Serve the City International

12/10/2026

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
What small act of kindness made the biggest difference to you today or in the past week – whether you gave it or received it?

09/10/2026

FRIDAY FOCUS 🇩🇪
Serve the City Köln and volunteers from UPS are growing a forest!
On Saturday, September 26th, Serve the City Cologne hosted a special gathering. Thirty-five UPS employees arrived with their families, ready to roll up their sleeves and get their hands in the soil.

By the end of the day, together they had potted 1,500 young trees, each one carefully prepared for the next chapter of its journey. That journey will continue on October 18th, when Serve the City Cologne and UPS employees will come together again to plant the trees in the ground. There, they will take root as a living tribute in honour of UPS's 50th anniversary in Germany.🌿

But this was not the first time they had gathered for this purpose. It was STC Cologne’s second UPS tree potting event, and with each one the forest has grown a little closer to reality. Across multiple events, they have now potted 2,650 trees in total, and every one of them will become part of that forest.

We celebrate Serve the City Cologne and the volunteers at UPS!
At Serve the City, many people doing small things together can make a big difference!🌳🌲🌴

09/10/2026

A message from Carlton Deal
Executive Director of Serve the City International

𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝗨𝘀 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁!
Dear friends, supporters, and alumni,
Every year, more than 60,000 volunteers in over 60 cities around the world show kindness in practical and personal ways to people in need and help make their neighbourhoods cleaner, greener and more welcoming for all. Today, I am asking you to help us strengthen that global movement so that it can reach even more people.

We have launched a fundraising campaign with a target of €25,000. Your gift will go directly towards the support that helps our Serve the City teams grow and thrive:
🔷 City development resources – practical tools and guidance to help new and existing Serve the City teams launch and develop.

🔷 Digital content and branding – a strong, consistent voice that helps every city share its story and inspire new volunteers.

🔷 City Leader coaching – investing in the leaders who mobilise volunteers and build partnerships in their communities.

𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗶𝗳𝘁:
Here is the exciting part: if we reach our €25,000 target, our Board has committed to matching it, turning your generosity into €50,000 for the Serve the City movement. Every euro and dollar you give brings us closer to unlocking that match.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗶𝘃𝗲:
Donors in Europe: please give through our fundraiser on the WeGlow platform: Serve the City International on WeGlow: https://www.weglow.world/o/serve-the-city-international/c/V8IIU6RE

Donors in the United States: please give through our fundraiser on the GoFundMe platform: Serve the City International on GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-build-20-more-years-of-serve-the-city

The fundraiser closes on 31 December 2026, so please give today and share this message with friends, family, and colleagues who care about building kinder, stronger cities. THANK YOU FOR STANDING WITH US.
Together, we can equip more leaders, mobilise more volunteers, and bring hope to more cities around the world.

At Serve the City, we believe that many people doing small things together can make a big difference!

With love and gratitude,
Carlton Deal
Executive Director
Serve the City International

08/10/2026

We’re excited to announce the launch of the 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗔𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺—and our Interest Course is now available! Sign up before Monday, 12 October, to join.

Designed for aspiring City Leaders, the Interest Course is a chance to explore the vision, values, and practical methods behind Serve the City while discovering how STC could make an impact in your community.

✨ Explore the vision
🤝 Discover your fit
💡 Imagine what’s possible in your city
🚀 Take the first steps toward becoming a City Leader

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 – 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭:
🔗 https://servethecityacademy.learnworlds.com/course/interest-part-1

After Part 1, you’ll have the opportunity to assess your fit and decide whether you’d like to continue. After Part 2, you can connect with your coaches to discuss the possibility of applying to Serve the City International.

And this is just the beginning! More courses and resources are coming soon to STC Academy.

This course prepares aspiring City Leaders to launch Serve the City locally. It helps test your fit with our vision, values, and methods, and imagine how STC could work in your community. After Part 1 you’ll assess your fit and choose whether to continue. After Part 2 you can discuss applying to S...

07/10/2026

🌍 Coming together from across Europe for the very first STC Europe YOUTH FORUM! We’re excited to welcome participants from Amsterdam, Mitrovica, Tilburg, Luxembourg, Gaia, Den Bosch, London, Cologne, Paris, Maastricht, and so many more! Different cities. Different experiences. One shared passion for making a difference.

💙 We can’t wait to connect, learn, collaborate, and inspire one another as we come together to create meaningful change. The more cities, the more connections—and the greater the impact! We look forward to electing STC’s first-ever youth representative to the board.

06/10/2026

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
At Serve the City, we care about our volunteers' mental health, so this week's question is: HOW ARE YOU?

02/10/2026

FRIDAY FOCUS 🇵🇭 Students + Volunteers = Change in Manila!
This week, we’re celebrating Serve the City Philippines and an exciting new chapter in youth volunteer engagement! Founded in 2023 and led by Celso Manangan, Serve the City Philippines has reached an incredible milestone through a new partnership with José Rizal University.

With a student community of 20,000+, this partnership is opening the door to meaningful action on some important community priorities—including:

♻️ Combatting plastic pollution
💙 Launching anti-bullying campaigns in high schools
📚 Increasing literacy
💼 Preparing young adults for the workforce

And there’s an even bigger vision ahead! This partnership will serve as a model as the Serve the City Philippines team reaches out to 200+ universities across the Philippines, encouraging students nationwide to discover the power of volunteering and community service.

We’re celebrating Serve the City Philippines, Celso, the JRU students, and everyone who believes in the power of showing up and serving others. ❤️

01/10/2026

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
What is one moment with Serve the City that has stayed with you?

30/09/2026

✨ Success for Our Very First Training Fair! ✨

What an incredible two days in Cologne!
10 Serve the City cities | 2 days of learning & sharing | Countless new connections

From crisis management and anti-trafficking to trauma-informed volunteering, project design, and AI, our first-ever Training Fair was packed with practical tools, inspiring conversations, and opportunities to grow.
But the best part?
𝗔 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘀.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who joined us, shared their experience, asked questions, and helped make this first Training Fair such a success! Together, we're building safer, stronger, and more impactful volunteering projects in cities around the world. 🌎💙 Here's to learning together—and serving better, together! Oasis Belgium & lightup Germany

Shoutout to all our internal speakers; Sam Wijeyekumar from Serve the City London, Shannon Deal from Serve the City International, Nicolas and Federico from Serve the City Luxembourg and Brandon Brazee Serve the City Köln