Youth and Service
The 2007 International and Interreligious Peace Sports Festival brought together more than 1,240 participants from some 67 nations and 10 major religions, each with certain dietary laws and daily observances. Held at the spacious Sun Moon University in Asan, South Korea, the IPSF incorporates practical ways to honor the participants' faith teachings into every aspect of the conference.
Guatemala – Seventy-three representatives from various volunteer and service organizations, gathered together with Guatemalan academics and two speakers from the United States in the Embassy for Peace of Guatemala on April 30th, 2007. The 3½-hour conference, structured in Panel-Forum style was sponsored by Guatemala Pro Peace Association (APPG), Religious Youth Service (RYS), and Service for Peace (SFP).
Chennai, India - Religious Youth Service organized an interreligious program for young people and professors from Loyola College in Chennai on April 14, 2007 to inspire them to take up the challenge of bringing together youth across communal and racial barriers.
Nova Certeza, Singapore – The event coincided with the Islamic festival of Hari Raya Haji, when sacrifice of goats and sheep is made in mosques all around Singapore. Participants engaged in community service work, painting and cleaning the Muhammadiyah center.
RYS Annual Report 2007—2007 was another great year for the Religious Youth Service (RYS). Thanks to the work of our dedicated project developers and educators, we were able to provide an environment for many youth from around the world to rise above doctrinal differences, unite in activities of service learning, and develop leadership abilities that enable them to help in the creation of a culture of peace.
UPF-Thailand together with the Foundation for Development and Peace and the International Cultural Educational Foundation were the main organizers of the Thailand-Cambodia Religious Youth Service Project December 14-28, 2006 under the theme “Building a Culture of Heart and Character through Service.”
Thailand/Cambodia – Together with local volunteers, the RYS participants were involved in the restoration of several educational facilities. In Thailand, service took place in the Buddhist community of Samut Prakan. Most of the participants (about 35) departed early to go to Siem Reap, Cambodia, where they worked in the Islamic community at the Qamaruddin Al-Islamiyan School located beside the mosque.
Clifton, New Jersey, USA – The RYS Educators Conference was held to further standardize our educational plan and create a manual that project leaders can use as a guideline for any future RYS/Peace Park projects.
Australia – On November 25th Fazida Razak, an RYS Global manager held an EID celebration at her home in order to celebrate the end of Ramadan. This celebration was also an opportunity to acknowledge the co-partners of Building Bridges events in 2006 and to forge stronger ties for 2007.
India – Participants were warmly welcomed by the Muthuvan tribal people, who were very happy to receive outsiders coming to offer substantial help. The RYS participants were instrumental in the critical reconstruction of a local school building, destroyed by the monsoons.
A Religious Youth Service project Aug. 27-Sept. 3, 2006, at Kandapola brought together participants in a common bond to help renovate a government school building and provide it with pipe-borne water.
Kandapola, Sri Lanka – This year Sri Lanka had a unique RYS program called the CELEBRATION OF LIFE. Participants helped to provide a running water facility for the area around the Methodist College in Kandapola, as well as upgrading the Primary section of the school.