By Kate Tsubata

We have a three-generational family that interacts daily. Our married children all live within a one-block radius. We share errands, child care, vehicles, meals. You might say we have an extended family lifestyle.

This wasn’t accidental, in fact it is the fruit of our intention – a result of our values and cultural convictions – that the extended family is the best model for our children and grandchildren and larger community.

As a young reporter, I had observed and interviewed a lot of immigrant families who initially lived in circumstances far worse than the poorest Americans. But, by living multi-generationally, they pooled resources and provided important support systems for each other.

Multiple generations within immigrant families in America support each other to establish livelihoods

These families operated differently than the nuclear families. Together they rapidly changed their circumstances. They lived together, invested in business, education or other priorities together, and often helped other relatives get a start. Within a decade, they were business owners, homeowners and their kids were doing well. Soon, clusters of these extended families became a cultural nexus where cuisine, language, businesses, arts and faith practices could be shared. Chinatown, Little Saigon, Little Italy, or other cultural areas developed. Walking a U.S. city, one can experience the sights and smells and tastes from dozens of other nations. I realized that these families were succeeding, not because they were innately harder working or smarter, but because they operated on the extended family model.

I realized the “extended family” was a highly efficient system for eliminating expense and meeting needs. The families consolidated the cost of housing, cars, food and furnishings. Cooking, cleaning, childcare, laundry, and bill-paying were all shared. More importantly, the multi-generational family model provided social, emotional, and spiritual support: no one was lonely or isolated, children grew up surrounded by attentive adults, young adults and growing families could draw on the wisdom and support of older families, and aging members could rely on the support of younger generations. If there was a problem, there were several relatives right there who were aware and able to help resolve it.

Most Americans, by contrast, are raised to prioritize independence. At age 11, I was earning my own money, and began paying for my own needs (glasses, braces, clothes). I saved my own money for college. I understood that at age 18, I was on my own—and that’s pretty much what happened. “Leaving home” seemed the automatic sign of maturation. Adulthood meant independence and self-reliance.

Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—were people seen on special occasions only. I loved and delighted in knowing them—but never considered them as a source of support or daily interactions. It was unheard of to ask a family member for a loan or even rather mundane favors.

My husband is Japanese. His cultural experience of family vastly differed from mine. And while we both embraced the freedom America offered, we didn’t like the separation and division. Therefore, we built a different structure that “married” aspects of the West and East. We chose to build a family that prioritized our values, had strong interdependence – consolidating strengths and supporting each other’s needs – and invested in our community.

So, as our children grew up, I chose to work from home, doing freelance and contractor projects, rather than in workplace-based jobs. We lived frugally but invested in our community and our family. We saw our family as the primary place to build spirituality and daily ethics; church, school and other institutions were resources, but our real spiritual center was the home.

Children participate in community service organized by Global Peace Foundation in Brazil.

Community building was always important to us. We worked to benefit our neighborhood, and to contribute our strengths in unique ways. As a journalist, I valued communication, so we created a newsletter that quickly was adopted as an official organ of the civic association. I could investigate, report, write and print from my own home. My husband would deliver the final paper to every house in the community.

With the power of the word, we could highlight good things people were doing, and bring problems to the attention of the residents, always seeking positive solutions. We initiated projects—community clean up days, educational theater projects, events to bring neighbors together. Our children grew up helping and learning how to organize such activities. They also learned that it’s important to take care of your community.

As they matured, we encouraged them to discover the unique talents and gifts that God had given them—and to develop those to accomplish great things. One became a dancer and choreographer—another a filmmaker—another an IT specialist. They all took different routes to attain their goals, supported by the family as a whole.

Marriage is also extremely important to us, and the development of wholesome and healthy relationships was a big focus especially during my children’s teen years. We embraced a non-dating, courtship-based structure for finding a partner, prioritizing the person’s ethical attributes and familial commitment. The young couples all lived with us after marriage, throughout their college or training periods, and as they began having children. When they became established financially, and had some savings, they purchased homes within our same neighborhood—literally a block away. Now, all three families live in close proximity, and see each other daily.

