater
self-confidence and the skills needed in the workplace.
In Khorog, Tajikistan, FLEX alumni GYSD grant recipients, together with representatives
of the Aga Khan Health Services (AKHS) held hygiene and healthy living trainings at
local schools and an orphanage on April 26-27. The trainings, which were held at the
Aga-Khan Lyceum, School #3, School #7, and the Khorog Orphanage, aimed to in-
crease student awareness of hygiene, teach them steps to a healthier lifestyle, and
build ties between local schools. During the first day of the training, approximately 80
students took part in a seminar on hygiene and sanitation. During the seminar, students
learned the basic rules of hygiene and about diseases that are caused by bad sanita-
tion. Alumni assisted the trainers by engaging students and organizing interactive
games for them.
The following day, alumni visited the three schools and the orphanage to distribute
water tanks, soaps, towels, and wastebaskets. Students and alumni again reviewed
the need to wash your hands and encouraged students to not only use the informa-
tion to protect themselves against diseases, but also share the information with their
families and friends.
Twenty FLEX and Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central
Asia (UGRAD) alumni cleaned up the territory of Victory Park in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. In
addition to picking up trash, alumni talked to other volunteers about future coopera-
tion and possible joint programs. On April 26, alumni of the Leninsky region joined
forces with representatives of the U.S. Embassy to hold a GYSD celebration for the chil-
dren at an orphanage for deaf children. Organizers planted trees and flowers with the
children and helped them to create a beautiful environment around the orphanage.
50
Local Organizers
• Relief International - Schools Online, Ayni
• Relief International - Schools Online, Chkalovsk
• Nasli Navras - New Generation
• School #1 Internet Learning Center - ILC, Isfara
• School # 1, Ayni
• Secondary school #14, Kayrakkum
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Ibrahim Rustamov

ibrohim@schoolsonline.org
Number of Participants: 200+
Relief International - Schools Online, Ayni, conducted trainings at school in Child-to-
Child methodologies, announced a “ Fresh water- healthy, wealthy community,”
and sponsored a competition called” Our health is in our hands.”
Relief International - Schools Online, Chkalovsk, organized several activities dedi-

cated to GYSD in their school and Internet Learning Centre. Activities included the
students from English Club organizing English Classes for the younger learners, the stu-
dents of Young Leaders Club creating table games and kites and presenting them to
the children in the kindergarten, visiting and helping the old and disabled people of
their community and making them presents on holidays and cleaning the yards and
streets of their town.
Nasli Navras launched a new project on GYSD, a youth-led volunteer club called
New Wave. Club members (high school students) led by trainers (university students)
learned how to design social initiatives and implement them in their local commu-
nity. The areas for possible projects included but were not limited to informational
campaigns, clean-ups, food/clothes drives, and visits to orphanages, elderly houses,
etc.
The ILC students from secondary school #1, Ayni district planned a project called
“Alternative Approaches to Water Supply.” It was implemented in the Ayni district of
Sughd region, Tajikistan, which is an isolated mountainous district and is physically
cut off from the rest of the country for 4 to 5 months of the year, due to heavy snow-
fall and undeveloped roads. The local economy is a mix of animal herding, or-
chard tending, and some trade, and they rely on open water sources, which can
often carry diseases.
The volunteers conducted activities among schoolchildren to teach kids how to boil
water, keep the water, use chloral tablets, wash their hands, and educated them on
why all of these things are necessary.
Secondary school #14 planned an activity to teach children computers skills. Youth
leaders shared their computers skills with other students. They taught English with
Internet access for beginners. Also, volunteers went to the kindergarten classrooms to
teach them English and play with them. Additionally, they planned a clean-up near
the Youth Center in their town.
51
Local Organizer
Turkmenistan FLEX Alumni
Participating Year: 2008 Number of Participants:
In Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan, GYSD grant winner Dovran Balyshov and fellow FLEX
alumni together with American Corner volunteers organized computer training classes
for eight children with disabilities at the American Corner in Turkmenabat on April 25-
27. This GYSD event sought to teach children with disabilities the basics of computer
and Internet usage. The eight children worked with a personal assistant to complete
the exercises in an introduction to computers manual. After completing the exercises
in the manual, alumni and volunteers assisted the children as they practiced typing,
learned how to use Microsoft Windows, and saved files. Upon the completion of the
three-day event, the children with the help of their assistants reviewed the nine units in
the manual and demonstrated their newly acquired computer skills. Beyond teaching
the children a new and important skill, alumni also hoped that the event would assist
these young people integrate into society and lead fulfilling lives.
During the second annual Mary Regional Debate Tournament in Mary, Turkmenistan,
over 65 students and FLEX trainers learned and honed their debate skills. GYSD grant
recipient Irina Grigoryants and fellow FLEX alumni organized teams of students two
weeks before the event and held debate classes with them. The teams prepared and
practiced debate topics together with their FLEX alumni and Peace Corps coaches.
On April 27-28, six debate teams participated in the tournament at the American Cor-
ner, debating against each other on issues related to education in Turkmenistan,
women’s rights, and freedom of speech. The most outstanding achievement of the
project was the ease with which rural and urban students were able to share their
ideas and discuss current issues. Participants found a common language and formed
fruitful relationships. Students also developed their critical thinking skills and began dis-
cussions on global issues. Furthermore, they began the process of constructing their
own opinions and developed their teamwork and leadership skills. FLEX coaches and
participants together with local debaters plan to open debate clubs in their local
schools so as to pass on the skills of debating to younger generations.
With the support of the APEX music and brake-dancing group, Flex alum Ogulsoltan
Ashyrova organized a long-term activity for youth in the Gorogly region. Over 20
young people took part in daily practices and auditions to be part of a hip hop/rap/
rock music and break dancing group that will hold concerts throughout the region.
The proceeds of the concert series will be donated to a local nursing home for adults
with physical disabilities. The young people recorded ten songs, which they compiled
to make an album. In addition, the APEX break dancing experts choreographed
dances to go along with the songs. The group hosted its first show at the Berkarar
Farmers’ Association House of Culture, and nearly 50 community members had the
chance to experience the first ever hip hop/rap and break dancing concert in the vil-
lage.
52
On April 23-26, FLEX alumni together with GYSD grant winner Lyubov Lakomova
hosted the American Culture Spring School at the Bairamali Information Resource Cen-
ter for the Deaf and Blind and the American Corner in Mary, Turkmenistan. Twenty lo-
cal students applied for the camp and were chosen for their open-mindedness and
interest in American culture. All camp participants came from low income families and
have parents with physical or mental disabilities. The camp aimed to teach them more
about American culture and improve their leadership, communication, and team-
building skills. Participants attended a presentation entitled Eyes on America, where
they learned about the FLEX Program and the basics of U.S. geography, culture, and
the education, as well as roundtable discussions where alumni talked about their on-
program experience. Beyond holding a fun and educational activity for students from
low-income families, alumni also hoped to create a project to spark youth enthusiasm
to learn about different cultures and teach them how to be leaders in their commu-
nity.
In Abadan, Turkmenistan, GYSD grant recipient and FLEX alum Kristina Fateyeva, in co-
operation with representatives of the International Research and Exchanges Board
and American Councils staff members organized a clean up activity at the Geokdere
River. The main goal of the event was to introduce the local community to the aspect
of community service and instill the value of preserving the environment. Eighty-six lo-
cal students, members of NGOs, and community members, including 12 alumni partici-
pated in the clean up. Even local police officers cruising the area and people vaca-
tioning near the river took a few trash bags and gloves to pick up garbage. By the end
of the event, the volunteers had picked up enough trash to fill a dump truck.
In Dashoguz, Turkmenistan, FLEX alum Enahan Shamuratova, together with local volun-
teers, visited the children at the Dashoguz Special Needs Boarding School on April 25.
Volunteers played games with the children and watched a movie with them. At the
end of the visit, the children received presents and games for the playroom.
On April 19 in Turkmenabat, Turkmenistan, 6 FLEX alumni together with 15 American

Corner volunteers picked up trash on the banks of the Amu-Darya River. As partici-
pants picked up trash, FLEX alum Sabina Hojakuliyeva talked about the history of
GYSD and Earth Day.
On April 22 in Yoloten, Turkmenistan, FLEX alum Shahnaz Rafeyeva organized a GYSD

clean up at the English Center for 15 students. The event began with a presentation
about the holiday and a discussion about the need to take care of the Earth. Later,
participants picked up trash in a neighboring park and discussed ideas for other envi-
ronmentally friendly activities.
53
Local Organizer
School Number 34
Uzbekistan •
Network Uzbekistan
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Natalya Hamidova

