From July 20 to 25, 2025, the city of İzmir, Türkiye, became the heart of the AFS network as it hosted the 16th Volunteer Summer Summit (VSS). Organized by the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), this event gathered over 100 volunteers from across Europe and beyond for a week of intensive training, cultural exchange, and community building.
The Mission: Nurturing Sustainable Youth Work
The 2025 summit centered on the theme: “Nurturing Sustainable Volunteer-Based Youth Work”. Participants explored ways to enhance the visibility of youth workers and address critical challenges such as decreasing volunteer motivation, recruitment struggles, and intergenerational conflicts within the network.
To tackle these broad goals, the program was structured into four specialized thematic tracks:
- Well-being of Volunteers: Focused on promoting mental, emotional, and social health in volunteer environments.
- Empowering Local Youth: Aimed at supporting young people in identifying and responding to local needs.
- Bridging Generations: Explored collaboration and mutual learning across different age groups.
- Volunteering for Active Global Citizenship: Positioned volunteering as a meaningful path for social impact.
Thematic Opening & External Speakers
To provide a global and professional perspective, the program featured specialized thematic tracks and an interactive opening plenary. Andrew Ormsby (Plenaries Coordinator) facilitated the communication and preparation for our guest speakers, ensuring their insights aligned with the summit’s Work Plan.
On the first day, we were honored to welcome three distinguished speakers for an interactive panel discussion:
- Eray Alagözoğlu – Youth Work Coordinator, Izmir Municipality
- Erin Bice – Youth Worker, Izmir Municipality
- Meryem Selin Zencirci – Youth Worker, Cosmos Youth
These guests provided invaluable input on the Council of Europe Youth Work Framework, SDG-focused projects, and Active Citizenship. To ensure a seamless exchange of ideas, Support Team members Elif and Ipek provided live translation from Turkish to English, allowing for deep engagement during the Q&A sessions.
A Dynamic Learning Journey
The summit offered a diverse array of workshops led by a skilled Trainers Team. From mastering “The Art of Self-Introduction”—where volunteers crafted their personal “elevator pitches”—to exploring the “Privilege of Volunteering,” participants engaged in practical sessions designed to provide them with tools they could take back to their local chapters.
By diving into topics like “WTF are Boundaries?” (setting healthy limits without the guilt) and “Crafting an Impactful CV” (turning AFS experience into professional success), volunteers explored how their work translates into both personal well-being and career growth. This varied program ensured that every participant left İzmir with a refreshed “toolkit” for sustainable youth work.
These were the trainers and their workshops of the Volunteer Summer Summit 2025:
- Kerrin Appel – AFS GER
- Who am I? Introducing yourself as a person, in networking and for volunteers purposes.
- Humor Me! – The Role of Humor in Youth Work & Intergenerational Cooperation
- Lit for the Long Haul: Why We Stay, Why We Stray
- Guido Buffa – AFS ISL
- Volunteering: how a life is changed
- Oranges and Beers
- Ahoy there, how do you do, fellow kids?
- Veerle Derave – AFS LOL
- Creative Thinking as a Tool
- Improvisation Skills
- Play Seriously
- Sam Dovico – AFS AUT
- Diversity: The base of sustainable volunteering
- How to National Training
- From well-being to well-doing
- Mahmoud Elkasrawy – AFS DEN
- Beyond Motivation Clichés: Real tools to retain happy volunteers
- Crafting impactful CV: Stand out as an AFSer
- Kristóf Kaufmann – AFS HUN
- Advocacy
- Healthy Productivity
- Volunteer Engagement
- Karolina Koźmin – AFS POL
- Fuel for the Fire: Beating Burnout & Reigniting Passion in Youth Work
- Bridging Generations – Good Practices
- Thrive, Don’t Just Survive: Well-being for Youth Workers
- Stefanie Rößler – AFS GER
- The Art of Herding Cats – Project Management in a Volunteer Contex
- WTF are boundaries?
- The privilege of volunteering
- Malena Sánchez – AFS ESP
- Generations: how do we communicate?
- Let’s welcome new volunteers!
- Taking care of us
The Community Project
Since 2008, a core tradition of the VSS has been the Community Project, which encourages participants to engage with the host city. In İzmir, the volunteers had a chance to visit four different places to learn about the local operations and social impact. They visited an olive garden and farm, an NGO focusing on further educating children after school, met with volunteers cleaning the streets and with LÖSEV volunteers to prepare some gifts for children with leukemia.
Beyond the workshops, the VSS was defined by its cherished traditions:
- The Community Project: Since 2008, VSS participants have stepped outside the “AFS bubble” to give back to the host community. In İzmir, this included activities such as visiting a local NGO or preparing creative materials for local children.
Evening Highlights and Community Spirit
Beyond the structured training tracks, the VSS was defined by its cherished traditions and evening leisure activities, orchestrated by the hardworking Support Team: Lea Anna Polívková (AFS CZE), Patrick Connor, Michal Goch (AFS IRL), Lucilla Cortese (AFS ITA), Timea Luka (AFS HUN), Bora Dündar, İpek Çakıroğlu, Elif Murat, Himmet Efe Sarıoğlu and Murat Varlık (AFS TUR).
- Bazaar Night: A vibrant, barter-only market where participants exchanged local food and AFS merchandise from their home countries, fostering connection without the need for currency.
- Local Night: A cultural journey through Türkiye’s seven regions, where the Support Team led participants through traditional dances, clothing, and the rich stories of the host nation.
- Community Night: A special evening where participants met a local Turkish volunteer İrem Ceren Özen. She shared her inspiring engagement with YGA (Young Guru Academy), offering participants a firsthand look at how local youth organizations drive community-based initiatives in Türkiye.
- Project Hub & “I Can Teach You”: An informal space for volunteers to take ownership of the program by sharing personal skills—ranging from national dances to dog therapy.
- Reflection Groups (Re-groups): Small, facilitated groups that met every evening to process the day’s emotions and ideas in a safe, peaceful setting.
The Venue: Bornova, İzmir
The summit was hosted at the EGEYURT Campus within Ege University in the Bornova area of İzmir. The facility provided a swimming pool, gym, and essential air-conditioned workshop rooms to help participants beat the 36°C summer heat.
The Team Behind the Summit
The 16th Volunteer Summer Summit was the result of months of meticulous planning by a dedicated group of leaders. Besides the Trainers Team and Support Team, whose members were already mentioned above, the Summit was coordinator by a Preparatory Team, including:
- Andrew Ormsby (AFS IRL) – Plenaries Coordinator
- Bruno Canale Medeiros (EFIL) – Participants Coordinator
- Marie Boutier (EFIL) – Camp Coordinator
- Doruk Mert Karaman (AFS TUR) – Trainers Team Coordinator
- Arda Çağlar (AFS TUR) – Support Team Coordinator
- Nataliia Aleksandrova (AFS GER) – PR Coordinator
The PR Coordinator was supported by the work of Sara Bonanno (AFS ITA) as the PR Support.
Sustainability and Legacy
In line with AFS values, VSS 2025 focused on sustainability by reducing waste and choosing not to produce temporary gadgets like tote bags. The event concluded with a retro 1980s-themed Summer Beach Party, celebrating the new friendships and lasting memories made under the Turkish sun.