2021
France
Project Phoenix has continued to host virtual events for communities around the world during the COVID pandemic. From June 4th-6th, Project Phoenix was welcomed to the wonderful country of France. Ninety people attended the virtual program in all.
As we learned the first night of our event, santé is a "cheers" of sorts, meaning good health! So we say hello to our newest Project Phoenix alumni and wishing all of you good health.
Below are some testimonies about the event.
"This project gave me great inspiration as I have been trying to deepen my relations with others and also have a better connection with myself. It comforted me in my efforts and gave me more tools to communicate better with others."
"A realization jumped into my mind that God had something in store for the family gathering we would share over the next three days. Then, from the second day, I felt the depth of each person's story, and the love was immediate. Family awareness has breathed life into my family life. It was an opportunity to experience God's love and His manifestation in each of us."
"My family group was great, with a great group moderator. I realized the importance of sharing and listening, in order to convey God's heart. I also felt I could understand more about the first generation and the struggles they have been through."
"I realized that most anger I have is towards myself and that I need to learn to appreciate myself more. I could understand how desperate the first generation was and still are to change the world and the environment so that their children and future descendants could live in a better world. I could also understand their frustration of not having been able to do so, at least not as much as they would have liked to. I felt a deep sense of peace that despite current challenges in our relationships God is guiding us in the right direction and everything will turn out well. I was very moved by the fact that asking people how they are and actually listening to was very powerful."
Southwest, USA
From May 13-15th, Project Phoenix was welcomed by the Southwest states of Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada. Sixty-five people attended the virtual program in all.
Several Project Phoenix staff are from this region and had various family members and friends attending. Below are some comments shared from a post-program survey.
"I see the value of creating a safe space for people to speak, share, and be heard. I am contemplating gathering members of our community so we can have similar experiences locally. We have a lot of wonderful members here, and it is a shame because I don't know them so well. I very much would like to get to know people better. I would like to create deeper relationships with the people around me."
“I very much enjoyed the family break-out sessions. I felt a genuine connection with everyone in the end. The reminder to improve my listening was very important to me. We need sharing and listening now more than ever in this world."
"Just sharing with members in the breakout sessions was the best experience for me. A lot of memories were triggered that I am reflecting upon. I believe this is the first workshop I have attended with church members where it was not about studying the Divine Principle. My relationships with Unification church members have been through a common mission and outside of that common mission, there was no relationship. I need to take time to reflect on the interpersonal communication skills and process the information shared in this program."
2020
Southeast, USA
In October, Project Phoenix held its first-ever virtual event! Over 120 people from Southeast region attended our very first virtual event, our largest event ever, even bigger than our inaugural event at IPEC 4 years ago. There were some technical difficulties and unexpected issues, but we worked through them and we discovered that, yes, Project Phoenix can work virtually. It is different from being able to connect with people in-person, however, God showed up and helped people connect in their family groups and listen and share deeply. And some activities may have worked even better in a virtual format! We also were able to expand our reach to more remote church communities who were previously too far from Project Phoenix events to participate.