natalya_karshi@mail.ru
Students from School Number 34 participated in various environmental exhibitions to
raise awareness about the fragility of their environment and how they can help. 104
volunteers then came together to plant pine trees on the school’s campus and go on
a bike ride together.
Thirty GCE students in collaboration with International Education and Resource Net-
work Uzbekistan from the Parvoz School gave up their Sunday to celebrate Global
Youth Service Day (GYSD) on April 20, 2008. Students renovated the site for the sum-
mer camp “Yoshlarobod” in the village of Vodil in preparation for the coming sum-
mer’s activities. The students cleaned the grounds of the camp, planted flowers, and
cleaned and fixed up the buildings on the grounds. The students also researched
what people had done locally for GYSD in previous years as well as what people all
over the world were planning to do in 2008 and made a presentation of their findings
to inspire others to get involved this year.
The GCE Parvoz School in Fergana City conducted a GYSD week, in association with
the local NGO Ecologically Clean Fergana Association, beginning on April 22, 2008.
The week began with a presentation on ecological disasters in the region and the cur-
rent state of the local environment by representatives from the NGO. As a result of the
presentation, students volunteered to clean the City Park and local community area.
There was also an essay contest on the topic “What can I do for the nature of Fergana
Valley?” and an exhibition of crafts made by students from materials found in nature.
All the participants in GYSD week cleaned the school and planted flowers on the
grounds to conclude the GYSD week with community service on April 26, 2008.
GYSD was also celebrated with several GCE projects in Karshi, including: an exhibition
of cacti (a rare plant in Uzbekistan) at School #34 organized by the students in grade 6
to inspire people to protect the environment; a 10k bicycle race organized by GCE
students at the Academic Lyceum Nuristan to promote awareness of alternative trans-
portation methods; and cleaning up the trash and planting of about 50 pine trees on
the grounds of the Academic Lyceum Nuristan to replace the many that died during
the exceptionally cold winter.
54
East Asia and Oceania
Local Organizers
• Bangladesh Education and Resource
Bangladesh Network (BEARN)
• Relief International-Bangladesh
• Rotaract Club of Khulna University
Relief International Bangladesh mobilized over 3,000 participants through a series of

environmental, educational, and disaster management projects in their respective
communities.
The Rotaract Club of Khulna University arranged a series of seminars that focused on
health, education, poverty alleviation, and human trafficking for 20 children.
Children from grades one to five learned about the importance of environmental pro-
tection thanks to a series of awareness events organized by BEARN and the YES
alumni of Bangladesh.
Local Organizers
• National Federation of Youth Organi-
sations in Bangladesh - NFYOB
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Dulal Biswas

nfyob_bd@yahoo.com
Number of Participants: 3,350+
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Dhaka, Bangladesh (NFYOB) Stu-
dent Chapter of People to People International sponsored a project to benefit the
community. The chapter organized a Children’s Art Competition with the theme of
“Nation Building through Community Service”. The competition took place on 26 April
at 10 a.m. at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy in Dhaka. More than 200 students from
ages ten to 18 from different schools in the area took part in the competition. The
competition was organized by the Dhaka, Bangladesh (NFYOB) PTPI Student Chapter
with the help of the Shishu Academy. People to People International is proud of the
great participation of the Dhaka, Bangladesh (NFYOB) Student Chapter during its
Global Youth Service Day project.
Volunteers also hosted a discussion on National Youth Policy, with the Minister for Youth
and Sports in attendance as the Chief Guest.
55
Local Organizer
Cambodia Sao Sary Foundation
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Vichetr Uon

contact@ssfcambodia.org
Twenty youth from the Child Protection Center worked with other youth volunteers
from their school to make the Center a better place. Children learned about animal
husbandry by raising chickens, and volunteers constructed a proper chicken house
that allowed the children to harvest eggs. They also created a small garden to be
tilled and planted with vegetables that provide a nutritious boost to the children’s'
diet. Finally, a basketball hoop was set up for the children. After lunch, youth leaders
facilitated a reflection activity on the value of volunteering.
Local Organizer
• Global Partners: China-USA
• GreenSOS
China • Green Student Forum
• Tongren Orphanage
• Youth Growth Association & Youth
League Committee
Global Partners volunteers were able to do a little planting as 35 students helped

plant trees and bushes in a park for six hours. The children also helped pick
up garbage in the park.
GreenSOS allowed 26 children to draw flowerpots on 80 biodegradable bags while

simultaneously learning about global warming.
Green Student Forum also addressed envi-

ronmental issues through lectures, activities,
and discussions. In a program that was co-
designed by members of the Technology
and Science Department of the University
of Beijing, elementary students were taught
about the importance of environmental
protection and were urged to spread this
message to their parents, siblings,
and grandparents.
56
Tongren Orphanage organized 45 students and teachers from the Qihang English
Training School and the Tongren Teacher's College to help brighten the walls of the
two year olds' dormitory by painting over 900 square feet of murals.
Youth Growth Association and the Youth League Committee of UESTC teamed up to
organize math and English tutoring activities for students in fourth, fifth, and sixth
grade. Around 30 volunteers helped teach 90 students math and English skills and also
planned after-school activities for the lower income children at the Tongren Commu-
nity Primary School.
Local Organizers
• Shanxi Evergreen International School - SEIS
• Love Without Borders
• Other various groups and students throughout
China
During the period of April 1--April 25, an estimated 220 volunteers designed a social
survey about the living and educational condition of the migrant workers' children in
Shanghai’s urban areas. The project linked up younger students with college-age tu-
tors in an effort to initiate a long-term free tutoring service to make up for expensive
educational resources. The community in general was encouraged to make food do-
nations and render other services so that the youth in these migrant communities
grow up with the resources and nutrition they require to remain physically and men-
tally strong.
50 percent of adults in Yongji, Shanxi Province, China are smokers, so a group of 100
children led an anti-smoking campaign to help reduce the rate of smoking in their
community.
29 students introduced sports equipment that they obtained from local resources and
engaged in a number of sports activities to show 200 of their peers that athletic expo-
sure is just as crucial to one’s development as academics in order to provide children
with a physical outlet after spending so much time in school and doing homework at
home.
57
Shanxi Evergreen International School (SEIS) hosted two sports days, one for a migrant
school and one for a village school in rural Shanxi. The students provided a presenta-
tion on the importance of exercise on good health. They also donated sports equip-
ment to those schools.

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth
Groups (HKYFG)
Hong Kong
Local Organizer
International Social Service
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Lau Wai Sum

yvn@hkfyg.org.hk
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) organized 193 volunteer services
that served 24,000 people in Hong Kong. In response to the growing needs of com-
munities, HKFYG decided to launch this year's series of volunteering projects in the
theme "We Serve the Community" this year.
The Hong Kong Branch of International Social Service mobilized 1,200 students to
serve 3,756 people in the community and brought the students from 13 schools
throughout Hong Kong together to work on community service projects.
Local Organizers
• International Social Service Hong Kong Branch
• The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
The International Social Service Hong Kong Branch will designate April 2009 as the
“Month Celebrating Global Youth Service Day 2009.” Social workers will promote the
GYSD to the 11 serving secondary schools, which are located in different community
districts in Hong Kong with a population of about 11,000 young people. The aim is not
only to motivate our children and youth to participate in serving their community in
the month of GYSD, but also to preach the spirit and meaning of helping the needy in
their community, and to affirm their contributions to the community.
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups will designate April as “Volunteer Service
Month” and organize several volunteer service projects and encourage youth volun-
teers to participate. Also, the Federation will call for the support from youth organiza-
tions and schools to organize service projects for GYSD in their community. In order to
arouse the public to support GYSD, a newspaper supplement will be published in April
2009.
58
Indonesia LMPI Foundation
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Shakina Mirfa Nasution

lmpi_iemi@yahoo.com
For the first time, GYSD 2008 in Indonesia were led by the LMPI Foundation which mobi-
lized more than 4,789 active participants and to benefit more than 10,000 participants
in 32 institutions ranging from kindergartens to universities to youth communities. The
national theme was Strengthening our Global Future through Youth Leadership and
Social Entrepreneurship. Topics developed by Local Organizers included environment,
healthcare, education, and entrepreneurship.
Local Organizers
• Al-Mamun Education Center • SD Negeri Tonjong 03
• KOMUNITAS KOVINET • LPII Foundation
• Komunitas Bersepeda Sehat 2010 • al-Syukro High School
• Jyotirmayee Mahila Samiti • Cendekia Leadership School
• Homeschooling Beranda • Dade Homeschooling
• SMP Islam Al-Syukro • DwiWarna High School
• Anak Bangsa Indonesia • Forum Mahasiswa Pendidikan
• MPPlusNAD Luar Sekolah – FMPLS
• PAUD Al Kautsa • LPII Foundation
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Shakina Mirfa Nasution

lmpi_iemi@yahoo.com
Kindergarten, elementary, and junior high school students from the Al-Mamun Educa-
tion Center collected trash which they reused and recycled into usable things. They
also participated in the "Make Green School to Reduce Climate Change" campaign.
KOMUNITAS KOVINET volunteers participated in activities which included an art and

creativity show focused around a poetry reading on an environmental issue.
45 students from SMP Islam Al-Syukro had a training to be Healthy Youth Cadre with
issues area HIV, Anti Drugs, and Dengue Fever. Also, junior high school students
checked places in their neighborhood which have the possibility of being a place for
the Aides Mosquito reproduction.
Tonjong Elementary School hosted a Care For School Event. The students and teach-
ers cleaned up their neighborhood, collected used products, and played a movie
about Green Life Style. A local newspaper and district officers also took part in the
event.
59
Students and teachers from the Cendekia Leadership School collected used plastic
bottles to focus on global warming issues. The collection of bottles was shaped into a
big "Candi" (traditional shape monument), and were then given to a place that recy-
cles plastic.
In public places near the school, Dade Homeschooling volunteers trained young peo-
ple, teachers, and parents to make a safe paint (non toxic) for children and make a
decoration using hand and food prints. Trained volunteers applied their skills to kinder-
garten-age children through the "Youth Guide, Ask and Explore" event.
The LPII Foundation hosted a series of service projects, some of which included an
event centered around International Malaria Day and the problem of epidemic den-
gue in Indonesia; outdoor leadership and educational games for children and youth;
environmentally sustainable activities; volunteers who worked on giving sightless stu-
dent access towards academic books through printing books in Braille; collecting edu-
cational and health materials to donate to those in need; a story book collection
drive; an anti-bullying awareness campaign for elementary students; trash collecting
and recycling projects; the promoting of traditional Indonesian dance and music; the
opening of a Children’s Mobile Library; and an awareness campaign to youth on how
to prepare their readiness towards adultness.
Local Organizer
Malaysia People to People International
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (SRI KDU)
Student Chapter of People to People International participated in a project to benefit
the community. The chapter implemented a project with a group of indigenous peo-
ple entitled 'Preserving Cultural Traditions in a Modernising World'. On April 26, chapter
members visited the 'Mah Meri', meaning people of the jungle, and interacted with
the community and assessed how the chapter could further assist the locals. Chapter
members interviewed the people and had the opportunity to witness a tribal dance
and see the wood-carvers and weavers at work. This GYSD project directly contributed
to People to People International’s mission of Peace through Understanding.
60
Nepal Youth Initiative
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Manogya Sharma

