Meet: Luciana Clauss

What is the main focus of your session: Strengthening the Bonds of Local Friendship?

For me, CISV is about friendship. It is about living, knowing, understanding, tolerating, and respecting. Every year in São Paulo, we have a lot of children and young people can’t participate in international or national CISV programmes. They want more CISV in their lives. We came up with the idea of a local camp with only children of the Chapter so they have the opportunity to continue their CISV experience and further strengthen their friendships.


We also bring in young people from less privileged communities so we benefit from their perspective and they have a CISV experience and get a different view of the world.


Local camps have great advantages for Chapter growth. Families who have financial constraints or are afraid of distant travels feel comfortable with the local programme and become more involved in CISV. This brings more volunteers and money to the Chapter.


Camp “Paulistinha” is a great success in Chapter São Paulo. I want to show all Chapters that local camps are a great way to bring and unite the volunteers, keep the young people engaged, and help the Chapter grow.


Why should people join your session? What will they get out of it?

It’s a subject that few National Associations and Chapters know about. I believe it’s a new possibility for Chapters to grow and make CISV better known. The vision of CISV is to grow and involve twice as many people as we do today and we often do not know how to reach that goal. I want to share our experience and show that local camps are an excellent tool to do so.


I hope everyone who attends this session gets inspired and super excited to try this new possibility in their Chapters and that our children are transformed through friendship.


Why are you looking forward to the 2018 Global Conference?

I was at the Global Conference in 2015 and it was a wonderful experience. The best thing about the Global Conference is that the Chapters are present and not only the National Associations. This brings the volunteers very close together and we have the opportunity to exchange information and best practices. We make friends we can talk to and ask for help during the year and even solve issues between delegations, programmes, and Chapters. During the sessions we can hear other realities, know the difficulties, and discuss new proposals. I am very excited for the Global Conference. It will be a great inspiration!


Meet: Lianne Picot

What is the main focus of your session: Story Lab?

My session is about helping CISV find and tell their amazing stories. The stories are there. I am going to help people find and tell them with maximum impact.


Why should people join your session? What will they get out of it?

People will leave my session with a better understanding of why story is so powerful and why it's so important for nonprofit sector organizations to be able to find, craft, and tell their stories. Participants will also feel much more confident about their own ability to tell a great story.


Why are you looking forward to the 2018 Global Conference?

When I was in Grade 6, I remember my friend Melissa getting to travel to Sudan. She went as a participant of the 'Children's International Summer Villages', now CISV. I remember thinking how amazing it was that an organization took kids to other places in the world and helped them to make friends. Melissa came back and told our class all about the people she'd met and what she had learned. I wished I could do that too. And now at the Global Conference, I get to spend time with the people making those wonderful experiences happen for kids all over the world. My wish is coming true!

Meet: Madeleine Le Bourdon

What is the main focus of your session, "What Makes an Active Global Citizen"?

The main focus of this session will be to explore what ‘active global citizenship’ means. As a life-long journey, global citizenship is not a status we simply obtain, but one that is nurtured through experiences. It is these experiences which we will reflect upon in this session.  Participants will look back at personal key moments in CISV, how these moments impacted them as individuals, and what this means for nurturing global citizenship.


What do you think people get from your session?

This session will bring greater personal and collective clarity on what we as individuals and CISVers mean when by ‘active global citizenship’.  We will look at what factors help to nurture these feelings and how we can foster this in the long term.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am excited for the Global Conference as it gives CISVers time to reflect on our work individually and as a collective. These few days provide a space for us to delve deep into CISV’s current practices, analysing and finding innovative ways to make it even better! It also enables us to connect with others, see the wonderful work of CISVers around the world and to learn from each others work. I think it will bring a lot of renewed energy and focus, reminding us of what CISV’s aims are and how we can adapt these to our ever-changing world.


I personally am excited to gain see how Chapters are engaging with their local community and the way small initiatives by CISVers are causing waves locally and globally.


I am also excited to be able to shake my hands in agreement without someone thinking I just love spontaneous dancing!

Meet: Jonny Sågänger

What is the main focus of your session, "Servas International: Exploring Common Challenges"? 

My session will present Servas International's history and roots.  It will also cover current and future challenges as a federative non-governmental organization, which offers:

  1. A hospitality programme for hosts and travelers;

  2. Special events, camps, forums, and programmes for cultural interaction in real life, as well as meetings on the web;

  3. An activist programme for cooperation within the United Nations (UN) in Geneva, New York, and Vienna, which is based on Servas International's consultative status within the UN system. I will also briefly describe the cooperation between Servas member groups and national chapters of the World Federation of the United Nations Association, UNA.

What do you think people will get from your session?

The audience will get an understanding of Servas International's values, vision, and mission as a peace and hospitality organization. My aim is that this understanding will create an appetite to explore possible links, areas of cooperation, and partnership between the Servas International and CISV communities on a national and global level.


I also hope to establish a special connection between Servas International and CISV alumni, as well as a possible cooperation between CISV national associations and Servas member groups in individual countries.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I'm excited to attend my first CISV Global Conference so that I will get a deeper understanding of the common goals and philosophies that are shared by CISV and Servas International. I have been in contact with CISV since 2012 and meeting many CISV members during the Global Conference will give me a good opportunity to better understand the heart and soul of the organization.

Meet: Mark Flores

What is the main focus of your session? 

My session will focus on Giving and Receiving Feedback, specifically how it can be delivered and received in a non-threatening and non-defensive way. This is particularly important when we are volunteers and working with volunteers. It gives us a postive approach to giving and receiving feedback that helps us all to give our best efforts.


What do you think people get from your session?

