About CISV Toronto
CISV educates and inspires action for a more just and peaceful world.
Building peace through friendship, starting with children.
Founded in 1950, CISV believes peace is possible when we foster friendship and mutual understanding across cultures. Today, we are a global organization in 70 countries with over 200 local chapters.
Through fun, hands-on educational programs, we help young people grow into confident, compassionate leaders and active citizens. Our unique experiences, beginning with the Village program for 11-year-olds, create lasting skills, lifelong friendships, and a global perspective.
What Kids Gain
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🌍 Global perspective – appreciation for diverse cultures
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🤝 Friendship & empathy – bonds across borders
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🧠 Skills for life – confidence, independence, problem-solving, leadership
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🌱 Lasting impact – a mindset of openness, peace, and civic engagement
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CISV shapes who children become—empowering them to make a difference in their communities and the world.
CISV is active in 70 countries and more than 200 cities worldwide.
Together we want a peaceful future for all people
Peace Education
CISV is a Peace Education organization acting to make a positive impact in the world. But what does “Peace Education” mean? Simply put, Peace Education looks at local and global issues, recognising that peace can mean much more than the absence of war. Peace Education is a way of learning about issues that are seen to be the root causes of social injustice and conflict. The purpose behind Peace Education is to develop the Attitudes, Skills and Knowledge needed in order to act for positive change; in other words, to help individuals to become Active Global Citizens.
Experiential Learning
'Learning by doing’, or ‘Experiential Learning’ is simply a way of saying learning through direct, personal experience, rather than from reading books or listening to lectures. It is the basic educational approach of all CISV Programmes and this process is referred to as ‘Experiential Learning’. Our educational principles underpin all of our educational programmes and activities.