manogya@youth.org.np
Youth Initiative conducted multiple events at its 10 strategic locations, where a total
of 500 young people participated in the events which included 50 volunteers. Semi-
nars on the country's recently held elections and the role of youths in it; along with
public speaking and presentation skill sessions were part of the celebrations.
Local Organizer
• Youth Initiative
• Volunteer Nepal National Group
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Rukh Gurung

info@youthinitiative.org.np
Number of Participants: 32,000 Ziad Ali
www.volnepal.np.org
The organization Youth Initiative launched the National Youth Service (NYS) on Global
Youth Service Day across the country. NYS was launched for the first time in 2007. This
program provides the opportunity for urban youths to visit rural locations where they
serve to enhance the development of local youth.
Other activities included a Youth Discussion Series (YDS), which is one of the oldest pro-
grams of Youth Initiative. The discussion series for GYSD was the theme of volunteerism
and youth service. They also hosted a debate club, held meetings to coordinate the
events, prepared press releases, and created a website about Youth Initiative and
GYSD.
Volunteer Nepal organized a free dental camp at Chitwan in association with four
dentists from United Kingdom and the Nepalese Dental Clinic. The goal of the camp
was to provide free dental service and check-ups for poor and under privileged peo-
ple of Chitwan. Volunteer Nepal works to assist and improve the welfare of the under-
privileged in their society by fostering rural, sustainable development; education and
capacity building; information communication and technology; literacy; economically
self-sustaining activities for women and children; and consultancy.
61
Local Organizers
Brotherhood of Destiny (BROOD)
Philippines Environmental Advocators' Club
Service For Peace in the Philippines
Voice of the Youth Network Philippines
35 youth leaders participated in a Youth Summer Camp organized by Brotherhood of

Destiny (BROOD). They were educated on issues involving climate change, environ-
ment, and peace advocacy.
Students from the Environmental Advocator’s Club at Balza National High School, with
the assistance of Peace Corps Volunteers, led a 2-day environmental camp in which
participants learned about climate change, solid-waste management and natural re-
source conservation.
Voice of the Youth Network and Green Army Network Foundation mobilized more than
200 volunteers to plant 10,000 seedlings/trees, which will be crucial for a sustainable
water supply and biodiversity of the forest areas.
Service For Peace in the Philippines celebrated Global Youth Service Day with the
Asian Alliance’s celebration of Walk the Talk - Earth Day celebration, April 18, 2008, Qu-
ezon City Hall, Philippines. Nineteen-year-old SPACE Director Noriel Doroteo served as
Project Director for the event, with VMP Director Marc Orenza as the Coordinator rep-
resenting Service For Peace and Host of the morning event.
Service For Peace conducted ECO Kids that is composed of Story Telling about Global
Warming titled “Garbage Monster” by SFP Executive Director Robert Sunga and ECO
Habit, a game where the kids choose whether a habit is good or bad for the environ-
ment with 33 Service For Peace Community Volunteers as their ‘big brothers and sis-
ters’ guiding them in the game and Recycle Session sponsored by Tetra Pak. Thirty kids
aged 7-15 joined the activity. People as well as the kids were informed about Global
Warming, its effects and how to prevent it. Allied partners on their respective booth
showed ways and means on living in an environmentally friendly way.
62
Local Organizer
Singapore TOUCH Community Services
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Kelly Low

kelly.low@touch.org.sg
TOUCH Community Services hosted a variety of service projects focused around is-
sues such as the eradication of poverty and hunger, empowering women in the area
of leadership, combating HIV/AIDS, and ensuring environmental sustainability. The
projects ranged from direct to indirect client service. The youth volunteers spanned
across 17 different services through TOUCH and designed, implemented and exe-
cuted various community projects.
Local Organizers
South Korea • People to People International
• Service for Peac
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the HAFS (Yongin, Kyunggido) chap-
ter of People to People International organized an environmental program within their
school. PTPI is proud of the great participation by HAFS Chapter members.
Service for Peace-South Korea conducted 2 Global Youth Service Day projects. On
Friday, April 25th, in partnership with Aewon volunteer organization, SFP helped organ-
ize a splendid event took place in Koyang Eoulrimnuri (Star-sand Theater) in Seoul.
In honor of Global Youth Service Day (25th -27th of April) and commemorating the
Day of persons with disabilities, Aewon invited young musicians with physical or mental
disabilities who live in Koyangsi to perform in front of around 280 people. To help the
smooth running of the concert, SFP recruited 12 university students from 6 different uni-
versities. They were divided into several teams to undertake the tasks of usher, informa-
tion desk, PR booth, Photo zone, backstage, etc.
63
In the centre of another GYSD celebration in Korea this year, were service activities in
a farm village with multi-cultural families. There were 36 volunteers – mothers and their
children (mothers coming from Mongolia, Thailand, and The Philippines; married to
South Korean men and living in South Korea) to help wives from Yeoncheon (a demili-
tarized zone), who were doing farming at the rental ginseng patches by themselves,
because their husbands had been injured by land mines. On one hand we gave
mothers and children the chance to get to know each other better as well as to rein-
force the relationships of warmth and affection between them by various games such
as “With eyes of love”, “Find your child”, “Obstacle race carrying son or daughter on
her back with eye bandage” and so on. After this family program we learned how to
distinguish weeds from ginseng seedlings and then, pulled out the weeds at the gin-
seng patch and also planted the lettuce seedlings. Volunteers realized how hard
housewives work without their husbands’ help and were happy to give them a hand.
Through the project, parents and sons or daughters had the opportunity to work to-
gether as one team and to realize the value of family and the importance of family
service.
Local Organizer

In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Yongin, South Korea (HAFS) Stu-
dent Chapter of People to People International participated in a project to benefit the
global community. The chapter sponsored a fundraiser and sold cookies to benefit the
Operation Iraqi Children organization. The chapter successfully sold all of the cookies it
had prepared for the fundraiser and looks forward to supporting Operation Iraqi Chil-
dren again during future service projects.

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka-United Nations Friendship Or-
ganisation
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Deshapriya S. Wijetunge

sunfowyc@sunfo.org
Sri Lanka-United Nations Friendship Organisation was the NLA for Sri Lanka and organ-
ized many activities that were beneficial to the communities and engaged youth vol-
unteers all over the country.
64
Local Organizers
Global Call to Action against Poverty -
GCAP
The Colombo, Sri Lanka (Dambadeni Arunalu) Student Chapter of People to People
International organized a two day camp for youth to study the biodiversity in a local
forest. Furthermore, the chapter implemented a water monitoring activity with the ob-
jective of conducting 400 tests using the testing kits received from World Water Moni-
toring program and completed 20 rain water saving units for use in households as
models for the community to follow. Finally, the chapter found five disappearing spe-
cies of mango and reintroduced them by producing 1,000 plants to be replanted.
GCAP Sri Lanka worked with other organizations to sponsor a one day seminar for 400
School Prefects (Young Leaders) at the German Technical training Center Auditorium,
in Katbedda, Moratuwa Sri Lanka with prominent key speakers. Global Youth Service
Day, HIV/AIDS, Drug Control, Youth Leadership, Stand Up-Speak Out 2009, Mind Devel-
opment, and Millennium Development Goals were key topics discussed. Additionally,
capoeira Brazilian cultural performances were presented.
Local Organizer
Taiwan • National Youth Commission
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Huang Yu-feng

