Research in and for CISV across Seven Decades: Research/Practice Interfaces in Youth Learning Mobility Organizations

Abstract

This paper examines the organizational interface between research and practice in the field of youth learning mobility. The research is based on insider action research in CISV International (formerly known as Children’s International Summer Villages), an international charity dedicated to non-formal peace education through international educational programmes for children and youth. Across a total of 70 years overall, the paper identifies three periods of research/practice collaboration in CISV. For each period, the relative size of research-related operations in CISV, the content of research, and how the research/practice interface has been designed is discussed. The paper concludes that youth mobility organizations should be prepared to see research/practice interfaces change significantly over time and that each type of interface implies specific trade-offs.