History of CISV

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Following World War II , Dr. Doris Allen, the founder of CISV, was concerned with the
potential effectiveness of mechanisms that the world's leaders were attempting to use to prevent future wars. As a child psychologist she was aware that developing attitudes of cooperation and reducing the negative stereotypes and prejudices that lead to wars is far easier in youth before those negative attitudes are learned. As a result Dr. Allen developed the Village, a multi-national camp for pre-adolescents. Since the first village in 1951, CISV has held Villages for 11 year olds
every year.

A major premise of CISV is that there is hope for the future, and that individuals can and do have an effect on their communities, nations and international affairs.

CISV programs have been expanded over the years to include Interchanges, Seminar Camps, Local Work and most recently Summer Camps. The various programs of CISV provide opportunities for youth from age 11 to 18 to participate in furthering the educational goals of CISV.

CISV currently operates with National Associations in over 50 nations.

Dr. Allen developed the following 12 principles of CISV when she was formulating her vision of the CISV Village.

12 PRINCIPLES of CISV from Dr. Doris Allen, Founder of CISV.

1. To give children a face-to-face international experience before adolescence. 
   
2.  To give children the opportunity to grow up with a World point-of-view. This is why we set up a miniature world of 10 to 12 countries in a single Village. It is not sufficient to relate to only one other country. This is an age in which all countries are inextricably interrelated. The demand of the times is to view the wholeness of the World.
3. To give children the opportunity to grow from around the world and to learn that it is possible to be friends irrespective of color, nationality, religion, language or any other aspect of culture. 
   
4. To give children the opportunity to get personally acquainted by limiting the Village to 40 to 48 children. Indeed the children say, "It was like a family." 
   
5. To give the children time to build deep friendships. Villages are four weeks long. 
   
6. To keep the program simple, in order for the 11-year old to assimilate the experience: giving time to be quiet; for writing in a diary or writing letters home; time to exchange and compare stamps and coins of other countries; time to be alone, if desired; time to look at the photos of the families of other
   Villagers -- in short, ample free time to balance the scheduled hours. 
   
7. To give the children the opportunity to engage in the activities of other cultures: singing songs of other countries in other languages; learning dances of other countries; trying on costumes of other countries; and, actually exchanging items of costume at the end of the Village. 
   
8. To give the children the opportunity to work jointly with other nationalities on committees -- for example: to set the dining room tables for meals; to sweep the dining room floor; to pickup paper from the yard; to plan an evening's entertainment; to plan an open house bazaar, etc. 
   
9. To give the children the opportunity to experience a oneness with nature wherever in the world: climbing a mountain; taking a birdwalk; discovering the flowers and trees of the region; exploring life in a small stream, and so on. 
   
10. To give the children an opportunity to learn some skills of governance: through the children's assemblies; the parliamentary sessions; learning how to elect a president and a secretary; how to formulate any problems that may exist in the group; how to listen to different points-of-view and discuss alternative ways of solving problems; learning what is fair for the individual and at the same time for the whole group, and so on. 
    
11. To give the children an opportunity to become acquainted with the culture of the host country: spending a weekend in a home with a same-sex, same-age child; having open-house for the public to visit the Village and for the Villagers to meet people of the community; visiting the local zoo, farm, factory or historical site. (Not more than one excursion per week). 
    
12. To give the children the opportunity to work with many nationalities and languages, to say thank you to the host community for the privilege of the Village: plant a tree on the site of the Village; building a foot bridge across a stream; painting parts of the main buildings of a Village. 
    
    Dr. Allen, now an amazing 99 years young, has inspired thousands of CISV children
    and families through her irrepressible optimism and joy of living. She continues,
    through her example to inspire CISVers around the World.