The Words of the Hyun Jin Moon
|
|
The Words of the Hyun Jin Moon |
The Global Peace Festival set for October 22, 2010 was officially launched with the participation of more than 500 guests on August 12, 2010. In this event, various different aspects of the Festival were introduced to the audience. These areas include Social Service programs, Character Education, International Leadership Conference, and the Festival itself.
Among the main Social Service projects, Global Peace Festival [GPF] will be partnering with the NGO "A Todo Pulmon" to plant trees in more than 40 parks in the capital, in an effort to beautify and improve the environment of the city. To receive a ticket to enter the Festival, participants have to make non-perishable food donations to GPF which will be offered to the Catholic Social Ministry to distribute to those in need.
In terms of Character Education, the Global Peace Foundation has been doing meticulous and continuous work together with the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) to pass a law that promotes a culture of peace and to bring "character education" into all areas of the education system. The formation of young people's character can be seen as a matter of national interest to secure a bright future for the nation and to cut expenses related to juvenile violence, drug abuse, sexual abuse, and other related areas. GPF Paraguay has already been advancing in the area of bringing the content of character education to school directors, supervisors, and teachers so that they may become owners of the content and take it to their own respective institutions. So far, the results have proven to be extremely positive with an outpouring of support for this initiative.
Recently, the GPF Foundation has established a Think-Tank called the "Instituto del Pensamiento Patria Soñada" (or IDPPS) which will also be playing a crucial role at the time of the Festival. Led by former Supreme Court judge Dr. Jose Altamirano, the institute will be hosting a forum with the participation of dignitaries from all over Latin America to discuss the current challenges facing Paraguay and its future course as it attempts to reshape itself into a model country for the continent. The event will be significant as a first step in fulfilling the institute's purpose of creating a roadmap or blueprint for the future of the nation.
Following the tremendous success of 2008, the main Festival, which will be held in the large Olimpia Stadium, will feature a number of nationally and internationally renowned artists and groups.
The event took place with the participation of some of Paraguay's most illustrious individuals. Among the dignitaries who participated were Liz Cramer (Minister of Tourism), Margarita Morcelli (National Bicentennial Committee), Arnaldo Samaniego (congressman and candidate for Mayor of Asuncion), Lilian Samaniego (President of the Colorado Party; Senator of Paraguay), Yomar Gonzalez (Rep. of Colombian Embassy), Gilda Medina (Rep. of the Mayor's office of the municipality of Asuncion), Dionisio Coronel (Director of Central Bank of Paraguay), María Ester Jiménez (Former Education Minister), Maria Antonia Ramirez de Gwynn (Rep. of the Nihon Gakko University) among many others.
Local government authorities, municipalities, NGOs, and private businesses are some of the sponsors and partners that are participating in this mega-event. To name a few: Coca-Cola, Diario Popular, Copaco, Vox, and others.
The event was covered by major newspapers and radios -- some of Paraguay's main media outlets such as Radio Ñanduti, Ultima Hora, Diario Popular, and Diario ABC (the "New York Times" of Paraguay, if you will). Coverage of the event was published in print by Diario Popular and Diario ABC in the days following the event.
Resolutions declaring the mega-GPF event to be of national interest have been emitted not just by both the national senate and congress, but also by 10 other government-related agencies, organizations, and significant political parties including the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Education, Mayor's office of the city of Asuncion, and the Paraguayan Olympic Committee (which includes 53 sports federations -- including the Paraguayan Soccer Federation). The Paraguayan government's National Bicentennial Committee that is preparing for Paraguay's historical 200th anniversary of independence is also partnering with GPF and considers our event a crucial building block for the nation's 200th birthday.
GPF Paraguay wants to offer its gratitude to our Chairman, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, who like his father, the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, has inspired the entire nation of Paraguay to dream big.