yfhwang@nyc.gov.tw
The National Youth Commission (NYC) engaged approximately 60,000 youth volun-
teers in “Young People Cherish the Earth.” Activities to raise awareness about global
warming and the importance of volunteering were held in conjunction with World Ta-
nabata Action organization, which was founded in Japan.
As a celebration of this year’s GYSD, Service for Peace-Taiwan, a group of young vol-
unteers, children from underprivileged families and several foreign teachers offered a
stage presentation to the local community in Veterans Village of Kaohsiung City in Tai-
wan Province of China. The show consisted of musical performances, spontaneous in-
teractions with the audience and a stage play. The show was in Chinese and English,
but the audience had the opportunity to learn basic greetings in several European
languages.
65
The students performed a short harmonica and violin concert. Then the volunteers ex-
plained about some of their previous service projects and future plans in the commu-
nity. The activity finished with the show of the children’s own interpretation of “Old
MacDonald’s Farm”, where many different animals were helping each other and living
together in peace and harmony. At the end of the play, the children invited the audi-
ence to join them in a Happy Farm Dance.
The activity gave a chance to the underprivileged children (who are usually recipients
of service) to act as volunteers. It enhanced their creativity and self-expression through
the stage play, which was fully created by them, including the screenplay. It also en-
gaged them more in the community life and challenged their communication and
leadership skills through the interaction with a much older audience. The project had a
great impact on the underprivileged children and their families, as well as on the
group of foreign teachers. As a result of the project’s success, Bureau of Cultural Affairs
of Kaohsiung City recognized the project as meaningful and useful and wants to plan
more similar activities with us.
The foreign teachers presented a few comic stories about the life of a foreigner in Tai-
wan Province of China, which were awarded with a lot of laughs and applauses from
the audience.
Local Organizers
• Kaohsiung Youth Volunteer Center
• National Youth Commission - NYC
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: acradiokitty@yahoo.com.tw
The Kaohsiung Youth Volunteer Center held a focusing activity- “southern youth volun-
teer gathering” to celebrate GYSD. They gathered youth volunteers to aid minority
families and assist in making cuisine under the instruction of National Kaohsiung Hospi-
tality College and seafood institution. They also arranged youth club performances to
bring a lively atmosphere.
The National Youth Commission organized “Youth Volunteer Service for Regional
Peace” in order to encourage young people to care international affairs and domes-
tic development and to willingly receive services-learning training. The main idea was
to foster Taiwanese youth’s volunteering services at home and abroad, including sup-
porting the poor and the weak, working towards sustainable development, etc. Addi-
tionally, the regional focal activities of GYSD were held in Central Taiwan, East Taiwan
and South Taiwan. The volunteer centers of NYC Taiwan held the regional rally to
pledge volunteers and many local volunteer services. By means of the connection
that exists between schools, communities and institutions, the experience and spirit of
service was able to be promoted.
66
Local Organizer
Thailand Service for Peace
Service For Peace Thailand celebrated Global Youth Service Day with two projects:
one project was the renovation of Badindecha Development Center (a center for
poor Islamic children), situated in the Islamic part of Bangkok. Thirty young volunteers,
students from Ramkhamhaeng University, took part in the renovation of the children’s
center. Before volunteering, they were educated about Global Youth Service Day and
its significance.
The second project involved 75 school students from different provinces of Thailand,
and their parents, in cleaning Bangsan Beach in the Chonburi Province. This was the
first time our volunteers did civil service so we gave them lectures on the importance
of service and the opportunities that Global Youth Service Day presents to the world’s
young volunteers, as well as on the vision and mission of Service For Peace.
Through cleaning out the Beach and making it a lovely place to spend your time peo-
ple who originally come from rich families and usually do not participate in such activi-
ties acquired a taste for being volunteers and living in harmony with one another and
with nature.
Local Organizer
Service for Peace
Service For Peace in Thailand celebrated Global Youth Service Day by conducting a
project called “Youths Care for the Environment.” A total of 45 volunteers took part in
the project. Due to the bad weather conditions, the planned cleaning was post-
poned and the service project transformed into an educational program. Mr. Samnao
Ratsamitat, Mayor of Bangnamphueng District Administration Organization, which
partnered with SFP for this project, gave a lecture on how service activities improve
the quality of life in the community and encouraged the youths to participate in more
and more service projects. Mr. Raweetiwat Srisutthisa-ard, Director of SFP in Thailand,
talked about the history of GYSD and about the meaning and the value of service for
the community. Everyone expressed their genuine regret for not being able to volun-
teer that day, as well as their willingness to take part in future service activities. The pro-
gram went on with team-building games and singing happy songs.
67
Local Organizer
Tonga National Youth Commission
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: onthespot.tonga@gmail.com
On the Spot held a trash and recycling clean-up, fixed up a building, sponsored
community art activities, and visited the children’s ward of a hospital in honor of
Global Youth Service Day.
68
North Africa and the Middle East
Local Organizer
Algeria Eco-Action

ganadel@gmail.com
Eco-Action launched a "Green School Event" by renovating and refurbishing the

"Mouloud Kanem" elementary school.
Local Organizer
Bahrain GCE - iEARN Bahrain
Students planted plants in one of the schools' gardens. The aim of this event was to
make students aware of the importance of their school environment, to introduce
types of plants that can long live in their country, and to celebrate Global Youth Ser-
vice Day.
Local Organizer
Egypt People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Dina El Mahdy

missdina@windowslive.com
Eyman
eymantco7@yahoo.com
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Agents of Change for Tomorrow
(Sadat City) chapter of People to People International teamed up with the Sadat City
Peacekeepers Student Chapter to organize a project to benefit children in a local or-
phanage. Chapter members led a school assembly to inform their fellow students
about Global Youth Service Day. They also took the opportunity to encourage stu-
dents throughout the school to donate to the orphanage. The chapters created a
large painting of the GYSD logo and displayed it at the assembly. The two chapters
visited the orphanage together, bringing athletic and entertainment equipment along
with snacks for the children. The chapters decided to continue their project by inviting
the children in the orphanage to visit their school during the school’s annual Interna-
tional Day.
69
Local Organizers
• Egyptian Association for Educational Resources
(E-ERA)
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Nanis Yousry

info@egypt-era.org
Number of Participants: 460 Ammar Kandil
ammar_494@yahoo.com
The Egyptian Association for Educational Resources launched a capacity building
program to develop the skills and abilities of active iEARN Alumni who will be working
with students at schools during the academic year on various projects such as Youth-
CaN, MDGs-Only With Your Voice, and many others. The capacity building program
was composed of four main stages: self-awareness, social awareness, change, and
action. Each stage was composed of a number of workshops, panel discussions, ac-
tivities, and field trips that reviewed youth-led initiatives and concluded with a team
building camp.
They organized a day with the children in Cancer hospital 57357 called the Children’s
Arts Competition, which consisted of two parts: the first one was a brief explanation to
the kids about the main themes of the book "Grapes of Wrath;” the second was trying
to encourage the students to draw what they learnt on Art Murals.
Additionally, they organized the 2009 YouthCaN conference for students who share
an interest in being involved in protecting the environment. The students also took
part in environmental activities such as recycling, water testing, art and First aid.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Monofeia, Egypt (Sadat City
Peacekeepers) Student Chapter of People to People International focused on an en-
vironmental projects, and more specifically on water management and energy sav-
ing. For the project, the chapter asked the students in its school and community to
close all the water taps and turn off all lights their homes for one hour. The project will
not only save water and energy, but will also educate others about responsible usage
of resources.
70
Iraqi Democratic Coalition for Youth
Iraq •
Empowerment
• GCE and iEARN-IRAQ
Contact: Mohammed A. Abed Albak
Iraqi Democratic Coalition for Youth Empowerment engaged community members to

teach them first aid management and emergency care for burn victims.
GCE students and teachers from the Agriculture Bakrajo Secondary School in the city
of Sulemany participated in a combined Earth Day and Global Youth Service Day
(GYSD) environmental activity on April 22, 2008. The two teachers and their students
visited the public spaces and parks around the city presenting on the importance of a
clean environment and the ways that people can improve the environment around
them. The GCE students and teachers also posted signs and flyers with advice about
how everybody can do their part to save the planet.

Israel Service for Peace- Israel
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Baruch Shalev

israel@serviceforpeace.org
Service for Peace- Israel coordinated 9 different projects in Israel and 1 joint Israeli-
Palestinian effort. These projects encouraged social action by youth and covered
diverse topic from the environment and peace to taking flowers to the sick in hospi-
tals.
71
Many of the projects involved volunteers and participants from various background
(Jewish, Arab, Druze, Bedouin, Sudanese refugees and new immigrants from different
countries), thus having an element of cultural dialogue and promotion of collabora-
tion and integration among various groups. There was a wide variety of themes of the
projects. Some were related to environment and peace, some were enhancing inter-
generational dialogue, some were tackling problems of inclusion of ethnic minorities
and refugees, others were purely oriented to social action, work with children, as well
as humanity-oriented, such as visiting people in hospitals, giving them flowers, letter
and presents and talking to them.
“All Nations Cafe” and “SFP-Israel”

organized a project exploring the
theme of environment and peace.
Israeli and Palestinian peace loving
people gathered together to imple-
ment two days service project on
clanging, gardening and planting.
The event took place between Jeru-
salem and Bethlehem. The aim of the
project was to fulfill the vision of the
organizers of a green and open val-
ley for people of all nations - a place
for people to meet, work together, to
reserve the nature and live beyond physical and mental borders.
“The Orthodox Scout

