Chris: YPN 2008 Participant (USA)

Living the Youth Peace Network experience during the summer of 2008 gave me the capacity to return to Kalamazoo and begin working towards a better community. It is exciting to know that 17 other young leaders are about to share in this transformative experience and I am anxious to learn of their peace building efforts. I feel compelled to tell you about some of the local and international peace building work I've become involved with in recent months.


Roots for Reconciliation: August 24 to August 30, 2009 - Yerevan, Armenia
Fortune smiled upon me as I again had another summer opportunity to represent the YMCA of the USA during this substantial peace building project in Yerevan, Armenia. Sixty-five of the region and world's best YMCA leaders convened in the Aremenian capitol to share with one another the best practices and strategies for building peace in the region. This profest, was a relationship and skill building experience of significant scope and importance. The first three years of the project included annual retreats and arts festivals bringing together young YMCA leaders from across borders to work at building peace through aligning goals and activities. As a member of the YMCA of the USA team I experienced first hand (again) the strength of the YMCA movement. Learning about incredible projects at developing YMCA's across Aremenia. The work YMCA volunteers and staff in Armenia have been accomplishing is vital to the community and inspirational to other YMCA leaders around the world.Roots for Reconciliation is a structure becoming more widely used for international peace building efforts. The main resources of the process, as I understand them, are as follows:

• Find the good in others
• Understand the barriers and how to work through them
• Create dialogue
• Play and build good memories together
• Understand all the causes before identifying solutions
• Do no harm, first.
• Discover more about the Roots for Reconciliation project.

Building a Community of Belonging Forum: March 18, 2010 - Kalamazoo, Michigan

As a YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo representative and community partner of the Arcadia Institute, I was a member of the planning and presentation committee. This was an incredible opportunity for myself and our YMCA. We hosted over 70 local and statewide organizations and leaders at a day long forum about Kalamazoo working as a leading community of belonging. This work is just underway and you can learn more by visiting thearcadiainstitute.org.



  Family Night Events: Year round - Kalamazoo, Michigan

At the YMCA Maple Branch, over 150 people, including 40 families, 12 volunteers and five community partners have come together to enjoy, experience, learn and share at our Family Fun Night events. Open to the community and free to members, Family Fun Nights like Passport to the World, Kids in the Kitchen and the Earth Day Fair provided opportunities for families to be engaged across the YMCA pillars of Youth Development, Health and Wellness, and Social Responsibility. YMCA and community families learned the benefits of nutrition and smart grocery shopping as they were given the resources to prepare a family meal together at Kids in the Kitchen. During the H2O Challenge at the Earth Day Fair, families worked as a team as they experienced the significance of global resource consumption. By playing games and eating foods from different countries, families enjoyed a variety of cultures at Passport to the World. The event concluded with a presentation about the ongoing YMCA of Armenia project: Roots for Reconciliation, demonstrating the strength and relevance of the YMCA Movement’s worldwide impact.

 

During Family Fit and Fun, 110 people, comprised of 28 families, experienced the diversity of YMCA fitness programs on a weekly basis. Activities included family zumba, nature hikes, soccer, kickboxing and cycling, and were followed by a chance for multiple families to “break bread” together with intentional social time featuring healthy produce and grains from local, natural and organic sources. Family Fit and Fun succeeded in providing families the opportunity to share and support their health journey with one another.
 

YMCA Community Garden: April 23, 2010 to current - Kalamazoo, Michigan

The YMCA Maple Branch has started a community garden on the South Lawn. Ground breaking occurred at the Earth Day Fair. Families and volunteers from Romania and Sudan worked together as a “small community” to create a 100 square foot garden. The garden serves as the focal point of outdoor, healthy food healthy kids healthy community learning experiences. The garden aims at promoting social interaction, opportunities for therapy, exercise, and recreation. Growing in the garden are: carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, parsley, basil, rosemary, dill, cilantro, green beans, sunflowers and marigolds!

