(GPDN)-Today’s youths have stepped up and engaged in international affairs.  One characteristics of this year’s Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference was that there were many young participants, and their active involvement inspired many seasoned NGO colleagues. Although the 65th Annual UN DPI/NGO Conference concluded at the end of August, people still talk about a special group of young international volunteers consisted of members of the Association of World Citizens, NGO in consultative status with ECOSOC and associated with the UN DPI, the Federation of World Peace and Love, and Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy for the movement of An Era of Conscience (ANEOC), and many of them came from Los Angeles.

Soon after their arrival, these volunteers started a series of activities in New York's Central Park, Times Square, Wall Street, and other famous attractions to promote the ANEOC movement. To spread the message about the movement, they conducted impromptu performances with energetic singing and dancing. Passerby’s stopped to watch them and showed their support some even gave the young volunteers big hugs as encouragement. In addition, the volunteers also visited ambassadors of various nations, NGO leaders, and people with similar ideals and invited them to support the movement.  The young volunteers also shared with other attendees of the NGO conference the idea behind the movement and received enthusiastic responses from them.

With the expiration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is quickly approaching in year 2015 and many of these goals are still yet to be met, this particular youth group shared its recommendations at the conference: the movement of "An Era of Conscience" is the key to achieving sustainable development of the Earth. Conscience is the purest goodness in our hearts. When we act based on conscience, we tend to make better decisions to do what is right and become more compassionate to encourage others to do good deeds for the betterment of the world together.  Ida Hsu, an ANEOC volunteer, shared the importance and necessity of incorporating ANEOC movement as an integral part of primary education: “Cultivating children’s conscience at a young age has a significant and positive impact on the world’s future; and instilling conscience-driven values into children will help them become loving, caring, and responsible adults.”  Emmy Shih, currently a sophomore at Cal State Fullerton, shared in the meeting: "After hearing the suggestions and methods to solve the issues presented, I deeply feel that conscience is the core of the solution to every problem, because nothing can be successfully completed without conscience."

Another volunteer from L. A., Susan Wang-Selfridge, together with other volunteers, presented the theme song of "An Era of Conscience" at an UN NGO workshop. Susan expressed, “When singing this song, the powerful music imbued with true synergy of universal love and compassion made an emotional and amazing moment of clarity for me that true conscience is to share our goodness to help others and to encourage them to pass the acts of kindness forward.” Many participants at the workshop were deeply touched by the song and expressed their full support for the movement of ANEOC. They affirmed that conscience is certainly the key to creating a future of love, peace, and sustainability.  At the end of the meeting, many people in support of the movement made the ANEOC hand gesture, symbolizing the idea: protect the conscience in our hearts to create an era of love and peace.

Inspired by the movement of ANEOC, Joel Zinsou, a youth representative of International Association of Applied Psychology, said that being a person of conscience is to stop being selfish and pass on the idea. “If you help somebody, that person can be inspired to help somebody else.”  Hadiza Bala Usman said that we should appreciate our conscience and follow our conscience as we do things in our daily lives. Shamir Hxman remarked that we need conscience in every action we take, and he thinks it's great to raise awareness for this worthy cause. Agatha Duncan, from Duncan International, not only supported the movement, but also joined as an ANEOC international volunteer.

During the three-day meeting, hundreds of NGO representatives from around the world warmly responded to ANEOC and shared their own words of conscience and jointly co-promote the movement as international volunteers.

As Dr. Hong, the initiator of the movement of “An Era of Conscience,” stated, “With conscience, comes a peaceful world; with happiness, comes a joyful family.” Your words of conscience and acts of kindness are a positive contribution to your family, society, nation, and the world. To date, people in 184 countries and over 1700 organizations have participated in the movement, and the movement’s website has received over 1.5 million visits. 

We cordially invite you to participate in the global endorsement for the Declaration for the Movement of “An Era of Conscience” and expressions at www.aneoc.org/en.