ICYE turns 60 – celebration in New Zealand!

Written by United Planet Team Member Theresa

Greeting from Tauranga, New Zealand! I had the pleasure of representing United Planet and the United States at the General Assembly (GA) of the ICYE The GA is a meeting held every two years of all member and partner countries of the ICYE Federation (founded in 1949 as a reconciliatory exchange program between U.S. and German students) – right now including 35 countries. The GA is where Federation issues are addressed and all decisions are made by voting members for the next 2 years.

What was exciting about this GA was that it coincided with ICYE’s 60th birthday! Since 1949, it has since grown to include members in all regions of the world, working together to exchange volunteers so that youth around the world may become more informed global citizens while contributing to their host communities. I was honored to cut the cake with the German ICYE representative – paying tribute to the two countries that started this incredible network.

GA meetings are always fun and exciting with so much diversity to celebrate! With this diversity also comes a myriad of challenges around working together and agreeing on a path for the future of the Federation. As leaders within our organizations, it is our task as GA delegates to come together across language, culture and geographic boundaries to make decisions that will allow our volunteers to have meaningful, safe and fun experiences abroad while supporting the host communities. Though this was not an easy task, I was inspired by the passion, humor, creativity and hard work that every delegate put into these meetings.

After a full week of meetings, workshops and sessions (and even some fun!), I know that ICYE is well on its way to another successful 60 years!