12–16 December 2025 marked a historic milestone for IPSYSO as we successfully carried out our first international volunteering project in Serbia. Organized in partnership with the Center for Youth Integration, this initiative brought together psychology students, volunteers, and local organizations to create meaningful social impact through intercultural collaboration and community engagement.
As part of the project, a team of five volunteer psychology students from Türkiye represented IPSYSO in Serbia, where they actively participated in a variety of educational, social, and community-based activities. Throughout the program, our volunteers worked directly with children from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, supporting their personal development through interactive workshops, creative activities, group games, and psychosocial engagement.
Beyond working with children, the project also focused on strengthening international cooperation. IPSYSO held partner meetings with local organizations and stakeholders, exchanging ideas, discussing future collaborations, and exploring new opportunities for international youth and psychology initiatives. These meetings laid the foundation for long-term partnerships and demonstrated the importance of cross-border cooperation in addressing social challenges.
The experience provided our volunteers with valuable opportunities to develop their leadership, teamwork, intercultural communication, and community engagement skills while gaining firsthand experience in international volunteering. At the same time, the project fostered cultural exchange, allowing participants from different backgrounds to learn from one another and build lasting friendships.
This project represented far more than a volunteering experience—it marked the beginning of IPSYSO’s international journey. By combining psychology with social responsibility and global collaboration, we reaffirmed our commitment to empowering young people, supporting vulnerable communities, and creating positive change beyond national borders.
Our first international project in Serbia became the starting point of a growing global vision, inspiring future international collaborations and strengthening IPSYSO’s mission of connecting psychology students through meaningful social impact worldwide.