Open Roads Bike Program: April 15, 2010 to current - Kalamazoo, Michigan

Don't know about Open Roads? You better get with it. This partnership with the YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo is teaching teens how to fix and repair bikes (which they get to keep as their own) and the soft skills of how to succeed in the workplace. The difference in just 6 weeks is unprecedented and kind of scary. Teens have gone from barely wanting to talk with you, to looking straight into your eyes as they listen intently and respond in a respectful manner. Kudos to Eric C. and Chris B. from the Open Roads staff for succeeding in creating this outcome. Confidence and skillz are about to be taking the city of Kalamazoo over. The YMCA of Greater Kalamazoo will be hosting this program at least twice this summer. More info to come!
 

The work in Kalamazoo is just beginning! This summer I hope to teach conflict resolution skills and inspire peace through a free camp program in a local at-risk neighborhood. More information about YMCA on the Road to follow. In the mean time, please share with me your ideas and ways I can support your work in the effort of peace.

Bosco: YPN 2009 Participant (Hong Kong)

Ths Sichuan Project

 One of the projects that Uni-Y is doing is the Sichuan project. The project was initiated by YMCA of Hong Kong and it is a social enterprise which number of students are being engaged to the projects. Students from Uni-Y have been to Sichuan to interact with the local people and collect the Dolls (Sichuan Wa Wa, wa wa in Chinese is doll) that the local people made (totally handmade). Funding would be provided for producing the wa wa. After that, the organizers and students would bring those Sichuan Wa Wa to Hong Kong and decorate them before sale. The revenue would be used for supporting Sichuan people and the school that YMCA of Hong Kong has built in Sichuan.

Also, the organic farm in Hong Kong is also one of the social enterprise initiated by the YMCA of Hong Kong supported by the local Government. And that was a site visit with the Uni-Y committee members and YMCA staff. The aim is to have an organic farm visit experience and more importantly, brainstorm what can we bring to the organic farm. One of the directions is to bring in people from business companies, families of the minorities staying in Hong Kong from Southern Asia (they are poor and sometimes being discriminated by local people) and also university students for day camp and even overnight camp in the organic farm. This can engage different stakeholders to the organic farm and provide the different parties their benefits. (Business Companies can demonstrate their Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), the awareness of the minorities could be raised and students can gain more exposure to the social problems as well as getting close to the business companies which later maybe suitable for their career path.

Talking about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), I was working in a 2-day shadow program in Burberry CSR department in Asia Pacific locating in HK. And I was doing research with my partner regarding the CSR issue. A presentation was done at the end of the program.

Dimas: YPN 2009 Participant (Panama)

La Red Social
Person in Charge: Dimas Diaz

Precedents
Delinquency and other social problems are more frequent each day in children and teenagers. Drugs, alcohol, bands are a temptation for residents of the Old town of Panama (San Felipe). The children are the most affected, because if they don’t have other activities to spend the time, they can fall in those problems.

 Objectives
-To encourage the outdoor activities where the children could play and practice some sport in public areas in the Old town of Panama.
-To support the football leagues for children already existent in San Felipe.

Methodology
- First, We need to know the needs to help them to organize outdoor activities.
-We will be a support when the activities have been made.
-We will be the link between the community and organizations that could participate in activities in benefit of children.

Benefit
- The children will benefit with outdoor activities that could maintain them away of delinquency and other social problems.
-To long term, we could show to government the necessary intervention in public areas to improve the actual situation in Old town of Panama.

Nancy: YPN 2009 Participant (Argentina)

During May, in the YMCA Argentina we did the pre camps with the different groups of children (between 3 to 5 years), who are present at the regular program. This activity is the first part of the project, which culminates in October with the spring camps. In the YMCA Argentina the development of the camps is considered to be one of fundamental tools for the integral education of the children. From this aspect, one is constituted of the general objective that it is to promote the direct contact with the nature and the discovery of the greatness of the creation.

