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44-715: International Voluntary Service ( IVS ), formerly International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP), is the British branch of the Service Civil International (SCI). Founded in 1931, IVS promotes peace through volunteering, both in the United Kingdom and other countries. SCI, of which IVS is a branch, was set up by Swiss engineer and pacifist Pierre Cérésole in the aftermath of World War I . It organised European workcamps in which volunteers from different countries came together to reconstruct war or disaster damaged sites in

88-856: A cesspit for the Cotswold Bruderhof and construction of a playground and garden in Gateshead-on-Tyne . Local unemployed people often worked alongside the volunteers on projects. IVSP also helped in the conversion of houses into hostels for the Youth Hostels Association . During the summer of 1939, IVSP volunteers worked on a Quaker-run project to convert Carclew House in Cornwall into a reception centre for refugees. The outbreak of World War II in September 1939 made it impossible for IVSP to continue with international volunteering. Later that year

132-627: A culture of peace. Most of the workcamps are short-term projects of between one and three weeks for groups of international volunteers. In 2022, SCI organised 136 such workcamps and 839 volunteers participated in them. SCI also sends volunteers to workcamps organised by partner organisations. About half of volunteers are aged between 18 and 25 and about half of all participants are school or university students. In addition in 2022, 324 volunteers participated in long-term volunteering or special programmes. Many long-term voluntary projects within Europe are funded by

176-568: A means to post-war reconciliation and an alternative to military service . Cérésole, together with English Quaker Hubert Parris, put the idea into practice with a workcamp in the French village of Esnes-en-Argonne , which had been badly damaged during the Battle of Verdun . The team of volunteers, which set to work in November 1920, included three Germans, an Austrian and a Dutchman. A Dutchwoman covered

220-683: A new office was opened to run the IVS Overseas programmes; in 1990 IVS Overseas was renamed as Skillshare International and became a separate legal entity. In 2016 Skillshare International went into administration. In recent years IVS has been placing volunteers in projects run by partner organisations, such as the Camphill communities in Scotland and a meditation centre in Derby, rather than running their own workcamps. In 2017, IVS placed 75 volunteers on projects in

264-403: A public park, including outdoor swimming pool and paddling pool, alongside British volunteers and local men and women, during the summer of 1931. Cérésole, who was inspired by Gandhi 's philosophy of non-violence and who had met Gandhi in 1931, wanted to spread the idea of workcamps to India . Through the support of British Quakers and friends of Gandhi, among them Charles Freer Andrews , he

308-524: A spirit of peace. In 1931 SCI sent a team of international volunteers to the Welsh colliery town of Brynmawr , which was hard-hit by unemployment. The Quakers , joined by student organisations, had started relief work in Brymawr in 1929. The SCI team of 37 international volunteers helped build a public park, including outdoor swimming pool and paddling pool, alongside British volunteers and local men and women, during

352-542: A summer camp for boys at Great Bardfield , Essex, and carried out work for the National Trust clearing ground at Polesden Lacey in Surrey. The organisation gradually resumed its international character, with a mutual exchange of volunteers from other European countries. In the late 1950s the organisation dropped the word "Peace" from its title in order to attract support from people who were not pacifists . Frank Judd , who

396-695: A team of volunteers to a farm at Puigcerdà , near the French frontier, to produce food for children's colonies in the area. The project had to close when the Spanish government ordered foreigners to leave the border area. There were further projects in Britain in the 1930s, including the building of a football pitch and playground in Forge Side in South Wales, work on allotment gardens in Woodchurch, Merseyside , construction of

440-537: Is an Edwardian house and estate, located on the North Downs at Great Bookham , near Dorking , Surrey , England . It is owned and run by the National Trust and is one of the Trust's most popular properties. This Regency house was expanded from an earlier building, and extensively remodelled in 1906 by Margaret Greville , a well-known Edwardian hostess. Her collection of fine paintings, furniture, porcelain and silver

484-427: Is displayed in the reception rooms and galleries, as it was at the time of her celebrated house parties. The future George VI and Queen Elizabeth spent part of their honeymoon there in 1923. The 1,400-acre (570 ha) estate includes a walled rose garden , lawns, ancient woodland and landscape walks . The name 'Polesden' is thought to be Old English . The first house was built here by 1336. Anthony Rous bought

