The IAPP inaugural assembly at the Israeli Knesset in Jerusalem

On June 21, 2017, we held the IAPP inaugural assembly at the Knesset (the Israeli parliament) in Jerusalem. From my personal perspective, the event was successful. I am very grateful to have been able to take part in this important event and to be able to use this opportunity to announce the plan of initiating our local chapter of Youth and Students for Peace.

On that day, we had four different sessions. Seven local parliamentarians hosted the first two at the Knesset and the other two sessions took place in Jerusalem’s Olive Tree Hotel. For this significant occasion, we invited a delegation of twelve parliamentarians from abroad led by UPF’s international president, Dr. Thomas Walsh and UPF’s Middle East chair Mr. Umberto Angelucci. I was fortunate to participate as a speaker at the actual IAPP inaugural session.

Some eighty people attended, including local and international parliamentarians, young leaders from student’s organizations, religious leaders, scholars, peace activists and other guests. The session took place in two segments. The first part was formal, allowing the parliamentarians and the international delegations to deliver their messages. The second part, following immediately after, gave us an opportunity to introduce YSP, mainly to the young leaders, with the hope of sparking interest and creating partnerships for our future work.

The young can energize the nation

When speaking in the first part of the session, I illustrated our role as young leaders in this nation and region. As young people, our work should be supportive and complimentary to that of the parliamentarians. We must become a source of light and positive energy for them. At the same time, we must learn from their knowledge and experience. Instead of seeking hope from them, we are the ones who give it to them. In addition, our work should be to go out and be active, to lead by example. We should all be promoting a new culture of living for the sake of others, as opposed to the current culture, which glorifies selfishness and promotes self-interests.

We need a cultural revolution brought by love and self-example, rather than by power. I also shared True Parents’ thoughts that real peace starts from each one of us, so we need to strive toward peace within ourselves, and between our mind and bodies. Only then, is it possible to move up, based on this foundation, and aim for peace in our families, communities, nation, region and world. In my closing remarks, I announced the soon-to-be-inaugurated YSP and encouraged the young leaders to come and take part in it.

Winning over an audience

When the first segment of the session ended, the parliamentarians left with the international delegation to take part in a plenum in the Knesset. The second part was a short discussion with the young leaders in the audience, about the importance of YSP and about what our next steps should be in creating it. The participants brought a sharp and skeptical attitude to start of the discussion. Later, the atmosphere changed and their attitude became more optimistic and constructive. We were happy to exchange contact information at the end of the session and look forward to the next step in creating our local chapter of YSP.

I think this event was highly significant and even more specifically, that session was. True Parents are pushing forward and focusing on IAPP and YSP throughout the world at the moment. I strongly feel that through aligning our hearts with them and moving in the same direction, a good change can come to this nation and region. Of course, the inauguration of these two projects is just the starting point. From now, we should push ourselves and move things forward.

I am also grateful to all the local members who have been preparing for this event for a long time through many different conditions and offerings of jeon seong. I think that thanks to all their devotions and prayers, we could all carry out this event successfully and offer it to our Heavenly Parent and True Parents. For more details of the overall event, please refer to the report at UPF.org.