World Peace Youth Walk and Unification of Korea From 130 Countries



On 25th of May over 20 000 young people from 130 countries are gathered for
the World Peace Youth Walk 2013 at the Peace Gate of Seoul Olympic Park.
 

Youth Groups from 130 countries walked for World Peace and Unification of Korea
‘World Peace Youth Walk 2013’
After endless negative news regarding the North threatening the South Korea with weapons of mass destruction and one month before the 60th anniversary of the outage of the Korean War over 20,000 young adults participated at the World Peace Youth Walk 2013 at Seoul Olympic Park. Different culture of 6 continents showed up at the event.
Over 20,000 young people from 130 countries held a very special walk for the World Peace and the unification of Korea in Seoul.
On the 25th of May, Culture of Heaven, World Peace & Restoration of the Light held the opening ceremony of `World Peace Youth Walk 2013` at the Peace Gate of Seoul Olympic Park.
Beginning with this Walk over 20,000 young people from 130 countries will be working together for the World Peace regardless of nationality, race or religion.
The chairman of the Culture of Heaven, World Peace & Restoration of the Light, Mr. Man Hee Lee said to the attendees, “The war must end to achieve the World Peace. Regardless of position or age all the global family must become the messenger of Peace and make effort for the World Peace and the restoration of the Light“.



25th May 2013, International Youth representatives from many countries
are showing their flag and pickets for World Peace and the end of the war.
 

The Chairperson of MANNAM Volunteer Association Mrs. Namhee Kim said in her welcoming speech, “representatives of many international youth group gathered together for the World Peace. The route of this walk symbolizes 5 oceans and 6 continents. When I saw the venue I felt already the World Peace has been achieved.“
Dynamic young leaders from different parts of the world such as Portugal-Moju, Morocco-FCC, Greece-NAK Hellas, Kazakhstan-National Volunteer Network (NVN), Belarus-Youth Organization Altero, Belarus’s Student Association, Thailand-Peace Revolution, and Jordan-Jordan Youth Innovation gave their message for the unification of Korea and World Peace.
 The young people walked 2km carrying signs for World Peace, No War and unification of Korean peninsula.
Despite of the hot summer weather the day displayed without any shyness, young people smiled as they walked like one global family. This image made people realize for the urgency for peace in our global village that we live together.
 Besides the walk there were many musical performances by the youth entertaining the people in the park.

Marco who participated in the walk is an active member of a volunteer group in Thailand. He said that once we understand that we are all connected it is the source to make peace. He added that events like today are needed more often so that we can create a positive influence on the people around us.
source: http://guardianlv.com/2013/05/world-peace-youth-walk-and-unification-of-korea-from-130-countries/

MANNAM International Peace Event : World Peace Youth Walk

May 25

International Youth Walk for World Peace & Restoration

 

             Surely, one would be hard pressed to claim an all-out victory for peace this particular May 25, as war was inevitably being fought throughout various regions of the world and violent crimes against its fellow citizens had not suddenly stopped. The world did not inexplicably cease all hate fueled rhetoric; yet in at least one venue there was a gathering of love-filled youth, bound by a desire to demonstrate to the world that love could ultimately overpower the barriers forged from odium many in world feel toward those unlike themselves.

             This gathering took place in Seoul, South Korea at the World Peace Gate within the Seoul Olympic Park. It was comprised of 20-30 thousand youths from approximately 130 different countries. These inspiring youths gathered for a Youth Peace Walk initiative set to rouse and broadcast a sense of world unification; to promote acceptance, consideration, and collaboration among the youth of the globe so that others might know there are those that do not hold to past grudges based on race, nationality, or religious beliefs. So that others would know that there are many that demand an end to hate, violence, and war. So that the leaders of today would understand that their youth are calling on them for change – for a better world.

