The Background Paper ‘Building and Sustaining Connections for Change: Volunteering for Solidarity’ sets the scene for the 2024 International Volunteer Cooperation Organisations Conference (IVCO 2024). It is co-authored by Dervla King and Fiachra Brennan of Comhlámh, and Dr Bianca Fadel, Sichelesile N. Maxine Mpofu, and Prof Matt Baillie Smith of Northumbria University, members of the organising team co-hosting IVCO 2024.

The paper is an invitation for readers to engage with IVCO 2024 themes, questions and participatory approaches. It explores pressing global challenges and the ways in which volunteering can address them by reinforcing solidarity and forging deeper connections between people, organisations, and nations. Amidst unprecedented crises, the paper also emphasises the importance of solidarity and deep connections to tackle widening inequalities, environmental threats, and social injustices. Recognising the profound impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the urgency of climate change, it advocates for solidarity-based models grounded in mutual support.

Register here to join us during the IVCO 2024 Conference to explore the issues and questions raised in this Background Paper.