Our History

The roots of IVS go back to just after the First World War when Service Civil International (SCI) was founded by an international group of Pacifists to further the aims of peace, justice and understanding in the world. Initiated by the Swiss Quaker Pierre Cérésole, the organisation’s purpose was to bring together volunteers from different countries, to provide a ‘voluntary service’ to local communities in need of support.

In 1920, Pierre Cérésole and Hubert Parris, a British Quaker, set up the first international voluntary project in Esnes, a French village that had suffered extensive war damage. Major volunteer projects continued throughout the 1920’s offering aid and support to communities in need.

The voluntary work provided by IVS volunteers continued to grow throughout WW2, with specialist relief teams developed to tackle specific issues faced in wartime Britain.

During the Blitz, Volunteers gave support to struggling air-raid shelters and developed a range of health and social projects including an open Air Theatre to provide entertainment for evacuees. In Croydon, an area of London hit by violent bombings, volunteers worked to clear dangerous blitzed houses. Outside of London, in the summer of 1941, volunteers established a centre for War Refugees in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire.

The skills and experiences of IVS volunteers was recognised when the Council of British Societies for Relief Abroad awarded IVS funding to send volunteers to Europe.

Many British volunteers were eager to offer relief work on the continent, so, as soon as it was made possible, relief units were formed and sent to Egypt to wait until it was safe to deploy to mainland Europe. IVSP volunteers were issued with army fatigues, with each unit receiving surplus military vehicles. In total 10 relief units were deployed, with the first unit landing in Athens on Christmas Day 1944.

The relief units stayed on the continent for almost 2 years, with new volunteers routinely replenishing the ranks.

Following on from the successes of IVS projects in Europe and the swelling number of volunteers, IVS teams began developing projects outside of Europe. The IVS Pioneers setup branches in India and across Africa.

By the 1960s, a long-term volunteering programme had been developed to assist developing countries by providing long-term skilled volunteers. Volunteers contributed to almost every aspect of development from education and health to planning and construction. Their role was to act as a catalyst for change and to contribute skills which were not available locally.

A young Frank Judd became IVS Secretary General in 1960.  Judd recognised the changing needs of local communities and began shifting IVS away from the traditional ‘pick & shovel’ projects in favour for a significant expansion of social projects. Judd stepped down as Secretary General in 1966 to take up his seat in the House of Commons as MP for Portsmouth South. By the time Judd left, IVS was running 166 voluntary projects in the UK every year.

Judd went on to work as Director of both Oxfam and VSO and later went on to join the house of Lords in 1991. Until his death in April 2021 Lord Judd remained a patron of IVS.

A recent interview of Lord Judd is accessible on YouTube.

By 1971 IVS had opened a new office in Leeds to host a standalone team for the IVS Overseas programme, whilst the remaining IVS regional offices focused on developing projects in the UK.

In 1990 IVS and IVS Overseas became separate legal entities, with IVS Overseas rebranding as Skillshare International. Skillshare went on to become a founding member of the UK Governments ICS international volunteering programme. Sadly, in August 2016 Skillshare went into administration.

In 1971, IVS’s Northern Irish office started a programme of cross-community holidays for children from Belfast and Derry. Over the next two years, over 800 children from both communities were sent abroad, with funding raised by public appeals. As the funding and the scale of the project increased IVS opened a permanent facility to focus on reconciliations projects.

The new facility and the children’s programme were coordinated by IVS field officer Sean Armstrong. On the 30th of June 1973, the day before a large group of children were set to depart for Europe a member of the Ulster Defence Association walked into the IVS office and shot Sean 3 times. Following Sean’s death, the holiday scheme was put on hold and IVS began to focus on developing local projects.

Sean’s mother, Dr Hylda Armstrong, was the International President of Inner Wheel, and through her connections with the Rotary Club, she knew that the Rotary Club of Belfast was thinking along similar lines to IVS, i.e. to set up a permanent centre for Peace and Reconciliation, rather than continue with a programme that they had been running of holidays for children and young people.  Hylda acted as the broker between the Rotary Club and IVS. Bringing together two such disparate organisations to set up Harmony Community Trust at Glebe House was a challenging piece of Community Relations work.  More about the story of Glebe House can be found on their website here.