Organization” carried
out a big sport event,
all day long, with the
participation of 73
children in risk and 35
young scouts. During
the day they acti-
vated the children
with scout activities.
The children were
helping in everything
that had to be built.
“The Interreligious Coordinating Council in Israel” organized in Jerusalem an intercul-

tural project. Young volunteers, Jews and Arabs together, met young people and chil-
dren from Sudan, who are refugees in Israel. This informal seminar-like meeting was fo-
cused on the topic of relations between the three involved communities – Jews, Arabs
and Sudanese. They shared their points of views and knowledge to the others and dis-
cussed how their communities can collaborate better through youth participation.
They were also making games and playing with the little children. Meanwhile they
planned a second part of the project, in which together they will organize a one day
community service activity, which will take place in the end of May 2008.
72
“Encouragement of Sport in Ihsal and the
Region” organized a GYSD project in the
village Arab village of Kfar Daburie. The
project included children from 1st grade
from the sports school. The aim of the pro-
ject is to get the children closer to old peo-
ple, to nurture in them an attitude of service
to others, and to build in them respect and
appreciation of the elderly. The children vis-
ited a senior citizen’s institution and spent
one day there. During this day they were
encouraged to serve. They changed places
with the personnel of the institution for a
while and made the beds and cleaned parts of the place for the residents. The chil-
dren and senior citizens made a party in order to celebrate their interaction and to-
getherness.
The Community Center and the City Council

of Sajur, in the north of Israel, organized a
GYSD project, involving youth and children.
The project took place in the Western Gali-
lee Hospital in the town of Naharia. Volun-
teers visited sick children, in order to raise
their spirit and make them feel good. The
volunteers were talking to the children and
giving them presents. They came to the hos-
pital with prepared personal letters to every
single child and visited all children in all the
departments in the hospital. The project was
organized by Druze youth in a hospital lo-
cated in the west of the Galilee, where the population is mixed and includes Jews,
Bedouins, Christians and Druze. This gave the project an intercultural element.
“The Negev Institute for Strategic

Peace Building” organized a workshop
on social involvement and on the idea
of leading change. There were 110 vol-
unteers from many villages in the
south. Each group of volunteers had its
own project which they presented in
summary workshop. Some of the pro-
jects they had were cleaning the
school, helping the elderly , doing fun
activity with the children in the school,
and so on. In the end of the workshop about social involvement there was a show.
73
“Sevivon Community Business” reshaped
the school yard of Waldorf school for special
education, located between a Jewish and
Arab neighborhood in East Talpiot in Jerusa-
lem with the help of volunteers from Israel
and Palestine. The work was led by the inter-
national social artist Johannes Mathiessen.
This world famous artist, who carried out so-
cial projects in many countries, initiated a
group of leaders in the field of social action.
This project started with cleaning, moving of
heavy rocks and changing the energy in
the school yard. Young Muslim youth joined
spontaneously in the activity and helped. The children of the school were very happy
with the incredible change when the project ended.
The Informal Education Department at the

Municipality of Ramat HaSharon organized
several events over a whole month. All of
them were promoting the idea of volun-
teering among young people and were
aimed at bringing joy to children. The vol-
unteers created street performances and
performances for ill children. The activities
were open for all age groups.

Lebanon Association of Volunteer Services
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Dr. Patricia Nabti

avs@avs.or.lb
Association of Volunteer Services organized a series of events in Lebanon, ranging

from tree planting to recycling programs to visiting orphanages. Young volunteers
were involved in all aspects of the projects – planning, organizing, implementing, and
following up.
74
Association of Volunteer Services
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Dr. Patricia Nabti

avs@avs.or.lb
The Association for Volunteer Services established the Youth Empowerment Council to
engage youth in organizing GYSD Lebanon and participate in other activities to pro-
mote youth volunteering. Together with its Youth Empowerment Council, AVS staff and
trainers provide training sessions in five different areas of Lebanon on how to plan and
implement effective service projects. AVS seeks to empower youth groups to plan and
implement their own projects, it does not organize big projects, but encourages
schools, universities, and youth groups to have small groups organize their own pro-
jects. They also actively encourage groups in other Arab countries to participate in
GYSD.
Local Organizer
Mauritania ONG DST pour la Promotion de l'Education
et la Sante
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Niang Alioune

ndndrw2000@yahoo.fr
ONG DST pour la Promotion de l'Education et la Sante had 30 volunteers engaged in

organizing a conference on family planning and reproductive health for the general
public.
Local Organizer
Palestine People to People International
Participating Year: 2009 Contacts: Raed Hamouri

raed.hamouri@ri.org
Number of Participants: 350+ Ola Al-Tamimi (Hebron)
ola@ri.org
The Bethlehem, Palestinian Territories (RI-SOL CBLAC) Student Chapter of People to

People International participated in a clean-up initiative entitled “Cleanliness has col-
ors!” The goal of the project was to support responsible environmental management
and beautify the historic Beit Jala area of Bethlehem. Waste receptacles in this area
were painted bright colors to improve the image of the community for residents and
non-residents alike.
75
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Hebron, Palestinian Territories (RI-
SOL Community Based Learning Center) Student Chapter of People to People Interna-
tional participated in an initiative to benefit the environment. In cooperation with the
American Consulate, the GYSD event was planned in cooperation with five schools in
the community. Workshops were offered to educate others about the importance of
the environment, the use of sun energy and recycling. Additionally, many of the par-
ticipating schools coordinated service projects. In both Al-Ameer Mohammad Boys
Secondary School and Al-Maznyah Girls Secondary School, more than 100 students
painted the inner walls of their schools and cleaned all of the classrooms as a part of
GYSD efforts. In King Kahlid Boys Secondary School, 60 students planted flowers and
other plants around the school and classrooms. In Khaulah School, several girls and
teachers worked to improve the backyard of the school and cleaned all the class-
rooms of the school. Finally, in Abd AZez Girls School, about 100 girls joined together to
plant trees and flowers in the backyard of the school and painted all the walls of the
school. In total, more than 250 participants were engaged through these GYSD activi-
ties.
76
West and Central Africa
Local Organizer
Burkina Faso CEG Banzon
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Stephanie Gottlieb

srgottlieb@yahoo.com
CEG Banzon helped over 250 students create the first student-run garden in Banzon.
Along with providing a community space for young people to congregate and work
together, all fruits and vegetables that are cultivated from the garden were used in
lunches for students at school.
Local Organizers
• GIC Bellomar Cameroun
Cameroon • Youths Ahead!
• Youth Crime Watch
• Youth Employment Fund
GIC Bellomar Cameroon educated the public about the dangers of HIV and AIDS. In
their second project, they joined with the University of Douala's Red Cross Club to train
youths in fire safety and awareness.
Youths Ahead! mobilized over 1,300 volunteers in a series of projects, including running
a book drive for young children, promoting awareness about HIV/AIDS and illegal im-
migration, and helping young musicians jumpstart their musical careers.
Youth Crime Watch volunteers put on a concert to the members of the surrounding
community. The 40 volunteers also engaged in projects that dealt with poverty alle-
viation, environmental issues, and empowering women.
Youth Employment Fund organized a career orientation workshop where participants

were given the opportunity to listen and ask questions from a panel of several profes-
sionals, including members from the American Embassy's Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Netcom representatives.
77
Local Organizer
• Green Cameroon
• Adele Reproductive Health Founda-
tion Cameroon
• Youth Employment Fund - YEF
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Masango Sone

Greencamer-
Number of Participants: 406+ oon@hotmail.com
Dr Gwewasang C. Martin
Gwewa-
sang@takingitglobal.org
Green Cameroon organized a general clean up campaign and public talk on global
warming and climate change in the Buea municipality. The goal was to educate the
community on properly disposing its huge piles of garbage found along the major
streets and to raise general public awareness on environmental issues.
The Youth Employment Fund organized a two-day workshop to impart skills to youth
on how they can create and manage their own small businesses so as to empower
youth to be self-employed, and consequently reduce youth unemployment in the
community.
Local Organizer
Central African Repub- Association NEPAD Centrafrique
lic
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Sibiro Philippe Junior

dostonio@yahoo.fr
Association NEPAD Centrafrique organized a series of events to celebrate GYSD, in-

cluding a football match, tree planting, clean-up campaign, and HIV/AIDS aware-
ness, all highlighting the role of young volunteers in their communities.
Local Organizer
Association NEPAD Centrafrique
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Sibiro Philippe Junior

dostonio@yahoo.fr
Association NEPAD Centrafrique hosted a variety of events in honor of GYSD, including

helping to plant nurseries and trees, clean-up projects in various public places, pro-
ducing a radio show, raising awareness about peace and peacekeeping, and a com-
petition among cyclists who volunteered.
78
Local Organizers
• New Generation in Action for Better
Côte d'Ivoire Afrika - NGABA
Network Côte D'Ivoire
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Makouani Diabate

diabatebecca@yahoo.fr
Number of Participants: 1,040+ Oscar SEKA
iearn.ci@safe-mail.net
As a movement of youth taking action for solving problems in its community, the New
Generation in Action for Better Afrika decided to take care of their environment
through a project of cleaning their district while employing the young people of their
district, and also visited orphans of the village of Abobo and brought them gilts.
The International Education and Resource Network Côte d’Ivoire held conferences in
different schools in Abidjan and Gagnoa in order to launch a campaign of lobbying
for the integration of ICT in education in a school in Gagnoa. Students, teachers and
others partners were invited to sign a petition to send to public officials.
EJCEDNU
Democratic Republic of
Local Organizer
Congo (DRC)
Ligue Des Jeunes Pour la Paix et le Déve-
loppement en DRC
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Richard Mboungou

