IAVE exists to promote, strengthen and celebrate volunteering in all of the myriad ways it happens throughout the world. With members in 70+ countries, we are the connective tissue of a global network of leaders of volunteering, NGOs, businesses and volunteer centers that share a belief in the power of volunteers to make a significant strategic contribution to resolving the world’s most pressing problems.

Every 10 years IAVE celebrates the Global Youth Volunteering Summit (GYVS), an event, made by youth and for youth, that seeks to connect young volunteers from all regions of the world.

The 1st Summit was in Tokyo, Japan in 2001, and the 2nd Summit took place in Barranquilla, Colombia, in 2011. The next Summit will be in Edmonton, Canada in 2023.

Specific dates will be announced in 2022.