About us

International Outreach Coalition is an U.S. non-profit founded in Spring, 2006, by two Returned Peace Corps Volunteers, Rosa Werthwein and Wendy Shapiro. The goal of International Outreach Coalition is to build partnerships among people and organizations to encourage strong civil societies in the world's developing countries and involving the generation of young leaders in those countries.

The experiences of IOC staff have shown that, while these young people may envision a stronger future, they face special obstacles to realizing that future. Often, they have little belief in their abilities to affect change. Even if they have an idea of how to improve their communities, most of them haven't been prepared by their own societies with the personal skills that developed countries take for granted. These are simple skills like creative and critical thinking, cross-cultural awareness, civic responsibility, and project planning. IOC encourages these skills by providing sustainable capacity-building programs through its partnerships with progressive local organizations and bright local youth. These programs are intended to help young people to gain the confidence and skills they'll need to succeed in a global community.

In addition to involving the local community, IOC's programs integrate participants from developed world communities both as teachers and as peers. Those participants have the opportunity to broaden their understanding and awareness of the developing world. Together, they build relationships that reflect the interdependence of the global community.

Currently we lead summer camps in Ukraine and Armenia. We invite young people from both developed and developing countries around the world to attend the camps, to discuss the principles and responsibilities of civil society, to build relationships and to create small projects. These experiences give them the knowledge, skills and confidence to become active leaders in improving the world around them.

After each camp, we provide small grants for camp alumni to create and carry out/implement volunteer projects in their communities as well as on the international level. Using the training they’ve received at camps, the new-born leaders take up breathtaking initiatives to improve life around them. It is inspiring to realize these young people really are developing the skills to create a more peaceful and cooperative future for all of us.