Youth and Service
Tyumen, Russia - A psychologist who initiated the project “SoStudent.ru” and UPF activist, Evgeny Skvortsov, attended the meeting of youth leaders of the Tyumen region March 23-24 and conducted a number of classes for high school students and educators.
Ialoveni, Moldova - UPF-Moldova is organizing a Religious Youth Service project from July 21 to 29 that will include cleaning and repairing a senior citizens center in the Ialoveni region and creating a video promoting interfaith understanding and cooperation.
Samegrelo, Georgia - Building on the success of last July's Religious Youth Service project at an orphanage in Zugdidi, UPF-Georgia is organizing a project in that region of western Georgia from July 21 to 30.
Since 1989, Religious Youth Service has been organizing interfaith service-learning projects for youth in various parts of Thailand. Here is a sampling of reports of projects through 2012.
Since 1992, Religious Youth Service has been offering Sri Lankans a model of how ethnic, religious, and even political differences can be bridged during the 1983-2009 civil war and its aftermath. Here is a sampling of reports through 2011.
Reports of service projects organized by UPF chapters in the summer of 2011.
Vienna, Austria - UPF in Austria has established a tradition to invite a country or region of the world to share its Christmas traditions for the annual Christmas event. In this way has audience has enjoyed the Christmas spirit of Russia, Brazil, and Africa during recent years. This year it was the turn of the Nordic countries of northern Europe.
Tanna, Vanuatu - Through the invitation of UPF-Oceania, the Tafea Provincial President in Vanuatu and four local leaders visited Korea December 1-6, 2011, to learn about Saemaul Undong (Korea's "New Village Movement") and explore the potential for development partnerships. The visit helped leaders in the developing nation of Vanuatu to understand the Saemaul Undong, which played such a significant role in providing the vision and conviction to develop the rural areas in Korea.
Perm, Russia - A round-table discussion on November 22 about how NGOs can contribute to better international and interreligious relations provided an opportunity to describe UPF-Eurasia's regional peace initiatives.
Coming across a T-shirt with the slogan "The Revolution Has Begun - Join the Vision" from a group that I started with some friends at the University of the West Indies reminded me of the Religious Youth Service project we organized in Trinidad & Tobago in 2009.
Vienna, Austria - UPF-Austria in cooperation with the ensemble Rondo Danube Vienna organized a Russian-Austrian Concert on November 20 featuring works by Russian and Austrian composers, including Johann Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov, P.I. Tchaikowsky
Novosibirsk, Russia - UPF-Siberia, together with Women’s Initiative Creative Association cleaned windows for the elderly as part of the "Clean Windows - Clean Hearts" campaign Nov. 4, 2011.