Service Civil International

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Service Civil International (SCI) is an international non-governmental voluntary service organisation and peace movement with 37 branches and groups worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1920 by Swiss Engineer Pierre Ceresole. SCI states to base its work on the following values:

Volunteering - in the sense of acting out of self-initiative, without seeking material reward and for the benefit of civil society, as a method and a statement for social change, whilst never competing with paid labour nor seeking to contribute to strike-breaking
Non-violence – as a principle and a method
Human Rights – respect for individuals as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Solidarity (sociology) – international solidarity for a more just world and solidarity between human beings at all levels
Respect for the Environment – and the ecosystem of which we are a part and upon which we are dependent
Inclusion - to be open and inclusive to all individuals who share the aims and objectives of the movement, without regard to gender, race, colour, religion, nationality, social status or political views and any other possible grounds for discrimination
Empowerment – empowering people to understand and act to transform the social, cultural and economic structures that affect their lives at all levels
Co-operation – with local communities as well as other local, national and international actors to strengthen the positive potential within civil society as a whole.

SCI believes that all people are capable of living together with mutual respect and without recourse to any form of violence to solve conflicts. It organises international volunteer projects all over the world because it believes that peace can only be built if people with different backgrounds and cultures learn to co-operate and work together. The organisation has consultative status with the Council of Europe, operational relations with UNESCO and is a member of:

CCIVS (Coordinating Committee of International Voluntary Service Organisations)
YFJ (Youth Forum Jeunesse)
AVSO (Association of Voluntary Service Organisations)
UNITED for Intercultural Action - a european network against nationalism, racism, fascism

In 1987, SCI was awarded the title of Messenger of Peace given by the United Nations, in acknowledgment of its efforts to promote peace and understanding.

Full members status is held to the European Youth Forum (YFJ) which operates within the Council of Europe and European Union areas and works closely with both these bodies.