Church of God University Student Volunteer Group, ASEZ, Held a Workshop on the Theme of Volunteer Services by Young Adults

250 People, Including University Students and Various Officials from the UN Association of Utah and the University of Utah, Attended the Conference

The Participants Actively Took Park in Signing a ‘Reduce Crime Together’ MOU and Giving Support Signatures

Church of God University Student Volunteer Group, ASEZ, was invited by the UN to attend the 68th United Nations Civil Society Conference. The event (formerly known as UN DPI/NGO Conference) is considered the best civil society organization event, held by the UN. Every year, thousands of people who represent 700 civil society organizations from 100 countries around the world discuss various topics on climate change, Human rights, and volunteer services.

The conference held for three days between August 26-28 in Salt Lake County, Utah, was on ‘building a tolerant and sustainable city and communities.’ Currently, half the world’s population live in cities, and in 2050, it is expected that the world’s population in cities will increase up to 68%. Therefore, it is a major task of the international community to create a sustainable city environment. The UN SDGs also include ‘building a tolerant and sustainable city and communities and human settlement.’ In regard to this, ASEZ shed light on the necessary role of young adults, required by the international community, through a topic on Youth Innovation and Volunteer Services. On the day, about 250 people, including university students, professors and officials from various civil society organizations participated in the conference, and had a heated discussion.

Before the start of the event, Lowell Bennion Community Service Center at the University of Utah from United Nations Association of USA, Utah Chapter, signed an MOU with ASEZ, and pledged to cooperate with ASEZ in achieving ‘Reduce Crime Together’ project. In July, ASEZ had a discussion on ‘Global Crime Reduction,’ in the presence of 2,500 people, including university students, professors and officials from government institutions, through Worldwide ASEZ Summit 2019 which was attended by university students from 42 countries.

The ASEZ workshop was conducted in the form of a talk concert, and it began with the presentation by Kathrine St. John, President of United Nations Association of USA, Utah Chapter. The presentation was about “activating volunteer services by the young adults through cooperation from different generations;” he spread awareness about the importance of conducting volunteer services where younger and older generations work together. John, President of the United Nations Association of USA, said, “We all must become an expert in our respective fields. Whether it be psychology, architecture, or medical science, we can make a big contribution to the world through our expertise and knowledge.” He added by saying, “I strongly encourage and support every activity by ASEZ, and I want to encourage them to keep on doing their good work.” The following speaker was Dean McGovern, Executive Director of Lowell Bennion Community Service Center at the University of Utah. He gave a speech on Volunteer services by university students and community development;” he said, “We are faced with multiple problems in the world, and it is impossible for a single individual or an organization to solve them without cooperation from the world. We need many people to focus their thoughts and heart on solving the problems, but ASEZ is the very organization playing the role.” And Dean McGovern shouted the ASEZ slogan, “The future starts here!”

Sydney Alyse Rogers, the university student representative from the ASEZ branch in Salt Lake City, gave the last presentation, saying, “The young adults should be aware of the value of their work. Sometimes, it may look like doing volunteer services does not change things much, however, in reality, it creates an impact larger than we can perceive. Positive and zealous young adults can move and inspire the world to take action. The young adults are not bound to anything and doors of opportunity are open to them; they can come up with new and innovative ways of solving the current problems in the world, which we are faced with.”

 

One official from UNESCO Peace Center, who attended the workshop, said, “It’s such an honor to be able to meet with the young adults from ASEZ. The role of the young adults is extremely important. I strongly support the campaign by ASEZ. We’ve got to do everything we can, to make a better future.”

The workshop served as a time to reflect on the role of the university students in regard to creating a sustainable future for mankind.

Crime is caused by man, so it can be reduced by man. We look forward to global crime reduction activities by the university students for creating safe and resilient cities in the world.