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528-695: The Council of Europe , operational relations with UNESCO and is a member of: In 1987, SCI was awarded the title of Messenger of Peace given by the United Nations , in acknowledgement of its efforts to promote peace and understanding. The archives of SCI are held in the municipal library of La Chaux-de-Fonds , Switzerland, and were founded by Ralph Hegnauer in 1975. The files, documents and photographs in more than 700 archive boxes are accessible via several inventories and databases with some material being available online. Polesden Lacey Polesden Lacey

572-596: The European Commission through the European Solidarity Corps programme. SCI was founded by Swiss pacifist Pierre Cérésole , who had taken part in the peace conference organised by the Fellowship of Reconciliation at Bilthoven in 1920. It was at the conference that he gained support from other Christian pacifists, including Quakers , for his idea of an international civil service, which would be both

616-594: The Hull History Centre Service Civil International SCI bases its work on the following values: volunteering, non-violence, respect for human rights, solidarity, respect for the environment, inclusion, empowerment, and cooperation. According to their constitution, SCI "believes that all people are capable of living together with mutual respect and without recourse to any form of violence to solve conflicts ". SCI organises international voluntary workcamps in order to promote

660-709: The Ritz Hotel in London, remodelled the house for the Grevilles. The couple filled the house with collections of fine furniture, porcelain, silver and art. Ronald Greville died in 1908 only two years after they had moved to Polesden Lacey. He was aged 46. Margaret continued to entertain lavishly at the house. She also owned a home in London in which she held expensive parties. Over the next 30 years her reputation as an Edwardian society hostess became established. In 1923 Margaret invited

704-491: The 1980s and an international refugee campaign in the 1990s. With the reorientation in the 1970s, SCI established working groups with a focus on a particular region or interest area. In 1997 a major constitutional change gave these groups an official status which is approved every year. Regional working groups exist for Africa (AWG), Asia (AIWG), Latin America (Abya Yala) and South Eastern Europe (SAVA). Other working groups focused on

748-531: The British government recognised IVSP work as an alternative to military service for conscientious objectors . IVSP volunteers did planting for the Forestry Commission in Hawkshead , Kershope and Kielder Forest . The Forestry Commission paid the men's wages to IVSP who provided board and lodging and pocket money to the workers and used the surplus to fund more projects. Other war-time projects included: aid to

792-701: The Cold War, SCI established an east–west commission in 1972 in order to facilitate volunteer exchange and to improve co-operation with partner organisations in Eastern Europe. After the Revolutions of 1989 , new SCI branches were founded in former socialist countries. During the 1970s, SCI re-evaluated its role in society, moving away from the mainly developmental aid model of workcamps towards one of raising social and political awareness. In keeping with this approach were international campaigns for Namibian independence in

836-473: The Duke and Duchess of York to spend their honeymoon at Polesden Lacey and the royal couple subsequently spent two weeks there. Shortly before their arrival, The Illustrated London News took photographs of the house and published a large feature article about the proposed honeymoon venue. Polesden Lacey was left to the National Trust by Mrs Greville in 1942 in memory of her father, the brewer William McEwan . (She

880-656: The Emergency Feeding Department in the borough of West Ham in east London; renovation of a hostel for war refugees in Market Rasen ; a demolition service to clear bomb-damaged sites in Croydon and West Ham ; and agricultural work in Whitehaven and Clows Top . A youth service was established to run harvest and fruit-picking camps for young people, including refugees, under the age of 18. In February 1944 IVSP, under

924-677: The Spanish Republic. Twenty years later, humanitarian aid was given to orphans in Tunisia during the Algerian War . These two projects were rare examples of SCI providing humanitarian aid. A branch of SCI had been set up in Britain in 1931, the same year as the Brynmawr workcamp. As more countries set up branches after World War II an international association of SCI branches with a secretariat in Paris

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968-542: The Trust's top ten most-visited properties. There are a number of walks around the Polesden Lacey estate, especially in the valley that the main house overlooks. The estate includes a Youth Hostel , called Tanners Hatch. Polesden Lacey also has open-air performing facilities, which are used during the summer to host various musical and theatrical events. In 2009 there was the Polesden Lacey Festival. In 2016

