BANDUNG, 7-8 June 2010 -- The forty students who joined the Global Peace Volunteer Camp in Bandung last month will never look at the world in quite the same way. They came away with a different, more hopeful vision.

Lembang, the site of the camp, is a beautiful mountainous area, an escape from the bustle, noise, and grime typical of growing cities in the developing world. Living simply, without cell phones, TVs, I-Pods, or other entertainments, the students focused for two days (June 7-8) on inner essentials. They learned about and discussed the challenge of becoming young leaders who could live for the sake of others and give substance to the vision of One Family Under God.

The auditorium at Jakarta’s National Library was hopping with youthful energy as 300 students sporting bright blue T-shirts clapped and cheered the arrival of international guests working for the Global Peace Festival to be held in Jakarta in October 2010.

The students, from twelve local universities, were attending the Young Leaders Assembly 2010 under the theme “Let’s Unite. Peace Now!” Among the schools represented were Muslim, Catholic and Confucian institutions.

The Global Peace Leadership Conference in Jakarta on Saturday April 10 drew around 200 very engaged participants, many of them from diverse Muslim NGOs and civic organizations. The event was jointly organized by Global Peace Festival Foundation (GPFF) and the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP). It marked the start of preparations for the Southeast Asia Global Peace Festival 2010 to be held in Jakarta in October.

Dr. Musdah Mulia, chairperson of ICRP and organizing chairperson of the festival in October, said that the Global Peace Festival was animated by the idea that the global family must be based on “a culture of heart, a culture of true love.”