The Words of the Silva Family
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The Words of the Silva Family |
Service For Peace in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) participated in the 62nd annual conference of the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI) in Mexico City, which was held from September 9th to the 11th, 2009. The theme of this year's conference was "Disarm Now, for Peace and Development," in which SFP was given the opportunity to showcase the Communities of Peace™ initiative as a breakout workshop session.
Service For Peace was represented by four youth leaders in the LAC region: Marcia Lorena Miranda, Nicaragua National Coordinator; Joan Alberto Mateo, Dominican Republic National Director/ Executive Director; Juan Pablo Barrera, Guatemala National Director; and Harold Alexander Silva, LAC Regional Director. The conference included prominent speakers and representatives such as Ban Ki-Moon, UN Secretary-General; Kiyo Akasaka, Under Secretary-General for Communication and Public Information; Tadatoshi Akiba, Mayor of Hiroshima and pioneer of the Mayors for Peace initiative; and many others.
The SFP representatives were invited to a private evening reception by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in which only a few organizations were selected to network and learn from each other. They also attended a youth informational meeting on the Global Youth Conference 2010 to be held in Mexico City.
The SFP-LAC Directors presented the Communities of Peace model, which was one of the few presentations chosen through a highly selective process. The interactive presentation engaged the audience as the youth leaders enthusiastically showcased the Communities of Peace, its successful models in their countries, and of course their personal stories. At the conclusion of the presentation, participants gave positive reflections, acknowledging the youth leaders for their transformational roles in the region.