The session will give the participants an opportunity to learn how to provide feedback in a constructive, empowering, and productive manner. As well, it will give the participants a chance to examine how they accept and react to feedback themselves - something we do not always find easy!  The session will also look at how our culture plays a part in how we give and receive feedback. At the end of the session, participants will have some practical new skills and strategies they can use in their Chapters.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I have been actively involved in CISV for 18 years and this is my first Global Conference.  I have been to many  RTFs as a trainer and also previous CISV International meetings in my past role as an international committee chair. I am very excited to experience the Global Conference this time, with its new format and arrangement, and meet new and old time friends in CISV.  I am particularly interested in the parallel learning sessions that are offered at the Global Conference, which will surely benefit the participants.

Meet: Linda Nummelin

What is the main focus of your session?

My session is about strategic planning in CISV and how we can make it as practical and beneficial as possible, considering that we are all volunteers and not paid employees in a corporation. CISV is a diverse organization and it's important to understand how the whole process might differ in our different-sized-and-shaped Chapters and National Associations. Strategic planning can help CISV as a global organization, but also should be used as a tool to help our small and big CISV Chapters to grow in their own way. Small streams make large rivers, and this also applies to CISV as an organization.


What do you think people get from your session?

I hope that they get inspired to bring the tool back home! I hope that the session participants will also learn to look at their home Chapter from a fresh perspective and learn to appreciate their own strengths. I hope that this session will also help them to translate some of the other learnings from the Global Conference into something tangible that they can take back home.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I'm very excited about the Global Conference as I see it as a huge inspirational event for all of us. I'm excited about meeting a lot of CISV volunteers from around the world that I might have worked with over the years but never met in person (yet).  I'm also excited about getting to know new people as well! I think that the Global Conference will be an exciting forum for exchanging our ideas and having good debates on topics that are important for us all. It also enables us to share our diversity within the organization in so many different ways - some of us come from very big and well-established CISV organizations and some of us are just starting, but we can all learn from each other.

Meet: Roman Parzei

What is the main focus of your session?

My session, "Understanding CISV Finances and Financial Routines", is an overview of how CISV programmes and Chapters are financed.  It will be informative and practical about where the funds come from and how the funds are expended. The majority of the monies come from programme participation fees. This session will explain how these fees help to pay for the overall supervision, administration, management, and support of all programmes and National Associations and Chapters.  Participants will be encouraged to ask questions.


What do you think people get from your session?

Participants will come away with the following:

  1. Easy-to-understand information about CISV finances at the international and Chapter levels;

  2. Ability to apply this information to support the financial success of their Chapters in the delivery of its programmes;

  3. Answers to questions such as: Do you know what happens to the monies you pay to CISV International? Where do your programme fees go? Where does our revenue come from and how can we make conscious decisions within our Chapters and National Associations to support the financial success of our organization?

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am excited and looking forward to attending my second Global Conference this August. The Global Conference is focused on bringing together Chapter members in plenary and concurrent sessions, designed to provide attendees with practical applications to take back to our Chapters.  As a presenter, I will be leading a session and get to contribute to the wealth of information and learning available during the Conference.


The Global Conference is also an extraordinary opportunity to find out what’s working and what’s not working and how challenges have been met to grow our Chapters.  We can exchange best practices, share successes, renew friendships, and meet new friends.


I look forward to sharing in the great progress and success that has made CISV what it is today, while creating our next steps for the future.

Meet: Alvin Parreno


What is the main focus of your session, "Mosaic in PESTLE: Grinding for Success"?

Mosaic is a programme that enables our organization to create a significant impact in the local community. Creating Mosaic projects that are relevant and meaningful can be challenging at times. This session aims to aid mosaic advocates in analyzing various external factors that might affect the conceptualization and implementation of the project,


What do you think people get from your session?

Attending this session, participants will be able to identify external factors that might affect a Mosaic project while enumerating risks.  They will then use this knowledge to come up with strategic decisions. This session will also aid participants in creating Mosaic projects that are meaningful and will create a significant impact in the community.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

As a pediatrician, I am quite busy attending to my private patients and at the same time leading a new strategic direction to my new assignment as a Medical Director to a health facility in our city.  The Global Conference or any CISV event serves as a breather to my very hectic life. Re-connecting and meeting peace advocates around the world makes me in touch with issues, trends, and true-to life concepts that, as a volunteer, I need to address and act on. The Global Conference is also a good avenue for me to represent my Chapter and NA, to learn, re-learn, and unlearn Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge. I am also excited to share best practices with my fellow CISVers.

Meet: Agustin Cuadra


What is the main focus of your session, "CISV Brand from A to Z"?

This session will take participants through a CISV brand journey from Authenticity to Opinions to Zeal. By looking at how the CISV brand elements like the new logo, our colour, and typography fit into Chapter needs. But that’s not all a brand is! We will go further into the brand… looking at our mission and vision, the way we speak and even the Attitudes, Skills, and Knowledge we believe fit into the CISV Brand.

Taking a look at the CISV Brand from the inside-out, participants will understand how each element fits their NA or Chapter needs better.


What do you think people get from your session?

This session is for all kind of participants. You could be an expert CISVer with a background in communications or design. Or you could have no clue what the terms kerning or brand architecture mean.

I believe attendees of the "CISV Brand from A-Z" session will be able to take in the knowledge they have of CISV (their experiences, their meetings, documents, activities, etc) and understand how it applies into the “brand experience” that we offer in CISV. My goal is that participants are able to look beyond the basic resources we offer, like Looking Good or Just Saying.  They will understand how everything we do in CISV relates to our brand and how it can all be applied differently to fit the needs of all participants.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

The Global Conference has many different things to offer, and they will vary from the many different CISVers that this organization has. Like many CISVers, this will be my first Global Conference and also an amazing opportunity to experience such a unique event. I’m particularly looking forward to get to know different volunteers and their views and approaches to the things they do.

Meet: Annelies Overvliet & Miranda Pieron

What is the main focus of your session?