What has emerged is a type of three-generational family spread over a community platform. Errands are handled communally. If one person is going to the store, they message the others, and ask if anyone needs anything. If someone has a doctor’s appointment, the others take the kids. If someone is doing a huge task, or going out of town, the other households pitch in, lending logistical support.

Whether someone is remodeling or having a party, it’s understood that the others are automatically going to help. If an emergency takes place, everyone responds. When there is good news, everyone gets told immediately.

But we are much more than a logistical support, we are also each other’s processing system, providing emotional back up and analytical support. If someone is stressed, frustrated, worried or angry, they have others to turn to who are highly invested in a positive outcome for all the participants. Typical stresses on young families are more easily dealt with when grandparents are there to give perspective. Trusted and invested third-parties like grandparents help couples and families monitor their priorities and hold each other accountable to long-term goals, rather than momentary triggers.

Three generations of a Mongolian family pose for a photo together

The extended family also provides enormous support for the growing children. From birth, they receive and respond to love from multiple family members, all with special qualities. Their dads, uncles and grandfathers model strengths and capabilities in various fields and have different hobbies as well. Their mothers, aunties, grandmothers provide a consistent and cohesive emotional support network; issues of rules, discipline and milestones are discussed and implemented jointly.

Our choices have given us a lot of joy. Everyone within the family is highly engaged in their personal development, while also supporting each other. We are able to deal with issues as they arise, and tap into possibilities and experiences that would not be available without the additional levels of life experience and skill sets that our extended family offer.

What is more, I have seen our family values, like the virtues of hospitality, honor for others, and helpfulness continue into relationships in society as the definition of “extended family” expands to include our community and workplace. These neighbors and colleagues are quickly transformed into “aunts and uncles” and their kids into “cousins.” The models of elder and younger siblings become the template for how to relate to an extended family.

The power of a family is not “additive” (where one plus one plus one equals two) but exponential. The dynamics of the intergenerational family multiply the power of each person and create a culture that naturally extends outward, touching many others as well. It exerts an almost magnetic force, drawing in others and helping them experience the power of familial love.

At the heart of a family is love, and that love—experienced through multiple generations, through both male and female relatives, and through elder and younger counterparts—is a very vibrant and compelling force. My personal experience in our extended family leads me to believe that strong and loving extended family supports individual fulfillment and the creation of a healthy, vibrant and prosperous community.

Kate Tsubata is a U.S.-based journalist, filmmaker and volunteer in her community. She founded “WAIT,” a youth performing arts group teaching HIV and AIDS awareness, which has reached 24 nations.  She is currently producing “Dancing Joy,” a feature documentary of world dance to Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with the involvement of her entire family.

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Reflecting back on a tumultuous and unpredictable 2017, there were areas of development and growth that proved to be a “silver-lining” of opportunity amidst crises. With a vision and a growing multi-sectoral network of moral, innovative leaders, Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon worked to advance peace and development in the following key areas in 2017:

• Moral and innovative leadership
• Korean Reunification
• Family Peace Association
• Global Peace Economic Models

Guided by universal principles and a vision, Dr. Moon continues this work in synergistic partnership with leaders from around the globe.

Come be a part of building a world of One Family Under God in 2018!

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“The role of God-centered families is central to all positive human development since it brings back the divinity in that sacred institution and aligns it to the original purpose of creation. Without such families, humanity will not have the moral clarity and conviction to take on the challenges of this age and build a brighter future for our children and grandchildren.” —Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon (Inauguration of the Family Peace Association, December 2, 2017)

Dr. Hyun Jin Moon held the inaugural ceremony for the Family Peace Association on December 2, 2017 in Seoul, Korea.