Ejced-
Number of Participants: 270 nu_youth.coord@yahoo.fr
Espace des Jeunes Chrétiens pour l'Entreprenariat et le Développement pour les Na-
tions Unies (EJCEDNU) engaged 150 volunteers in projects that helped the fight
against youth poverty in Congolese communities and another 120 children engaged
in discussions about human rights, especially among people with physical handicaps.
Ligue des Jeunes Pour la Paix et le Développement en DRC taught people what their
rights are and what they can do to reclaim these rights.
79
Youth Realities Network (YOUR-NET)
Local Organizers
• Action for Community Development
Ghana • Child Research for Action and
Development Agency (CRADA Group)
• Harmony Community Disabled Center
• Young People We Care's (YPWC)
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Ernest Asiedu Odei

asieduvval@yahoo.com
Youth Realities Network (YOUR-NET) asked representatives from the Ghanaian Peace
Corps, Ghana Health Services, and the Adenta Constituency to speak to children
about malaria eradication and prevention. In their biggest project, 14 volunteers from
various educational institutions served approximately 650 people from the Amarahia
Township and the Otopeasi Village in a medical outreach program.
Action for Community Development led 800 volunteers in a youth rally with other local
organizations to raise awareness about youth volunteerism as an asset towards pro-
moting balance, peace, and human rights in Ghanaian communities and a tree
planting celebration.
Harmony Community Disabled Center 140 youth (both non-disabled and disabled)
took part in activities over three days for the GYSD celebrations which included an
essay writing competition, learning sign language, playing soccer and kickball, and
dancing with the Liberian Cultural Dance Troupe.
Child Research for Action and Development Agency (CRADA Group) mobilized 200
volunteers in their campaign to raise awareness about child exploitation.
Young People We Care's (YPWC) were armed with the goal of educating youth par-
ticipants on the impacts of climate change. Representatives from YPWC organized a
climate change program with the pupils of Gyinyasi Junior High School.
On April 26th Service for Peace-Ghana made a visit to Missionary of Charity, Theresa
orphanage in Kumasi. The orphanage takes care of children from 3 months to 16 years
of age, who come from different regions of Ghana. Thanks to Sister Judith, SFP volun-
teers got familiar with the problems these children face and realized that it is NGOs
and good people that help them to survive. Volunteers donated some items (such as
clothes and food) that had been collected beforehand for the orphanage and inter-
acted with some of the kids.
80
Local Organizer
• C.H.D.S.C. Ghana
• Young People We Care (YPWC)
• Richbone Initiative Foundation
• Global-Cultural Solution
• Youth Realities Network
• Student in Free Enterprise – IPS
The CHDSC Ghana is coordinating different activities to meet specific community

needs, such as issues of environmental degradation, sanitation problems, tree plant-
ing, clean water for all, healthy lifestyles, child abuse, and other issues that falls under
the UN Millennium Development Goals.
The Youth Realities Network organized a Youth Forum on Education, HIV/AIDS and Mi-
gration. At the forum, issues and problems concerning education, HIV/AIDS and mi-
gration in Africa were discussed and petitions were presented to the ECOWAS and
African Union Secretariat, as well as various West African High Commissions in Ghana.
Youth volunteers also taught their fellow students about the importance of the Millen-
nium Development Goals (MDGs). Over 60 percent of the local population is under
the age of 25, but their voice is often lost in the decision-making forums. Therefore, in
order to provide youth with a global perspective of the potential for their contribu-
tions, youth organizers used their knowledge of the MDGs to plan an environmental
project to take better care of their natural surroundings.
The Student in Free Enterprise IPS chapter hosted a Leadership and Governance con-
ference in Accra in celebration of GYSD. The themes for the conference were dimen-
sions, causes, and consequences of immigrants in the western world. The conference
served as a think tank for youth leaders from various organizations that promote
global democracy and human rights.
The Accra, Ghana Student Chapter of People to People International participated in

a variety of projects to benefit the Teshie Township community. The chapter organ-
ized a community clean-up project and visited one of the local orphanages. The
chapter also collected assorted items to donate to an orphanage.
81
Guinea Jeunesse Royale
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Ahmed Sekou Traoré

jeunesseroyale@yahoo.fr
Jeunesse Royale celebrated GYSD through projects led by 850 Guinean youth, who
served an estimated 5,000 people.
Local Organizer
ONG Jeunesse Royale
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Ahmed Sekou Traoré

jeunesseroyale@yahoo.fr
The organization Jeunesse Royale organized a conference on citizenship as well as on
the transition of the military regime in Guinea in celebration of Global Youth Service
Day. It allowed young people to engage in voluntary activities through communities.

Liberia Vision Sisters for Development
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Sametta George

visionorglib@yahoo.com
Vision Sisters for Development organized clean-up campaigns and knowledge quizzes
reaching 10,000 young people. The event led to a United Nations Volunteers pledge to
support skill training programs.
Local Organizers
• Vision Sisters for Development
• Fiamah Youth in Action for Development
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Sametta George

visionorglib@yahoo.com
The Vision Sisters for Development mobilized and encouraged youth volunteerism at
community and personnel levels to foster skill development and nation building
through awareness and participation. They engaged youth in an environmental
clean-up campaign, a sports tournament, and an interactive forum through which
youth and governmental officials can interact.
82
The Fiamah Youth in Action for Development celebrated GYSD by conducting a one
(1) day clean up campaign of their community. The celebrations climaxed Sunday
April 26, 2009 with an indoor program highlighting the contributions of young people to
their community and reviewing successes scored on the previous day. Major speakers
from both the public and private sector spoke on the importance of voluntarism by
youths to their communities. Following the ceremony, a luncheon was hosted in honor
of the volunteers.
Local Organizer
Niger • Peace Corps Niger
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Danel Trisi

daneltrisi@gmail.com
Through Peace Corps Niger over 70 youth volunteers participated in two and a half
months of work to strengthen the school and raise awareness of the importance of
education for all youth in Gafati, a rural village in Niger.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day, several youth in Niger participated in a

project to benefit the community. On April 25, the group organized an intercultural ex-
change activity, and each individual in attendance was of a different target cultural
group. For example, countries featured included Mali, India, and Egypt. Several pres-
entations took place during which poetry was read in three languages, war attire was
displayed in a parade, and skits were performed about the importance of friendship
between different groups. This project directly contributed to the People to People In-
ternational mission of Peace through Understanding.
Local Organizers
• Agent of Change Development Initiative
• Aminchi Youth Progressive Assocation
Development Generation Africa International (DGAi)
Nigeria • FOTO-SOFIA
• Lordbee & Friendz Network
• Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria
• Youth’s Rehabilitation and Enhancement Unit (YREU)
Agent of Change Development Initiative mobilized volunteers to donate 11 nets to

combat malaria and promote volunteerism.
Aminchi Youth Progressive Assocation organized events with a focus on ensuring envi-
ronmental sustainability and raising awareness about the Millennium Development
Goals.
83
Development Generation Africa International (DGAi) organized a programme where
over 100 school children and youth discussed issues of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculoses and Ma-
laria (ATM) as it affects children and youth and brought up solutions. The program cul-
minated with the signing of the first Abia State Children and Youth Declaration on HIV/
AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.
FOTO-SOFIA organized a workshop where sustainable development, community de-

velopment, and youth participation were discussed. Also, volunteers participated in
cleaning up an old city monument.
Lordbee & Friendz Network set out to help refugees integrate into society, and also fur-
ther their advocacy on HIV/AIDS with the theme "We can stop HIV/AIDS...if we want
too!"
Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria collaborated with Real Factor Club to or-
ganize events on environmental sanitation in a city park, visiting and donating to a
children’s home, and a training aimed at increasing youth access to sexual and repro-
ductive health services and information.
Youth’s Rehabilitation and Enhancement Unit (YREU) held an event on drug abuse, its
consequences, and where to get help.
Local Organizers
• Success For Youth International - SFYI
• ONE VOICE
• Foto-Sofia
• Catholic Youth Organisation, Sacred Heart Cathedral
• Development Generation Africa International – DGAI
• Laraba Shown Foundation
• Lagos Mainland youth Forum – LMYF
• International Centre for Proficiency
• Youth Alive Initiative
• Foundation for Turning Community Concerns into
• Citizen Action – TUCCAN
• Save A Youth Soul - SAYS
Success For Youth International hosted the event ME AND MY ENVIRONMENT. It was a
3-day event which addressed the issues of the environment, climate change, the im-
portance of a healthy environment, and what to do in order to keep the environment
clean. They also held a trash clean-up in the area.
One Voice held seminars on HIV/AIDS and promoted youth service by hosting benefit
concerts, rallies, and tours of Youth Ministries in selected states of the Federation. The
volunteers also worked on water projects and participated in the Youth Empowerment
Conferences that were held across the country in higher learning institutions.
84
In partnership with Project Food for 1 Million by Global Initiative for Peace, Love, and
Care, the Laraba Shown Foundation organized a food collection for children in or-
phanages and homeless people, and also organized youth leadership training.
The Youth Alive Initiative sponsored Life Skills Development training in the following ar-
eas: young people’s health, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS and STDs, environmental
and sustainable development, minority and marginalized youths, employment and en-
trepreneurship development, peace and human rights, youth voluntarism, student and
youth politics, women and children, culture and heritage, and humanitarian service.
SAYS hosted a variety of activities in celebration of GYSD. They worked to educate

youth on environmental sustainability and how to keep the environment clean. Addi-
tionally, they volunteered in orphanages. They organized a training program for youth
in the community and a project on leadership for secondary school prefects in Delta
state secondary schools to change the lives of the youth positively. The project was
designed to redirect the mind set of youth towards leadership and voluntary commu-
nity development engagement and to enhance their leadership skills.
Local Organizer
Senegal Soccer4Life Spectrum Senegal
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Lawrence Oguike

