Service Civil International
Service Civil International (SCI) is one of the world's largest international volunteering organisations dedicated to promoting a culture of peace through the organisation and coordination of voluntary projects all over the world. SCI has been organising international voluntary projects since 1920.
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SCI Archives
The historical archives of SCI in the Bibliothèque de la Ville La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland) provides an extensive documentation on international volunteering for peace.
News
Posted by Heinz Gabathuler on Jun 21, 2016
First discussions on how SCI should celebrate the centenary of the first-ever international voluntary peace service near Verdun in 1920 have just started – and the second edition of the probably one and only monograph on the SCI movement's history is not less than half a century old.
The 167-pages paperback written by Hélène Monastier (parts 1 and 2) and Alice Brügger (part 3) in French language and self-published by SCI. The title Paix, pelle et pioche means in English Peace, shovel, and pick; the essence of the movement from its existence: The ideal of peace combined with two tools used for the construction of paths and other practical work.
Posted by Meri Paunonen on Jun 15, 2016
This year is the 70th anniversary of the first KVT workcamp organised in Finnish Lapland and next year it will be 70 years since the establishment of KVT, SCI's Finnish Branch! Anniversaries bring various kinds of programme and sneak peeks to KVT’s history! The very first workcamp started in the village of Hirvasvaara (near by Salla) on the 15th of June 1946.
Posted by Nigel Watt on May 31, 2016
In May Arthur Gillette, a longstanding activist for international volunteering passed away. He started as SCI volunteer in 1958. In 1963 he become CCIVS director and later director of the Youth department in UNESCO.
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Posted by Heinz Gabthuler on Apr 12, 2016
The document I am presenting in this text is actually just a copy: I had donated the original to the recently opened Museum Friedland (www.museum-friedland.de) which is documenting the history of the transit camp for refugees and other migrants near the former border between West and East Germany. And when I visited the museum at its opening day, I was happy to see the SCI Archives’ donation having become part of its permanent exhibition.
Posted by Heinz Gabthuler on Feb 8, 2016
Belgian French-speakers say souper whereas the French prefer dîner. In Minsk, the capital of "Belorussia", a restaurant called "Jubileinaja" close to the Metro station Nemiga is recommended, however with no comments. A train ticket from Bonn to Köln costs 7.80 DM, whereas a big meal in Rome may easily cost 24,000 Lire. In Budapest, "it is better to ask an agency to help in cheap accommodation as they are overcrowded in summer." Belfast is neither "a natural home of the beer connoisseur" nor "over-endowed with theatres, cinemas or major musical venues". The section on Catalonia is safely separated from the one on Spain by well over 60 pages, reflecting the fact that an SCI branch in Catalonia existed well before the branch in Madrid was established. The Finnish capital Helsinki "has many faces: cold and warm, east and west, and especially in the north," as well as "rich and poor." And "McDonald's" is called "McDonald's" in the otherwise pretty exotic-looking local language.