Who we are
Serve the City is a global movement of volunteers showing kindness in personal ways to people in need.
Our unique approach to volunteering underpins the values of respect, compassion, love, courage, humility and hope, making it a powerful and meaningful tool for the social transformation of cities.
Our volunteers are the drivers of change, unlocking enormous human potential to help people in need in urban areas all over the world, transforming lives and entire neighbourhoods by creating communities that support each other.
… And our dream is to involve everyone in caring for the needs of others.
EVERYONE can volunteer to make a difference!
What we do
Serve the City is a movement of volunteers gathering together to make our cities better. We connect volunteers to an array of activities in urban areas that support vulnerable and marginalized populations, including the homeless, the elderly, children in need, victims of abuse, asylum seekers and refugees, persons with disabilities, and many more. Our volunteers also promote care for the environment, helping to raise awareness of the importance of waste management and the circular economy in cities, creating community initiatives to nurture and share our resources, and project activities that strive for zero waste.
Our shared social concerns
Each city has its own characteristics, cultural makeup, and specific needs, but its concerns are often similar to other cities around the world.
Serve the City works on designated ‘Shared Social Concerns’. These are areas that are identified periodically by STC cities as priority concerns, and we work across the board to exchange best practices and project ideas in these areas to increase our impact as a global movement.
Homeless
Environment
Migrants & refugees
Human trafficking
Loneliness
Youth
Kindness starts with me!
Our Values, Vision, and Mission
Our values are our secret ingredient for volunteers to combat polarisation, discrimination, and marginalization in cities! Equipped with these values, volunteers can “cross the line” in their city, serving in areas they may not normally frequent, and connecting with people from all walks of life. We strive to ensure our values are put into action with everything we do, will we do it with…
Our vision is the transformation of cities and neighbourhoods through volunteers who cross the line to show kindness in personal ways to people in need.
Our mission is to send volunteers to cross the line to show kindness in personal ways to people in need.
Sustainable Development Goals
Values, vision, and mission in action…
STC’s mission and values underpin a culture of global citizenship, peace and non-violence as well as an appreciation of cultural diversity. Our global movement of volunteers are the drivers of change, unlocking enormous human potential to help people in need all over the world!
We see development through people, not things, mobilizing volunteers and resources to ensure that no one is left behind.
STC’s mission to build thriving communities in cities that support people in need is aligned with the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.
The people of Serve the City
Meet the team
Serve the City International Leadership Team is composed of three teams working together to fulfill the mission and to cast the vision for Serve the City Leaders across the globe. The three teams are the Board of Directors (BoD), the Global Executive Team (GET), and the Global Operations Team (GOT).
Serve the City partners with homeless shelters, refugee centres, homes for the elderly, orphanages and other local associations to offer the practical help and support of volunteers. Our goal is to build local volunteering communities in cities that are thriving, sustainable, and self-replicating, providing volunteering opportunities that are easily accessible and open to all.
Serve the City started in Brussels, Belgium with a successful Big Volunteer Week in July, 2005. We had no plans for anything beyond that, but the vision spread from one city to the next and now there are Serve the City teams in cities all over the world – Amsterdam, Baltimore, Kraków, Lisbon, Kathmandu, Nairobi, Paris, Port au Prince, and many more…plus many more to come!
The STCi Movement is led by Carlton Deal (Chief Executive Officer) in collaboration with Alfredo Abreu (Board Chair) and Dave Hahne (Chief Operating Officer). The International Leadership Team (ILT) works to support the movement. It is composed of the Board of Directors (BoD), members of the Global Executive Team (GET) and members of the Global Operations Team (GOT).
The STCi International Non-Profit Organization is the legal structure of the STCi Movement and is governed according to a constitution with the following purpose:
