Four candidates have applied for three Board of Directors positions opening up in January 2027. If elected, these candidates will serve a three-year term beginning January 1st. The US Servas Board is responsible for the policies, budget, and overall direction of the organization. It is a working board, with each member overseeing the operations within six branches of US Servas. To learn more about the process, log in to US Servas to view the Run for the Board page.

Our Candidate Forum took place virtually on October 3, 2026.  If you missed it, you can still learn about the candidates. Log in to USservas.org and go to our Fall 2026 Elections page where you can view candidate summaries and the event video.

Voting members can record their choices starting Friday, October 16 and ending Sunday, October 25th. All US Servas host/travelers will receive an email message with voting instructions. Thank you for voting!

By David Schwartz and Deirdre Marlowe

Did you know that the word “servas” means “serves” in the language Esperanto? Clearly, service was an important part of the mission of Servas when it was founded after World War II. More than 75 years later, US Servas offers a new way to serve.

“Emergency Servas” is a program intended to help US Servas members who have lost their homes, or access to their homes, in a declared emergency such as wildfire, flood or earthquake. Other members will be asked if they can provide emergency housing for those in need. Normal Servas hosting time limits will be suspended, although this is still to be viewed as short-term housing. Only U.S. Servas members can apply for Emergency Servas. The expectations and agreement are to be arranged strictly by the parties, not by US Servas or the Emergency Servas Team.

Emergency Servas has been approved by the US Servas Board as a pilot project running until 2030. You will find details and onboarding forms in the Members Dropdown on usservas.org. There is one form to submit if you are willing to provide emergency housing/coordinate emergency housing, and another if you require emergency housing. At present, the Emergency Servas team has two members to monitor emergency declarations by state governors and launch into action when a disaster arises. It would be great if a few more members would join us.

As we learn from experience, we will refine our process, which at present looks approximately like this.

We are looking for people eager to advance this project in two ways:

If you would like to contribute your time and energy in either or both capacities, please fill out and submit the volunteer form on the Members Dropdown menu on the usservas.org website (available soon) or reach out to emergency.servas@usservas.org.

(by Tim Sullivan)

"Wow," "powerful," "emotional" and "the most organized yet." These are the comments I heard Sunday afternoon as people described their experience at our 2026 US Servas National Conference. In fairness to past conferences, we have never had the opportunity to hear from a group of local citizens about their experience with the violence and injustice of the ICE surge in Minneapolis. One attendee went so far as to say, "Listening to the stories of what happened here in Minneapolis, and how the citizens responded gives me hope for America".

A key part of any US Servas conference is the opportunity to visit with old friends and make some new ones. That's what we began on Friday night with our dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. It was great fun.

Saturday morning started off with the amazing and heart-wrenching stories from Minneapolis. A panel of eight people shared their experiences of the ICE surge and the Minneapolis response. They made it clear it was not just Minneapolis but St. Paul, and that people showed up from small communities across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other states. The people on this panel first shared some of the horrific violence they witnessed, including targeting schools to reach children's parents, and of course the killing by ICE of two local US citizens. Many of the panelists broke down in tears as they described had happened to their neighbors and friends. These were horrific and emotional stories. The response to ICE's tactics in many ways was even more powerful and emotional. There were stories of both organized and spontaneous activities.

The level of communication it took to bring people together with such a powerful outcome was phenomenal. The non-profits did most of the communication and recording of data, but they were quick to point out that none of it could have happened without all the local people who showed up to help. Some were trained observers, many simply helped their neighbors with getting to work or school, buying groceries or simply with their presence.

For my part, the emotions and the words that came to mind about the community’s action included: amazement, creativity, bravery, organization/communication/connectedness, risk, compassion, neighborliness, fierceness, hope and love. This presentation was one of the most powerful and emotional I have ever witnessed. Sadly, because this administration continues to persecute and prosecute activists like these, we could not record this session to share with you.

Later that morning we followed up with a training session on how we might want to respond in our communities under similar circumstances. We hope to bring some of this training online to our Servas members in the near future.

That morning we also had a great presentation from Ann Frisch about the status of nuclear weapons in the world and how we might respond. She gave us a great resource in two books from Ward Hayes Wilson: Five Myths About Nuclear Weapons and It Is Possible: A Future Without Nuclear Weapons. Here's link to a talk by Ward entitled The Shadow And The Hope, Wilson where he describes the current reality of nuclear weapons and the arguments for eliminating them.

That afternoon we had several breakout sessions including the new US Servas Emergency Servas, SYLE update and brainstorming, and discussions around member experiences. We closed the afternoon with a great presentation by Servas International Peace Secretary Francisco Salomon Luna. He spoke about the many SI peace activities going on around the world. He also shared that there will be a regional North America Servas conference in Guatemala in February 2027 that US Servas is co-sponsoring with Canada, Mexico and Guatemala. Watch for more details on this conference.

Saturday night we had a terrific interactive improv activity with Danger Boat. It is impossible to describe, but it included lots of getting up moving around and interacting with 50 different people in the room. It was a great learning experience and lots of fun, too.

On Sunday morning we heard from SI Servas President Radha Radhakrishna. He shared what is happening around the world with Servas and encouraged us in a variety of ways to become more engaged with Servas.

We also heard an interesting presentation by a representative from Braver Angels. He shared some history and how Braver Angels are trying to improve communication between the left and the right of the political spectrum. Some people in the audience are already participating with Braver Angels. Here's a link to their organization’s website: https://braverangels.org/

We closed with a powerful session by Lilly Lombard and the peace team presenting two Peace Awards of $5,000 for each winner. Two local US Servas members nominated our winners and shared their stories of why they nominated Unidos-MN and The Immigrant Defense Network. Once again, tears flowed. Please read Lilly’s excellent article in last month's Open Doors about this year's Peace Award presentation.

It's clear to me that Servas’s peace building mission is as important as it's ever been. The level of violence, wars, arms sales and countries expanding their war making potential seems to be at its highest point since WWII. I recognize that probably almost all of our US Servas members are involved in some kind of peace building outside of US Servas. The question for me and other members who I spoke with at the conference is what more can US Servas do in the peace building arena. There is so much work to be done around the world and especially in our own country. In an all-volunteer US Servas every new idea and the energy to make that idea a reality comes from individual US Servas members like you. So, bring your ideas and your energy and let's build some peace!

by Deirdre Marlowe and Bill Magargal               

This was a conference for the record books… big turnout (71 + presenters); 3 NEW members plus several more interviewed after the conference (that makes 2140 and counting); and based on evaluations returned so far it was truly a Five-Star Event (see graphic below). Kudos to Fouzia Bhat and Adil Najar for making it such a well-organized and meaningful event. In fact, one reviewer stated “Fouzia should be in charge of all future conferences.” Visit the Conference Photos web page to view candid shots taken by Adil Najar and Joanne Fergusson Cavanaugn.

Heard at the Conference:  Our wonderful wandering reporter, Deirdre Marlowe, overheard some great comments over the two days including:

A new member from Georgia said: “It’s exciting to travel to Minnesota to meet like-minded, peaceful people dedicated who believe we can make a difference together.”

A member from VA said she joined because of the geographic diversity Servas represents.

A member from Indiana thought the conference was terrific. She’d participated in the South Korean bike for peace and believes that strengthening local bonds enables better outreach.

Another said that it is important to learn curiosity instead of investing in preconceived notions. This will allow us to better handle difficult conversations.

A long-time member said that he appreciated the conference's focus on activism, noting that being a pacifist does not mean one cannot be an activist.

Retirees can join the Peace Corps and serve as paid short-term consultants for various projects. These roles require extensive experience. 

Or you can WorkAway.com all over the world – from farming to pet sitting, IT, plumbing, and more. Your food and lodging are covered for job specific or time-limited opportunities.

Conference Evaluations: We are amazed with the “official” conference evaluations. We have already received responses from thirty attendees, who gave the Overall Conference a rating of 4.93 stars, and Organization 4.97 stars. In addition to the ratings most of them took time to add extensive comments (see sampling below). If you would like to see more details, click on the following Conference Evaluations link.

••• A Few of the Take-aways ••• 

“The experience was certainly more profound than what I anticipated. In retrospect, I cannot imagine a better theme and a better venue for a Servas conference. The experience was at times overwhelming, and this was clearly a mutual feeling. “

“The organization was stellar, and I have returned humbled after meeting many great people and learning important things about how to promote peace and about resources to more effectively resist the Fascism in our country. “

“This was one of the best conferences of any kind I’ve ever been to because the speakers were so good and so relevant. The people were so kind, and it was so well organized. “

“The panel for me was the highlight, even though I live in Minneapolis, just hearing from other people’s experience.”

“I loved the focus that was given to the Minneapolis ICE response. It would have been such a missed opportunity to not have given that attention. “

“Food was not only delicious, but I appreciate how and where Fouzia sourced it.”

“In a word, the conference was fabulous. So much gratitude to Fouzia and her team for their hard work to create a very moving and informative experience, well-planned and executed down to the last detail.”

“This was the best Servas conference I have ever attended. It was extremely well organized, relevant, fun, informative, and emotionally moving. “

“You packed an amazing amount of information into a very quick session. I haven't yet joined Servas, but after this conference I will be applying soon. Thank you for all the obvious planning work, and all the details you managed. Brava!!”

“I like the efforts that were put into sustainability. Given the events in MN with ICE, the location, topics and peace awards were spot on.”

“Everything was well done and planned to keep it moving. Speakers were interesting and relevant. Loved the choice of city.”

“Kudos and gratitude to organizers and volunteers for making this such a wonderful event. I appreciate the resources and knowledge passed on community building and the stories about what a difference peace building efforts make.”

“The presenters were informative and clarified what was taking place over the winter. They inspired me to take action when I return home and get more involved in our local social groups. “

by Bill Magargal

I have attended five US Servas conferences over the years, including one I organized in 2023, but this one was the best yet. While I could point to many reasons why the conference was outstanding, I want to focus on the emotions the presenters evoked in me and why they were so meaningful.

Our first session on Saturday was the ICE panel discussion, where eight panelists shared deeply personal experiences from ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge.” It was a beautifully run, open, and heartfelt session. Their stories revealed a community moved by outrage, compassion, and courage—people rising instinctively to protect and support their neighbors: driving children to school when their parents could not, helping immigrants prepare custody documents in case they were deported without their children, and shopping for those too afraid to leave their homes.

One panelist, a schoolteacher serving as an “on-call observer,” responded to an alert about an ICE incident just two blocks from her school. She watched and recorded as agents detained a man, then sprayed a powerful “Bear” tear gas directly into his eyes from only inches away. The cruelty of that moment was hard to absorb. It did not seem necessary; it felt deliberately violent.

Another presenter described how 35,000 people in the Minneapolis metro area signed up for and received ICE observer training. What struck me was that this happened organically, without a large campaign or established structure behind it. It was simply people deciding they could not look away. One panelist, an observer training instructor, shared some of the materials he used, including the SALUTE chart of actions observers should take (see graphic). He emphasized that witnesses should never interfere with agents and should obey all lawful orders, while also noting that observers are legally permitted to record events with phones or other video equipment.

Those two hours were powerful and unforgettable. We heard how thousands of people mobilized to help their neighbors, offering whatever skills they had—something as simple as “I can cook” or “I can drive,” as well as legal knowledge, organizing experience, and much more. The session was emotional for both the presenters and the audience, and I felt it deeply too: empathy at the unfairness of it all; togetherness in realizing I was not alone in my grief and concern; hope in seeing how Minneapolis had responded; and humility in knowing I need to do more. By the end of the session, I was really choked up… The America I know and love is still here. Caring people are still willing to step forward to help others in need.

Come join us in the wonderful city of Minneapolis!  Your US Servas’s 2026 conference is  right around the corner, but there's still time to register.

Start the weekend by joining us on  a  Friday  evening dinner cruise on the Mississippi River.  It will be a great time to greet old  Servas  friends and make new  ones.

At the conference we will hear the stories about the residents of Minneapolis  reaching  out to support their  neighbors  during the  ICE  surge. We will learn about the hospitality of taking other people's children to school, doing their shopping, driving them to work, and how this experience  impacted  them as individuals and a community.

The Servas  International’s  Peace Secretary and  President will share stories from around the Servas world. We will award  two Servas Peace Awards, each with a prize of $5000. Saturday night we will be inspired by  a  Danger Boat Productions presentation.  Danger Boat Productions  The conference will provide workshops,  breakout  sessions,  and much more all on the beautiful campus of the University of Minnesota.

You really  don’t want to miss this chance to mingle with fellow Servas members and Minnesotans who have shown us the way to make a difference. You can still  REGISTER for the conference (until July 24^th).  It’s a  great  value  and you are guaranteed to meet some of the most interesting people in the world!

We look forward to seeing you there

US Servas Conference Team

If you are intrigued about this year’s US Servas national conference, or you have already decided to attend, the conference web pages are online and ready to use. Simply visit the US Servas website and click on the NEWS & EVENTS menu at the top of any page, then choose 2026 CONFERENCE. This will land you on the conference VENUE page that provides information about the conference location (Univ. of Minnesota in Minneapolis – Twin Cities), and how to get there.

There are four pages dedicated to the conference. They are easily accessed by using the blue navigation buttons located on each page below the Minneapolis skyline graphic. Since the 2026 conference link above takes you to the Venue page we will describe that first.

VENUE - This page shows the exact location of the conference and how to get there, whether driving or using public transit. It also has short descriptions of conference meeting space, lodging, and dining space in Pioneer Hall (the specific building).

