Representatives from six ecumenical student and youth groups in the Asia Pacific Region met in Hsin Chu, Taiwan from April 22-29 to share their ideas and learn from each other. Altogether, representatives from Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka were present for the conference.

The conference brought together members from organizations such as Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs (APY), Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS), International Young Christian Students (IYCS), World Student Chrsitian Federation (WSCF) and the World Young women Christian Association (YWCA). This year’s topic for the conference was “Peace”.

Discussions were organized around “Viewpoints on Peace”, “Authority”, “Hopes and Dreams” and “Peacemaking”. Discussion leader Ruki Fernando from Sri Lanka told representatives that God has proclaimed good news to the people of the world, but that news contains both peace and conflict. Conflict brings forth the process of peace because it draws people into situations where they present ideas and engage in dialogue. The clash of ideas can lead to positive discussions that result in meaningful peace.

Fernando called on Christians to understand that the peace that God has brought requires our active participation to establish and maintain. It is apprehended through devotion, prayer, and positive attitudes during conflict. These bring peace into fruition.

Chou Fu-Yi, a representative from Taiwan, said that after his interactions with youth from all over the Asia Pacific Region, he felt connect to all nations in the area and had received many new ideas.

The conference was organized by the Ecumenical Asia-Pacific Student & Youth Network (EASYNet), representing five organizations in networking with other groups in the region. The primary function of EASYNet is to support and facilitate the promotion of "grassroots ecumenism" among the five organizations’ constituencies.