We are thrilled to share the invitation for the 19th Servas Peace School in Antakya, Türkiye!

If the Peace School were a person, it would now be a lively 19-year-old young, full of curiosity for cultures, languages, dances, games, and full of desire to spread peace around the world. It would be sensitive, understanding, tolerant, and inclusive.

Ah, wait… it already is! For 19 years, it has been growing children into exactly these kinds of young people. Many of them are now spreading peace through education, social work, and traveling.

Come and join us this year to be part of this heartwarming journey. Let’s live together, eat together, play together, dance together - peace together!

If you’re interested, please Information & Application webpage!

Peace,

Vision 2026-2028: Build Servas Future Together (Dec. 14, 2025)

This October, Servas International elected a vibrant new team of volunteer leaders! Looking ahead to the next three years, the team has envisioned a blueprint for our community. However, to turn this vision into reality, we absolutely need you.

We sincerely invite you to join us—not just to hear the dream from the team, but to let your voice be heard. This is more than a presentation of plans; it is a gathering to spark new ideas. Let’s join hands, pool our collective wisdom and passion, and make the future of Servas even better… In peace and friendship!

Registration: Visit the Peace Forum webpage for more information and to register. Note: to access the registration form, scroll to the very bottom of the webpage, then click: NEXT. You will receive the Zoom meeting link after you finish registration. Registration deadline: 2025-Dec-12

For more information contact: peacesecretary@servas.org

Francisco Salomón Luna Aburto / Mei Wang (Servas International Peace Secretary)

by Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh

At the SI General Assembly (GA) held in Dijon, France in October, Shyla Esko Bare from Washington and I served on the Secretariat Team.  We kept track of the meeting motions, amendments, decisions, and editing the final minutes. Our duty was to keep track of the Event and Decision made from the minutes that Shyla recorded. Moderator in training on the floor in green Aditya Divya Singh from India.

This year the General Assembly had representatives from 46 countries who participated in person and virtually. Our US representative was US Board Chair Tim Sullivan from Iowa. The General Assembly Moderator was Pramod Kumar (India) assisted by Dr. Hamsa Singh, (India) and Pamela Yang (Taiwan).  Several youth moderators-in-training from around the world assisted.  Mary Lee Behar from North Carolina was on the translation team which enabled any participant wearing a headset to hear translations from Spanish and French. The General Assembly took place over two days with the last morning to approve the minutes so action can be taken on decisions made.

TOP - The author’s view from the 5-person Secretariat desk looking out at the General Assembly. Opposite - Secretariat recording team from behind looking out at the General Assembly: From L-R:  Maggie, Joanne, Salvador, Shyla, Helene.

At the end of the 2^nd day our team gathered to make sure the minutes were accurate for the vote to approve the next morning. This photo does not include everyone who worked on the team. The people are: Back L-R:  Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh (USA), Pramod Kumar (India), Hamsa Singh (India), Salvador Matta (Brazil), Jonny Saganger (SI Secretary-Sweden), Maggie Ntambi (Uganda), Hélène Périn (France). Front L-R: Pamela Yang (Taiwan), Shyla Esco-Bare (USA), Aditya Divya (Singh-Inda)

The 2025 Servas International Conference and General Assembly (SICOGA) was attended by 190 Participants from 50 different countries. This year for the first time a team of five Servas youth produced a newsletter for each day of the conference. Below are links to these missives:

Conference Day 1   Opening Ceremonies • Greetings from Deputy Mayor of Dijon

Conference Day 2  President’s Welcome • “World Café” Idea Sessions • Servas Children’s Library • Servas at UN Report

Conference Day 3  Day Trip report • “World Café” Idea Sessions • Meet the Interpreters • Tanzania Art • Youngest Attendees

Conference Day 4   Day Trip report • Saline Royale UNESCO site • National Presentations

General Assemble Day 1   Opening business and resolutions • Membership Updates

General Assemble Day 2-3   Election Results • Art Exhibition • Wrap-up

It seems that Servas, like many other groups, likes acronyms, for example SICOGA and EXCO. I guess they are easier to write than their full names. SICOGA stands for Servas International Conference and General Assembly, while EXCO means Executive Committee.

SICOGA is the most important global gathering of the Servas community, held approximately every three years. SICOGA brings together Servas members from all over the world to share experiences, explore cultural understanding, and discuss the future direction of the organization. It is being held this year from October 3 – 9, in Dijon, France.

Although the conference is fully booked, you can learn more about the conference and what it means by reading the Pre-SICOGA Newsletter.

By SI Nominations Team

This call is open to Servas members across the world who are eager to play an active role in shaping the direction and operations of Servas at the international level.

•  Support a worldwide network of peacebuilders.
•  Strengthen intercultural understanding and cooperation.
•  Gain experience in international collaboration.
•  Be a part of meaningful global decision-making processes.

Don’t Miss Your Chance to Lead

If you are interested in helping guide Servas into the future, now is the time to step up. The international community is looking for committed, thoughtful, and inspired individuals like you.