The teachers of every group design a set of activities according to the ages and of your interests.
Only, the group of little children (3 to 5 years) went away of exit of going and turned in the day. In this opportunity, they visited an educational farm, where they realized workshops linked with the environmental care, contact animals of farm in a small zoo.

The group of children of 6 to 9 years, had an experience of two days, in that they played in contact in the nature, learned to do rustic constructions. Some of the children slept the first time in tent. The group of 10 to 13 years, in the main they are children who already have experiences about camp previous years. They enjoy of many games. They realized workshops of skills of camp, especially kitchen workshops. The group of young persons, who take part in the program of leadership, also took your first camp as a part of the process of formation. For several years, I am the teacher in charge of this training. The contents that develop during both days of training are it brings activities over of teamwork, planning, execution and conduction. In this experience the participants develop principally tasks of leadership. Really, is amazing opportunity to share and learn about others and different experiences.

This year, this camp had a particular characteristic. Because there joined two groups of persons who did not know themselves. They are taking part of the program of young leadership. A group is from Buenos Aires and other group from Rosario. Both places are two big cities of Argentina, where YMCA has presence. Really, it was a very good experience that I learn.

Youth Peace Network 2010 Participants

Shoshana Edwards: Jamaica

My name is Shoshana Edwards and I represent the Kingston YMCA of Jamaica. I'm looking foward to making new friends this summer and gaining a greater knowledge to become a better leader in my YMCA. At my YMCA I teach arts and crafts in the Special Life-Coping Skills Program that aids mentally challenged adults to earn an income outside of the mainstream workforce.





Putra Simanjuntak: Indonesia

By the daily experience, exercise, and reflection about world relationships, I am looking for the deepest meaning of peace; how to understand it, share, help others around me to realize peace is coming. So may the of spirit of peace be with us.







Viktor Melnyk: Ukraine

During the YPN program I am looking forward to develope my leadership skills in our multicultural YPN team, I am also looking forward to getting the practical experience of working in the YMCA camps of Greater Vancouver.








Chan Kim Lui: Hong Kong

My name is Raise and I came from Hong Kong. I have worked as a camp councilor in the YMCA of Hong Kong for the past 2 years. I am looking forward to meet all the people from different countries, and know more about them. I love all the YPNers here including Karena & Britny, we have already developed a deep friendship. I believe in peace.






Francis Mlay: Tanzania

I am a teacher in one of the shcools runned by the Tanzania YMCA, know as St. Margareth Girls Secondary School, which is located at Marangu in the Moshi rural area. I am also a youth wisemen representative in Tanzania and a chairman in the environmental club at my school. I am looking forward to learn more about peace making, how to take care of children, and different modes and techniques used by Canadian schools. I want to lean about the Canadian culture and environmental conservation, and share my experiences with the other YPNers because I know each person in the world has different potential in their life, which could help me to build a strong and sustainable club in preparing future leaders in Tanzania and the world at large.


Esther Wangui: Kenya

My name is Esther Wangui from the Kenyan YMCA. I work as a youth leader in Nyeri, which is in the centreal province. This summer I intend to share my country with my fellow youth and children, and learn what they are doing in their countries. I look forward to having lots of fun especially on the outdoor adventure sports. I hope to meet new friends, build networks, and above all become a global citizen!!!





Pebbles Sanchez: Philippines

Mabuhay! I am Pebbles Sanchez from the Philippines. I am a youth volunteer of the YMCA in Quezon City. I have been the chairperson of the Youth Volunteer Workers' Group and have lead many programs and activities at my local YMCA such as the annual Hi-Y Student Leaders Conference , the Red Triangle Forum, the Seach for Outstanding Campus Journalists, and the Young writers and Talent Olympics, among others. I am so excited to learn and share about peace, global education and culture. I can't wait to gain new experiences and meet wonderful people during the YPN.




