Share your smiles, compliments, time, talents, money, and energy with those around you. We must truly be the change that we want to see. And we can do it. We are doing it. Believe that the future is full of mindfulness where hearts mean more than our accounts.
The Love Initiative.
Notes From the Road – Bright Lights Blog
http://troubadourofpeace.blogspot.com/
Book a house concert or music for a yoga class today!!
TOUR DATES
| Date | Time | Venue | Location | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3/22/18 | 3:00 PM | Choices | Akron, OH | |
| 3/22/18 | 6:00 PM | Tea Time for Peace | Kent, OH | |
| 3/23/18 | 5:00 PM | Friends of the Metro Parks Benefit w/ the Bright Lights | Akron, OH | |
| 3/27/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 3/30/18 | 6:30 PM | 330 Day @ Akron Civic Theatre | Akron, OH | |
| 3/31/18 | 10:30 AM | Celebration of Life for Marilyn Stroud | Cuyahoga Falls, OH | |
| 4/3/18 | 6:30 PM | MLK Kirtan | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/4/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Circle | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 4/6/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Rhodes St Rude Boys | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 4/7/18 | 8:30 PM | Mustard Seed Highland Square w/ Bright Lights! | Akron, OH | |
| 4/10/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother Lounge | Cleveland, OH | |
| 4/16/18 | 7:00 PM | Wolf Creek Winery | Norton, OH | |
| 4/21/18 | 6:30 PM | Bright Lights @ the Rialto | Akron, OH | $5 |
| 4/22/18 | 4:00 PM | Yoga Central | Canton, OH | |
| 4/28/18 | 7:00 PM | Wine Mill | Peninsula, OH | |
| 5/2/18 | 6:30 PM | Nonviolent Communication Series | Akron, OH | Donations |
| 5/4/18 | 7:00 PM | Big Love Night @ Live Music Now w/ Gretchen Pleuss | Akron, OH | $5-10 |
| 5/5/18 | 12:00 PM | Cleveland VegFest | Cleveland, OH | |
| 5/5/18 | 6:00 PM | Bent Ladder winery | Doylestown , OH | |
| 5/8/18 | 7:00 PM | Brother’s Lounge | Cleveland, OH |
For over 25 years, we’ve inspired, educated and activated thousands of communities and organizations through our solutions-focused programs and ready-to-use social and digital tools. Together, they provide the launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change.
Drawdown EcoChallenge is:
- a 21-day engagement program focused on carbon reduction;
- a challenge taking place April 3-24 and;
- following actions highlighted in Drawdown, a book based on meticulous research that maps, measures, models, and describes solutions to global warming that already exists and;
- where participants track and share their progress online in a robust platform and earn points for taking action and;
- the combination of collective action, camaraderie, and friendly competition makes change a little easier — and a lot more fun and;
- providing tools and inspiration to turn intention into action, and
- giving participants a fun and social way to think about and act on proven solutions to reverse global warming!
Over eighty actions within seven challenge categories
provide participants with diverse options to reduce carbon usage.
The EcoChallenge Platform is a signature offering of EcoChallenge.org (formerly Northwest Earth Institute), a sustainability organization that provides innovative social and digital tools designed to be a launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change. EcoChallenge.org also hosts a global October EcoChallenge which is free and open to everyone, everywhere. Over 73,500 people from 101 countries have used the EcoChallenge Platform and the organization has engaged over 250,000 people throughout its 25-year history. The EcoChallenge Platform can also be used to create custom Challenges that meet the engagement and action goals of your workplace, college, or community.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 227 2807
This year we explore all the various ways we can be and co create love in action. Along with a challenge~ How are you showing up in the world? at the grocery store, with your family, at work, school, out being social How are we showing up in the world? Does it feel in alignment? Since we know we are love, and love is who we are… what does love look like for us personally? Each person here is a divine, miraculous unfolding. We each have our own Unique Energetic Signature… what you bring to the planet, to the streets, only you can bring. Be strong in your heart, be strong in your dreams. Let’s show the world what we can do in the name of love! International Children’s Month 2019 Platform is TAKING IT TO THE STREETS! Love In Action! International Children’s Month web site is based in Oral Traditions. If you are inspired, please cite your source. We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. IN the name of love we thank Gandhi, our indigenous relatives/relations, and for this year especially the first wave of love in action creators of the 60’s…We have come full circle. GAME ON and BE THE MEDICINE! #ICMTakingItToTheStreets #ICMGameOn #ICMGlobalWaveofLove #ICMBeTheMedicine
FIRST WE TUNE INTO SELF, THEN TO OUR FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD. AS WE DO THIS WE SPREAD LOVE. DR. EMOTO TAUGHT US THAT WE TRANSFORM THINGS BY THINKING AND FEELING ABOUT THEM… JOIN ICM IN THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE 7 DAYS OF REST AND REFLECTION BEGINNING TODAY, AND FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS. YOU CAN ALSO SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND TOGETHER WE WILL LOVE ALL THAT IS SACRED AND IMPORTANT TO US. SIGN UP ON THE WEB SITE WWW.7DAYS-OF-REST.ORG AS AN INDIVIDUAL, TEAM OR COMMUNITY. #GAMEON
JOIN US!! WE WILL BE READING FABULOUS BOOKS FOR US ALL ON FACEBOOK LIVE SHOWS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH!