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Moon said:

Dr. Hyun Jin P. Moon and Dr. Junsook Moon, cofounders of the Family Peace Association

“The family is the most basic of all social units that addresses our most essential physical, emotional and spiritual needs. Thus, it is universally relevant and meaningful to our human experience. It engenders, molds and defines who we are, what we become and, most importantly, our deepest relationships. Therefore, it is the natural starting point for any meaningful transformation on the individual, family, societal, national and worldwide levels.”

Dr. Moon emphasized the universality of the family, a common ground for cooperation among people of faith and conscience to continually uplift the spiritual consciousness of humanity.

The Family Peace Association is designed as an association of people from diverse faiths, nationalities and cultures united by their common commitment to building and supporting God-centered families as the foundation for a world of peace.

Dr. Moon’s conviction is that the family is the most natural place to care for and nurture every individual. The family is also the first and primary place to raise individuals with values that will help them become ethical citizens who build societies and nations that make up a world of peace.

For more than two decades, Dr. Moon has invested his efforts to creating a world of peace and cultivating God-centered families. The establishment of the Family Peace Association reflects his efforts to reach every individual and family in a meaningful and practical way, as well as to honor his promise to his late father, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, to work together to build a world of peace through God-centered families.

May 2018 bring significant development in supporting the creation of families that give substance to the truth, goodness and love of God in their communities and world.

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A new year is just around the corner. With the time-honored tradition of New Year’s resolutions, it’s the season for renewed determination to accomplish higher goals and achieve healthier daily physical, mental, and spiritual habits.

Making individual goals can be easy to make but it’s very tough to keep yourself accountable. It’s always a good idea to have a network and team to help you make it to the top. And what better team than your family: the people who challenge you and love you the most.

This year, you can set goals as a family to help each other stay accountable and create habits that not only make YOU a better person in 2018, but can help your family become a source of support and love that is a catalyst for building peace in your community and world.

Here are five habits you can work on as a family to kick-start a Happy New Year:

1. Eat meals together. Even if you can’t get the family together every evening for a shared meal, try to set at least one or two days each week. Research shows that families who eat together improve their communication skills and strengthen family values.
2. Say thank you often. Expressing gratitude is a simple but essential aspect of building up every family member’s character, confidence and humility, which turns out to not only make you a better person, but also a better leader inside and outside your own family.
3. Expand your notion of family. Do community service together. Service is a natural way to care for those less fortunate, and acknowledge that the community is part of our extended family. It is also a great way to model good citizenship for children and build up self-confidence, creativity and a sense of purpose for the whole family. Researchers say these kind of experiences create fond lifelong memories that contribute to a person’s sense of happiness and fulfillment.
4. Go outside. Nature is the best classroom for us to discover and reflect on our spirituality and learn lessons that can transform our whole outlook on life. Whether your family wants to hike, camp, participate in sports, visit a park or simply go for a walk, there is so much to learn and memories to make in the great outdoors. It’s called “great” for a reason.
5. Dream big. Moving forward into the New Year, talk about what all of you hope to contribute to the world as a family. It’s never too late to set new goals, no matter what time of year, and to start making steps towards the greatest dream of all: One Family under God.

What healthy family habit will your family work on in 2018?

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A report in 2014 by the Pew Research center reported an increase of nearly 2 million people a year living with multiple generations in the United States during the 2007-2010 recession. More interestingly, the study revealed that the recession caused only a minor spike in an already steady growth of multigenerational living.

The nuclear family model, where a household consists of parents and their unwed children is a relatively recent phenomenon. It was only largely after WWII that it became the norm in the United States, and it is one that is currently experiencing a reversal as many are opting for multi-generational living configurations. What is more, while the nuclear family model appears to be prevalent in some developed nations, the norm in much of the world continues to be multigenerational, extended family type units.