             Attending this event in person was definitely an awe inspiring experience; at least for this writer. After arriving by bus with an international group, we unloaded and shuffled to a location near the World Peace Gate. The crowd was immense, thousands of people all around. It was not exactly the easiest of days for such a gathering; the sun beat down on us relentlessly. We were soon drenched, not from a fountain of water, but from our own sweat. We greedily drank bottles of water to ward off dehydration and thirst in general. Soon we began wading into the crowd, wedging ourselves closer to the center stage. We were thoughtfully given ear pieces so that the announcements could be heard in our respective native languages. So many people, races, backgrounds, all with hearts beating for peace.

             Once the announcements had been made and the Declaration for Peace given, we were told the actual Peace Walk would soon begin. This is the moment that the event became less surreal, and instead took on a more literal reality. A young woman near one of our international members suddenly fell out from the heat and was dehydrated. Without hesitation, the young man she had fallen next to picked her up and put her on his back and rushed her to a nearby ambulance onsite. The young woman was not a part of our group and obviously not of the same nationality as the young man; he knew nothing about her other than she needed immediate help – and he provided just that, without regard for anything else.

             Personally, I was not immediately aware of what had occurred.  Some of our group began calling out that something had happened and right about then he ran past me with the young woman draped over his back. I could not discern in the rush and crowd if she were one of our own members but decided to follow in order to lend a hand. However, he had a decent head start and people were parting like the red sea. I on the other hand was caught in the tide and took a bit longer to reach the ambulance. Upon arrival, it was still unclear whether she was a part of one of our groups or not, but the young man that had rescued her was no longer present. By the time it was determined that she was not one of our members and was going to be taken care of by her group the crowd had begun to move – the walk was beginning.

It was quite the experience wading through so many people in such close quarters against the flow of traffic. If there was any doubt that the people there did not truly hold a desire to work together for peace, it was erased at this point. There were no glares, no sighs, only smiles and hellos from everyone. All that were there made me feel as if they were happy to have me brush by them and almost seemed to openly invite me to stay and join them – and I passed by many before the leader of our group, who had stayed behind, and I finally found one another and began the walk ourselves.

People holding flags from what seemed all the countries involved and maybe of others were lining the street making a clear path in which to walk and provided a safe barrier from cars sharing the other side of the road. Many of which slowed to take pictures and shout cheers and support for the youth walkers. Performances abounded from several different countries, sporting traditional clothing and dances as we walked along. We were an unending river of people; a living mass, each person a different cell, but all united and working together to create one organism breathing peace.

 

We the united youth of the world, walked for peace. We walked shoulder to shoulder, we held hands, and we hugged. We were all different – and we all smiled. The day was May 25, 2013. It was a day that PEACE won.

President Obama Delivers Memorial Day Remarks at Arlington National Cemetery

Today President Obama traveled to Arlington National Cemetery to commemorate Memorial Day, laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and delivering remarks.
The President thanked members of the armed forces and veterans for their service to the United States, and paid tribute to our fallen heroes laid to rest at Arlington:
     It is here, on this hallowed ground, where we choose to build a monument to a constant thread in the American character -- the truth that our nation endures because it has always been home to men and women who are willing to give their all, and lay down their very lives, to preserve and protect this land that we love.
That character -- that selflessness -- beats in the hearts of the very first patriots who died for a democracy they had never known and would never see. It lived on in the men and women who fought to hold our union together, and in those who fought to defend it abroad -- from the beaches of Europe to the mountains and jungles of Asia. This year, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the end of fighting in Korea, we offer a special salute to all those who served and gave their lives in the Korean War. And over the last decade, we’ve seen the character of our country again -- in the nearly 7,000 Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice on battlefields and city streets half a world away.

President Barack Obama participates in a Memorial Day wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., May 27, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

President Obama noted that, as of last year, Americans are no longer fighting and dying in Iraq, and that there is now a transition underway in Afghanistan as well. "This time next year," the President said, "we will mark the final Memorial Day of our war in Afghanistan."
The President closed by asking Americans to keep the fallen in their hearts:
    On this Memorial Day, and every day, let us be true and meet that promise. Let it be our task, every single one of us, to honor the strength and the resolve and the love these brave Americans felt for each other and for our country. Let us never forget to always remember and to be worthy of the sacrifice they make in our name.
Watch the President's full remarks.


 source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/05/27/president-obama-delivers-memorial-day-remarks-arlington-national-cemetery


June 6th is a memorial day for Korea. We have always kept our celebrations of Memorial Day.
Millions of people lost thier life in the war. Espeacially, many young men laid down their lives for the country.