LIKE AND SHARE US ON FACEBOOK!
https://www.facebook.com/2019-International-Childrens-Month-Global-Wave-of-Love
Camp Kindness Day — July 23, 2019
On July 23, the camp community will participate in Camp Kindness Day – an event highlighting the practice of intentional kindness that happens every day at American camps. This is an opportunity to raise awareness of the the great work that camps are doing to teach kindness in engaging, simple, repeatable, and high impact ways that live on in the daily lives of campers and staff members when they return home.
Focusing on our youth and young adults, Camp Kindness Day will help showcase the commitment of the camp community to fostering the core values of kindness, compassion, generosity and care, and integrating those values more fully into every aspect of our society. These values are already part of the fabric of the camp experience. We share the mission for our youth to be nurtured, taught, supported, and inspired to grow into our new generation of kind, compassionate, socially-minded, community-oriented citizens.
Camp Kindness Day will allow camps to incorporate into their July 23 programming fun theme-based activities and cooperative games, cool projects, and memorable moments which will celebrate the value and impact of kindness.
How your camp can participate:
- Schedule Camp Kindness Day into your programming on July 23.
- Help spread the word in a unified social media campaign by tagging #CampKindnessDay into your social media and other communications.
- Share your plans so that ACA can support you through localized public relations efforts.
To support your camp’s involvement in Camp Kindness Day, ACA has produced an electronic #CampKindnessDay Backpack, complete with programming ideas and activities, FAQs, social media tips, and other information on how your camp can celebrate Camp Kindness Day.
Be part of the nation-wide evolution! Plan now to add #CampKindnessDay to your camp’s programming on July 23.
|
We have a number of ways to get involved this month and be part of The Peace Alliance’s peacebuilding movement.
Take Action with Creation Justice Ministries This September
Check out these different ways for you and your congregation to get involved. Come back every month for new ways to take action!
|
#CareForCreation: September 2019
Share the Word
September 1, 2019
Online Prayer Service for Creation Day/World Day of Prayer for Creation
Creation Day, also called the World Day of Prayer for Creation, opens the Season each year. Pope Francis, Patriarch Bartholomew, the World Council of Churches, and many other leaders have called the faithful to celebrate it. Christians from around the world are invited to join an online prayer service to come together in a joyful celebration of our common cause.
September 16, 2019
Webinar
Learn more
10:00 Eastern US / 15:00 London / 21:00 Manila
Please join us for a webinar to explore the connection between biodiversity and Christian spirituality. Speakers include Rev. Dr. Dave Bookless or A Rocha International / Lausanne Catalyst for Creation Care, Rev. Dra. Neddy Astudillo of GreenFaith Latino America, and Celia Deane Drummond of the University of Oxford. The conversation will be moderated by Rev. Rachel Mash, Environmental coordinator for the Anglican Church of Southern Africa and Green Anglicans.
September 20, 2019
Global Climate Strike
Young people from around the world will come together for a remarkable day of strikes from school to demand urgent action on the climate crisis. Their parents, neighbors, teachers, and families will stand alongside them. The climate strikes were galvanized by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg, and each strike to date has sent more than a million people into the streets. Learn more at Laudato Si’ Generation, the climate initiative by and for young Catholics.
September 21, 2019
International Coastal Cleanup Day
For over 30 years, communities have come together to remove trash from coastlines and waterways including ponds, lakes, and rivers. Together, these volunteers remove and catalogue mountains of litter every year. Your community is invited to join. To learn more, please visit the Ocean Conservancy.
September 23, 2019
United Nations Climate Action Summit
The UN Secretary General is hosting a summit devoted to climate change, with the aim of calling the world’s attention to the urgent need to implement the Paris Agreement. The Paris pact has been agreed to by every country–only the United States has said it intends to leave it. But countries have not made policies to meet its goals. Of the 197 countries in the agreement, only seven are on track to keep warming below 2 degrees celsius, and only two are on track to keep warming below 1.5 degrees celsius. Science tells us that every fraction of a degree in warming means more hunger, more sickness, more conflict. The UN Secretary General’s summit is a chance for the people of the world to rally around real, ambitious policies to solve this crisis.
