Youth and Service
Portland, Jamaica - RYS joined hundreds of students and community members in Jamaica to celebrate the National Labor Day Project, May 23. The group worked tirelessly to plant over 500 vegetable 12 seedlings and 70 fruit trees, as well as to erect a greenhouse shed at the Buff Bay High School in Portland.
Nabatieh, Lebanon—At a time of increased optimism for stability and peace in May 2008, UPF-Lebanon brought youth from Beirut to the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh to work on a joint peace mural project.
The International Relief Friendship Foundation is partnering with ABITSU (http://abitsu.org), a Burmese NGO, to get relief to the victims of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
To donate please go to the IRFF website at http://www.irff.org
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia - Cleaning, painting and planting trees at Mongolia's principal center of Buddhist learning attracted hundreds of volunteers for a "Service Party Day" on April 27, 2008.
Indonesia - Sixty volunteers took part in a Global Youth Service Day project April 23-27, 2008, in Indonesia, sponsored in part by Religious Youth Service, that included leadership training, visits to religious sites, building a multifunction hall and organizing a cultural evening.
BBC London featured a story on UPF-UK's project, “East London Youth in support of UN Millennium Development Goals,” which took place on April 26. Twenty-five London youth took part in a day of conservation at an East London Nature Reserve, in celebration with the UN-endorsed Global Youth Service Day.
Montclair, New Jersey, United States – Students at Montclair State University took part in an RYS project in conjunction with Service for Peace’s “Peace on Earth Day” celebration, which was highlighted by the unveiling of their Mosaic Peace Bench.
Belize City, Belize - Dr. Hyun Jin Moon received a warm welcome from the acting mayor of Belize City and a handshake from Hon. Manuel Heredia, Jr., Minister of Tourism and Aviation and Hon. Erwin Contreras, Minister of Economic Development and Industry – both dedicated Ambassadors for Peace.
SONGKA, THAILAND - A hundred young volunteers from southern Thailand learned principles of peace and conflict resolution to equip them to serve as peacebuilders in communities threatened by insurgency.
Elubo, Ghana - By the conclusion of a Religious Youth Service project March 21-April 3, 2008, that included building a canteen for students at a school in Elubo, American and European volunteers had learned to sing local songs including the traditional national anthem in the vernacular - "Yen Ara Ya Asase Ni."
Netherlands - Seeking to pass on the Religious Youth Service methodology to a younger generation of leaders, a "Train the Trainers" program was led by Drs. Ron and Sherry Hartman-Burr in cooperation with Carol Pobanz at a university in the Netherlands March 16-19, 2008.
Chiba, Japan - A “New Youth Festival 2008” was held in Chiba, a city next to Tokyo, on March 15 with 550 participants.