New York, NY – Universal Peace Federation, USA, in partnership with UNESCO Center for Peace, NY Chapter, organizes a phenomenal American Leadership Conference on December 19th in New York City.
The sixty participants who attended the event included a range between long-time established guests, to rising young adult leaders, all of whom were passionate about bringing change to America.
The program began with welcoming remarks from Dr. Thomas Walsh – President of UPF International – who gave the highlights of the work of UPF in 2014. Dr. Walsh was followed by Her Excellency Ms. Sire Dione Conde – President, UNESCO Centers for Peace, NY Chapter – who warmly welcomed the guests and thanked them for their attendance.
Mr. Ricardo de Sena, President, UPF USA, spoke on the second session of the program regarding marriage and family. Mr. de Sena also congratulated Dr. Joseph Champagne, Mayor, South Toms River, New Jersey, alongside Secretary General Cynthia Shibuya, as Mayor Champagne was appointed to become an Ambassador for Peace.
A total of five sessions where held discussing and giving solutions for topics such as “A Vision for Peace: Universal Principle of Creation,” addressed by Dr. Thomas Walsh and “The Root Cause of Conflict and Principles of Reconciliation,” addressed by Her Excellency Mrs. Genie Kagawa, Chairwoman of UN NGO Committee on Spirituality.
UPF USA focuses four main areas, two of which include inter-faith activities and youth services. Both of these were addressed during the conference as Ashley Freema Weeks, President, Ghanaian Youth Education Outreach of USA, and several religious leaders attended including Rabbi Roger Ross, Executive Director, Rabbinical Seminary International, and new recently appointed Ambassador for Peace, Imam Konate, Vice President of the Imam Leadership Council in Harlem.
Fourteen new Ambassadors for Peace were also appointed during this conference with a call to action as they embark to establish a nation of peace here in the United States of America.
Los Angeles, CA – On December 6th, American Leadership Conference (ALC) presented God’s Hope for America to community leaders from across Southern California. The event included a series of presentations and interactive “World Cafe” round table discussions focusing on the theme “Thinking Globally, Taking Action Locally in our Families and in our Communities”.
A total of 70 participants attended the event at the Embassy Suites Hotel, Los Angeles.
Seattle, WA – Thirty something persons gathered at the Windermere house for the May 2014 meeting of Ambassadors for Peace in Seattle. In addition to many regulars, some seasoned members who had been away (Phillipines and elsewhere) visiting family and doing outreach work.
The Reverend Theodis Gamet, guest of Mr. and Mrs. Araki, offered the invocation and grace. Attendees followed with partaking of an excellent meal, prepared by the loving hands of Ambassador for Peace (AFP) volunteers. As usual, the main dish was their northwest favorite, salmon.
After brief self-introductions by all attendees, the emcee introduced our speaker for the night, Dr. David Burgess. Dr. Burgess, who chaired the Seattle UPF and Ambassador for Peace work for eight years through 2010, including coordinating Service For Peace activities locally, spoke on the topic of Peace-making. He reported that though he had received the topic two weeks prior, it was only on his way home from work that day that he felt God gave him an answer that helped bring his topic into focus.
He began with a rhetorical question: “How does one approach effective peace-making?” His answer: “there are three elements that need to be included.” Dr. Burgess went on to cite and give examples of those three elements. The elements include: “be targeted”, “be strategic” and finally “be disruptive”.
Dr. Burgess gave examples from the history of the Montgomery (Alabama) Bus Boycott, which began centering on the locally, well-known Ms. Rosa Parks and featuring the involvement of the Reverend Martin Luther King, then a young church pastor only recently installed at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.
The bus boycott was targeted in that it had a clear and reachable target, it was strategic in that it was based in the morality of fairness for all, and it occurred in a community that would unite behind it, and disruptive in that it did not allow many to remain complacent, but forced most to take a side and demonstrate their beliefs through their actions.
Following Dr. Burgess’s remarks, the Reverend Larry Krishnek, the current UPF Northwest District Chairman, gave remarks on the relationship of that which Dr. Burgess talked about to the Universal Peace Federation’s ongoing work and projects.
Following Rev. Krishnek’s remarks, five persons were awarded a certificate of appointment as an Ambassador for Peace, including Ms. Emma Heron, Vice President of the Jakcares foundation, Mr. Dennis Yamasaki, Theodis Gamet, Parshu Acharya, and Mrs. MaryAnn Wigton, who has served as secretary and bookkeeper of Ambassadors for Peace Association Washington State (AFPAWS) for 13 years.
Following the giving of the certificates to the Ambassador for Peace awardees, Mrs. Wigton remained standing and was honored for her 13 years of volunteer work for the AFPAWS.
During the Announcements section, Mr. Tito Medina spoke and requested volunteers to support the “Veteran Resource Fair” on the 21st of June, 2014. After announcements, the attendees went out to the lakeside stairs and took a group photo.
Following Rev. Krishnek’s remarks, five persons were awarded a certificate of appointment as an Ambassador for Peace, including Ms. Emma Heron, Vice President of the Jakcares foundation, Mr. Dennis Yamasaki, Theodis Gamet, Parshu Acharya, and Mrs. MaryAnn Wigton, who has served as secretary and bookkeeper of Ambassadors for Peace Association Washington State (AFPAWS) for 13 years.