Welcome to Servas
Servas Canada is part of Servas International, an international network of hosts and travellers who work to build peace, goodwill and respect across diverse cultures. Through mutually arranged visits, Servas hosts and travellers share interests and concerns about social issues, and learn more about other cultures. These encounters help form the building blocks of peace.
Member Benefits
Being a Servas member allows you to meet people from around the world. Servas opens doors to friendships and shared cultural experiences that last long after a visit has ended. Servas hosting and travel is about respect, being culturally aware and sensitive, and making efforts to understand each other.
- When you travel, you will have access to Servas hosts in countries around the world through Servas International.
- If you choose to be a host, you will help travellers to Canada learn about our country and people.
- As a member, you can become involved in Servas programs and activities
Want to
Here’s how to apply for Servas Canada membership:
Read the documents on Traveller and Host Responsibilities
Get two letters of reference
Contact and meet with an interviewer in your area
Review, sign and submit the Privacy & Confidentiality agreement
Once approved, register with ServasOnline
Pay your fees
Climate Change and
Servas Canada is one of many communities in this great global human neighbourhood, and we hope that as a diverse and inclusive community we are conscientious ambassadors promoting the human ideals of Servas leading to peace, and as environmental stewards that we “travel lightly upon this Earth.”
What Members say about
You know it’s going to be a great party, when the Servas Canada Deputy National Secretary from Toronto walks in, and immediately recognizes guests who have travelled all the way from Australia, as she stayed with them at their home – years ago…. Now how is that for coincidence?…….. The evening was full of energy, connections, and insights into the world of Servas, which contributes to the awareness of world peace. And of course, sharing stories of our travels and of travellers’ visits is always delightful.
Michele and Ted S
In early June, my husband Bob and I drove about three hours out of our town to stay with local hosts Daryl and Dina H in Telkwa. Ever heard of Telkwa? For the curious – google “Who invented the egg carton?” And a few weeks later, D and D stayed with us; they are now good friends! So, may I recommend to Servas members – to not forget their neighbourhood hosts.
Beth Q
Sometimes when I mention Servas to people, a reaction is “aren’t you afraid to invite strangers into your home?” The answer is a most definite “no.” I don’t think of them as strangers, but as fellow travellers and friends that I haven’t met before, who will spend an evening or two with me, sharing stories and ideas. I recently remarked about a visit with a 65-year-old woman from the Netherlands that it “just felt like having a sleepover with an old friend.” What has surprised me most about hosting is that age and gender seem irrelevant. A pair of twenty-something young men who were bicycling across the country seemed perfectly at home in the midst of a “happy hour” with a dozen of my 50+ year old friends.
Servas hospitality bridges cultural gaps across ages but in a world where we hear much negativity, I have met many youth involved in their communities and interested in and curious about the world around them.
Judy B
For 13 months, I backpacked around the world – I was 50. Can you imagine how Servas played a role? My first host, in Thailand, replied to my enquiry with “The key is under the mat.” Sikh hosts living in Malaysia shared with me their sad reality that even as professionals, racism was such that they were considered to be the bottom of the social ladder. My Mumbai shared in mediation and offered me a sleeping place on the roof. As a psychologist, I had the opportunity to work with local Zagreb social workers. In Paris, my visually impaired host did not allow her disability to limit our touring; we went to places tourists seldom see like the huge and hectic Asian market. My Swedish hosts, a wonderful couple, cultural workers who played music on traditional instruments and at puppet shows. This trip was amazing because of the kind people who received me into their homes and their hearts!
Judith
Meeting Servas members has always been an enriching experience; chatting with people from other walks of life or learning why certain places or customs are special to them. It’s like being able to see something new through my own eyes, but also through those of someone else. I feel very lucky to be part of this process.
Lorna
Visiting Servas hosts adds a wonderful opportunity to speak my second language – how great to have real conversations on a wide range of topics with people who not only share my values, but are also willing to help out with vocabulary!
Alison R
As a global community, Servas encourages its members to travel the back roads of faraway places, meet and engage with local people and events. Our experience of Servas hosts is that they are friendly, welcoming, and genuinely interested in international relations with a commitment to world peace.