Our session is about our ambition to involve new target groups in CISV - a wish that we share with a lot of other Chapters. Since the start of our CISV branch, we have considered how to broaden our horizon and increase the diversity within our own organization. We want to give more young people - from various, less advantaged societal groups - the opportunity to develop as global citizens and to experience the strength of diversity within CISV. We have developed a set of steps to achieve our goals, started experimenting, and experienced many very happy moments, but also a lot of challenges. In our session, we will share our journey and work through a list of do’s and don’ts with participants.


What do you think people get from your session?

Our objective is one shared in many other NA’s and Chapters around the world. We know that there are many different ways to involve target groups that can not necessarily pay the programme fees. Our session will allow participants to join forces, blend experiences and best practices, and develop a shared list of ideas to helps us achieve our ambition to broaden our horizon and grow as an organization!


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

The Global Conference is a wonderful opportunity to meet our counterparts from other Chapters and NAs. It is like a huge, amazing CISV camp where we can share experiences and learn from each other, meet friends that we don’t see every day, and make new friends from around the globe. This year we especially look forward to introducing attendees to some typical Dutch activities. It’s not every day that you get such a super big group of international CISVers together in your own country!

Meet: Blair Lockhart and Jose Bassila

What is the main focus of your session, "Understanding Gender Diversity"?

What’s your gender?  Are you male or female?  What if you’re not sure, or what if you’re neither male nor female?  Can gender be non-binary (and what does that mean)?  What if a CISVer doesn’t identify as male or female?  What can you do if you’re the delegation leader, program staff or homestay parent?  What questions do you have about gender diversity, and what can you do to make sure everyone in CISV feels included and welcome?  You have questions; we have answers!  Let’s talk!

Our session will be a panel comprising CISVers who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.  We’ll start our session by explaining the gender spectrum and offering definitions of gender terminology, such as non-binary and trans-gender.  Most of the session, however, is the opportunity to ask the panellists questions about their CISV experiences and to brainstorm suggestions how CISV can be inclusive of all genders.


What do you think people get from your session?

We think people will leave the session with three things:

  • A better understanding of the gender spectrum
  • A greater awareness of the importance of being gender inclusive
  • A wonderful feeling of compassion for people of all genders!


    • Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

    We are so excited to attend the Global Conference, Blair as Canada’s National Representative and Jose as a presenter.  This is a tremendous honour.  We are very happy because of the session that we have been organizing on Gender Diversity!

    We think that the world needs more CISV, more global friendship and more peace education.  We need to demonstrate inclusiveness and to constantly challenge ourselves about our own beliefs.  When we don’t understand something (such as issues of gender identity) we might feel uncomfortable asking questions.  That can lead to misunderstanding, false assumptions and exclusion.

Meet: Rachel Kuck

What is the main focus of your session, "What is CISV's Role in Responding to Global Events"?

The focus of my session is to facilitate a conversation about more actively bridging the gap between the activism we attempt to foster in our programmes and what participants and CISV as an organization can do in the real world. In my experience in programmes and on international committees, I've seen that we feel much more comfortable running simulations or having theoretical conversations about social problems in the world than we do actually getting out into our communities and doing the work. In general, the members of CISV are incredibly privileged and have the capital and connections to be able to have a great positive influence in their communities. I am excited to build upon this resource.


What do you think people get from your session?

In this session, participants will get the opportunity to discuss and norm on what we think our responsibility as individuals, and CISV's responsibility as an organization, is in facilitating bringing learning home in a more active way. We will also brainstorm what this integration of real world events will look like within the context of various programmes, using one social problem/event (such as the Syrian refugee crisis) and applying it to each of the seven programmes.


Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I believe strongly in the power of collective learning, and the opportunity for CISV members from across the world to come together to both learn about what is happening internationally, and to grow as volunteers and professionals. I was a presenter at the Global Conference in 2015 as well, and facilitating those sessions has been one of the highlights of my CISV experience.

Meet: Stephanie Hawkins

  What is the main focus of your session, "Everyone Smiles in the Same Language: How a CISV Chapter and a School Community Came Together to Welcome and Support Refugee Children"?

Together with CISV Austin/San Antonio Chapter, I founded the Mosaic Club, a programme for a group of over 50 refugee children from the Middle East and Africa. Its focus is simple: to have a free after-school activity to help these kids feel welcomed in their community, to make friends with their new peers, and to just have some CISV fun! In welcoming and befriending these refugee children from countries including Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Burma, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and more, our community is able to experience and celebrate diversity on the local level in an incredible, very meaningful way.

What do you think people get from your session?

By sharing the story of our Chapter’s ongoing CISV Mosaic Club, I hope to educate and inspire attendees to look for similar opportunities to share CISV in their own local communities. Through playing CISV games, doing crafts, and reading together, we are able to celebrate our diverse cultures and build global friendships in a very authentic way. It has been incredible to see not only how much we can teach the refugee students, but even more so, how much they can teach us.

Through continuously reflecting and adapting to the needs of these special populations, and partnering with members of the community, we have been able to create a model for Mosaic Club that can be modified for implementation around the world, depending on each community’s diverse needs.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am so grateful for the opportunity to represent one of CISV’s newest Chapters at the Global Conference. The Austin/San Antonio Chapter has so much energy and passion for this organization, and I know that that momentum and inspiration will only grow at the Global Conference. We see this event as an amazing chance to get to befriend, collaborate with, and learn so much from fellow CISVers! I am honoured to be speaking about our Chapter’s Mosaic Club programme and look forward to sharing our story and successes so far, hopefully inspiring other Chapters to create something similar in their communities.

Meet: Marietta Möhlen

  What is the main focus of your session, "Organizational Change and Next Level Thinking: The Key to Innovation in the Future Lies in Perception"?