●  Appendix A – Guidelines: Important instructions and procedures for completing your nomination.

●   Appendix B – Candidate Considerations: Key points to think about before applying for a position.

The final step is to submit a Candidate Application form. It is divided into two main parts:

•  The Candidate: Share your background, experience, and why you want to volunteer.

•   Nominations: Demonstrate the support you’ve received from others in the Servas community.

1. Sign in to Servas.org
2. Click on SICOGA 2025 at the top of the page the choose SI General Assembly (SIGA) 2025 from the drop-down list
3. Review the list of motions. If you want to know more about a particular one, click on its description.
4. Click on the Discussion Group link to join the group.
5. Click on Ask to Join Group, then fill out your contact information in the pop-up window that appears 

Summary of Motions - This is a copy of the list that appears on the SI website

Join Servas Uganda August 25-30, 2025 for an unforgettable experience at the 2nd edition of the Servas Peace School in village of Buyoga. Here we bring people together to promote peace, share knowledge, and inspire young minds! This unique initiative invites Servas members from around the world to connect with children in rural Uganda through storytelling, creative activities, cultural exchange, and shared experiences. (see Joanne Ferguson Cavanaugh's Peace School Volunteering article about why you might want to do this!)

Buyoga is located 20 miles from Masaka city in Kibinge sub-county, Bukomansimbi District. The village is well known for coffee and matoke (highland bananas) and the people of the village are mostly subsistence farmers. They are welcoming, friendly and kind to others. The language commonly spoken is Luganda and during peace school, a team of volunteers will be available to help translate.

All volunteers will be staying in the village with families.  Arrangements are in place for this. Many children have not yet had the chance to interact with people from various places across the world except in the literature they read. With peace school, we aim to bring different cultures closer to our village as a way of promoting peace, understanding and appreciation.

Do you have a skill, talent, or passion to share? Whether it's art, music, storytelling, sports, or language, your contribution will make a lasting impact! Come, inspire, and be inspired! Let’s build a more peaceful world—one child, one story, and one experience at a time. By participating, you’ll not only enrich young lives, but also gain a deeper understanding of different cultures, strengthen bonds of friendship, and become a true ambassador of peace.

Here is a link for more information and to REGISTER.

from Servas International

Servas Artists was conceived in the bustling city of Budapest, during the warm days of August 2007, when Gizella Börcsök from Servas Hungary and Jean-Luc Turlure from Servas France joined forces with a visionary goal. Their aim – to establish a dynamic and diverse collective of Servas artists to foster cultural connections within the broader Servas community. This would include visual artists, painters, sculptors, photographers, filmmakers, musicians, and more. At its core, Servas Artists is dedicated to linking like-minded Servas members, enabling them to collaborate on cultural exchanges that transcend borders and provide artistic expression directed towards a greater purpose – contributing to the advancement of global harmony. 

To further this project Servas Artists is inviting Servas members to participate in a curated art exhibition at the SICOGA 2025 conference in Dijon, France, October 3 - 8. The exhibition theme is Servas values: meeting, sharing, friendship, peace... Artists need not be registered for SICOGA to submit their artworks. 

The exhibition space has high ceilings; large works can be proposed. The hanging system is classical. Please specify any work requiring special conditions. Artists might consider the kakemono scroll system for pictorial works is easy to send, rolled up in a tube.

Deadline for submitting your Preregistration Form is Monday, June 2, 2025. Don't wait! You will receive your file, which will be finalized as soon as we receive it. Please note that Servas has limited financial means. The transportation and return of the works are the artist's responsibility.

This document is a first step; further information will be given as the project progresses.

If you have questions, please email Jean-Luc Turlure at artists@servas.org

Servas By Bike 2025 Servas by Bike is an annual summer event that rotates between Italy, France, Germany, Czech Rep, and Poland. This year's ride is being hosted and organized by Servas Germany.

Around 30 Servas members of all ages gather to lodge near or at a local organisation or hostel. Day trips of circa 40/60 km are planned for each day. Meals are communal. Attendees draft the cultural agenda themselves, which can include meeting with local people involved in peace activities, music, art, games, and more.

This year, we are meeting in the Eifel National Park in Germany July 24-27, a low mountain range in the German-Belgian border region of Eifel / Haute Fagnes, characterised by many volcanoes, volcanic craters and lakes.

● We will be staying in the Vogelsang Youth Hostel – one of the best-rated youth hostels in Germany. It offers cycling groups everything their hearts desire.

● We explore the fantastic area by day, getting to know each other better each evening. Many of us have participated in previous years, so this is also a bit of a reunion. That said, we welcome new faces! We look forward to exploring the Eifel with you this year!

● We speak English. We cannot guarantee translation into other languages, but will do our best to support everyone! ● We will split into three bicycle groups:

● Light tour (half day) 25-35 km, fewer hills ● Moderate tours, 40-55 km, some hills ● Sporty tours, 60-80 km, more hills.

Registration Act ASAP as the deadline for registration is April 10.