The International Volunteer Exchange Program (IVEP) is a yearlong volunteer work and cultural exchange opportunity for young, Christian adults. Every year 60 IVEP participants come from more than 25 countries around the world to volunteer in the U.S. or Canada, where they live with a local person or family. Since its beginning in 1950, IVEP has emphasized peacemaking and building understanding across cultures.
As an IVEP participant, you could serve at a school, thrift shop, retirement home, day care, farm and more!
The IVEP program seeks to:
- Promote a theology of service that encourages growth as global citizens active in social justice and peacemaking
- Provide opportunities for learning and mutual transformation through the development of intercultural skills
- Foster opportunities for spiritual growth, appreciation of Anabaptist values and involvement in the local and global church
- Explore and develop skills while cultivating an increased sense of vocation through serving alongside a local partner organization
During your IVEP year, you will make new friends, gain work skills and have new experiences — you will see your own culture from a new perspective. You’ll also grow in your faith as you meet and worship with Christians from around the world and learn what it means to be a peacemaker. See how a year with IVEP will transform you. You will learn new things and grow in ways you may have never expected!