Albert Einstein once said: "I'm more interested in the future than in the past, because the future is where I intend to live".   I would like to elaborate on this quote a little bit during our session. Every organization is constantly undergoing change.  We are trying new things and need to innovate from time to time. The method we will outline during the workshop will help us to sustainably innovate our organization, finding problems and solutions that are important to tackle. It could be a new structure in our Chapter,  a guide to attract new volunteers, or  another idea that is on your mind.

For me the most interesting part of volunteering for CISV is that I can help create the future of this organization. Therefore I would like to work together with you on topics that we think are important for the future of CISV, finding solutions or paths towards them.

What do you think people get from your session?

Together we will analyze how change and innovation can be done sustainably in CISV and which topics are really necessary to tackle. We will look at ways to find effective solutions and you will take home a method that you can apply within CISV and in different contexts of your daily life.

Last but not least, I want to increase your eye for innovation and how we can shape the future of CISV together.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I had a really good time in Norway during the first Global Conference in 2015.   I really felt belonging to a bigger movement for the first time because there was such a wide variety of CISV volunteers from different parts of the organization. When I attended the first session with all present participants, it had a powerful impact on me. During the whole conference,  I was energized by the ideas emerging all around. I took all this energy and the inspiration back home and started a lot of new projects in Germany. This year, I'm excited because there are even more people coming, more individuals that are part of this global movement, I'm excited for the goose bumps I will get when all participants are in one room for the first time and I'm excited for the session that will have the biggest impact on me.

Meet: Leah Donelan

What is the main focus of your session, "Logic Models: A Planning Tool for Your Chapter"?

My session is designed to help leaders of Chapters organize and prioritise the work they do.  While I love programmes as much, if not more, as the next person, we can't host and send to programmes if the Chapter is struggling to balance all the operations and planning tasks it has to do.

A Logic Model is a fantastic tool for any Chapter to use.  We'll think about the goals you have as a Chapter, then plan out WHAT you are going to do, HOW you are going to do it, what RESOURCES you need, and what the IMPACT is going to be at the end.  Once you are finished with it, a logic model provides a clear, simple picture or chart of what you will accomplish.  In addition to helping you organize and prioritise your work, they also communicate your vision, which helps with fundraising and organizing volunteers.

We'll walk through how to create your model step by step, and you'll get to work with others to practice your new skills.

What do you think people get from your session?

You'll understand what Logic Models are and have a draft of your very own Logic Model to take home and complete with your Board or your committee.

The beautiful thing about Logic Models is that they are very flexible, so you can use the skills you learn in this session to help you with other aspects of CISV (committee work, programme planning, Junior Branch, etc), in your professional life, or even in your personal life.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I'm so excited to attend the Global Conference this August!  The first Global Conference in Norway was such a fun, energizing, friend-filled success, and I know this one will be even better.  CISV events and programmes fulfill me because I get to see my friends, meet new ones, be myself, and learn so many new things, which is so important for me to be a healthy, happy person.  Seeing all the Chapters we have all over the world and all the talent, hard work, and commitment Chapter volunteers give to CISV is inspiring.  Plus we get to think and talk about ways to make CISV better and help each other do it.

Meet: Dharmesti Sindhunatha

  What is the main focus of your session, "Leading With Emotional Intelligence"?

The main focus of my session is to give understanding to people on how they can maximize their performance and potential by exercising their emotional intelligence, regardless of their age, gender, and background.

What do you think people get from your session?

After the session people will have tools on how to improve their emotional intelligence in their day to day activities. They can immediately practice the important competencies of emotional intelligence to make themselves happier and more productive in their professional, volunteer, and personal lives.

These learnable skills are very beneficial for Chapters for enhancing the engagement and collaboration among members. With better communication and relationships, Chapters are able to overcome challenges, have better teamwork, be more agile to change, execute works more effectively, and, most importantly, building trust levels in order to achieve the common goals.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

The Global Conference is a fantastic opportunity for all CISVers around the world to get together, sharing the same spirit and passion for making this world a better place for our future generations. I am excited to see how diversity among the participants can actually bring powerful impact in creating a more just and peaceful world.

Meet: Flora Gurgel

What is the main focus of the IJB sessions at the Global Conference?

The biggest strength that Junior Branch has in CISV is our constant desire to explore our potential - as CISVers, as youth, and as individuals. For 2018, all sessions planned by IJB at the Global Conference aim to inspire participants to challenge our methods in CISV and keep improving our educational experiences at all levels. Our sessions are focused on CISV's educational approach, the content area of the year, and the youth integration process in CISV - all of that planned by an amazing team of young people that are the greatest examples on how we achieve our goals!

What do you think people get from your sessions?

It is important to emphasize that, although our sessions are planned by youth, we expect our audience to be as diverse as possible. Anyone who is willing to take home great ideas on how to keep educating and inspiring action for a more just and peaceful world is more than welcome to join our sessions. We are positive that by attending IJB Sessions, participants will collect a lot of seeds to be planted back in their Chapters. In the meantime, we aim to show to the participants the potential of youth in CISV.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

The CISV Global Conference 2018 will be an important one for me and I’m literally counting the days to it. Being part of an environment where inspiration is all around makes me feel truly happy. I’m lucky enough to be part of CISV and, after many years in Junior Branch, surrounded by amazing people, one thing I’m sure - there are always opportunities for us to learn and develop ourselves. How exciting is that?

Meet: Katharina Schwarzer and Thom Kunz

What is the main focus of your session, "Let the Web Work for Your Chapter"?