Anastasiya Velenets: Belarus.

Hello to everyone!! I am Anastasiya Velenets from the "blue eyed" Eastern Europe country - Belarus. I'm representing my local organization, YMCA Brest, as a chairperson. I am looking forward to sharing ideas, energy and a postive mood with all of the YPNers. I'm also looking forward to creating inspiration to begin  to build an international youth peace.
With love, Ana





Marina Savioli: Brazil

I am looking forward to the intercultural exchange, making new friends, getting to know Vancouver, learning about everything the YPN has to offer, improve my english, and develop skills like leadership while having fun.








Feng Situ: China

My given name is Feng and my family name is Situ. I come from China. My YMCA is located in Nanjing. I am so glad to participate in the YPN program. It's so exciting! You can make a lot of new friends here and many good eperiences for peace. I want ot pass more challenges, especially languages. I also want to build a very firm friendship between all the YPNers.






Caiaphers Mulenga: Zambia

I am so glad to be able to participate in the Youth Peace Network this year. I am looking forward to learning more about the intercultural communitaction exchange, and volunteering at the summer camps in Vancouver.








Sofia Drucaroff: Argentina

Hi! My name is Sofia, and I am a volunteer from the YMCA of Argentina. I am here in Vancovuer with a great group of people and we are having a great time all together. My hope for this experience is to learn many things, to grow as a person, and to bring more peace to my life and then transmit it to the people in my country. If we all work together we can build a better world. Join us!





Danny Schoenyl: United States

My name is Danny Schoenyl and  I am from the United States, representing the YMCA of Illinois. I am extremely excited to be apart of the YPN program, learning more about different cultures and experiencing a sense of peace and understanding among a global community. Its a wonderful experience for us to grow as individuals and together as a whole.






Jhon Moncada: Colombia

My name is Jhon J. Moncada and I am from Colombia. I am a volunteer of the ACJ-YMCA Cali. During this program, I hope to learn many things about peace and culture, global education, and conflict resolution. When I return to my country I want to share everything that I have learned.







Anton Surej: Sri Lanka

I am looking forward to developing both my leadership and language skills. Further, I hope to build up partnerships among the different YMCAs overseas.








Natalia Hernandez: Mexico

I am looking forward to learning many fun activities, sharing our cultures, building strong relationships, and developing teamwork to improve my skills as a volunteer for the YMCA of Mexico.








Maguette Diouf: Senegal

My name is Maguette Diouf, and my nickname is Max. I come from Senegal, West Africa, and I'm a leader of YMCA/Union de Jeunes Gens Gliretieur de Feregal (UJGC)/Senegal. This summer will very interesting because I will have the chance to see other cultures and open my mind to the problems of the world.

YPN 2010 has Officially Started!

Our eighth annual YMCA Youth Peace Network is well underway. This year’s group consists of 17 young YMCA leaders from: Sri Lanka, Colombia, Philippines, China, Indonesia, Kenya, Tanzania, Belarus, Brazil,, Argentina, Ukraine, Hong Kong, Jamaica, United States of America, Zambia, Mexico and Senegal. They spent three fun but exhausting weeks in Vancouver participating in workshops, discussions and some sightseeing. They are now off to Camp Howdy and Camp Elphinstone to interact with and help broaden Canadian kids’ and staffs’ global perspectives.

Back Row (Left to Right): Karena (Program Coordinator), Esther (Kenya), Shoshana (Jamaica), Danny (USA), Putra (Indonesia), Jhon (Colombia), Caiaphers (Zambia), Viktor (Ukraine), Anton (Sir Lanka), Feng (China), Raise (Hong Kong), Pebbles (Philippines), Natalia (Mexico), Brittany (YPN Program Staff)
Front Row (Left to Right): Anastasiya (Republic of Belarus), Marina (Brazil), Max (Senegal), Sofia (Argentina), Francis (Tanzania)