PROGRAM – The program is listed by day showing each session or activity scheduled for that day. We will update this page as more details become available, so plan to visit it again before and/or during the conference.

FUN – The Fun page lists information about social events that will occur as part of the conference, i.e., paddleboat dinner cruise, and peace walk. It also includes information about the Minneapolis area places you might want to visit including: the world class Science Museum, “Free” Thursday nights at the History Center, and the 81st Nagasaki-Hiroshima Commemoration scheduled for Thursday evening.

REGISTER – This link takes you to the event registration form. We recommend that you look at the other three pages before registering as this will help you answer questions included on the form, especially lodging and the optional paddleboat dinner cruise.

by Fouzia Bhat & Rick Wolfe

There is no reason to miss the US Servas National Conference being held the weekend of August  7 - 9 at the University of Minnesota. Attendance is cheap ($80 for two days), and Minneapolis is easy to get to by bus, car, or air, and has an excellent  public transit system. Subsidized lodging is cheap too ($25/nite double occupancy, $35 single).

So, join us for a gathering rooted in peacebuilding, cultural exchange, and learning from Minnesota's rich traditions of community care, civic engagement, and social action. This conference is an opportunity to reconnect with old friends, meet fellow Servas members from across the country, and build meaningful, lifelong connections. 

Accommodations and Arrival 

Accommodations at the University of Minnesota will be available beginning Thursday, August 6. The conference officially begins on Friday, August 7, with an optional paddleboat dinner cruise on the Mississippi River. Advance registration for the cruise is required (Adults $51, Kids under thirteen $30). Participants should gather at Pioneer Hall at 6:00 p.m. to carpool or take public transportation to the departure location. 

Conference Theme 

This year's conference will explore how communities come together to strengthen democratic values, foster civic participation, and respond to social challenges through cooperation, dialogue, and collective action. 

Program Highlights 

Current program highlights include: 

• A panel discussion on immigration, community response, and civic engagement 
• The Servas Peace Award presentation 
• A possible Monarca/Unidos training focused on democracy, legal rights, constitutional observation, and community response initiatives 
• A presentation on the Boundary Waters and environmental concerns related to mining 
• Servas workshops and practical "how-to" sessions 
• Morning grounding and mindfulness activities 
• An easy walk along the East River Park Trail to Bridal Veil Falls 
• An optional visit to the Science Museum 
• We are also intentionally leaving space in the schedule for informal conversation, storytelling, and connection—an essential part of the Servas experience. 

Sunday - Departure, Optional Stay-over

The conference concludes at noon on Sunday, August 9.  There will be boxed lunches which can either be eaten in the conference hall, or be taken with you if you need to leave.

University accommodations will remain available Sunday night. Unfortunately, extended stays before or after the conference cannot be accommodated through Servas. Attendees who are interested in staying longer can reach out to the University directly through their website. 

The University does offer summer housing to non-University guests based on dorm availability. If space is available, they may be assigned the same room in Pioneer Hall (as they will have for the conference), but it would be at the University’s standard summer housing rate, paid directly to the University. 

Registration

The registration form can be  accessed from the Conference webpage, which also has information you probably want to review before Registering. Or, you can use this link to directly access the Registration page.

Additional Information 

For local attractions, please visit Explore Minnesota's summer travel resources. 

Registration Opens Soon    by Fouzia Bhat, Conference Chair

The Türkiye Peace School is an alternative school held in Ekinci village of Antakya, Hatay, Turkiye since 2009. This school has been held every year in July and invites volunteers from all over the world who dream of a more peaceful world to the village. 

Servas volunteers stay with families in the village and share their culture and experience with the family. Families share their tables and stories with them. 
During most of the day, volunteers come together with the children of the village and do activities whose main theme is peace, love of people, love of animals, love of nature, as well as sharing their skills with the children (foreign languages, arts, handicrafts, cinema, astronomy, science, chess, mathematics... ), and they increase children's horizons and world awareness by providing information about their countries and cultures. 

After the February earthquake that deeply affected Turkey and Syria, this project, which has been carried out only in the summer months for 15 years, has spread throughout the year in order to combat the cultural blood loss, lack of socio-cultural activity and loss of motivation caused by the catastrophe.

 
Peace School's local volunteer team, together with volunteers from dozens of different parts of the world, has been organizing events for children, young people and adults since February, trying to find sustainable solutions to the deficiencies created by the earthquake. 

If you would like to be a volunteer and take part in the recovery process of our beautiful city of Antakya, and its beautiful children/people. For more details and registration visit the Türkiye Peace School 2026 webpage.