Bridging the Divide

“Our mission is to build a platform for righteous professors and youth to initiate the development of a global peace park in the Demilitarized Zone as a solution for resolving the conflict on the Korean Peninsula,” said Madoka Tsuchiya.

Unificationists Tsuchiya and her teammate Kengo Kawa won first place with their proposal during IAYSP’s recent national S!NERGY competition. The pair were among three top contenders in the online competition streamed live Dec. 29, presenting their ideas and solutions addressing the theme “Bridging the Divide Between Nations and Communities.” 

“We see divorce becoming more socially acceptable, and a rise in suicide rates, too,” said Kawa. “We see cosmetic surgery as a common graduation gift to children, and this isn’t only happening in South Korea, it’s happening in the U.S. and other places as well.”

“True Parents addressed this issue of a Godless society by going to North Korea and risking their lives in the hope to bring reunification between North and South Korea,” he said. “They also understood how significant America is in the success of achieving this, as the southern half of the DMZ is controlled by America.”

The duo said turning the DMZ into a peace park could ultimately unite the two Koreas, with peace further strengthened by the United Nations establishing a fifth office there. 

“The youth are most impacted by this conflict,” said Tsuchiya, “and we know that important changes in history have been made by young people — so now is the time to stand up and make a change... We need the knowledge and support of professors as well to resolve this conflict.”

Founded in 2017 by True Mother, IAYSP seeks to advance world peace by empowering youth and students to become global citizens through character education and peace projects supporting the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The recurring S!NERGY competition has different themes to tackle various problems facing the world and enables students to present their ideas and projects to better society. 

Tiffany Gao, who placed second, shared a presentation on “environmental racism” as she explained its effect on people and the need for increased awareness.

“Toxic waste facilities are often built in minority communities and we find environmental injustice in areas that were previously segregated,” she said. “This contributes to leading causes of death among minority communities, affecting their mental and physical health.”

Gao shared examples of air and river pollution in the Bronx, and how minorities are disproportionately exposed to more environmental toxins than is caused by their consumption, according to a 2019 report from the Proceedings of the National Academy of the Sciences (PNAS) USA. She proposed an action plan using social media, events, and networking to increase environmental and social awareness of the issue.

“By communicating with others and furthering their knowledge about this issue, from there we can seek to address the problem and implement solutions by lobbying policy makers or hosting community events and activities to reduce this inequality and climate effects,” said Gao. “In turn, this creates a rippled domino effect... from a task force of local activism to drawing attention worldwide.”

Ricardo De Sena placed third, addressing the issue of corruption in Latin America. Examining Uruguay in a case study, his proposed solution was a dual approach of building integrity and corruption prevention by focusing on young people and youth empowerment.

“Building an organization or think tank made up of the most promising leaders in Latin America could challenge the status quo and educate fellow youth and students on the state of corruption in their country,” he said. 

Three guest judges evaluated the presentations, including Unification Theological Seminary (UTS) President Dr. Thomas Ward; Dr. Lisa M. Brady, professor and department chair of history at Boise State University; and IAYSP North America President Miilhan Stephens. Live viewers also casted their vote.

“What I love about this platform is it embodies one of our greatest values, which I think is unique to IAYSP, and that is something we call ‘hyojeong’ (a culture of heart),” said IAYSP President Stephens.

Winners Tsuchiya and Kawa will receive a grant toward implementing their idea and continue on to the upcoming IAYSP regional competition.

You can watch the full S!NERGY national competition here.