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V2 Volunteerism Story and Photo Contest

"And here is what you must know: The world will be what you make of it. I am speaking to the young people. You have the power to hold your leaders accountable, and to build institutions that serve the people.

You can serve in your communities, and harness your energy and education to create new wealth and build new connections to the world. You can conquer disease, and end conflicts, and make change from the bottom up. You can do that. Yes you can - because in this moment, history is on the move. "

President Barack Obama Addressing Ghanaian Parliament on Saturday, July 11th, 2009

Contest Winners

  • Inter-America and Pacific Region Winner
    Fifty Projects in Thirty-one Days

    Costa Rica Volunteer Meghan McAuliffe

    224 students were given the opportunity to share with their Civics professor; the Peace Corps Volunteer and an intern at the Nicoya Patronato Nacional de la Infancia (P.A.N.I.) how they made a positive difference in their school; in their community and in their own lives. Over a course of three days, a total of 50 projects were explained and illustrated. More

  • Europe, Mediterranean, and Asia Winner
    Padayon 2

    The Philippines Volunteers Katherine Pentz, Elizabeth Karr, May Lynn Castillio and Christina Chung

    Girls pounding cassava

    Philippines' Padayon 2009 was a resounding success! So what does "Padayon" mean? "Padayon" means to continue. It is a word used by a local community, the Oslobanons, who meant to continue their traditions by rejoicing after every victory and continue their good values. Now Padayon is also a multi-dimensional youth leadership project between three agencies in the Philippines. More

  • Africa Winner
    Reclaiming Our Village Back One Life at a Time

    South Africa Volunteer Arlean N. Wells

    Woman carrying baskets of fruit

    Ten dedicated youth have established an organization and become better known as Dryharts Youth in Action (DYIA). DYIA's motto is "Together We Can Reclaim Our Village One Life at a Time." The specific DYIA goals are to decrease the spread of HIV/AIDS along with decreasing the rate of teenage pregnancy, alcoholism rates and school drop-outs in their village. More

Last updated Aug 11 2009

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