Present CARP members.

The United Nations 4th Annual Youth Assembly was organized by the NGO, Friendship Ambassadors Foundation. The participants were composed by a body of international, college aged young people who were believer in the future of humanity and wanted to take part in its positive advancement to realize the 89 Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations.

W-CARP's involvement with this event began with an encounter with one of its flyers. When contact with the FAF was first made by our head delegate Sophia Kirkley, she found that past attendees have been mostly international students, and the U.S. chapter of W-CARP's involvement would greatly increased American participation.

The event took place in two parts. First was the Leadership Seminar held at Pace University that had 23 participants, of which 8 out of the 10 American participants were CARP members. The Leadership Seminar was described as an empowering event that confirmed the leadership values and training that CARP members have been receiving. The need for young leaders who can stand as role models to guide their peers in achieving and living those higher values of life was made apparent as well.

CARP USA representatives that were able to attend the Leadership Seminar came from all across the nation, composing of 4 CARP District Reps, a few active CARP members, and a high school student who had attended Jr. STF in '06.

The L.S. participants then joined the 4th Annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations with its ~700 other participants, CARP USA was able to bring to the event over 100 people, which included friends of CARP members and potential Campus Ambassadors for Peace.

The Youth Assembly itself is aimed at raising awareness about the Millennium Development Goals that were set by the United Nations at the turn of the millennium. These goals were to be reached by the year 2015; Areas that were targeted included poverty and hunger, universal primary education, gender equality and empowerment of women, and ensuring environmental sustainability among other goals.

The format that the assembly took was in the form of presentations by NGOs and personal who were involved in the different areas of the MDGs. What CARP clearly brought to the table was a level of depth that did not seem to be confronted by the majority of those involved. An obvious moment of the effect CARP brought was seen when the MTV PR representative talked about the direction that MTV has been taking to bring social change. It was explained that MTV has made effort throughout the years to help curb the HIV/AIDS epidemic and to help youth by empowering them with a channel of expression, a voice that can be heard.

"What is MTV doing about the issue of family values, which is the most fundamental component of any healthy and stable social structure?" Was a question raised by the African American brother, Aldric (Riko) Burke. The experienced PR representative's response "I don't know", clearly demonstrated the lack of thought given to this issue. However, the importance of family values was something that not only the presenter but most of the participants were nodding their heads in agreement to.

Important messages of inspiration were conveyed to the participants by a multitude of different speakers. Bernard Amadai with Engineers Without Borders, an NGO that works to bring simple and easy technology to the disadvantaged poor, delivered a powerful message on ownership with the catch phrase "poverty is not an academic exercise, don't just talk about it, do something." He also stated that external poverty will never be resolved unless we attend to the internal poverty of man, a quality that is even apparent in the leaders of our day. The point put an emphasis on the need to changing the internal condition of man before any external changes to the world can take place, a point also common to many speakers.

Grandmother Sarah Smith, an indigenous elder from the Mohawk Tribe of the Turtle Clan of the Iroquois Nation, was the first to speak on the panel on "Women's Voice Be Heard", which was aimed at issues of gender equality and women empowerment. She called for humanity to think of tomorrow, the "coming faces of our children", and to take care of the Earth, "the womb of life".

Angela Mason's statement "stand up for what you believe in" was echoed by many speakers, including Amelia Kinahoi with C.A.R.E. USA, who called for women to believe in their power. Devon Harris of the famous Jamaican Bobsledding team urged for everyone to dream big, sharing about his personal experience of doing so. "You will shine as brightly as you dare to dream."

The final speaker of the event was Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, who touched deeply on his grandfather's advocacy -- culture of peace, similar to what W-CARP speaks of as the "Culture of Heart". With Gandhi's four virtues --  love, respect, understanding and compassion, the way of nonviolence was drawn out. Referring to the world as one community, he stated that self-interest at the expense of sacrificing the rest of the world is equally damaging to the self.

Finally, even though the Youth Assembly was intended for college aged students, with CARP's introduction W.A.I.T., Washington AIDS International Teens, was able to perform at the Cultural Night event on the second evening. Patrick Sciarratta, the Executive Director of Friendship Ambassador's Foundation, spoke with Lan Tsubata, the leader of the WAIT Team, and is very keen on supporting their travels around the world to spread their message and awareness of AIDS.

Overall, this event was a venue where CARP members could not only express their values and concerns; it was also a confirmation for the members themselves of the universality of W-CARP's dream of one world family under God. It also opened the minds of many to think on a larger, global scale along with all the other young people who are also inspired by our shared vision and who have the capability to move mountains.

This event itself resonated with W-CARP's Core Values of Living for the Greater Good, Ownership, Teamwork and Dream Big. These values as defined by the President Hyun Jin Moon, are what W-CARP stands for, with the goal of raising leaders who embody these values and who can be role models for those around them; to ultimately change the human reality we are living in.