FOLLOW US
Religious Youth Service
Tamils and Sinhalese Help Tsunami Survivors on the International Day of Peace
September 21, 2005
Religious Youth Service organized a service project in southern Sri Lanka Sept. 16-24, 2005, to mark the UN International Day of Peace and to help those affected by the tsunami.
Rebuilding After a Tsunami Through Interreligious Harmony
August 24, 2005
Bata Atha, Sri Lanka— An RYS project was held in “Bata Atha,” a remote village in the southern part of Sri Lanka. This area was the worst hit area by the tsunami in December 2004. RYS committee decided to build a community center for the people affected by the tsunami.
Religious Youth Service Rebuilds Homes after Guyana Flooding
August 23, 2005
Georgetown, Guyana - After the January 2005 flooding in which many people lost their homes, and in some cases, their lives, Religious Youth Service participants worked with Habitat for Humanity Aug. 11-23, 2005, on a housing project on the outskirts of Georgetown.
RYS Builds Schools and Education Environment for Orphans in Zambia
August 17, 2005
Ndola, Zambia— The main focus of this RYS project was to have the participants from the different nations and religions cooperate to further build the school, providing a reasonable learning environment for the orphans. Participants built strong relationships with the community by visiting the residents’ homes and organizing various games for and with the children.
RYS Hosts an Interreligious Service Project in Mongolia
August 13, 2005
Mongolia— The participants and leaders of this project came from the diverse religious backgrounds of Islam, Buddhism and Christianity. The work consisted of constructing a wall at the local Buddhist temple, and remaking the interior of the local Islamic mosque. Both were completed with satisfactory success.
RYS Participants Brightens Up Schools in Indonesia
July 11, 2005
Indonesia— The project involved leveling a local schoolyard, laying a bed of sand and cement, and positioning new paving bricks. Also six “restoration teams” (of eight people each) gave the classrooms a much-needed face-lift.
Art as a Service in Creating Peace in the Communities
July 1, 2005
Bristol, England— RYS held an art service project from July 1st to the 9th. Initially many had been skeptical about the project. When they saw the finished work they were surprised at the way the project had inspired many diverse people to unite.
World Peace and the Role of Youth
June 27, 2005
Honduras— Working with the children to give them hope for a brighter future fits with the theme of the project “World Peace and the Role of Youth.” By working together with the children, the young people set an example of love and service.
The Environment as our Spiritual Responsibility
June 22, 2005
Palau— The Palau service project consisted of painting a local high school, the toilet block, sun roof, the girls’ sewing classroom and storeroom block.
Creating Youth Ambassadors for Peace
June 19, 2005
Tenaru, Solomon Islands— The RYS Solomon Islands project was held at St. Joseph’s Secondary College in Tenaru, which is a prominent Catholic school in the area.
RYS-Thailand Modeling the Ideals of World Peace
May 10, 2005
Thailand— The Thailand RYS education program was designed to train participants to become future leaders. Based on the theme “Modeling the Ideals of a World Peace,” the activities focused on team building, conflict resolution, increased awareness and appreciation of interaction styles.
Service to Humanity - the Path to Peace and Unity
May 10, 2005
Perak, Malaysia— The RYS volunteers worked on two distinct locations as participants painted two Bethany Home Residential Quarters and also repaired a residence for a family of 4 handicapped children including the construction of an outlet drain in the vicinity of Bethany Home.
Religious Youth Service Brings Nigerians Hope for Peace
May 9, 2005
Kassa, Nigeria - “The Religious Youth Service has leaped where others could not dare,” commented a journalist who followed the participants as they spent five days in May 2005 doing work in the village of Kassa in Plateau State, site of much destruction caused by religious conflict.
RYS 2005 National and International Projects Review
January 1, 2005
RYS Annual Report 2005—In 2005, we brought the RYS spirit of healing and reconciliation to areas such as Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Indonesia and Thailand, sites of recent religious and ethnic strife.
Religious Youth Service Distributes Medicine and Books in Patawan, Philippines
October 24, 2004
Patawan, Philippines - Participants in a Religious Youth Service project in Patawan, Philippines, Oct. 20-24, 2004, distributed medicine to four villages, painted a school building, distributed reading materials and visited religious sites.
Salt, Jordan Hosts a Religious Youth Service Project
October 12, 2004
Religious Youth Service's first project in the Middle East was arranged in cooperation with Jordan’s Higher Council for Youth. This project had been selected from several proposed by the city of Salt, north of Amman. The work involved clearing the grounds around a disused building and redecorating it so the building could be used as a skills training center for local women and the garden made into a safe play area for their children.
RYS Hosts 'As Friends Project' in Indonesia
October 2, 2004
Jakarta, Indonesia— The 5th RYS drew participants together under the theme of “Building a Culture of Peace and Volunteerism.”
RYS International Director Participates in UN Forum
September 10, 2004
United Nations, New York— RYS International Director, John W. Gehring was invited to be a speaker and panelist representing the Religious Youth Service at a UN DPI/NGO interactive workshop, entitled “The Role of NGO’s in Overcoming Poverty through Education”.
RYS-Guatemala Hosts 19th Friendship Americas
August 25, 2004
Santiago Atitlan, Guatemala—Religious Youth Service Guatemala 2004, took place in the beautiful lakeside town of Santiago Atitlan. This was the 19th Friendship Americas Project and its main focus and theme was “The Role of Youth in the Creation of Global Peace.”
18th Friendship Americas Project Takes Place in Guyana
August 25, 2004
Georgetown, Guyana—Guyana, while hosting its first RYS, provided a warm welcome for participants at the City Hall through the cooperation of Mayor Hamilton Green and the Interfaith Council of Guyana. Majority of the work surrounded around fence construction, painting homes, and environmental cleanup.