soccer4lifeministry@yahoo.com
Soccer4life Spectrum Senegal engaged about 200 young people and helped them
receive information on youth and employment service.
Local Organizer
Sierra Leone •
•
Service For Peace-Sierra Leone Chapter
Sierra Leone Youth Foundation
Service For Peace engaged 25 young volunteers who educated 500 students about
the production of local fertilizer and building of water wells. The students were able to
learn about leadership, volunteerism, and how to make a garden in their respective
schools.
Sierra Leone Youth Foundation organized a public forum on the rights and responsibili-
ties of a citizen, in addition to a park clean-up campaign.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Sierra Lions chapter of People to
People International collaborated with the government of Sierra Leone to commemo-
rate their 47th Independence Anniversary. Students organized a tour of impoverished
areas in the community followed by an outing to Ocean View Beach.
85
From April 25th to April 27th, Service for Peace hosted a program for raising service
awareness in four secondary schools in the capital city of Freetown: Model Secondary
School, Saint Edward’s Senior Secondary School, Freetown Secondary School for Girls
and Saint Joseph Secondary School. The aim of the project was to familiarize young
people with Global Youth Service Day as an opportunity to improve their community
through service.
Local Organizer
• Conscience International Sierra Leone
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Santigie Bayo Dumbuya

worldyayn05@yahoo.com
Conscience International organized a forum for the general public, the marginalized,
community leaders, opinion leaders, politicians, policy makers, refugee and asylum
seekers, legislators, law enforcers, community based organizations, civil society organi-
zations, existing NGO networks, and various national, sub-regional, and regional or-
ganizations.
In celebration of Global Youth Service Day 2009, the Freetown, Sierra Leone Student
Chapter of People to People International sponsored an initiative to engage the com-
munity in the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals. In collaboration with the
Youth Partnership for Peace and Development, the chapter organized a town hall
meeting in the Miatta Conference Hall to educate community members about the
importance of gender equality and maternal health, two of the Millennium Develop-
ment Goals. The chapter inspired many citizens of Sierra Leone to take the necessary
actions to ensure that progress is made on achieving the Millennium Development
Goals by the year 2015.
Local Organizer
Togo Jeunes Volontaires pour l'Environnement
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Sena Alouka

yvetogo@hotmail.com
At least 3,200 students attended and participated in the lectures and discussions put
on by the Young Volunteers for the Environment organization in Togo. Fifty t-shirts, 300
condoms, and 1,000 flyers were distributed to the students.
86
East and Southern Africa

RACINES
Local Organizers
Burundi • UNIPROBA
• Youth League for Peace and Devel-
opment
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Eric Uwintwaza

racines05@yahoo.fr
RACINES helped sponsor several GYSD activities which focused on spreading AIDS
awareness.
UNIPROBA mobilized over 100 volunteers to address several social issues, including
helping youth find employment and promoting National Assembly laws that address
the needs of young people in Burundi.
Youth League for Peace and Development organized additional events, including a
project where women and children planted over 100 trees in the Kanyosha commune
to prevent soil erosion. They also gave notebooks to orphans.
Local Organizer
RACINES
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Eric Uwintwaza

racines05@yahoo.fr
The group Racines organized a workshop for evaluation and implementation of ac-
tivities related to youth employment. They brought together youth led organizations,
government officials, and experts in employment issues to contribute to this workshop.
87
Local Organizers
• GUYADA
• Ugunja Community Resource Center
Kenya • Green Generation and Lucode World-
wide
GUYADA mobilized more than 200 people in community projects to sensitize communi-
ties to HIV/AIDS and drug abuse, clean the community centers, and focus on youth
and women’s empowerment.
Ugunja Community Resource Center held an event that encouraged youth to address
issues concerning the environment, waste management, and to take a leadership role
in their communities.
Green Generation with Lucode Worldwide was successfully held at Kisumu Millennium
City on April 26, 2009. A successful community event took place and about 4500
youths and foreign community environmental activists participated in planting trees in
the park to replace ones previously cut down. Youth then held a demonstration in the
center of Kisumu City to advocate for reforestation and protest against land grabbing
of public properties and cutting down of trees in town without planting new seedlings
as part of community care of the environment.
On April 26th, the Service for Peace GYSD celebration brought together a large num-
ber of youths who realized the importance of service and its benefits for the commu-
nity through a stage play about peaceful co-existence performed for them by Service
For Peace Theatre Group. The event started at 9:00 a.m. and went on till 5:30 p.m. On
April 27th, SFP-Kenya organized a poles painting service at slums field for the football
teams in Majengo Slums, Nairobi.
Local Organizers
• Action Against Poverty For Socio Economic Justice In Kenya -
AAPSEJIK
• Changes Rover Crew
• Kenya Slum Youths Development Organization – KESYDO
• Kenya Youth Foundation
Child mortality is but one dismal result of the lack of hand washing in an area of Suna,
Kenya. In response to this growing problem, the United Nations observed Global Hand
Washing Day for the first time in 2008, and members of a local science club comprised
of girls with disabilities and girls without parents took this message to their own commu-
nity.
88
Through information tables the students shared with their parents, peers, and faculty
the importance of washing after themselves to reduce the growing spread of disease
that so often leads to fatal consequences.
The organization Action Against Poverty For Socio Economic Justice in Kenya con-
ducted Awareness Forums on important national issues such as social health, eradicat-
ing poverty and hunger, sustainable development, and providing screening for HIV/
AIDS in conjunction with information on prevention.
Changes Rover Crew in partnership with other organizations organized an expedition

camp from 19th to 26th April 2009. Activities of the event consisted of clean ups, tree
planting, and community education on HIV AIDS. The climax of the event was marked
by making a contribution to Hosanna Children Home.
Kenya Youth Foundation (KYF) joined Kibera Performing Arts to celebrate Kenyan cul-
tural diversity on Saturday 24th April 2009 through music and dance to help in the heal-
ing process after the post-election conflict. Volunteers used the event to sensitize the
public on the importance of peace building, healing and reconciliation based on a
project called: Youth Building Bridges for Peace in Kibera.
Local Organizer
Namibia Frans Dimbare Integrated Rural Youth
Centre
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Paul Wesson

pdwesson@gmail.com
Frans Dimbare Integrated Rural Youth Centre promoted a culture of accountability
with regards to recycling among young volunteers and educated the community
about the importance of environmental health.
Local Organizer
• Rwanda Village Concept Project /R-VCP and MEDSAR
Rwanda • Rwanda University Club for Conservation of Biodiversity
• Other children and youth of Rwanda
A group of young volunteers were trained to address the issue of HIV/AIDS related
stigma and discrimination directed against school children in a southern Province of
Rwanda. In honor of GYSD, they initiated educational campaigns within three
schools; held youth club visits and teaching sessions; and had artistic presentations to
commemorate GYSD by highlighting HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination as a human
rights issue. This included songs, poems, sketches etc. to mobilize young people and
give them an opportunity to develop and design their own artistic presentations to
share with their peers. 89
The Rwanda University Club for Conservation of Biodiversity created a buffer zone in
the Gishwati Forest Reserve in the Western province of Rwanda, in connection with
the Gishwati Area Conservation. They completed this project by planting bamboo
in the buffer zone to separate human activities such as agriculture and farming from
the edge of Gishwati forest reserve.
Children and youth in Butare, Rwanda provided a mentoring network for children
afflicted by HIV and AIDS. The stigma associated with the virus is responsible for the
unfair treatment of victims, so these volunteers provided a support system for the
victims while at the same time educating the general school population of the
harmful affects such bullying can have on their peers. Through seminars and profes-
sional referrals the volunteers worked to create a more positive reality for youth vic-
tims of HIV.
Local Organizer
South Africa People to People International
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: David John Hartnick

johnhartnick@mweb.co.za
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Bot-River chapter of People to
People International joined the Health and Welfare Department to assist with a Fun
Fair event to raise money. Chapter members had a lot of fun while fundraising and
some members shared duties at the merry-go-round.
Local Organizer
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Megan van Eck

b2bwildza@yahoo.com
The Durban, South Africa (Hillcrest High

School) Student Chapter of People to Peo-
ple International sponsored a Random Acts
of Kindness Day at Hillcrest High School.
They also volunteered at Horizon Farm,
which uses horses to provide therapy for dis-
abled children with which the chapter as-
sisted, as well as played with the children
and cleaned up the farm. Finally, they went
to local car parks at shopping centers to
hand out Easter eggs to car guards and
people in the area.
90
Local Organizer
Swaziland The Bantu Project
Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Trevor Dougherty

maddogza@gmail.com
The Bantu Project worked to create a three-month semester of service, inspired by

