Youth to Youth International
Shinnyo-en Foundation Partners with Youth to Youth International and their Six Billion Paths to Peace Demonstration Projects
In the past few months the Foundation has begun a unique relationship with the Youth to Youth International Program, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Youth to Youth was founded in 1982 as a community-based youth leadership program focusing primarily on middle school and high school students. The goal of its many projects is harnessing the powerful influence of peer pressure– making it a positive force that encourages young people to live free of tobacco, alcohol and other drugs. Over the course of the past 25 years Youth to Youth has expanded to communities in Alaska, Arkansas, Bermuda, California, Canada, the Caribbean and Cayman Islands, Colorado, Georgia, Guam, Idaho, Italy, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Russia, South Dakota, and many others. The vast majority of this expansion has been done through grassroots efforts, and at this time in our economy many of the Youth to Youth sites are looking for new and innovative ways to fund and maintain their projects. In our commitment to nurturing future generations and working with young people the Foundation asked numerous Youth to Youth groups how we could best assist them in continuing the work they do and in forwarding the Six Billion Paths to Peace Initiative into their already youth oriented and community building projects. The four demonstration sites that have been identified are in Ohio and California. Here is an update on a few of the projects with which we are currently collaborating:
Columbus, Ohio – Home of Youth to Youth
Ohio answered our call by asking for our assistance with their Anti-Bully program at middle schools throughout central Columbus. The students in the project are now in the development stages of a Public Service Announcement that will be played at all the Columbus AMC movie theaters for a month (exact month yet to be determined), and at multiple summer Youth to Youth conferences. Students are writing and performing in the PSA and have helped to write a pledge that everyone will sign after the filming. The pledge asks students to commit to being aware of their actions and pledge to demonstrate a bully free lifestyle to their peers as best they can.
As an unexpected perk, the woman who handles advertisement for the centrally located AMC movie theatre has a 7th grade son. She was so excited about the PSA and the message we are sharing that she will extend the showing for 3 additional weeks, which would usually be 75% more than what was paid! This is a beautiful example of the ripple effect created through the service of the students.
We will post the PSA as soon as it is complete – stay tuned!
Carmel, California
In the small seaside community of Carmel, California the Youth to Youth program is coordinated by Janet Myer of Project IMPACT and is part of the Carmel Valley Unified School District. Janet and Project IMPACT brought numerous local agencies to the table, along with the Foundation, to discuss how we could best serve local students in area of volunteerism and service. It was decided that we wanted to approach the students directly and ask their thoughts and ideas about service and peace.
On Sunday, May 3, 2009 10 students from 3 different area high school, and a variety of adults from different agencies and groups, gathered to talk about ways in which they could impact their own local community, and create a Six Billion Paths to Peace Project that would ripple out into the community to help create peace, give students and adults an opportunity to serve, and make a difference.
Through much discussion and brainstorming it was decided that we would gather again to spend an afternoon in a creative giveaway project. The students were tasked with recruiting two more friends, and to think of ways to simply give away $50. They can give the money away in any way they like. The students had plenty of ideas of how to give the money away. They ranged from anonymously purchasing $50 worth of coffee at a coffeehouse and allowing the next few patrons to be surprised when told their coffee had been paid for, all the way to finding out what needy child in their neighborhood might need a new pair of tennis shoes or a jacket. Other ideas were to make homemade pizza and take it to a local senior citizen home and have dinner with the residents, pass out popsicles at the beach or pay for a customer purchases at a book store. One student asked if they could return home and raise additional funds on their own so they could give away more than $50 (they were of course told yes!).
The Six Billion Paths to Peace Giveaway is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2009. We are excited to see what we come up with. Keep an eye out for our next report.
Castro Valley, California
The Foundation also asked Castro Valley High School Youth to Youth Group “how can we support your Paths to Peace?” The answer was to honor the students who are graduating and have volunteered hundreds of hours in their high school career to Youth to Youth, as well as honor and inspire the underclassmen that are taking their lead and continuing the program.
On Thursday, May 21, 2009 students and their parents are invited to attend” Castro Valley High School: Keys to Peace Awards Dinner”.
The evening will have a theme of “keys” and was chosen by the students. The “awards” that will be given are actual hand painted keys on a ribbon. These key are intended to represent the idea that these dedicated students ARE the “keys” to peace, to compassion, to integrity, to leadership and most importantly, to the future.
Watch for our next report and see how the event turned out.