Nelson M
When I joined Servas, I had no idea how it would change my life. I have met amazing hosts and travellers from all over the world who have generously shared their homes and their lives. I see my world differently through their eyes, and I am surprised at how many connections we find even though our history, languages, and experiences are different. These connections are simply magical.
Julie D
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Our Peace
“Peace is not merely an idea; it is an obligation” (author unknown)
Servas Canada aims to foster peace and mutual respect across cultures by sharing in multicultural dialogue, being culturally aware and sensitive, and making efforts to understand each other in order to overcome biases and stereotypes.
Latest Servas News
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South Korea: “To Connect… Consider participating in the upcoming Servas International Conference and General Assembly (SICOGA) in Seoul, South Korea, this October 13-20. The theme of this year’s event is “To Connect for Peace” and all Servas members are welcome to attend. For more information, check out this link and review details in this advertisement. SICOGA 2018 advertisement
Celebrating Servas for 70… Celebrations of the Servas 70th anniversary will begin this fall with International Servas Week focussed around the International Day of Peace, September 21st, and then continue during the Servas International Conference and General Assembly (SICOGA 2018) held in Seoul, South Korea, where all Servas members are welcome. Activities honouring this 70th anniversary (1949-2019) will build
India: Servas AGM 21-23… Dear all members and families of Servas, I am happy to announce our Annual General Meeting to be held at the hill station and international conference centre MRA Initiative of Change in Panchagani between 21-23 December. The agenda will be sent later to participants. Close places to this venue include: Asia’s second largest tableland, the
National Memorial for Peace… The new new National Memorial for Peace and Justice, located in Montgomery, Alabama, is dedicated to the memory of victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Check out the story here.
India: Ganesh Festival, 13-24… Servas India would like to invite up to 20 Servas members to experience the joy of the Ganesh Festival in the western Maharashtra region of India. Local hosts will invite you into their homes to share their culture and this ten-day festive celebration of Lord Ganesha. Please complete the form below indicating your initial interest
Portugal: Youth Camp Aug-Sept… To celebrate the 70th anniversary of Servas (1948-2018) we thought the theme of our camp should be a tribute to Bob Luitweiler, Servas founder; with the theme Citizens of the Earth – Without Borders. We hope to address issues such as: right to free movement, challenges with armed conflicts, human trafficking and smuggling, human rights,
China: Annual Conference, 24-26… Servas China invites Servas members to join the Servas China annual conference to be held 24-26 August 2018 in Shennongjia City, Hubei, with possible pre/post conference activities including national parks, museums, and the hydroelectric power complex of the Three Gorges Dam. The conference fee, including board and lodging, transportation, park fee entrance is expected to
Turkey: Peace School July… Here’s a peace-based volunteer opportunity in Turkey happening 6-16 July 2018 – the 10th Servas Live with us Share with Us Children Programme (LUSUP) in the village, Ekinci, in Antakya, Turkey. Volunteers teach children aged 7-14 about peace, the arts (music, drama), languages, games, cultural and environmental issues, cooking, etc. Teaching happens everywhere (garden, house,
Spain: Working with Others… Sometimes it can be difficult working with people from different cultures and languages. Join Servas members in sharing engaged dialogue about facilitating the work of management groups including respectful conversation, group functionality and awareness, positive intra-group relations, and improving productivity and time management. The location of this course is Albergue La marina de Moraira, Alicante,
Malawi: SYLE Programming Dear Servas friends around the world: We run a SYLE-volunteer programme that aims to encourage Servas travellers to Malawi. Stay with us for a month – we get the chance to host travellers and you get the chance to culturally enrich yourself! We have had 6 SYLE-volunteers so far from USA, Germany, France, Australia and
Mexican Knit Nets Workshop On January 27, 2018, a workshop entitled Knit Nets was held in Mexico City, an initiative promoted by the Coordinator of Youth and Arts of Servas Mexico, and supported by the Mexican Institute for Justice (IMJUS). The aim of the workshop was to make mats while building knowledge around the responsible use of plastic bags.
Calgary Peace Prize The Calgary Peace Prize, awarded through Mount Royal University’s Peace Studies Initiative “recognizes outstanding individuals from the global community, who work toward making the world a more just, safer and less violent place.” The 2016 prize honoured the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada — Dr. Marie Wilson, Justice Murray Sinclair and Chief Wilton Littlechild.