"For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men have lived. " - John F. Kennedy

There are the last few remaining soldiers that took part in the conflict. One of the remaining soldiers was an acquaintance of mine. He is Man Hee Lee Peace Leader. He works for the world peace.
He was a war veteran. He knows war better than anyone. That's why he long for a lasting peace.



Man Hee Lee, Peace Maker, visited Ethiopian veterans of the Korean War to disburse compensation funds on 3 December 2012.

He visited Ethiopians of the Korean War to disburse compenation funds on 3 December 2012.
He is doing it no one to do it. Not only is this work it is also many working for world peace.

The time has come to think the World Peace. Memorial Day brings New Meanings to Peace.
Please, kept our celebrations of Memorial Day.

[MANNAM Korean Class] Busan South Korean 1A(Beginner) Class

we learned about combined vowels (얘, 예, 위, 와, 워) and  doubled consonants (ㄲ,ㄸ,ㅃ,ㅆ,ㅉ).
these are a little  tricky sounds  for foreigners to pronounce.
But Elan & Joanna made themselves  free and easy.
As they studied 한글(korean alphabet) steadily.


After finishing 1st class we had several games  to make vocabularies enhance.
let me introduce one of them.
1. students should  circle words what the teacher say.

2. these vocabs don't have right spellings. Student have to change words into correct spellings.

 



 

3. The winner will be a person who corrects words as many as possible.

 

A winner was Elan.
The goddess of Fortune smiled at him this time.
A prize was 연양갱 which  is a red-bean jelly.
It tasted sweet.

[MANNAM Koean Class] Activity to 범어사 Temple(Beom-eo-sa)

The Mannam Korean class outdoor activity to 범어사 was really a perfect day. Starting with the beautiful weather, all of the class teacher, manager and the students could enjoy the view.

And the most unique experience I felt was we could be one. As the Mannam slogan is "when light meets light there is victory" I could feel the slogan was applying to all of us. As finishing our lunch we washed our dishes personally which was a good experience and by the 범어사 guide's explanation we could understand how 범어사 was established and what kind of tradition it had.

 

Taking a picture all together the 범어사 adventure ended and it was a meaningful day to me. I hope not only me but also all the people enjoyed the outdoor activity. I hope there will be a more meaningful outdoor activity next time.

 

 

[MANNAM] Earth Day Wall Painting Volunteer Work (2)

Painting the dreams on the old wall, repaint the hopes and dreams of old wall.

MANNAM International, wall painting volunteer for "we become one of the world" with foreigners on the Earth Day.

 

 

MANNAM worked on the project for 3 weeks as for 'Changed the color of the world' theme to help repair the environment on the Earth Day.

The place is located in Dong-il park-mansion, Uam-dong, Namgu, Busan and this wall has a length of 110m.

 The volunteer wall painting activity by Mannam volunteer association has been in progress April to May and Mannam has a different point compare to other volunteer associations which is not only Koreans but also foreigners has attended together.

 

 

 

 

A foreigner from South Africa BONGA NDLOVU(29) said "I really agonized what to do in Korea to love our neighbors and started to volunteer wall painting. And painting beautiful pictures on the old wall seeing that the wall has reborn, I felt proud of myself.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MANNAM Volunteer] A new way to judge nonprofits: Dan Pallotta at TED2013

Dan Pallotta created two huge charity initiatives — AIDS Rides bicycle journeys and Breast Cancer 3-Day events. These initiatives raised $108 million for HIV/AIDS and $194 million for breast cancer. Both had their best years in 2002 … and then Pallotta’s nonprofit went out of business.
In the final session of TED2013, Pallotta shares why that happened: Major sponsors pulled out following a slew of bad press over the idea that his organization was investing 40% of their gross into recruitment and customer service. The backlash came from our basic — and wrong — cultural understanding of charity.