There are many benefits to the extended family model. In his book, Korean Dream: A Vision for a Unified Korea, Dr. Moon points out some of these in his exploration of the traditional Korean extended family model. Here are four:

1. A Rich Web of Meaningful Relationships

An extended family includes aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, parents and siblings, a rich web that includes a range of generations, genders and personalities. This model has multiple benefits for everyone involved. It is an ideal place for a person to learn good values and to cultivate virtues such as respect, cooperation, self-sacrifice, sincerity, hard work, pursuit of excellence and responsibility. Passing down these values from one generation to the next happens primarily in the family and is key to successfully raising responsible, engaged citizens who strengthen the communities and societies that encircle them. What’s more, teaching respect for diversity first within the family enables each person to extend out respect and care for others in spite any and all differences.

2. Interconnected Generations

In the extended family, generations and families remain connected to each other. This connection through time provides multiple benefits. The relationships between grandparents, parents and children form the thread that connects a person to their heritage and offers a foundation for personal identity, providing a sense of pride and purpose tied to the larger whole. This sense of history and connection has also been shown to make children more resilient, able to overcome hardships in ways that hold valuable lessons for what we now call “fragile families” or “vulnerable populations.” This intergenerational connection allows families to make progress with every generation, not just economically, but in wisdom and tradition, gleaning from the mistakes and successes of previous generations to build for the happiness of succeeding generations.

3. Physical, Psychological and Emotional Well-Being

There have been a number of scientific studies that show that connectedness and relationships have a direct impact on the physical, psychological and emotional well-being of a person. The extended family and all its varied relationships are lasting. Trusted adults in an extended family are willing to remain connected and even when tested, such relationships can provide a strong sense of connectedness and belonging. A family can also provide the care and intervention sometimes needed to manage or cure illness and disorders.

4. Social Safety Net

The family is the most natural place to meet the needs of each of its members through the continuum of life in a loving and caring environment. From housing to childcare, chauffeuring, cooking and cleaning, physical and mental health care, education, loans, investing, and passing on important wisdom, the extended family can provide a social safety net that considers the entire person: their spiritual, emotional and physical needs, and various special circumstances. The extended family is a natural hub that can seek out the necessary professional expertise needed to care for each person in a way that government policy can only try to emulate.

It has been a little more than 70 years since the United States began its experiment with the nuclear family model; and one expert is calling for a re-evaluation of its applicability in today’s demographic landscape. It might be a good time to circle back to the extended family model and explore all it has to offer, both to the family unit and society as a whole. It may require rethinking things as mundane as zoning laws or housing programs and educational policies with a commitment to strengthening the (extended) family as a unit.

Even beyond all the benefits that the extended family has to offer to its constituent members, it is in the constantly expanding, multi-generational, dynamic extended family that we might also learn the practical lessons of how to then bring even strangers in to our definition of family. The extended family draws together through marriage and birth people who were once separate into a new, larger, ever-changing configuration of family. The realization that even strangers can become part of your family can sow the seeds of peace and inspire exciting new pathways to create shared prosperity.

The extended family becomes a stepping stone that can bridge our current realities with the vision of “One Family Under God.” In an incredibly practical way, our families can become the place where we actually imagine and bring to life a society that lives, works and loves as One Family Under God, one family at a time.

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There is something that lasts months, years, even a lifetime after our annual holiday celebrations: warm memories with family and the people who have shaped our lives.

Even after gift paper sticky with tape has been swept from the floor, eggnog is nowhere to be found in the refrigerator, the smell of gingerbread no longer lingers in the kitchen and toys that once induced squeals of excitement lie broken or forgotten as so often happens, our memories with loved ones endure.

Holiday cheer is in the air and with it, that warm fuzzy feeling that isn’t just from those fluffy slippers and cozy, hot beverages.

In the season of gift giving and great food, it takes a conscious effort to recognize that it is not in the things but rather in the experiences and memories made that brings real happiness.

We enjoy receiving “stuff” from our family and friends, but things ultimately grow old and fall apart. Children lose attention with their once shiny new toys; clothes fall out of fashion and soon, new technology makes your smartphone look like it emerged from the dark ages.

