Regional S!NERGY for North America 2022
The Regional S!NERGY competition for North America was held online on January 22, 2022 with presenters representing Canada and the USA. The 1st place winner received $1,000 USD and the 2nd place winner received $200 USD.
Based on the theme of “Bridging the Divide Between Nations and Communities” both presentations were on the topic of unifying the Korean Peninsula, but with different viewpoints.
The event was co-hosted by International Association of Youth and Students for Peace (IAYSP) USA and IAYSP Canada. There was a great panel of experienced judges who evaluated the presentations, which were both well delivered, so the final points were extremely close. With the votes from the audience combined with the judge’s scores, the final placements were decided.
Presenters
1st Place Presentation: Turning the DMZ Warzone into a Global Peace Park
Madoka Tsuchihara and Kengo Kawa are members of the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP). The presented the idea to turn the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) of the Korean Peninsula into a peace park and establish a 5th United Nations office within the DMZ in order to bring global attention to the divided Koreas and bring about re-unification. The steps they presented were to first bring students and professors together to bring awareness and educate on the importance of unifying North and South Korea, then connecting to experts and politicians to create a well-developed plan and action to create a global peace park.
2nd Place Presentation: Preparing for Reunification on the Korean Peninsula
Francois Lacroix is a IAYSP leader in Montreal, Canada and worked on this presentation with his team. His approach on the topic of North and South Korea re-unification is that it is imminent and that the western countries need to be prepared to help and support this transition when it begins to happen. As of now, most of the world has lost interest or have become apathetic to the situation of Korea, so the presentation proposed hosting speakers from organizations involved in projects to unify the peninsula to Canadian Universities and bring attention of the issues of sanctions and other political challenges with North and South Korea to students studying politics and economics.
Guest Judges
Dr. Seung-ho Lee
Mrs. Genie Kagawa
Mr. Antonio “Tony” San Juan
For this year’s Regional S!NERGY, IAYSP had the honor of hosting the following guest judges with international experience and knowledge in various areas:
Dr. Seung-ho Lee is the president of the DMZ Forum Inc., a non-profit organization that aims to preserve globally unique biological and cultural resources of the entire Korean DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) as a “sanctuary” for peace and nature. He is an expert in environmental management, critical thinking in governance and education, and the U.S. federalism and international relations. Dr. Lee was Senior Researcher and Adjunct Professor at New York University (NYU) Graduate School of Public Service. At NYU, he managed research related to the United Nations environment programs and taught students and government officials from China, Russia, and Eastern Europe on environment and information management and critical thinking in governance.
Mrs. Genie Kagawa is Director of the Executive Office of Universal Peace Federation (UPF) International. She has carried out projects at the United Nations on behalf of UPF, was elected as Chairperson of the NGO Committee on Spirituality, Values and Global Concerns at the UN from 2014-2018, and is presently a member of the Executive Committee of the Moral Imperative Initiative at the UN to Eradicate Extreme Poverty. She worked at UNESCO and spent 28 years in overseas assignments in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines doing advocacy for peace and service projects for women and youth under the umbrella of UPF.
Mr. Tony San Juan is a retired educator who served in different countries, such as the Philippines, Nigeria and Canada, teaching a range of topics from education to technical studies. He has several certifications and completed programs for management, human resources and education from the University of Toronto and Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, and serves as an advisor for political and media relations. As an active community leader and advocate, Mr. San Juan is the Convenor & Founding Director of the Ontario Council of Filipino Canadian Professionals, President and Director Emeritus of the Philippine Teachers Association of Canada, Convenor & Chairman of the Filipino Canadian Political Affairs Council, and much more.
President’s Volunteer Service Award
During the event, nine recipients of the 2021 President’s Volunteer Service Award (PVSA) for U.S. IAYSP members were recognized. A final total of 10 young people will receive a bronze or gold award for their age groups and the number of volunteer service hours they contributed for the year. You can see all the recipients HERE!
Watch the entire Regional S!NERGY event recording HERE!