IGNITE and THRIVE: CARP Activities Inspire Students
Photo credit CARP Bay Area
Various chapters of the Collegiate Association for the Research of Principles (CARP) recently held a range of inspiring year-end student activities online. CARP, a national movement of students by students, was established in 1966 by the late Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon and Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon.
On May 13, CARP organizers from Chabot College in the Bay Area hosted the IGNITE program on Zoom, where participants discussed public service and how it affects them and the world.
“We talked about what kind of acts are considered service,” said Chabot’s CARP Activities Coordinator, Josh Fujikake, “and how even little acts of service make an impact on others and ourselves.”
Fujikake said the virtual program brought people together to cultivate new relationships and deepen existing ones during a time when many people feel isolated during the pandemic. All California residents are currently ordered to stay home or at their place of residence, except for permitted work and errands, until June 15. However, CARP members suggested gestures like a handwritten letter, phone call, or care package as simple acts of service that can instantly brighten someone’s day.
On the East Coast, the CARP DMV (DC-Maryland-Virginia) chapter heard powerful testimonies during the online THRIVE program on May 16. Jermaine Bishop of CARP Los Angeles and Adelina Lazar of CARP DMV shared how they became involved in the campus organization and its transformational effect on their lives.
Since joining CARP, Bishop and Lazar have been dedicated to public service and creating a more peaceful world centered on God. Bishop, who received the Marriage Blessing with Yuka Miyagi, is part of the founding team of the Young Christian Leadership Conference (YCLC) which started in 2019. Lazar helped spearhead the new CARP chapter in Washington, D.C. in 2020. Both speakers emphasized developing a strong personal relationship with God to guide them on their journey.
In the Southwest, CARP members at Arizona State University (ASU) held their first community retreat online, focusing on “How to Attain Joy” and “The Principles of Creation.” The group talked about what role God has played in their lives that brought them happiness; further developing their faith; and growing more confident in themselves and sharing their beliefs.
“This was the perfect opportunity to strengthen our faith by working through the relationships we have with different people during the pandemic,” said Rie Fukuzaki, who co-founded the CARP chapter at ASU in 2019. “We opened up about our personal growth and shared inspiring, motivational points with each other. It was a new experience for our CARP chapter overall; we had so many amazing victories and many participants enjoyed the event.”
Nationwide, CARP creates programs, events, and activities designed to raise student leaders who engage in thoughtful and meaningful discussion while building deep, long-lasting relationships for peace and growth. CARP’s founders, Rev. and Dr. Moon, envisioned young people educated in serving the world before serving themselves, their families and nations.
You can learn more about CARP and find a local chapter here.
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