Menu
Click on the programmes below to find out more:
Through our global initiatives, we aim to promote a greater understanding of people, places and cultures, through the education of peace, environment and global friendship. Our programmes seek to raise awareness and enhance sustainable development across the HI network.
“Our world is increasingly rife with division and conflict, within our communities, our countries and across national and international borders.
Today young people can too easily find themselves in the middle of violence, their well-being threatened, and life chances jeopardized.
For more than 90 years, Hostelling International, through its 70 member associations all around the world, has joined with young people to deliver our mission of global understanding and cultural exchange. Our hostels not only provide access to affordable, sustainable travel but importantly, safe spaces to engage in meaningful dialogue and grow friendships for young people of all nations, with no distinctions of race, nationality, colour, religion, gender, class or political opinions. Our global programs like ‘Say HI for Peace’ promote unity, and a more tolerant world through greater understanding of people, places and cultures.
As global citizens we believe communities, economies and environments can only thrive in peace and collaboration. We value all human lives equally and encourage restraint. We stand together for peace and humanity. As such, we urge all governments to prioritize efforts to protect the rights of young people to have a safe place to live, free from threat or harm.”
A celebration, every 21 September of the positive impact travel has on peace building
At HI we believe that exploration and travel lead to a better understanding of other cultures, and in turn, this creates a peaceful, smarter, and more tolerant world. As such we believe it is important to promote tolerance and peace by celebrating the UN’s International Day of Peace through our Say Hi for Peace (previously Sleep for Peace) campaign. The Say HI for Peace campaign was originally known as Sleep for Peace was established by HI USA in 2013 in recognition of the important role hostels play in promoting cultural diversity and fostering intercultural exchanges that can lead to global dialogue.
The idea was adopted by Hostelling International in 2015, it has since spread to HI hostels in over 32 countries and has gained the support of the UNWTO. HI hostels offer safe, quality environments that are ideal platforms for stimulating meaningful conversations and creating connections that can last a lifetime. Participating hostels, host events that promote the importance of travel in encouraging tolerance through opening global conversations. Throughout the week, hostels in the HI network around the world will synchronise celebratory efforts, rallying around a single message, and adding their own flavour to it, reflecting the uniqueness of each location and each hostel’s role. Our initiative is supported by the UNWTO and has been growing in numbers and more importantly in significance over the years.
Working towards achieving carbon neutrality
For over 100 years the hostelling movement has been a pioneer of sustainable practices. We are partners of myclimate to help offset your overnights and we have a Sustainability Fund to support hostel initiatives.
Since 2013, the HISF has caught the attention of, more than, 65,000 people who have supported and voted for their favourite projects.
When choosing to offset your overnight, you also contribute 0.10 GBP per night to finance sustainable initiatives that reduce the carbon emissions of our hostels. In order to decide which great projects to support, we run a yearly competition in which we ask you, our guests, our sustainability coordinators and an international jury to choose their favourites.
Over the last 7 years, 23 projects have been selected for their innovative contributions towards reducing C02 emissions and their work towards achieving sustainable livelihoods. Collectively the prize fund has totalled £170,000, received from over 238,000 unique donations, all of which have gone directly into funding each of these 23 inspiring projects.
Through these projects, the hostels have reduced their CO2 emissions by approximately 670 tonnes per annum, and prove their commitment to the HI Sustainability Strategy, the SDGs and proven themselves as inspirational role models within the HI network. These projects serve as a springboard for ideas, generating a trickle-down effect, encouraging continuous improvement for others and engaging our guests.
Offsetting over 6,420 Tonnes of Carbon since 2012
Since 2012 we have been in partnership with myclimate with the goal of fighting climate change through calculating and compensating for CO2 emission by working with hostels and offering guests the option to mitigate their CO2 emissions when booking overnight stays. This option is currently offered in 35 countries. All contributions flow to three international myclimate UN Gold Standard Projects where we provide new jobs, contribute to local growth and increased levels of health.
Facilitating mobility and capacity building
HI-Connect has been facilitating capacity building across the HI Network since 2013, through the mobility of staff, volunteers and others. The programme provides staff and where appropriate, volunteers and young people with a unique opportunity to experience life and work in another country and offers the opportunity
Regardless of what your personal and professional objectives are, you can rely on certain solid elements to guarantee the quality of your mobility activity, to ensure this we provide the following
