The Words of the Schanker Family

Initial Guidelines & Info for Student Mobilization for China & Russia

TO: Regional Directors, Vice-directors and Student Mobilization Coordinators
FROM: Rev. Phillip Schanker
DATE: June 14, 2000

Please consider and communicate the following information and guidelines regarding mobilization of student and VIP participants to the "Lasting Love" Cultural Exchange Programs in Beijing, China (July 15-21, 2000) and Moscow, Russia (July 27-August 1, 2000):

1) The recruitment goals for each region were sent by fax and Email yesterday, June 13, 2000. You will notice that the goals have been adjusted so that the majority of participants to the China program will be from the western regions, while the major participation in Russia will be from the eastern regions. This will decrease airfare costs and travel time, as well as contributing to more efficient planning of group travel. Participants must be at least 18 years of age. Approximately 20% of each regionšs participants can and should be VIPs, and out of each 10 participants, 1 should be a capable, well-organized staff member to take care of the participants and assist in communication and organization of the program.

2) The official title of the program is: "Lasting Love: Models of Relationship." The nature of the event is a "Cultural Exchange Program," rather than a "conference, for reasons explained below.

3) It is best to focus your recruitment efforts on the top universities in your region, rather than just one school or through churches or community organizations. For example, Region 1 includes Georgetown University, American University, Catholic University, etc.; Region 3 has Princeton U., Drew U., etc, Region 14 has UCLA, USC, etc. You might instead focus on decent schools where you have some foundation, such as U. of Maryland & Howard U. in Region 1, etc. Ads in campus newspapers are an effective way of general recruiting, for those schools still in session.

4) Consider inviting at least the editor or key staff of the student newspaper from as many campuses in your region as possible. You might also target class officers, officers of educationally or internationally-oriented organizations on campus. This will maximize the impact of the experience of a few upon an entire campus. Some schools, such as Rutgers U. in New Jersey and Brigham Young U. in Utah have strong, active studies programs on Marriage & Family. Faculty or students from these would be excellent. Please inform all Second Generation college students in your region of this excellent opportunity.

5) A simple flyer and separate application forms for China and Russia have been Emailed to your region as of yesterday, June 13. These can be tailored to your regional or state requirements (local phone numbers & contact info., etc.) and distributed. A statement of purpose and VIP invitation letter will follow tomorrow, June 15. Please consider how attractive these programs will be for quality students and VIP guests, and utilize this opportunity to attract the best. The registration fee of $300. is minimal, considering the opportunity to visit these countries, and is therefore mandatory.

6) RECRUITMENT DEADLINES: Time is of course very short, and it is crucial that we move quickly. We must find, screen, and confirm participants by the following deadlines, first to book enough seats during the heavy summer travel season, and next in order to provide enough time to prepare travel documents. Some participants may not even have a passport, and obtaining visas to China & Russia from across the country will take time:

Program Confirm Participants By Departure Date Preparation(passports, visas)
China Wednesday, June 21 Saturday, July 15 24 days
Russia Saturday, July 1 Thursday, July 27 26 days

7) SENSITIVE ISSUES: There are several areas of special concern, especially since these programs are being held in countries with a political, religious, and cultural environment vastly different from our own. In general, due to the educational and non-religious character of the International Educational Foundation, they have requested that we not mention IEF in our recruitment process in the U.S. At the program itself, the role of IEF will be quite clear and prominent. In addition, the Chinese government is extremely sensitive to and opposed to any public advocacy of religion of any kind, and is already extremely nervous about any group connected with a religious leader like Rev. Moon, coming from America, etc. We should therefore observe the following special restrictions for China in particular:

A. The event should be referred to as a "Cultural Exchange Program," not a "conference."
B. There should be no public discussion of the size of the programs at all.
C. Refer to participants as "participants," not "students," "professors," etc.
D. All initial visas should be tourist, for the purpose of tourism (not "conference"), and should be obtained in small numbers, not as one big group.
E. While all tourists have a right to their religious beliefs, IEF has urged us not to include amongst VIP participants ANY public religious leaders (ministers, etc.). These may be invited to Russia. All participants must understand that any public display of religious practice or opinions will jeopardize the status of IEF in China, and its work there. This would obviously suggest that VIP guests be from the other two recommended categories only- educators or civic leaders.

8) Regarding the Third Program, in Korea: fundamentals and details are still being worked out. We will inform you soon regarding these.

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