Young people acting as the agents of change

International Volunteer Day (IVD) is a chance for individual volunteers, communities and organizations to promote their contributions to peace and development at local, national and international levels. On IVD 2013, we not only celebrate and recognize volunteerism in all its facets, but also pay special tribute to the contribution of youth volunteers in global peace and sustainable human development.

For IVD 2013 we celebrate globally that young people act as agents of change in their communities.

“During my first year at the helm of the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme, I have been extremely fortunate to visit dozens of UNV-supported projects around the world, where UN Volunteers, many of them young women and men, have been at the forefront of global peace and sustainable human development efforts,” says Richard Dictus, UNV Executive Coordinator.

“Not only have these volunteers brought real lasting changes through their actions, but they are also having a tremendous impact by serving as role models for other young people.”

UN Youth Volunteers are true inspiration in action. Through volunteering, they are paving the way for a future that we all want.

How to get involved

UN Volunteers from all over the world are sharing how they are making a difference on the IVD campaign website: www.volunteeractioncounts.org/en/ivd-2013/ivd2013-actions.html. And on Twitter, UNV invites you to use the hashtag #actioncounts to share photos and messages to showcase how people are volunteering and creating the future we want.