Researchers are finding that it is not “things” that ultimately bring us happiness; happiness is developed in the experiences we have, not in the objects we possess.

Even a child can see that the joy on other peoples’ faces is a memory that will leave an imprint far longer than any gift unwrapping session.

It is in our experiences that we create lifelong memories. It is these memories that we can always look back on for guidance, comfort, or resolve to overcome the challenges ahead of us.

This holiday season, we encourage you to take time to plan a family tradition that involves serving those in your community as part of your greater, extended family. Seek out transformative, meaningful experiences and relationships through seeking to serve the needs of others – weaving rich colors into the tapestry of your life to last well beyond the season. Serving others is a gift that keeps giving.

After all, it is in challenging experiences that many people find their true potential as well as draw together in support, sorrow, joy and laughter. Your experiences in the family, piece by piece, will define who you are: growing your character and developing the social, physical, and emotional skills that serve you throughout your life.

This year, and every year, remember to create memories, not just lists. Share in the experience of serving others with your family and discover a joy that lasts longer than the temporary excitement of unwrapping your own gifts.

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Although many families are opting for the nuclear model to match modern living, the extended family has been the model of choice for millennia, and for good reason.

Grandma and Grandpa’s house is always a bustle of activity. Today, two grandchildren play happily in the living room. Mom has dropped them off to be with Grandma while she goes to teach a class. Tomorrow, another set of grandkids will be at the house for a week during Mommy and Daddy’s oversea trip.

For the grandkids, it’s a treat to be at Grandma and Grandpa’s. They get to hear embarrassing stories from when uncle, aunt and mom were kids, watch vintage movies, and eat Grandma – and Grandpa’s – food. For the older grandkids, Grandma and Grandpa are a set of trusted adults, wise and sometimes easier to talk to about life issues than Mom and Dad.

For Mom and Dad, Grandma and Grandpa are a source of continued support. They serve as a third party during marital disputes, a place to get a warm meal when they are too sick to cook, and, of course, a place where their children can be cared for as well as, if not better than, at home.

For Grandma and Grandpa, the grandkids keep them young. They bounce through the house with the grandkids, smiling at their antics and laughing at their blunt insights. The little ones affirm that life will continue through succeeding generations. The grandkids are a place to invest life’s wisdom. Eventually, their children have offered to take Grandma and Grandpa in to care for them when they become older.

Their family began as a nuclear family – one set of frazzled parents and three children. But as each child became independent, got married, and began a family of their own, for some reason, whether it was the good house prices or their heartstrings pulling at each other, the children stayed close and their extended family took root and grew.

Each generation has brought a new twist to the family. What began with two cultures and nationalities has expanded to four. Along with gender differences, the family has learned to appreciate the nuances of nationality, ethnicity, generation and age. Grandma can dab and say “Arigatou”.

Their family is experiencing all the cycles of life at once: from a pregnant daughter-in-law to a newborn, toddlers and elementary school kids, tweens and almost middle-aged working and stay-at-home parents, and of course Grandma and Grandpa.

The warm, enduring relationships that are wrapped in three, eventually four hopefully five generations, provides  emotional support for every person, and also an active, living classroom to practice important virtues like trust, honesty, responsibility and sacrifice, that become important underpinnings of a well-functioning society. Sharing family responsibilities has both character development benefits as well as economic benefits. And it is the most natural and intentional place to be cared for through one’s life stages.

It may seem crazier with so many people and points of interaction, but if you asked Grandma if she would trade her busy life for a quiet retirement, she would look at you as if you lost your marbles and ask, “Why?”

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As women often play the role of mediator, peace builder and ‘communications center’ in the family and extended family, women leaders can play a significant role in substantial peacebuilding efforts. Recognizing this, Global Peace Women (GPW), the women’s division of Global Peace Foundation (GPF), works with women leaders around the world.

GPW works to realize the vision of “One Family under God” through ongoing mentorship programs, strengthening intergenerational relationships that model the extended family.