September 23, 2019
6th International Conference on Ecological Theology and Environmental Ethics, Orthodox Academy of Crete Chania, Crete, Greece
Learn more
This conference will engage theology on key ecological concerns from a variety of religious traditions and perspectives. This year’s theme is “Ecological racism and prophetical voices for ecological crisis.” The conference will be a blend of learning and discussion, while attending to the magnificent Earth and cultural context of this region of Crete.
Guide 2019 – Season of Creation Theme – Web of Life
October 4, 2019 St. Francis Day Many traditions view St. Francis as an inspiration and guide for those who protect creation. October 4 is his feast day and the last day in the Season of Creation. Faith leaders from around the world will come together to reflect on how St. Francis has informed their spiritual journey and to celebrate our month-long journey together.
THINK KINDNESS, WE CHARITY, COUNT ME IN CHAMPION KINDNESS WORLD WIDE
There’s a growing crisis among young people today. One-in-five students report being bullied, cyberbullying is on the rise, and teen suicide is at a record high. As these problems continue to worsen, many adults may be left scratching their heads. How do we stop this crisis and help our youth?
There are a lot of possible answers, but there’s one that I’d like to pose today that I think is too often overlooked: kindness.
Yes, the simple act of kindness – not just witnessing it, but participating in it – has the ability to change people’s lives for the better. To make our world safer and happier for our children, we need to be teaching them how to be kind at home, at school, and in their communities.
This may seem overly simple, but science backs it up. According to research from places like Harvard and UC Berkeley, among others, acts of kindness release chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and oxytocin, which reduce depression and anger and boost overall happiness.
Being kind isn’t something we should just mention to our kids in passing – it should be an integral part of their daily activities.
As the founder of Think Kindness, I am blessed to have an incredible job. I go into schools all across the country and help kids tap into their inner kindness potential. In my ten years here, I’ve seen some amazing results. For instance, after my very first speech, a student who struggled with suicidal thoughts wrote me to tell me how getting involved in helping others radically changed his life for the better.
Luckily, Think Kindness isn’t the only organization that makes kindness its mission.
There’s a group called Count Me In, founded and led by youth, which helps to connect young people with volunteer opportunities in their communities and around the world. To date, the organization has inspired over 100 million volunteer hours. In addition, Count Me In has an annual leadership summit which serves as a bootcamp training kids how to be volunteers and do good in the world. I am also blessed to sit on the advisory board for such a powerful and meaningful organization.
Similarly, there’s an organization in Canada called the WE Charity which does incredible work to connect kids to acts of kindness. For instance, WE offers volunteer trips to impoverished communities around the world, giving young people a powerful chance to make a real difference for people in need.
They also host what they call We Days, which draw hundreds of thousands of children into stadiums across the world to hear nspirational messages about doing good around the world.
Organizations like these and others are essential to turning the tide of anger, depression, and sadness among our youth today.
But they need backup, because according to one study, youth volunteering has gone down over the last fifteen years. All of us – parents, teachers, community leaders – need to promote kindness to young people.
We can do it in two ways: first and foremost, by showing kindness ourselves; second, by connecting our kids to groups which can give them the tools they need to be conduits of kindness everywhere they go.
Let’s get to it – it just might change the world.
With Kindness,
Brian Williams
President & Founder, Think Kindness
#BeKindTogether
21 DAYS OF ACTION:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WE, THE FUTURE GENERATION, ASK YOU TO CHOOSE US
On September 20, three days before the UN Climate Summit in NYC, young people and adults will strike all across the US and world to demand transformative action be taken to address the climate crisis. Millions of us will take the streets to demand a right to a future, and we’re inviting you to
#strikewithus
Whether you’re 7 or 77, you’re invited to join the movement.
*************************
From Bill McKibben:
Dear Friends,
“Last week I ended up in jail for a little while, because I’d sat down in a Congress member’s office to protest the deadly confluence of climate and immigration policy. You can read about my day in the New Yorker1 story shared on the bottom of this email, but my point in sharing it with you is not to say that I acted nobly or that it was a big deal.
Instead, my point is simply that sometimes you have to act even if you’re not entirely sure what the effect will be. We’re coming up on the next great moment in the climate movement, the global all-ages climate strike on Sept. 20. Years of sustained resistance from Standing Rock to the school strikes and beyond, particularly from youth of color, have led us to this moment. So let’s make the most of it.
