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(left-right) Kimihira Miyake, GPYC Leadership Development, Niel Bush, Points of Light Chairman, Kenshu Aoki, President, GPYC-USA at the National Conference on Volunteering and Service.

GPYC-USA, President Kenshu Aoki spoke at National Conference on Volunteering and Service on June 20th. He said, “Service is not just about short-term charity, or fulfilling service hours, but about making a lasting impact.”

Over 5,000 people convened in Washington D.C. under the theme Service Unites. Political leaders, NGO’s, volunteers and educators from around the world and both sides of the American political divide attended.

GPYC-USA, President Kenshu Aoki served as a panelist at the session: Global Youth Service Leaders: Connecting Youth to a Global Service Movement. Panelists included Hammam Juraied, Manager of Princess Al Anood Center for Youth Development in Saudi Arabia, and Raaida, Mannana, Coordinator of the 2nd World Summit on Youth Volunteering and RED2021. The session was moderated by Melissa Golladay, Director for Professional Leadership Exchanges and Youth Engagement at Partners of the Americas.

 Mr. Aoki spoke on the question, “Why young people should be engaged in service abroad.” According to the GPYC-USA report, Mr. Aoki emphasized that “Service is an effective means of character education.” Overseas service, in particular, reveals universal values that bind humanity together. Mr. Aoki also highlighted the transformative power of service on the lives of those who are served and those who serve.

Global Peace Youth Corps has chapters in over 22 countries. This year a GPYC-USA will send a group to serve in La Represa, Dominican Republic. Later, in August, the International Youth Leadership Assembly will convene young entrepreneurs from over 40 countries in a practicum of leadership in peace like the UN and World Bank, concluding in Washington D.C. for the commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

For the full article or more information on the summer programs visit: www.globalpeaceyouth.org

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GPF was represented at the third National Volunteer Festival in Paraguay.

GPF joined 35 NGOs from around Paraguay for the 3^rd National Volunteer Festival at Costanera, Asuncion, Paraguay. Over 6,000 people participated in the Festival.

Service is one of the three pillars of Global Peace Foundation’s activities.  Service is much more than volunteering. It connects humanity to their intrinsic capacity to live altruistically and a means for transformation. In this way it is the means to change the global ethic.

Since began in 2008, GPF has engaged tens of thousands of volunteers in civic services.

Prior to the first Global Peace Festival, GPF co-organized with UNESCO Schools Association and the City of Asunción, to draw out thousands of school children to clean the parks and streets of central Asuncion.  “We need to find good solutions for our young people,” said Ms. Medina, spokesperson for the Mayor’s Office.

The unprecedented event inspired the city and demonstrated the youth’s capacity. “Seeing these kids making such an effort is an example to all of us adults.” said Ms. Medina.

Last year GPF worked with A Todo Pulmon, to establish the first park for the blind in Asuncion.

GPF also runs  Taller-Volundariado, volunteer and service education programs for local schools and organizations.

Volunteerism has become big in Paraguay. This year is the 3^rd Annual National Volunteer Festival, convened by Paraguay Volunteerism Network (Red de Voluntariado Paraguay), a national network of volunteers founded in 2010. It gained international recognition through the Global Youth Service Day network.

This article first appeared on www.globalpeace.org.

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Team Aoki bonded through the trials they faced together in the great outdoor.

According to Kenshu Aoki, President of the Global Peace Youth Corps-USA (GPYC-USA) and adventure workshop team leader, “This 4-Day hike truly brought out the adventure in the adventure program.”

During the debriefing session, one participant confessed that this was the most physically challenging experience of his life. When the question was bounced back to the audience, “How many of you thought this was the most physically challenging experience in your life,” hands shot up.

For four days, the adventurers had to crawl through the mud, sleep in the rain, slip on wet algae covered rocks, get beaten by waves, and swept away by 6 foot tides. “The Pacific Ocean is a monster,” Mr. Aoki commented later.

For many, every day was a question of life or death. Mr. Aoki had several people who came from landlocked and temperate climate nations. The sound of the Pacific Ocean waves crashing against the rocks kept them up at night.

Such challenges push one beyond imagined limits and reveal one’s true strengths.

The jutting coastal line and every-changing tide made the Olympic Coast difficult to navigate without a map.

The Map is Key

The Olympic Coast is covered with rocky terrain, cliffs, and coves. One can’t see what is coming up next. What is more, the rhythm of the tides changes the landscape constantly. Without a map, it is nearly impossible to ascertain what lies ahead.  One misinterpretation of the map could throw the team off for hours, if not put them in peril.

In this case, the map was crucial to show the teams where they were, what lay ahead, and where they needed to go, in some cases through unbroken paths, to reach their destination.

Becoming A Team

But the terrain was not the only thing that needed to be figured out. In Mr. Aoki’s case he was the youngest member of the team, but team leader. He had to figure out how to navigate between differing abilities, ages, and opinions to make his team a cohesive unit that would make it safely back to basecamp.

For that, nature dished out its full course of lessons, and the team responded by galvanizing together. To accommodate the varying abilities, some team members volunteered to carry more load in their backpacks. Those who could not carry as much, worked hard in their own capacities: waking up early to start the coffee, collecting water, and cooking meals. Giving up was not an option for team Aoki.

A bonding experience to be pulled out by team members from thigh deep quick-mud.

While walking over a particularly muddy patch, a team mate from Brazil found himself sinking thigh deep in quick-mud. His team mates responded immediately. Painfully and slowly they pulled him out. Narrowly averting serious injury, the mud-covered hiker was all smiles. He thanked his teammates and said of the moment, “This was the best experience.”

 “By God’s grace, we made it back with no major injuries,” said Mr. Aoki at the close.

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