Girls at St. Thaddeus fill out reflection during monthly discussion gatherings with Global Peace Women Kenya

One such ongoing program began in 2016, where GPW partnered with Peace Ambassadors Kenya to facilitate the training of students from St. Thaddeus Secondary School in Nairobi. Together, they have conducted workshops and discussions to emphasize the often overlooked significance of positive female role models in the family and society.

The program has changed the way students view the role of a sister, daughter, mother, and wife in the family. Following her participation in the mentorship meeting, Elizabeth, a student at St. Thaddeus, acknowledged her mother’s “very special role” in the family saying, “I have learned to respect my mom… Without her, I don’t think life would be as it is today.”

Over the course of several months, many other students would share on the transformation of their own relationship with their mothers. “I remember sometime back before this program, I used to talk back to my mom and I was very rude as well. I am glad this program has changed me to a better person. I have learned to respect people and relate well with others,” reported Teresiah Nyambura.

Older mentors serve as role models and guides for younger mentees, fostering a sense of family not only between relatives, but also between members of the community.

Women from Peace Ambassadors Kenya act as facilitators for deep group discussion with the all-girls secondary students at St. Thaddeus, asking questions like, “What is Beauty, Self-Esteem and Confidence?” The intimate setting provides a safe environment to cover topics on self-image, personal hygiene and building healthy relationships that understand the complementary differences between genders.

Girls discuss self-confidence and leadership during GPW mentorship program at St. Thaddeus

“Before this program, I did not have the courage to speak publicly,” said Mitchel Eboyi. “My friends would describe me as a shy girl. But now, I have improved and can address my fellow students during assembly.”

More important than their role as group discussion leaders, the university students and volunteers from GPW and Peace Ambassadors Kenya are positive female role models that St. Thaddeus students look up to as sisters, mentors and friends.

When both men and women recognize the unique contributions of each member of the family, it naturally fosters attitudes of love, care and mutual respect between the genders. This, in turn, creates a healthy, supportive and stable family environment, within which individuals can develop a strong sense of self, confidence and close, meaningful relationships. Because relationships in the family become a template for all other social interactions, strong, vibrant and supportive familial relationships enable individuals to develop positive relationships in the community, society, nation and eventually the world.

For all these reasons, GPW works to build a world of One Family Under God, one family at a time. Because “Peace Begins in the Home”, GPW works to equip families with the tools and resources that can foster strong families and at the same time, connect them to a global network of families sharing in the work of building peace in every home.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.  GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

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The dire warnings about the state of society and all its problems usually start from the level of individuals or society in general. Naturally, the solutions to these problems also tend to focus on individuals or society. Yet this fails to acknowledge the critical role that families play in the health of both individuals and society. In reducing social problems to the level of an individual, solutions can easily become short-sighted, even creating more problems than solutions.

Families play a critical role in the health of both individuals and society

On the other hand, centralized, one-size-fits-all policies and programs are probably more notable for failing to fit most.

We can all acknowledge that families are important. Yet there have not been enough studies, programs or policies that support or strengthen the family as a unit to address deeply rooted social problems.

Many times, this is because the importance of families to the health of individuals and society is understood only in negative terms. Put simply, we usually can see the importance of families when we study the fallout that happens when families fall apart.

For instance:

• This paper studies the emotional disorders in children caused by the breakdown of the family in the U.S.:
• According to this website, the annual cost of family breakdown in the UK is estimated at £47 billion;
• In Australia, this study shows that problems in the family are linked to child homelessness

Yet, as Leo Tolstoy wrote, “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” When focusing on the “unhappy family,” each situation is “unhappy in its own way” there may never be a way to determine any general solutions.

If we were to focus, instead, on the common characteristics of happy, healthy families it may help us to understand how to support and strengthen existing families to follow similar patterns. And in fact, studying the as-yet exceptional, happy family may produce general standards and norms that can be studied, taught, shared and, hopefully, replicated.

