Who founded the RYS?

     The Youth Seminar on the World's Religions, the predecessor to RYS, was created based on an idea presented to the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, founder of the Unification Movement, at the Assembly of World Religions in 1985. Professors and religious leaders at the conference came together to create a project that would provide public service to those in need while demonstrating religious harmony. This idea was then supported and financed by Reverend Moon.

     In 1986, the first RYS project was held in the Philippines. Noted scholars of various world religions have helped to shape and develop the nature of the program over time. By 1988, the RYS program was transformed into an experiential, social service-learning project.