 

“What we know about charity and the nonprofit sector is undermining the causes we believe in and our desire to change the world,” says Pallotta. We expect businesses and nonprofits to use “two separate rulebooks,” he suggests.
“Business will move the mass of humanity forward, but will always leave behind that 10% of the most disadvantaged and unlucky,” he says — which is why we need philanthropy and nonprofits. But couldn’t the nonprofit sector use the same strategies as the business world to grow their profits and give more money to the needy? After all, says Pallotta, “How do you monetize the prevention of violence against women?”
The nonprofit sector as we know it isn’t working. In the United States, poverty has been stuck at 12% for the last 40 years. Homelessness has not been solved in any major city, and we have no cure for cancer.
“Our social problems are gigantic in scale, our organizations are tiny up against them — and we have beliefs that keep them tiny,” says Pallotta, the president of Advertising for Humanity and author of Charity Case.
Pallotta outlines five ways in which nonprofits are handicapped in their mission to help people....

Source: http://blog.ted.com/2013/03/01/a-new-way-to-judge-nonprofits-dan-pallotta-at-ted2013/


MANNAM is a volunteer organization whose goal is succinctly defined in our motto, our rallying cry, our call to arms: When Light Meets Light there is Victory. Our mission is to bring all people of different nationalities, creeds and cultures together through volunteering and to learn and understand about each other: when good things come together, the result will be even greater – world peace.

We volunteer silently and without fanfare. We do our work behind the scenes. We do not work for accolades or self aggrandisement; our lights are hidden. Likewise, all this is made possible through the anonymous yet wonderfully generous contributions of those many individuals who support our organization, some 100,000 across the world as of start of 2013.



Korea has long been known as the country of courteous people in the East and the 'land that does not forget kindness'. Our aim is to spread our vision and the goodness in this culture across borders. We want to bring the light of love across the globe and from this will come cries of "Victory!"

[MANNAM Korean Class] Be a Master in Korean!

Being in a different country and not knowing how to communicate with anyone can be a frustrating and exhausting experience. It is a great relief to finally find a person that understands you. Someone you can communicate with beyond hand gestures.
Mannam Korean Language Classes were designed to help alleviate this common barrier. Our instructors know this frustration from first-hand experience. They also know the gratitude they felt from those that offered their assistance. Their goal is to provide you with this same service.
Whether your stay in Korea will be 8 weeks or has been 8 years, come join our classes to learn the basics and refine your abilities. Our classes will provide you with a fun atmosphere to learn our language and introduce you to our culture. We hope to see you in class!

There is Korean Class in MANNAM Busan South.
When you need learning Korean, come and join with us. It's fun and good to you.
Also, It's FREE! but, our teachers are very nice!
We have six classes; Beginners, Basic1.2 , Intermediate, Reading&Speaking
Textbook is '서강 한국어' ; Self-pay for the expense for the textbook.

    Beginners(1A)            Basic1(1B)            Basic 2(2B)        Intermediate(3A)           R&S

We have assistant teachers so, they will be there for you when you need extra help.
If you are interested in our "Be a Master in Korean" class, please contact:
Joy, Hwang #010-4551-7331
E-mail:mannam.busansouth@gmail.com

[MANNAM] May 8th. Parents' Day in South Korea (2)

It’s on May 8th!
We wanted to make this day SPECIAL for the elders in “Seoho Nursing House” where we visit every first saturday of the month!
 The lovely elders always anticipate our coming!
So, we gave them a SPEICAL “Parents’ Day” last saturday.
To given them a speical gift, we prepared hand-made Carnations.
They really liked our Carnations. We felt happy and love.

 

Also, we prepared a hand-made card attached with Polaroid picture for every old ladies and grandpas.
we were very enjoyed that time chatting with them, give them a massage.

 

And, we prepared many performanses for them. we had so much fun with them.

They were diverted by our performanses. we realized that we feel rewarded.

Thanks for feeling rewared, MANNAM volunteer.