1012-635: The United Kingdom, were sent to India in the 1950s and to Malaysia in the 1960s, while Indian and Pakistani volunteers participated in European workcamps. During the Cold War , SCI organised activities where people from both sides of the Iron Curtain could meet. SCI volunteers from Western Europe took part in a workcamp during the 5th World Youth Festival in Warsaw , Poland, in 1955. Workcamps were later organised with

1056-543: The United Kingdom, while 37 volunteers went abroad. The mission of IVS is to "promote peace, justice and understanding through volunteering". The original logo of the word Pax (Latin for Peace) written over a shovel and broken sword has been replaced with a dove on a blue background. The organisation is registered as a charity in England, Wales and Scotland and has its headquarters in Edinburgh. The IVS archives have been deposited at

1100-758: The auspices of the Council of British Societies for Relief Abroad, sent a unit of 12 volunteers to Egypt to work in refugee camps, and in December 1944 the unit was sent to join relief efforts in Greece. Another unit went to Italy and a third unit to Crete . Teams were also sent to carry out relief work in The Netherlands and Germany from April 1945. In the immediate aftermath of the war, British IVSP volunteers continued with demolition work in West Ham, worked on Youth Hostels, built

1144-440: The building. However this effort was counter-productive and in 1818 Joseph Bonsor , a stationer and bookseller, bought the estate. He commissioned Thomas Cubitt to build an entirely new house in 1821–23, creating the core of the house seen today. Bonsor died in 1835, and the house passed to his son who, in 1853, sold the estate to Sir Walter Farquhar, 3rd Baronet , who held it until his death in 1902. The Polesden Lacey estate

1188-653: The co-operation of socialist volunteer organisations in Poland, East Germany , the Soviet Union , Hungary , Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria . Volunteers from Eastern Europe could also participate in workcamps in the West, with for example 166 Czechoslovak volunteers taking part in projects organised by the British branch of SCI during the Cold War. While it was not possible to set up SCI branches in Eastern European countries during

1232-497: The estate in 1630 and rebuilt the medieval house. The house was owned by the Rous family until 1723, when the estate was purchased by the economist and politician Arthur Moore . An octagonal pavilion was added to the south front at this time. In 1747 Sir Francis Geary purchased the estate, and subsequently spent his retirement there. Richard Brinsley Sheridan , the poet and playwright, came to live there in 1797 and began work to improve

1276-484: The following topics: National SCI organisations can be branches with full membership or groups with associated membership, according to their constitution, organisation and infrastructure. The national branches can have their own names, and describe themselves as a "branch of SCI" in documents. As of 2022, SCI counts 40 organisations as branches and groups. SCI also works with partner organisations to run voluntary projects. The organisation has consultative status with

1320-453: The initial costs of the work and did the cooking and washing. The team constructed two wooden houses and then, when the French government cancelled their contract, turned to clearing fields of debris, filling up shell-holes and repairing a road until, in April 1921, the French authorities asked them to leave. In spite of its premature end, the project had been of benefit to both the volunteers and

1364-699: The project was well received as creating a new image of how Europeans could interact with Indians by, among others, Rajendra Prasad , who later became the President of India. In 1937, SCI joined a number of International relief organisations working in Spain during the Spanish Civil War . Under the name Ayuda Suiza and coordinated by SCI activist Rodolfo Olgiati , Swiss SCI volunteers including Elisabeth Eidenbenz , Ralph Hegnauer und Idy Hegnauer evacuated women and children and distributed food and clothing in parts of

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1408-462: The roof of the property. Several ground floor ceilings were damaged by water during attempts to extinguish the blaze, however the collection of art and furniture was rescued by estate workers. The cost of repairs, some £65,000, was covered by insurance and the house reopened to the public on 9 June 1962. In 1995 the National Trust embarked on a programme of restoration and renovation. In 2008/9

1452-549: The spring and summer of 1928. Until 1934 the group was run informally, but at that stage Cérésole decided to found a national organisation. After some debate, Cérésole's view that the organisation should broaden its base and be open to non-pacifists prevailed. . In 1931 SCI sent a team of international volunteers to the Welsh colliery town of Brynmawr , which was hard-hit by unemployment. The Quakers , joined by student organisations, had started relief work in Brymawr in 1929. The SCI team of 37 international volunteers helped build

