IVD 2015, Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer! starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are challenging everyone to think about how they can make a difference in implementing the 2030 Agenda. On IVD 2015, we celebrate volunteers everywhere who are already making a difference in a changing world, showing the power of volunteerism to move towards sustainable development.
International Volunteer Day (IVD), mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on the 5th of December. This International Day is a unique chance for volunteers and organizations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities, and the private sector. IVD 2015, Your world is changing. Are you? Volunteer! starts a dialogue about how volunteerism is vital to the success of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We are challenging everyone to think about how they can make a difference in implementing the 2030 Agenda. On IVD 2015, we celebrate volunteers everywhere who are already making a difference in a changing world, showing the power of volunteerism to move towards sustainable development.
To celebrate IVD 2015, volunteers around the world organize their own events such as the first green municipality of Amazon, Paragominas, Brazil, who will organize a group hug in Green Lake. 2,300 people will come together to perform a gesture symbolizing the commitment of volunteers to positive social changes in the world.
United Nations Volunteers field unit in Ethiopia will send more than 75,000 SMS texts with IVD information and congratulations throughout the country. Those are supposed to reach people in the center, regions and remote areas. This IVD Campaign is called Celebrate IVD, Volunteer! and the organizers hope to attract more active public participation in IVD celebrations and to raise awareness about volunteering in general.
UNV Nepal launched a Facebook photo competition Faces of Volunteerism. The volunteers are invited to send their photo contributions and to tell the story of why and how they decided to participate in the volunteering movement. Three volunteers whose photos receive most likes will be invited to the celebration on December 5th 2015, where they will be awarded with gifts and certificates.
Our global selfie campaign spreads the message of IVD. People around the world are invited to take selfies of themselves volunteering and share them on social media platforms with descriptions of how they are making a difference, using the hashtags #IVD2015selfie, #actioncounts, and #GlobalGoals. All of the selfies are featured on an interactive map of the worldwide volunteer community at www.volunteeractioncounts.org, which grows as we gather pictures from around the globe.
For information on additional IVD 2015 events happening around the world, please visit Volunteer Action Counts.
Furthermore, you can view our IVD video with a word from Richard Dictus, UNV Executive Coordinator.
Happy International Volunteer Day!