A few themes to be studied more deeply might include:

• What similar patterns of attitude or behavior emerge among couples and families that report greatest satisfaction in their family life?
• What role does the family or extended family play for those who express the greatest sense of satisfaction in life?
• Case studies of exceptionally healthy, happy families
• The importance of family support systems

Because studying healthy, exceptional families helps us to understand human potential, the lessons learned can help to inform how we work to strengthen families to support healthy societies.

GPF Malaysia Going Home project strengthens women, youth and families in building peaceful societies

Most social problems are linked in some way, shape or form to human connection.

Because individuals are born, raised and exist in some kind of social configuration – usually surrounded by a family – it is logical to address not just individuals with a problem but the family as a whole to produce long-term, collaborative solutions that address the problem in long-term, holistic ways.

The family is a microcosm of the universe and for better or worse, everyone is born into a family. Being able to identify resources that would help support and strengthen families would tackle problems that affect individuals and at the same time address problems that the society faces. For even this reason alone, there is a case for trying to address the family as a unit to mitigate problems on two entirely different levels.

These are just some of the reasons for Global Peace Women’s (GPW) motto Peace begins at home. For more information on GPW programs and activities visit Global Peace Foundation.

Hyun Jin Preston Moon is the founder and chairman of Global Peace Foundation.

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In a single neighborhood, children laugh as they sit side-by-side in drawing class; teens test their mental and physical strength through taekwondo; and students are hard at work studying a foreign language. Their mothers are sure to be talking about how quickly they are growing up in the aerobics class they take together.

This may sound like the beginning of a fictional novel describing a removed, idealistic population in a developed society, but this collaborative community-bonding experience is a reality in Jakarta, Indonesia, where over 3,000 residents of an affordable-housing community became involved in Global Peace Foundation’s Life Park Project.

The apartment community, Rusunawa Flamboyan, launched Life Park in 2014, gathering volunteers from the residential population and local universities to build a playground, multipurpose court, and toilet facilities as well as installed solar-powered lighting. The vision of “one family under God” has inspired an ongoing movement of volunteers and residents who began to see their neighbors as family members despite their differences of culture, socio-economic status and religion. University students and professionals developed a series of educational art and English programs to strengthen community bonds and promote moral and innovative capacities in youth and families.

Children at play in Rusunawa Flamboyan

Life Park projects aim to strengthen the family unit, an institution that is the building block of healthy societies, by involving all community members, fathers, mothers and children in the education and service projects.

The most recent series of projects in April of 2017 was accomplished through the combined efforts of Binus University, the Jakarta government and the Uni Papua Foundation. Local universities promote the project, attracting students who join as volunteers to share their talents, knowledge and mentorship skills.

Participants and local residents benefit from the community-wide effort not only through the construction projects and educational programs. Liany, a resident of Rusunawa Flamboyan, also appreciates the social entrepreneurship aspect, using creative problem solving to address the needs of their community, and working with local government to obtain results. Community members participated in the Rusunawa Social Entrepreneurship Exhibition on April 25-26, demonstrating their skills and creativity while spreading the message of ownership and community collaboration.

Families from Rusunawa Flamboyan clean their community together

This bond of community and government fosters relationships to make the neighborhood more than blocks of concrete, but rather a thriving home with people who care about each other and their environment for generations to come.

GPF Indonesia, in partnership with local governments, hopes to replicate this community-building model throughout Indonesia. Local officials have continually expressed their hope that projects such as Life Park can facilitate infrastructural change and development to under-serviced areas.

The original post appears on Global Peace Foundation. Global Peace Foundation is an international non-sectarian, non-partisan, nonprofit organization, which promotes an innovative, values-based approach to peacebuilding, guided by the vision of One Family under God.  GPF engages and organizes a global network of public and private-sector partners who develop community, national, and regional peace building models as the foundation for ethical and cohesive societies. Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon is founder and chairman of the Global Peace Foundation.

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