1496-686: The summer of 1931. That same year saw the foundation of the International Voluntary Service for Peace (IVSP), the British branch of SCI, with Cérésole as president and Jean Inebuit, a Swiss school-teacher working in Leeds , as secretary. The first annual general meeting (AGM) was held in Leeds in October 1934 and a constitution was approved at the AGM the following year. During the Spanish Civil War , IVSP sent

1540-495: The villagers, and Cérésole's enthusiasm for workcamps was undiminished. Another opportunity for a workcamp presented itself in 1924. The village of Vers-l'Eglise in the Vaud district of Switzerland had been damaged by an avalanche in December 1923. Forty volunteers from different countries spent three weeks in August 1924 rebuilding a house, building a bridge and clearing a stream. This

1584-555: The visitor facilities were re-furbished, with a new car park, cafe, shop and farm shop. However, not all of the house is open to the public, including many bedrooms and servants' areas. From the 1970s to 2015, some of these closed off spaces are used as offices; there is hope that more will be restored and opened for visitors in the future. This process began in March 2011, with the opening of Mrs Greville's private apartment. Polesden Lacey received over 287,000 visitors in 2020/21, placing it in

1628-515: Was able to set up the first workcamp in India in 1934 to do disaster relief work in the Bihar region, which had been affected by the 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake . The project had only four European participants and the concept of organising workcamps as international reconciliation proved difficult to translate to a colonial context, where white Europeans would be identified with the colonising power. However,

1672-507: Was defeated in the Swiss parliament. The largest disaster relief camp of the early history of the organisation took place in 1928 in Liechtenstein , after the river Rhine had burst its banks in October 1927 and left farmland covered in silt and stones. Cérésole, With the help of his brother, colonel Ernest Cérésole, recruited more than 700 volunteers from 17 countries who cleared the land over

1716-453: Was followed by a workcamp to help rebuild Someo, a village in Switzerland that had been damaged by a landslide , where for the first time unemployed men were recruited. In 1924, Cérésole also started to promote international workcamps as a model service for conscientious objectors , in order to support a political campaign to introduce an alternative service in Switzerland, a proposal that

1760-537: Was founded in 1948. During the following years the number of branches proliferated. The first branch in Asia was the Indian branch, registered in 1956. There was likewise a proliferation of the number of workcamps, from 46 workcamps in 9 countries in 1947 to 298 workcamps in 24 countries in 1968. In the 1950s, SCI established development aid programmes and recruited qualified volunteers for these. The largest development programme

1804-473: Was his illegitimate daughter and sole heir. ) The bequest included approximately 1,000 acres (400 ha) of land along with paintings and items of furniture, which she hoped would form the basis of a future art gallery. Her jewellery collection was bequeathed to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother . The house was first opened to the public by the Trust in 1948. In August 1960, a fire destroyed around half of

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1848-720: Was in Tlemcen Province in western Algeria , set up in 1962 after the Algerian War. Volunteers including Simone Tanner Chaumet and Mohamed Sahnoun were involved until 1968 in rebuilding the village of Beni Hamou and setting up medical and primary education services in the district of Sebdou . In the 1960s, regional coordination structures for Africa, Asia and Europe were set up. From 1949 Swiss SCI volunteers had been carrying out relief work in refugee camps in Faridabad in India. Long-term volunteers from Europe, mainly Switzerland and

1892-553: Was purchased in 1902 by Sir Clinton Edward Dawkins , a civil servant who worked in the Colonial Office . He commissioned Ambrose Poynter , architect son of Sir Edward Poynter P.R.A., to significantly extend Cubitt's work to create the present-day house. Sir Clinton, however died in 1905, shortly after its completion. The estate was then bought in 1906 by William McEwan , for his daughter, Margaret Greville . Architects Charles Mewès and Arthur Davis , who were responsible for

1936-587: Was secretary general of the organisation from 1960 to 1966, had served in the Royal Air Force . Under the leadership of Judd, IVS moved away from purely "pick and shovel peace making" and towards more social programmes, for example recruiting volunteers to work in general and psychiatric hospitals. As well as camps in the UK, there were East-West camps in Socialist countries and longer-term work in developing countries. In 1971

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