CISV International offers a website hosting platform based on Wordpress (currently the easiest website Content Management System)! In this session, we will be explaining this platform and its pre-designed CISV branded elements (headings, accordions, tabs, team plaques, event display and management, the CISV map, etc.).  We will do a live demonstration of setting up a simple page. If you’re an “insider” on the new platform already, we might surprise you with a few new insights on how effectively this platform can help you to engage new volunteers, generate interest in CISV, and raise awareness for our mission.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

Attendees will be able to understand the benefits of the new Wordpress platform.  They will learn how to start or adapt their own CISV website and how to use the building blocks (muffin elements) to make a more engaging user experience. So all in all: you will be be able to create a website for your NA or Chapter, ensure you are "looking good" in using CISV brand guidelines, and are still able to adapt to the individual needs of the Chapter or NA.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

The Global Conference is a once-in-three-years chance to get to know "all the others out there" - a lot of volunteers with similar goals, a lot of people with similar basic values, a lot of enthusiasts with cultural differences, but the definite wish to collaborate on world peace. Getting to know them hopefully will result in a better understanding for different needs. We do look forward to intense networking as well as the synergies that might be an outcome of this huge meeting - synergies which hopefully will help us to reduce efforts and increase the time for focused work. In three words: building global friendship.

Meet: Natasha Clarita and Santana Briggs

What is the main focus of your session, "Educational Content: How Can We Do Better"?

The focus of this session is on improving educational content. As an organization, we have set the vision of being known for our educational experiences; but as important as extending our reach is examining the educational content we currently provide and making sure we are creating the highest-quality educational experiences. In this session, we will look at the content we currently deliver and the educational message we provide. It will be a space to discuss ways to improve the education provided by CISV and  how improve our organization.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

This session will provide an environment in which participants can think critically without being overwhelmed by negativity. Not only do we want to talk about where we can improve, we also want to discuss what we are doing well and celebrate that. Participants will have the opportunity to question and create in a positive environment.  

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

Santana: I am excited to attend Global Conference not only see old friends, but to meet new people and challenge myself with new ideas. I can’t wait to meet people from all levels of CISV and to learn from their experiences. The Global Conference is an incredible way to get energized and push our organization forward and I am incredibly honoured to be part of that.  I! Can’t! Wait!!!

Natasha: The more I become involved in CISV, the larger my sense of community is expanded. The feeling of connecting with people through sessions I develop and deliver fills me with so much energy and the learning is invaluable! I must thank CISV for always giving amazing platforms to do this. I remember myself streaming the first Gloco in 2015; never imagined I'd be facilitating the next one, but here I am!

Meet: Arnd Wächter

What is the main focus of your session, "Self-Empowerment for a New World through Dialogue: Strengthening Life Skills during Times of Division"?

We will explore skills that are on one side gateways for living deep relationships. On the other side these skills are also enabling us to help bridging divisions in our communities.


The moment we learn life skills (such as active listening, empathy or openness to other perspectives) we are creating an entirely new base line for deep connections with our allies and our opponents. These are not skills that we can simply read about, learn once and then "got them down". These are skills that need emotional experiences and continued practice. For example we can say: "Yes I can ride a bicycle", but we cannot say: "Yes, I can do deep relationships". We need to consciously choose them and practice them again and again and again. So it is with constructive dialogues that have the potential to heal divisions and nurture us deeply.


We will also explore resources that can help to bring Empathy Talk (=Dialogue) more actively into our daily lives back home. One short example is this 1min video Diversity Potentials that any participant can share with friends when telling friends about this amazing conference.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

Deeper connections to other conference participants. Enhanced awareness of the practical steps anyone can do to connect more deeply to an 'Other'. Some practical tools to bring the insights of the conference back home and share them with their people.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am truly excited about connecting with amazing people at these harsh times. Because: it is deeply nurturing to communicate with people who care. It is deeply inspiring to meet individuals who live their potentials. It is deeply healing to witness people who follow their passions to make a difference.

Meet: Stephenie Teichman

What is the main focus of your session, "Was That a Mistake or an Opportunity? Resiliency Through CISV Risk Management"?

The participants will be asked to work collaboratively in groups to resolve some of the common and cutting edge issues faced by our Risk Managers. We will also be making the Incident Report Form process more transparent so that everyone can understand the value of reporting incidents.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

In the end, Risk Management is the responsibility of everyone in CISV, not just “certified” Risk Managers.

My hope is that the participants of this session leave with both a better understanding of how CISV is moving forward positively in the RM arena, and the sense that they can have a positive influence on CISV through their own Risk Management approach. I further hope every participant develops an appreciation of the benefits and challenges of a strong and compassionate Risk Management approach for our global organization.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I love teaching and seeing people make a connection to new subject matter or develop a new perspective on existing knowledge. I expect the attendees at my session will include CISVers who are both experienced and new to Risk Management which always makes for a rich discussion.  Over the years, training and teaching CISV Risk Management has provided me with endless personal learning opportunities, which is one reason that Risk Management has been my passion for over a decade.

Being a Regional Coordinator in Risk Management for the Americas has given me multiple opportunities to train and work with amazing individuals throughout all 3 regions. At the Global Conference, I look forward to collaborating with the global CISV community, and sharing our cultural perspectives on the Risk Management issues that face each of us.

Meet: Inger Berit (IB) Hagen

What is the main focus of your session, "Verda på Stord: A Project to Promote Diversity and Raise Profile"?

The main focus of our session is to give inspiration for year-round activities that inspire existing and new members at the same time. We aim to give ideas on how to build sustainable Mosaic projects that help us reach out, raise profile, and build strong partnerships.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

Leaving our session, you will feel inspired to start something new or build on an existing activity in your own Chapter. We will give you some tools on how to create new content, and a kick-ass attitude that you can make it work!

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

We are looking forward to getting new ideas on how to run our little Chapter. We are constantly seeking inspiration on how to grow in activities and members, and see local projects and Mosaic as an important key to reach out to a broader audience and make a bigger impact. When meeting Chapters from all over the world, we are looking for inspiration to develop and explore the possibilities within the organization.

To see more about CISV Norway's Mosaic project, visit their blog.  Text is in Norwegian but the pictures tell a thousand words.