Whatever you do that day — whether you walk out of work or school, close down your business, or join a protest, it will help build the groundswell that is now clearly rising.
When you strike, you’ll be striking for justice above all — it’s one thing you can do on behalf of those who are incarcerated at the border, or who are living so close to the margin that taking a day off is not possible. If you have some flexibility in your life, it’s time to put it to work. If you don’t, sign up anyway, we’ll find other ways for you to participate and show your support.
The UN’s best guess is that unchecked climate change could produce a billion climate refugees this century. Think about that for a moment — a billion people whose lives would be utterly, permanently, devastatingly upended. Then think about whether you can take a day to do something real about it, even without knowing exactly what change it will produce.
Together we build movements, and when those movements get big enough they change history. You change history. Thank you for being a big part of it –
Let’s make change, “
Bill McKibben
**********************************************************************************************
For more information, please visit strikewithus.org.
**********************************************************************************************
ABOUT
We, as a global society, are at a crossroads. We have a decision to make. Are we going to choose money or power or are we going to choose the future? The September 20 strike is an invitation to everyone to choose us. Choose the kids, choose humanity, choose the future.
Led by a diverse coalition of youth-led and adult-led organizations,
September 20 is an intergenerational day of striking
that will launch an entire week of climate action across the world.
September 20 is only the beginning. We must carry this energy to the 2020 elections, and beyond to ensure real, bold action is taken to address the climate crises. This is history in the making, and it’s time we take back the narrative to save our futures.
The demands set forth by the youth coalition will be released soon.
***************************************************************************
MEET THE STRIKE TEAM
YOUTH COALITION
ADULT COALITION
STRIKE SPONSORS
MOVEMENT PARTNERS
ECOLISE
The European Network for Community-led Initiatives on Climate Change and Sustainability, is the initiator and main organiser of the European Day of Sustainable Communities. We have 46 member networks and organisations across Europe
***************************************************************************************************
A celebration of local communities taking action for a zero-carbon, regenerative and inclusive Europe.
This is an ECOLISE flagship event. #EDSC19 #SustainableCommunity
Become a co-creator of the day! For details see https://www.sustainable-communities.net/
***********************************************************************************************
 |
 |
Our annual People’s Ecochallenge is back to invite you to do more environmental + social good.From October 2 – October 23,create more environmental + social good alongside your peersand thousands of global changemakers.Connect the dots between your values and the impact of your actions.The People’s Ecochallenge harmonizes individual and collective action,camaraderie, and friendly competitionto create significant collective impact.Over 100 actions within nineChallenge categories await you. Register today! |
|
 |
Connect the dots between your values + the impact of your actions during The People’s Ecochallenge!
Ecochallenge.org’s social change platform + curriculum connect a global community of advocates and changemakers, each doing what we can, in ways that are most relevant to us, to make this great spinning dot we call home a healthier, more equitable, more sustainable place. Welcome to The People’s Ecochallenge!
|
The time is now more than ever to be the change and stand up for peace and nonviolence. Our communities deserve to live their daily lives peacefully and together we can strive to make that happen. As partners of #Gandi150 and believers in the power of peace, we invite you to be part of the movement on October 2. More information here.
How to get involved on October 2:
1. Nonviolence Champion – Nominate a faculty member from your educational institution, as the champion for the event.
2. Nonviolence in Action – On October 2, host a screening of the documentary film, “From India with Love”, followed by an interactive discussion to promote peace.
3. Nonviolence in Classrooms – Lead an experiential learning module on nonviolence in the classroom and promote peace.
Join us on October 2 and share your activity with us at The Peace Alliance. Find our Facebook page here and/or tag us on Twitter at @PeaceAlliance. Use #Gandhi150 and #RethinkPeace to join the worldwide social media conversation on peace!
Thank you!
In peace and partnership!
Jelena Popovic, Teaching Peace in Schools Council Lead
and The Peace Alliance Board of Directors and Leadership Council
About The Peace Alliance
Mission:
The Peace Alliance empowers civic action toward a culture of peace.
Who We Are:
We are an alliance of organizers and advocates taking the work of peacebuilding from the margins of society into the center of national discourse and policy priorities.
We champion a comprehensive, collaborative approach to peace and peacebuilding.
The 8th Annual Children’s Global Wave Of Love
June 21 at 1:11 pm in your heart and time zone.
We collectively come together to cultivate and
send forth our mission
“Children Across the Planet in Love, Care, and Respect.”
Since everyday is children’s day, we create a year-long, free, activity platform for children, families, communities, schools, organizations and YOU to empower
heart space and help transform the world!
Our Mission Statement: Our mission is to provide complete and total support to all children with an entire month of activities that enhance all aspects of a child’s life.
