IVCO SENEGAL CONFERENCE 2022
RYVU side event activity during the 2022 IVCO Conference
In 2022, the Annual conference of International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations (IVCO) took place in Saly, Senegal, from 17 to 20 October, and was co-hosted by Forum, Crossroads International and the International Bureau for Children’s Rights (IBCR). The overall conference theme was ‘A new dawn for volunteering in development’ and RYVU team members shared key findings from the research in different activities, including a photo exhibit, interactive games and a panel discussion.
During the whole IVCO 2022 conference, participants had a chance to see the RYVU photo exhibit “Volunteering, Displacement & Livelihoods: Photographs by Young Refugees in Uganda”, displayed at Leopold Senghor Conference Room. The exhibition provided a unique perspective on the ways young refugees use volunteering to build their lives and livelihoods, a key area of discussion during the conference activities.
Professor Matt Baillie Smith and Dr Moses Okech joined the panel discussion on “Volunteering by and for Migrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers” to present key highlights from the RYVU research in an engaging conversation with Wendell Wesley from the Australian Volunteers Program, Yasmin Rajah from Refugee Social Services, facilitated by Syed Hosnain from the Italian National Union of Refugees and Exiles (UNIRE).
After the panel, the RYVU team also organised a side event to encourage further discussion on the experiences of refugee youth volunteers through interactive games. Conference participants, mostly staff members from international volunteer-involving organisations, were invited to step into the shoes of young refugees by navigating challenges and opportunities in different volunteering journeys, and also play with the photos taken by photovoice participants in the RYVU research. All RYVU games can be accessed for free download and use through this page.
