Nearly 900 youth from all over the world celebrated the 2^nd World Summit for Youth Volunteering November 3^- 5 in Barranquilla, Colombia. Attendees from almost 50 different countries and 29 of the 32 departments (states) in Colombia were represented.

The Summit kicked off with pre- activities on November 2^nd. More than 300 volunteers traveled to the community of Manatí in the southern part of Atlántico state- an area that was heavily impacted by some of the worst flooding in Colombian history last winter. Volunteers helped to run a health project and gather clothing in addition to activities designed to boost the spirits of beleaguered residents.

While the volunteers spent the day in service, another group of Summit attendees spent the day talking about the increasingly important role that corporations play in promoting volunteerism. At the Corporate Volunteer Roundtable, (with Sam Santiago of American Airlines facilitating), diverse organizations had a unique chance to talk about their methods of using volunteerism as a tool to engage employees in meaningful service to their communities.

The Summit kicked off in full on the morning of November 3^rd, with the presence of Colombian government leaders, UNINORTE officials, and IAVE board members. Mark Molloy, an IAVE Youth Board member, talked about the first world summit in 2001 and the path leading up to this year’s celebration. The day’s keynote speaker was Hugh Evans, CEO of the Global Poverty Project, whose message set an inspiring and exiting tone that lasted for the whole of the event. Following an afternoon of breakout panels and working groups, participants caught Caribbean fever and erupted in a conga line during a performance of typical Colombian music.

One of the other major highlights of the Summit was the speech of Michael Teoh on the final day of the Summit. Teoh won an international competition titled “Your Big Year” out of more than 60,000 applicants, earning the right to travel around the globe as a volunteer. That evening, in a flurry of green balloons, Partners of the Americas, IAVE and UNINORTE launched a new initiative called RED2021, which aims to unite young volunteers the world over to share their service commitments and support each other through the exchange of resources.

The 2^nd World Summit benefitted greatly from the support of the members of the Global Corporate Volunteer Council, including American Airlines, Motorola Mobility Foundation, State Street Bank, and UPS. Also supporting the Summit were various entities of the Colombian government, along with United Nations Volunteers, international student organizations like AIESEC, and numerous others.

During the three days of the event, the World Summit received a tremendous amount of media coverage in both the Colombian and international press. To learn more about the Summit, to read press, or to find out how you can get involved in RED2021, please continue to expore our website.