YSP Chicago Peace Designer #USA

On March 9, the Youth and Students for Peace (YSP) Program Coordinator, Naria Gaarder, was invited to give the Peace Designer seminar in Chicago. Forty-one students travelled from Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois to participate. They learned about “Hyojeong”, which means “filial heart”, and its value as the foundation for a life of service in creating peace in the world. They then formed teams and created projects to address issues relevant to their local communities.

The seminar was carried out across an all-day training, going through a practical process for planning a “Peace Project” provided in the Peace Designer workbook. Participants were able to provide valuable feedback on the seminar upon conclusion, with the hopes of constantly improving the Peace Designer training.

When asked which aspects of the seminar participants appreciated the most, some shared the following:

“The teachings were interesting and more open-minded.”

“I like the fact that we went through steps since this morning, learning how to create a project of peace.”

“I liked that YSP is inspiring us to take action on the issues we see in our community. If we want to change, we have to be able to take charge and implement it ourselves.”

Three students were appointed as YSP Coordinators in Grand Rapids, Chicago, and Indianapolis and one young adult was appointed as the District Coordinator.

YSP looks forward to holding seminars and launches along with giving community level seminars upon request.