Religious Youth Service
UPF chapters organize Religious Youth Service projects that offer service-learning opportunities with a special focus on developing personal leadership and peacemaking skills. Through living together and providing altruistic service in a community, participants demonstrate that it is possible for our global human family to come together in peace for our mutual well being.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: RYS-Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal - About 30 dynamic youth representing different faiths attended this year’s project at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Ven. Kalsang Lama, one of the most revered spiritual leaders in Nepal. Service activities included painting the wall around the peace prayer wheel, and digging out an area for the wall around the monastery.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: RYS-Nepal
Pokhara, Nepal - About 30 dynamic youths representing different faiths attended a Religious Youth Service project in Pokhara September 24 to October 1. Representatives came from the Buddhist, Baha’i, and Jain religions.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: RYS-India
Chennai, India - The Universal Peace Federation and Religious Youth Service, in association with the Federation of Gandhian Institutions, commemorated the International Day of Peace in Chennai, India on September 21, 2010. Interreligious prayers for world peace, nonviolence and ceasefire, and a candlelight vigil marked this occasion.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: John Gehring, Sports for Peace
The following interactive learning exercises can be used as part of Sports for Peace programs.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: Ana M. Cobiella-Olson, RYS Educational Advisor
Cache Cache Douge, Haiti - Expressing a vision emerging from the rubble of the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti, several NGOs, including Religious Youth Service, offered a joy-filled, educationally creative, character building memorable week to Haitian girls in an encampment near Port-au-Prince Aug. 19-29.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: John Gehring, Religious Youth Service
Castries, St. Lucia - A Religious Youth Service project is taking place August 7 to 17 in the verdant Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, noted for its green mountains, white sand beaches, and friendly residents. RYS volunteers are staying in fishing village in Anse-la-Raye just ten miles from the capital city of Castries.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: Ms. Georgia Pearson, RYS Project Director - St. Lucia
Anse la Raye, St. Lucia - International volunteers joined with 14 St. Lucians Aug. 7-17, 2010, in a Friendship Americas project that included rebuilding homes of senior citizens.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: UPF - Hong Kong and Macau
Religious Youth Service Director John Gehring visited Hong Kong and Macau after the May 7-16, 2010 project in Thailand and met with students, religious leaders, and peace activists to explore avenues of interest in Religious Youth Service programs.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: Helen M. Osei, Secretary General, UPF-Ghana
Tamale, Ghana - In the conflict zone of northern Ghana, UPF and Religious Youth Service organized a youth seminar on July 6 and peace rally on July 8, 2010, in coordination with the Community Partnership for Youth and Women Development.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: John Gehring, Religious Youth Service
Bangkok, Thailand - On May 17, the turmoil of a political conflict was spilling into violence in one section of Bangkok. In another section of the city the UPF invited me as International Director of Religious Youth Service to make a presentation about our service-learning activities to leaders from 16 nations of South and South-East Asia.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: RYS-Thailand
Plaeng Yao, Chacheongsao Province, Thailand - Young adults from 10 nations representing five religions came to the rural area of Thailand where the local school had only four classrooms for six grades. When they left the village, they had dramatically elevated the four classrooms nearly four meters, in order to create space below for four new rooms-more than enough space to allow the children to study together with their peers.
- Religious Youth Service
- Written by: Delia C. Javanasundara, UPF-Thailand
Chacheongsao, Thailand - Government officials, Ambassadors for Peace, Muslim leaders, and students welcomed volunteers with Religious Youth Service who are helping to renovate the Prachanukhro School.