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Young Leaders Peacebuilding Retreat
Pine Bush, New York
October 25-28, 2006
 On October 25-28, 2006, a group of young people from around the world gathered at the Dharma Drum Retreat center in Pine Bush, New York for three days of intensive discussions and reflection on what young people can do to enhance the environment for peace in the most sensitive regions of the world. Approximately 75 young people between the ages of 20 and 30 engaged in dialogue with each other and respected elders from various cultures to explore the most effective ways to reduce conflict and resolve differences nonviolently. This peacebuilding retreat was a pre-summit meeting of the United Nations Global Youth Leadership Summit, which took take place at UN headquarters in New York October 29-31, 2006. Many of the retreat participants were delegates to UN Global Summit from regions of  conflict and joined youth from North America to express commitments to peacebuilding. The retreat participants subsequently inaugurated the Young Leaders Peace Council, an association of international young leaders whose aim is to build peace awareness and education through inter and intra-regional understanding, inter-cultural exposure, as well as community and inter-personal healing experiences.
Retreat Report » PDF Document 
Concept Paper » PDF Document
 Youth Quotes & Reflections
“I really experienced great moments of internal and spiritual reflection, such as praying for more dialogue, charity and faith in humanity. You [GPIW] have been important in the process to disseminate messages through youth as agents for peace - 'Peace Soldiers' - armed with faith and reconciliation messages.”
–Young Leader, Angola
 “After returning, we worked hard on our Green Bay project, the project that we introduced at the retreat based on the main ideal of promoting the concept of Fair Trade and reducing Extreme Poverty while realizing the production activity under the idea of Sustainable Development. It is an unforgettable and marvelous experience to participate in the peacebuilding retreat with you, and I believe we will keep in touch with each other. Let us work together to make the world better!”
–Young Leader, Taiwan
“I felt extremely blessed and lucky to be a part of the experience. I had this overwhelming sense that I was in a room full of peers and had to remind myself that although everyone's pasts are vastly different, we are so alike in the important ways. So, thank you for giving me that gift.”
–Young Leader, USA
 “I couldn't tell how inspiring the peace retreat has been even after a month of being home from Pine Bush. I learned a lot and start seeing the other full half of the glass that I have, instead of keeping asking where the other half of my water glass has gone. At the retreat, I thought I would share a lot of opinions that the youth of Vietnam delegated me to send to all youth delegates participating at the UN Summit. But when I got there, listening to all the painful stories, I couldn't help listening, feeling and asking myself so many questions about their circumstances. I thought I needed to have my voice in the retreat dialogue, but I realized that there needed to be more space for our peers from directly affected areas of conflict or post-conflict. They needed to be heard, to share and to be sympathized with.”
–Young Leader, Vietnam
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