Learning from History... Taking a Stand Today... Building a positive Future...

 

Aktion Sühnezeichen Friedensdienste, or Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ARSP), is a German peace and volunteer service organization founded in the aftermath of World War II to confront the legacy of the Nazi regime.

 

At its onset, the mission of ARSP was to volunteer in countries affected by World War II and to work with the peoples who suffered during the Nazi regime. The founders of ARSP called upon young Germans to work for peace through social services in these countries as a sign of atonement.

 

The mission has evolved. It now includes learning from Germany’s history, taking a stand against racism and hatred today, and creating a positive future for everyone. We believe that by acknowledging the past and learning from our history we can work for a better world.

 

ARSP's mission is accomplished through long-term and short-term volunteer programs. In the long-term program approximately 190 volunteers are currently serving in 12-month assignments in social service and educational projects in Eastern and Western Europe, Israel, and the United States. The short-term program is comprised of about 400 young people each year who volunteer for two to three weeks in summer camps, working at memorial sites, on Jewish cemeteries, and in social service programs.

 

ARSP is committed to combating racism and anti-Semitism, and to supporting peace.

“I see my time as a volunteer as an opportunity to contribute to the understanding between Muslims and Jews and between Germans and US-Americans. As an individual this is of course difficult. But perhaps I can simply be a role-model.”

Aness Yacoubi from Wolfsburg, ASF-volunteer in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C.