Western Zone in Bloom

 

D.C. Youth Attend National Youth Conference on HAP

 

 

Denver, May 28, 1999

 

April 9-11, six youth division members from Washington, D.C. Region attended the National Youth Conference on the Hague Appeal for Peace held at American University.  The conference was sponsored by the World Federalist Association and the Center for Global Peace in order to promote the HAP Conference in the Netherlands.  Attended by more than 150 youth from around the world, the D.C. conference featured workshops, lectures and breakout sessions that focused on how to further develop the roles of ordinary citizens and civil societies in the furthering of the international peace movement. 

 

      By participating in the youth conference, all of the youth division members walked away with a fresh, new determination to work for peace in their own lives and in society.  In particular, The Western Zone kick-off meeting on April 19 was the centerpiece of a weekend-long First Western Zone Conference held in Denver amid springtime in the Rockies.  The reggae song “I Can See Clearly Now,” performed by the energetic Snowcapped Rocky Mountain Chorus, set the mood for two and a half days of refreshing guidance and encouragement toward creating greater ties of friendship through dialogues and home visitations.

 

      The new Western Zone is made up of the Rocky Mountain and Texas/Oklahoma regions.  This kickoff marked the first time the Western Zone leaders were formally presented to the members: Brian Matsuo, men’s division leader; Rita Risom, women’s division leader; and Carol Goodwin, youth division leader. 

 

      Months before the conference took place, region and national leaders began to discuss a plan of action.  In turn, region leaders held discussions with area leaders to determine the best ways to encourage the members.  The result was a conference with a variety of meetings large and small covering such topics as the temple issue, the May commemorative contributions and the development of districts.  They were presented in the form of dialogues, performances and Q and A sessions; there were also opportunities for individual guidance.  One member expressed it this way: “The national leaders home visited the Denver and Colorado Springs area, and we’ve been energized! Our challenge now is to put what we learned into action.” 

 

World Tribune article by Chris Risom