Meet: Nick Lavery

What is the main focus of your session, "Facts Tell, Stories Sell - How and Why Non-profits Tell Their Stories with Video"?

My session will distill what I’ve learned over six years of working in video production down to simple, actionable steps with a focus on non-profits. Thanks to improvements in cell phone camera technology, it has never been easier to capture great video. Even with that being the case, there are a few simple steps which can be taken in order to greatly increase the quality of your videos. These can be in the form of hardware, techniques, or mentality when approaching the project.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

I hope that people leave my session:

  • 1) understanding the value of video,
  • 2) being confident that they can produce an impactful video for their organization, and
  • 3) be inspired to do so!

By using a combination of theory and live demonstrations, my session will tell and show attendees the most simple and powerful techniques for basic video production.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

Whenever like-minded volunteers with diverse backgrounds, but common interests, come together for an event such as the Global Conference, the outcomes are bound to be interesting. Beyond connecting with friends from around CISV, and experiencing all that our host country has to offer, I am excited for the opportunity to hear about best practices from around the world.

They say “you get out what you put in”, and that is going to be my mentality at the conference. I’m planning to to give 100% while presenting my session, so that the attendees can get something informative and actionable in exchange for their time.

Meet: Anders Wulff

What is the main focus of your sessions, "Cultural Competence and Leadership" and "Co-Hosting: Why and How"?

I will be running two different sessions. One is on co-hosting and one is on Cultural Competence and Leadership.  They each address a very similar topic. The focus is on inter-national cooperation.

I believe that an organization that builds global friendship needs to be good at inter-national and inter-cultural cooperation. I believe that, for us to grow and succeed as a movement for peace and a better world, we must be able to work together and communicate across cultures, borders, etc. And I believe that is not just something we should teach in our programmes, but also something we should do more generally as an organization.

We have a rich diversity of people in our organization - different ages, religions, ethnicities, cultural backgrounds, sexualities, and many other categories. But are we actively supporting that diversity of perspectives and approaches in the various levels of leadership in CISV? Are we aware of our own biases and do we know how to work with them to allow for fundamentally different ways of approaching the same goals and values?

We have many different CISV countries and Chapters, who all have different resources and struggles. But are we good at creating relationships where we can help each other? Where we can match countries or Chapters who can benefit from working together because the strength of one is the weakness of the other and vice versa?  How do we foster and support more and better inter-national and inter-cultural cooperation and understanding in our organizational practices?

What do you think people get from your sessions?

Overall, the sessions aim to develop a willingness for inter-national and inter-cultural cooperation and understanding, and the ability to reflect on that and to consider the practicalities of co-hosting programmes, specifically.

One session will be focused on giving people ways to be more culturally competent in the ways we run our organizations and camps. It will discuss how we can improve the cultural diversity of the organization and how we can be more inclusive in our ways of thinking, acting, and understanding others.

The other will go into the specifics of why and how to co-host programmes. Participants will get guidance on how to constructively shape an agreement, how to identify needs and potential for collaboration, and how to be prepared and proactive in planning and discussing expectations.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am excited to attend the Global Conference because it makes me feel more like a Global Citizen. I have the privilege of working full time for CISV, so I am in regular contact with many parts of the world, but my daily life is still located in the north of England, which isn't overly multi-cultural. So attending the Global Conference means I get to meet people from all over the world, and I get to have conversations that allow me to explore many different perspectives.

I am also excited for the Conference because it inspires me. The fact that we can gather over 500 people from around the world who are dedicated to contributing to a more just and peaceful world is inspiring to me - especially in a world where the news seem to speak so often of the selfishness and greed of people.

And finally, I am excited for the Global Conference because I get to see my friends and make new ones. Having been active in CISV for years means I have friends all over the world that I rarely get to see. So attending the Global Conference both allows me to reconnect with old friends, and it allows me to make new ones.

Meet: Luisa Lima

What is the main focus of your session, "Exploring Diversity: The Content Area of 2018"?

This session will focus on providing an authentic CISV educational experience for all participants.  The goal is to actually ‘learn by doing’ while immersed in this year’s content area: Diversity. To do this, we’ve chosen a topic that applies to all of our day-to-day lives, but is often overlooked in our discussions: the cities we live in. More importantly, we want to talk about how our experiences in our cities help shape who we are as human beings. Given that we will be at the most diverse event CISV has known, we are certain that this session will be an incredible opportunity to share our experiences, and to learn more about ourselves, our cities, and each other.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

Having direct contact with our educational content is always a good way to refresh our creativity.  Diversity is, well, a diverse topic, so there will always be new interesting thoughts or ideas that are not the focus of the session, but that can be kept and worked on later. Participants will also be able to replicate this session in their Chapters and camps if they want. And, lastly, but not less important, this session is an opportunity for open-minded, meaningful conversations with a diverse group of people.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

When the first Global Conference happened and I couldn’t participate, I remember thinking that I would love to have the opportunity to go someday. Having CISVers from all over the world in one place, sharing experiences, and talking about how to make our organization better? Count me in! It's a pleasure and honour to be able to help contribute to this event in any way that I can. I’m super happy and August can’t come soon enough!

Meet: Frank Steffen

What is the main focus of your session, "Retrospectives for Actionable Learning"?

My session will help you answer the questions: how do we know if we are successful in our Chapter level activities and  what can we learn for the future? Retrospectives are a tool for team learning and provide a structured way to get and share feedback in self-organized teams. They are engaging and provide feedback to the team in a safe environment.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

In my session, I will take you through a short, fun activity in self-organized teams.  We will then go through a Retrospective exercise to evaluate the activity step-by-step.  The whole team will inspect and adapt their methods and teamwork during this time. I hope you will get inspired and understand the benefits of Retrospectives. You will receive a handout, providing you with a variety of activities for each stage of a Retrospective. You will leave the session with the tools to adapt what you've learned for use in committee work, local Chapter activities, Junior Branch, etc. Applying the outcomes of Retrospectives at home will lead to volunteer engagement, better teamwork, and more effective work in your Chapter.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am excited for the Global Conference as I hope to meet old friends and I look forward to making new friends from Chapters around the world. This will be a very inspiring time. At the last Global Conference, I met Christina from Australia, and - guess what? - last year we were running a training together. I like to spread new ideas but also to learn from others. I look forward to experiencing some valuable sessions I can apply later in my NA. I like to hear from successes and challenges in other areas of the CISV-world. I want to get energized, to give and receive knowledge, and to share to make this world a better place.

