Empowering Young Leaders in a Changing World The last two years have witnessed historic changes and unprecedented challenges in global affairs. A youthful new leader, Barack Obama, has assumed the presidency of the world's leading democracy, eloquently voicing the need for service as a necessary aspect of the goal of peace.
Yet, in the Middle East an ongoing cycle of violence threatens global stability, and dangerous division remains on the Korean peninsula as a remnant of the Cold War. The global community is currently buffeted by severe economic turmoil, affecting not just wealthy nations but the developing world and its most vulnerable populations.
The Youth Federation for World Peace is committed to realizing a culture of peace and sustainable prosperity, and has been investing its resources in long-term peace-building—through the education of next-generation leadership and through initiatives that break down historic barriers of prejudice and ignorance, building peaceful relations where there was enmity and hate.
 |  2008 Annual Report
I. Young Ambassadors for Peace
II. Key Initiatives
III. Chapter Highlights
IV. Global Peace Festival
V. Board of Directors |
The emergence of vibrant young leadership in the public and private sector is one of the untold stories of the last decade. Over the last two years, I have been privileged to travel with YFWP's chairman, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon, throughout Latin America, Asia, and Africa, to meet with young leaders and learn of their real life concerns. I see a global youth movement rising up, empowered by genuine vision, fresh perspectives, and clear-eyed awareness that achieving peace is not merely a political objective.
Indeed, a crisis of values is affecting the entire world, compromising the integrity of individuals and the institution of the family. This is not fundamentally a problem that can be solved through the political process. Only through a revolution of service, beyond the restrictive boundaries of religion and ethnicity, can the plagues of war and social injustice be transcended and a world of peace emerge.
To this end, YFWP has appointed some 25,000 Young Ambassadors for Peace just within the last two years who are bringing innovative models of peace building to conflict regions around the globe, from Nepal and the Korea to Palestine and Mindanao. YFWP is building a new constituency for peace among young leaders who have a passion for realizing a dream where all live as one family under God.
We are grateful for our many supporters who have made the last two years a time of extraordinary growth. We invite you to join us as partners—and as Young Ambassadors for Peace— to build a critical mass for peace in the twenty-first century.
—David Caprara
YFWP Executive Vice Presient
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