Youth Service America's GYSD efforts, to encourage Swazi youths to engage in their
own youth service projects and to get Swazi youths more involved in their communi-
ties. It included a national media campaign to encourage students.
Local Organizers
• Service and Ethics for Children and
Tanzania Youth
• Christian Spiritual Youth Ministry
(C.S.Y.M.)
Service and Ethics for Children and Youth came together for three days with 450 youth
from nineteen surrounding villages to collaborate on projects. Members of the com-
munity learned how to make burnt bricks and were educated on the importance of
sanitation in preventing malaria and HIV/AIDS.
Youth volunteers from Christian Spiritual Youth Ministry (C.S.Y.M.) concentrated on

educating many of the lower-income families and youth about safe sex and the im-
portance of preventing diseases.
Local Organizers
• Budiope Child Care Homes
• The Private Education Development
Uganda Network
• Sseguku Youth Health Organization
• Environconcern Project Uganda
300 youth volunteers helped to plant 10,013 tree seedlings donated by Nature Africa
through the Environconcern Project in Uganda.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Uganda Angels of Humanity
(Kampala) chapter of People to People International organized an environmental
campaign within their community, reaching over 800 individuals.
91
The activities were held on April 22nd and coincided with Earth Day. Chapter mem-
bers from Gayaza High School educated local primary school students about the im-
portance of proper waste management. Students also spent time cleaning and mak-
ing repairs to the school. As an investment in the future, twenty fruit trees were planted
on the primary school grounds. The guest of honor for the day was a member of the
Kyadondo East constituency parliament, Hon Sam Kalega Njuba, who also happened
to be a former student of the school. Overall, 135 Gayaza High School students, 22
school staff, 60 parents and 600 primary school students participated.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Uganda’s Dream (Kampala)
chapter of People to People International organized a blood donation project entitled
“Save your Neighbor with Blood”. Ten chapter members donated blood at the Na-
kasero Blood Bank. In addition, a cleanup project was organized whereby members
swept the roads and collected rubbish throughout the community. The Kampala City
Council (KCC) supported the chapter in this project by providing the necessary tools
for cleaning. The chapter successfully accomplished their goals of improving sanitation
and hygiene conditions in their community.
In celebration of 2008 Global Youth Service Day, the Youth in Action (Kampala) chap-
ter of People to People International organized a quarter‐mile road cleanup in
Ggaba, a suburb of Kampala and one of the poorest communities in the area. Chap-
ter members had noticed a trend of limited youth participation in the community. The
road cleanup project was created in response to this need and was successful in en-
gaging youth throughout the entire community. One hundred students in Kampala be-
tween the ages of 12 and 15 years old participated in the road cleanup.
Local Organizers
• Friends and Allies of Gays and Lesbians of Uganda
• Various student and youth volunteers
There is a huge problem with carbon emissions produced in the Masaka area of
Uganda and are directly absorbed by the local residents, visitors and wildlife. These
emissions not only pose a great danger to the health of the local residents and wildlife
but also continuously contribute to global warming which has a devastating impact
on the whole environment. On GYSD, 45 children came together to plant 3000 trees in
Masaka to help offset and reduce many pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, neutral-
ize the impact of a year’s worth of driving, and improve the dwindling health of
150,000 residents, as well as have an impact on agricultural practices in the area.
Deforestation in Kampala, Uganda, has led to loss of soil fertility and flooding. Resi-
dents have simply become too dependent on the area’s forest for income and fuel.
On GYSD, a group of 29 children and youth joined forces to educate the public about
the impact of their habits and ways they could use alternative biogas for fuel.
92
The students conducted this training
after attending a two-week science
curriculum highlighting this specific
issue. Decorative calendars and other
literature help residents to be more
conscious of their daily practices. The
increase in pollution in Masaka,
Uganda, is resulting in diseases such
as malaria, dysentery and cholera. 39
children and youth took a stand
against the ignorance in their com-
munity by initiating a community edu-
cation campaign about proper
waste disposal that brings people together, puts youth to work and begins to go about
the business of cleaning up the neighborhoods by distributing waste bins.
Friends and Allies of Gays and Lesbians of Uganda organized an event to bring to-
gether gay youth and do constructive work to the communities they live in by inform-
ing and making the communities aware that gay youth are also helpful and do com-
munity service. Additionally, they educated fellow youth more about HIV/AIDS and on
other ways to live healthy lifestyles.
The Kampala, Uganda (Uganda’s Dream) Student Chapter of People to People Inter-
national organized sports competitions intended to promote peace in the Makindye
Division of Kampala District. Youth from different races, ethnicity and tribes partici-
pated, especially the refugees who escaped for safety from Southern Sudan to
Uganda, and others from the Northern part of Uganda.
Additionally, the Kampala, Uganda (Angels of Humanity) Student Chapter of People

to People International planned a visit to a slum in the Kisenyi area of Kampala and
organized a meal for the impoverished children in the area.
Local Organizer
Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Youth Environment Network
Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Victoria Falls

eafrica@mweb.co.zw
The Zimbabwe Youth Environment Network engaged youth from all over the commu-
nity, including from different churches and youth organizations, and children of all
ages. A food and clothing drive that benefitted the residents of the retirement com-
munity was also incorporated.
93
Country Index
COUNTRY PAGE NUMBER 2008 Activities 2009 Activities
Afghanistan 39
Albania 22 x
Algeria 70 x
Armenia 23 x
Austria 23 x
Argentina 17 x x
Azerbaijan 39 x
Bahamas 13 x
Bahrain 70 x
Bangladesh 56 x x
Bolivia 17 x
Bosnia & Herzegovina 23 x x
Brazil 18 x x
Bulgaria 24 x x
Burkina Faso 78 x
Burundi 88 x x
Cambodia 57 x
Cameroon 78 x x
Central African Re-
79 x x
public
China 57 x x
Colombia 20 x x
Côte d'Ivoire 80 x
Croatia 26 x
Democratic Republic
80 x
of Congo (DRC)
Dominican Republic 13 x
Ecuador 20 x
Egypt 70 x
Estonia 27 x
94
France 27 x
Georgia 28 x
Ghana 81 x x
Guatemala 13 x
Guinea 83 x x
Guyana 21 x
Haiti 14 x
Hong Kong 59 x x
Hungary 29 x x
India 40 x x
Indonesia 60 x x
Iraq 72 x
Israel 72 x
Kazakhstan 44 x
Kenya 89 x x
Kyrgyzstan 45 x
Lebanon 75 x x
Liberia 83 x x
Macedonia 30 x
Malaysia 61 x
Mauritania 76 x
Mexico 9 x
Moldova 30 x x
Mongolia 46 x
Namibia 90 x
Nepal 62 x x
Niger 84 x
Nigeria 84 x x
Pakistan 47 x x
95
Palestine 76 x
Philippines 63 x
Poland 32 x
Puerto Rico 15 x
Romania 33 x
Russia 49 x
Rwanda 90 x
Senegal 86 x
Sierra Leone 86 x x
Singapore 64 x
South Africa 91 x
South Korea 64 x
Sri Lanka 65 x x
Suriname 21 x
Swaziland 92 x x
Taiwan 66 x x
Tajikistan 50 x x
Tanzania 92 x
Thailand 68 x x
Togo 87 x
Tonga 69 x
Trinidad and Tobago 15 x x
Turkey 34 x
Turkmenistan 53 x
Uganda 92 x x
Ukraine 34 x
United Kingdom 38 x
Uzbekistan 55 x
Zimbabwe 94 x
96

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Global Youth Service Day

2008 & 2009 Final Report

Global Youth Service Day 3

Central America and the Caribbean 13

Russia and Central Asia 41

East Asia and Oceania 58

North Africa and the Middle East 72

West and Central Africa 80

East and Southern Africa 90

Established in 1988 in the United States and in 2000 globally, GYSD

The goals of Global Youth Service Day are to:

Youth Service America (YSA) improves communi-

Founded in 1986, YSA supports a global culture of

Global Youth Action Network facilitates youth

The International Coordinating Committee & Partners is a group of 50 international or-

• Over 70 Student Chapters of People to People International organized Global

• Several U.S. State Department Youth Programs Division - Global Connections

• American Councils for International Education featured GYSD on their web-

• IDB Youth, an office of the Inter-American Development Bank, promotes GYSD

Academy of Educational Development Centro Boliviano de Filantropia

American Councils for International Education Child Family Health International

Ariel Foundation International City Year

Association of Polar Early Career Scientists Council on International Educational Exchange

iEARN-USA Special Olympics

IFES Student Partnerships Worldwide

Innovations in Civic Participation TakingITGlobal

Inter-American Development Bank U8 Global Student Partnership for Development

International Association for Volunteer Effort Unite for Sight

International Baccalaureate Organization United Nations Foundation

International Youth Foundation United Nations Millennium Campaign

Latin-American Center for Service Learning United Nations Volunteers

Malaria No More United Nations Programme on Youth

Nacel Open Door, Inc U.S. Department of Justice

National Youth Leadership Council U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational

The Disney Minnie Grant program provides $500 to

2009 GYSD HIGHLIGHTS

In Bangladesh, students participated in environment, health, traffic safety and technol-

In France, Association de la Fondation Etudiante pour la Ville (A.F.E.V.) organized stu-

In Kenya, National Lead Agency Kenya Slum Youths Development Organization

In Palestine, West Bank Community-Based Learning and Action Centers in Jenin,

In Brazil more than100,000 young people participated in hundreds of projects around

In Indonesia, the Lembaga Manajemen Pendidikan Indonesia (LMPI) Foundation

Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Perla Barreda Vidal

Participating Year: 2008 Number of Participants: 180,000

• Oregon Volunteers administered the Fostering Inclusion Mini-Grant Program de-

• The U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution to commemorate Global Youth

Participating Year: 2009 Number of Participants: 171,329

Young people in Canada initiated and participated in 28 service activities, while

• As recipients of a UnitedHealth HEROES

• Miley Cyrus and Youth Service

• The U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution to commemorate Global Youth

Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Therena Cunningham

Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Rodrigo Segura Franco

Participating Year: 2008 Number of Participants: 385

National Lead Agency

Participating Year: 2008 Contact: John Miller Beauvoir

Participating Year: 2009 Number of Participants: 51+

Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Gia Gaspard Taylor

Participating Year: 2009 Contact: Gia Gaspard Taylor

National Lead Agency

Participating Year: 2008 Contact: Adrian Contursi-Reynoso

Scouts de Argentina mobilized volunteers to clean and recover an important part of

Dirección de Juventud, Municipio de Quilmes staged a performance and collected