Meet: Pipa Raimundo

What is the main focus of your session, "Integration in Progress: What are the next steps for Junior Branch"?

The main focus of our session ‘Integration in Progress’ is the integration of Junior Branch at all levels in CISV.   As one of the priorities of International Junior Branch (IJB), including youth in the work that is developed by the organization is fundamental for the CISV’s growth and development to achieve our vision and increase our impact.

In this session, we will be focusing on what youth integration means, the main benefits, and the impact of having youth integrated and present at the different levels of CISV.  We will also be defining the next priorities for this agenda in order to move forward as one organization.

What do you think people get from your sessions?

This session is open to all CISVers, regardless of their background and experience in the organization.  We hope to bring different perspectives to this discussion. This session will provide participants with an understanding of why pursuing youth integration at all levels should be a priority for CISV.  It will also explore how Junior Branch works at the local level and which tools and best practices can be used for a more efficient and consistent local structure.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I have been involved in CISV since 2007 and every experience that I participated in has had a different impact in me. As a participant, this is will be my first Global Conference and I look forward to meeting, engaging, and hearing about different perspectives from more than 500 participants about the future of our organization. As an IJR, I look forward to delivering high-quality sessions and into exploring and demonstrating the potential of youth inside and outside of CISV.

Meet: Jen Devolder

What is the main focus of your session, "The Impact of Volunteer Engagement"? 

The main focus of my session is to demonstrate how CISV's value of engagement can be used to positively build any volunteer relationship and make volunteers feel valued and connected to work towards CISV's vision.  In our workplaces or in volunteering, we describe engagement as the extent to which people feel passionate about their jobs or roles, their commitment to the organization, and the effort they put into their work.  This is based on interactions with the organization, their team, and their leader.  People feel they have meaning in the work they do.  They feel valued for their actions.

Volunteers and the work they do are essential for CISV to deliver on our mission and vision.  In my session, I will introduce policies, procedures, and engagement ideas that have been developed by CISV International. With these resources, which can be adapted for use in your Chapter or NA, I hope to educate and inspire volunteers in leadership positions to be more effective in their roles and with the volunteers they manage.

And for those challenging volunteer relationships where things are not going as hoped or expected, I will share tools and tips on how to manage the volunteer, influence their behaviour, and hold them accountable to the role.

What do you think people get from your session?

Participants will have the following takeaways:

    - Understanding the benefits of engaged people,
    - Ideas and tools on how to create engagement and motivate volunteers,
    - Tools and methods to hold people accountable to their responsibilities and expectations.

Why are you excited to attend the Global Conference?

I am very grateful to present at my second Global Conference.  I was at the Global Conference in 2015 and took away so many great tools to use in my daily life.  My favourite sessions were one about Conflict and another where we met with original participants from the first Village.  Who would think that a person would become excited about Conflict? But then, Conflict is an opportunity to improve a situation.

Also, the connections I made with people were everlasting.  Finally, I was able to meet people who I had been emailing and speaking to on the phone for a few years.  We all came together for a common love - CISV.  We shared our success stories, ideas, and worries.  It was the ultimate global village to building global friendships!!

Meet: Rouven Schȕtte

What is the focus of your session, "Inspiring for Action: Contributing to CISV"?

We are always looking for new ways to inspire action for a more just and peaceful world. Our session is going to focus on planning attractive projects based on CISV's principles, aiming to gather volunteers with similar passions. We are looking forward to discussing projects that connect the participants’ interests outside of CISV with the development of the organization.

What do you think people will get from your session?

We hope to engage CISVers and to contribute to volunteer management.  To do this, we will be working on ideas for projects that will develop the organization but are also linked to people’s personal passions. We aim to inspire our audience to consider individual interests in future local activities and projects.  This will help connect CISV more to the daily lives of the organization’s members. One of the goals of this session is to provide tools for the development of this idea, while encouraging participants to apply them in their local Chapters.

Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

As this year’s IJBC is my first in combination with the Global Conference, I am so excited for this new experience.  I am looking forward to challenging myself by presenting my session to a much bigger audience than I am familiar with. Getting to know so many of CISV‘s most committed members and sharing experiences and knowledge is what I am most excited for.

Meet: Grace Vottero

What is the focus of your two-part session, "How Does CISV Stay Relevant?" and "CISV and Today's World"?

The session is really focused on an honest examination of the role that CISV takes in the world and the contribution it makes to international efforts for a more peaceful world.

When the first CISV Village was hosted, it brought together children from cultures who had been at war with one another just six years earlier. The impact of the educational content was magnified due to the recency of conflict between countries represented at that program.

Jess and I have been working in conflict and post-conflict zones for the past few years, and wanted to share our experience in order to help participants discuss and answer important questions about the role that CISV plays.

How has CISV kept up with new/emerging conflicts? How have we expanded (or failed to expand) in relationship to the today’s global landscape? How have we maintained our relevance? How can we increase our relevance?

What do you think people will get from your session?

It is my hope that people leave our sessions with both a realistic understanding of CISV’s cultural relevance to modern international peace and conflict, as well as actual strategies and plans for expanding their individual Chapter’s connection to modern conflict.

Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

The Conference generates this crazy level of energy, enthusiasm, and passion that everyone in attendance can feel and take home to their Chapters. It is such an important opportunity for CISVers from every Chapter to be able to spend this time together, not only because of the tools, resources, and individual connections that people take home with them. It’s also so important that we use this time to collectively “stop” and assess the organization, and its growth and development.

This is definitely the part I am most looking forward to: using this Conference as a time to generate some critical analyses of the way our organization is developing.

Meet: Aaron Mejia

What is the focus of your session, "Social Media as an Engagement Tool in the Millennial Age"?

I want to dispel some of the myth and fear around social media and introduce it as the powerful marketing tool it is. CISV is a youth organization, which means we need to change the way we market ourselves to younger generations, and social media is the way to go.

What do you think people will get from your session?

I want people to leave my session with 3 main lessons learned:

  • Identify who your audience is
  • What tools are you going to use?
  • Why are you on social media?

    • Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

    I've been in CISV for 20 years now. I've seen amazing things and met so many people in the process, but to have a meeting of participants on a global scale is truly exciting. And then to have our members share their expertise in matters that help develop the organization towards the future, makes me extremely proud and excited to be a CISVer.

    Meet: Erwin Cudis

    What is the focus of your session, "Volunteer Pipeline: Keeping the Organization Staffed through Recruiting and Succession Planning"?

    The Volunteer Pipeline session centers on the human resource management facets of recruitment and succession planning and how these can be applied in the field of volunteer work. Keeping complete staffing levels for one's Chapter or National Association is critical in order to achieve CISV's vision of doubling our reach by 2030.

    What do you think people will get from your session?

    The attendees of my session can expect to gain an understanding of recruitment and succession planning through the lens of volunteer work. Specifically, they can map out their Chapter's or NA's current practices in these two areas and identify process strengths and areas for improvement. More importantly, the participants will learn principles that they can use to ensure that the volunteer pipeline has a constant flow of volunteers who can help attain a CISV with a double reach in 2030.

    Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

    I  joined CISV in 2013 and have been drawn to it since then because its principles of peace education resonate with my personal beliefs. I have progressed from volunteering in CISV's local and national events into regional training forums and other events. I am excited to take it to the next level through this Global Conference. I am eager to share what I know in my field of expertise, which is human resource management, with other volunteers so that it may help them better manage their Chapters and National Associations. I am equally excited to learn from and be inspired by the other presenters.

    Meet: Tamara Thorpe

    What are the focuses of your sessions, "CISV and Beyond" and "Leveraging our Multi-generational Volunteer Talent"?

    At the Global Conference, I'm offering two different sessions to inspire CISVers and expand our reach. The first session, "CISV and Beyond", is a workshop to help CISVers translate their experiences and learning in CISV into stories and skills that can be applied in the real world. I was inspired to do this session because I've heard too many JB'ers and young leaders within the organization say they struggle to communicate all that they have accomplished in CISV when they are applying for other volunteer or work opportunities. So in this session we are going to connect the dots!!

    The second session, "Leveraging our Multi-generational Volunteer Talent", is going to challenge CISVers to recognize how age bias impacts how we run our organization and engage volunteers. We're going to explore how we might be able to recruit and retain volunteers by letting go of our age bias.

    What do you think people will get from your session?

    For those who come to my sessions, I hope they leave inspired and confident about creating change for themselves, their Chapter, and the world.

    Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

    When CISVers come together there is a buzzing energy that is contagious! And the Global Conference is no exception - in fact, it's the next level. I'm super excited to be there to connect with old friends and make new ones. I looking forward to catching up, sharing stories, and looking at new baby photos. I can't wait to sharing my ideas and strategies with others CISVers to help all of us learn and grow.

    Meet: Brett Vottero

    What is the focus of your session, "From Vision to Village: the Founding of CISV"?

    My session is focused on the sharing the history of the founding of CISV.  While most CISVers know that the first Village was held in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1951 and that the founder was a child psychologist named Doris-Twitchell Allen, the road to that first Village was long, complex, and inspiring.  My session will begin with a closer look at our founder, Doris Frances Twitchell-Allen, and will explore her education and early professional career in New York City. After her marriage to  Erastus “Rusty” Allen, Doris moved to Cincinnati and continued her professional career. In August of 1946, Dr. Twitchell-Allen was inspired to take a new approach to “education of the child generation” and the idea which was to become CISV soon consumed her professional and personal life.  The session will follow her efforts, her failures, and her ultimate success in bringing that idea to life in 1951.

    What do you think people will get from your session?

    I think that today’s Chapter volunteers will find both deep inspiration and practical knowledge from this session. Every Chapter struggles to find better ways to recruit participants and more effective approaches to raising funds and the profile of CISV in their own community. Doris and Rusty faced these same challenges, but with the extra challenge of doing it for the very first time.  Their work is a compelling story of great ambition and optimism meeting frustration, governmental bureaucracy, and failure.  Overcoming those challenges was the result of strongly held views as a social scientist and a personal commitment to preventing future wars. Drawing on her own deep experience in human psychology and group dynamics, the strategies used by CISV’s founder that resulted in the first Children’s international Summer Village remain relevant today.

    Finally, as CISV is now undertaking its first ever programme review, this session will provide a valuable insight into the original (1946) plan for a UNESCO- led programme for educating children as a long-term strategy to prevent war.

    Why are you excited to attend Global Conference?

    The Global Conference is a very special and inspiring CISV event. I have been fortunate to attend many CISV International meetings since I attended my own Village in 1972. From International Board Meetings (IBMs), Annual International Meetings (AIMs), and many regional meetings and Regional Training forums (RTFs), the Global Conference is different from all of these meetings. It is unique because of its focus on Chapters and on inspiring and educating volunteers working to bring the CISV educational experience to their local communities. The Global Conference is filled with positive energy and constructive discussions that allow Chapters to learn from the experience of Chapters all around the world.