Contribution and Role of Youth in the Family and Society (WFWP Portugal)
Written by: Marta de Carvalho Rodrigues
One of the essential questions for the advancement of human society is based on the awareness of young people, especially young women, as the core of social and human development. With this in mind, Women’s Federation for World Peace (WFWP) Portugal held a webinar to provide a platform for young women to express themselves and share their ideas, experiences and plans as a way to reduce the obstacles that women face in the development of societies.
On July 31, 2021, WFWP Portugal brought together nine university students, for a time of incredible sharing, an opportunity for visibility as well as encouragement to bring their creativity and inspiration, enabling the exchange of experiences in creating a common foundation for future activities on social influence.
Among the eight young speakers and one moderator, there were incredible speeches. A young Ambassador for Peace, Raquel Flores, 22-years-old, recently graduated in Communication Sciences with a focus on Journalism. Ms. Flores presented her speech talking about: "The Role of Young Journalists in Global Society," arguing that journalism is a very important and necessary profession because it moves and influences the masses. For this reason, journalism must be exercised based on ethics, seriousness, responsibility and respect for individual rights, so that it becomes a suitable means of training and informing people, collaborating and encouraging them towards education, contrary to what happens nowadays with sensationalist journalism, negative competitiveness and misinformation, which lead people to deceive.
Another young woman drew attention by sharing her own experience, focusing on the discussed topic. Érica Pina, a 21-year-old university student in Nursing, stated that as young people are the future of society and the world, they should concentrate on their role and consider that their development should start from home to society. She ended by expressing gratitude to the opportunities offered by Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, co-founders of WFWPI, which allowed her to participate in various initiatives, programs and educational incentives with a positive impact on world peace. She also shared that in one of the books Rev. Moon authored, "The Way for Young People," he explains that young people must determine their attitudes through three factors: "A big dream, the early discovery of their own abilities and advanced young planning."
To close the event, the National President of WFWP Portugal spoke on the topic: “Family: School of love, place of reconciliation for good citizenship.”
With this webinar, WFWP Portugal wished to provide young people with a platform to share their ideas and experiences, while inspiring others and encouraging those who wish to fulfill their dreams as wise women. A positive and uplifting atmosphere filled the room, as the speakers expressed their desire to see this type of event happening more often. These young speakers provided a wonderful experience and instilled hope in the hearts of the audience.
