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 |
Crystal Reiki is an Alternative Healing method which combines the Universal Life Force of Reiki Energy with the Healing Power of Quartz Crystals!
Requirements: Reiki Practitioner Level 1+2. If you are not a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner, please specify this, and I will include the Reiki Level 1+2 Attunements in this session.
You will learn how to use Crystals and how to benefit from the Reiki Energy for Healing.
In celebration of our common humanity, we join with citizens from all around the world on September 21st for International Peace Day. This year we are excited to celebrate the EMPOWERED VOICES OF YOUTH in our commUNITY, who are leading the way to a more peaceful and just world. International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution and this day of peace provides a globally shared occasion for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace.
Come and join us as we
march, chant, dance, rally, listen and create
with one another to celebrate our
connection, hope, and commUNITY!
Festivities include:
March
Unique voices from our International community
Performances
International Flag Ceremony
Face-painting
Sign Making
…and more!
Awakening Humanity at Work
Agriculture. Plant seedling. Hand nurturing young baby plants growing on fertile soil with natural green background
CCARE and Whirling Chief are excited to bring this unique leadership development retreat to California at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort. In this powerful three-day program we will explore the latest in neuroscience, the bio-psycho-physiology of compassion, and dynamic practices that support the development of compassion, wisdom, and well-being at work. A significant body of evidence shows that when people in power adopt a human-centered view of business and promote a culture of respect, trust, compassion, and wisdom, the performance of the organization rises along with individual wellness.Join us to expand your capacity for this kind of leadership.Reach out to us if you are interested in participating.
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The rise of artificial intelligence, robotics, and “smart” technologies powers change faster than ever. For some, this new era has ushered in prosperity and the potential to address some of humanity’s most vexing challenges in creative new ways. For others, however, this era of technological and social change has ushered in isolation, loneliness, and fear.
Humanity Needs a New Form of Leadership
A significant body of research shows that when people in positions of power adopt a human-centered view of business that emphasizes a culture of respect, trust, compassion, and wisdom, the performance of the organization rises along with individual well-being. Rigorous evidence from multiple disciplines demonstrates that organizations can recruit more talented people, retain them longer, draw out higher quality service, and engage in more rapid innovation when performance goes hand-in-hand with human thriving. Where people thrive, business thrives.
Audience
Corporate executives, organizational leaders and those in influencing roles who want to immerse in the new science of compassion and well-being and explore the strategic value of human-centered leadership to create stakeholder and shareholder value.
Program Objectives
In this powerful three-day program, we will use the latest research in neuroscience, the bio-physiology of compassion and well-being, and dynamic findings from organizational behavior and psychology to learn the skills of resilience and creating thriving organizations.
We will explore how a neuroscientific and physiological approach to building an organizational culture of compassion and well-being changes what you think you know about the basics of human and organizational psychology. Along with like-minded fellow travelers on a journey of evolution, we will participate in a discussion about how to develop new qualities within ourselves and within the organizational ecosystems where we live and create action plans that inspire our own compassion and well-being.
Some of the benefits you will experience through a combination of classroom learning, experiential work, discussion, and case study include:
- Gain a better understanding of the scientific basis for an emphasis on compassion and well-being in the workplace and the motivators for compassion in business,
- Increase consciousness and build skill in managing the physiology and psychology of human well-being,
- Recognize thinking habits and biases that work for you and against you as you endeavour to cultivate compassion, wisdom, and well-being,
- Learn about and experiment with some new taxonomy of ‘being’,
- Use scenario planning to envision future states of ‘doing’,
- Develop methodologies to lift self and others into new states of thriving and vitality in your organization
- Develop approaches to reducing and responding to suffering at work that may otherwise be invisible or unaddressed in order to build collaboration and enhance working relationships.
Agenda
The three days of this program will emphasize a blend of classroom-style learning, expert presentations, and discussion with experiences that help you fully internalize and practice the skills and ideas that will change your life and your workplace.
Day 1: What is the new world of work and how shall humanity respond?
Day 2: Awakening humanity in leadership: The crucial element of success in the new world of work
Day 3: A new kind of being, a new kind of business
Program Facilitators
Developed as a collaboration between Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and Whirling Chief, the program will bring together best-selling author and renowned neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty with leadership expert and business guide Sesil Pir, principle of Whirling Chief.
Other facilitators include Monica Worline, research scientist at CCARE with expertise in compassion science and the field of Positive Organizational Scholarship; Aslı Aker, global leadership and organizational development expert; and Sinan Canan, neuroscientist and co-founder of Açık Beyin Academy.
Venue
Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paso Robles, California.
Pilot Pricing Info
Discounted rate 6,000 USD / person, plus travel costs.
Facilitators: Dr. James Doty & Sesil Pir
Where: Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paso Robles, California
When: October 21–24, 2018
Early Childhood Education and Public Charge
November 7 at 3:00 PM ET – 4:00 PM ET (12:00 PM PT – 1:00 PM PT)
On October 10, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was published in the Federal Register, outlining the administration’s intent to dramatically change the meaning and application of “public charge” provisions in immigration law. This proposal could harm the health and well-being of millions of children and families and is of great concern for young children’s development and the early childhood field as outlined in this Q&A. Staff at the Center for Law and Social Policy will provide an overview of the proposed public charge rule, its potential impact on young children, and explain how the early childhood field can support immigrant families and take action during the public comment period.
What Housing and Homelessness Advocates Should Know about the Public Charge Rule
November 8 @ 3:30 PM ET – 5:00 PM ET (12:30 PM PT – 2:00 PM PT)
On October 10, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published a proposed rule that would make it more likely for certain immigrants to be denied admission to the U.S. or denied green cards because they receive or would receive lifeline benefits, including public housing, Housing Choice Vouchers, and project-based Section 8 housing subsidies. Previously leaked drafts of this drastic policy change have already led many families to drop out of critical food and nutrition programs for their children. This chilling effect is poised to impact hundreds of thousands of hardworking immigrant households that depend on these programs for survival.
PIF Campaign: New Research and Estimating the Impact of Public Charge
November 8 @ 3:00 PM ET – 4:00 PM ET (12:00 PM PT -1:00 PM PT)
Join partners with the Protecting Immigrant Families (PIF) Campaign as we discuss new research estimating economic and demographic impacts of the proposed public charge rule. During this webinar, panelists will present the findings of three new resources from Manatt Health, Kaiser Family Foundation, and Fiscal Policy Institute. For more information about the webinar, please contact Jackie Vimo and Renato Rocha.
PIF Campaign: Public Charge 101
November 14 @ 2:00 PM ET – 3:00 PM ET (11:00 AM PT -12:00 PM PT)
A recurring webinar from CLASP and NILC. The Department of Homeland Security has published a proposed regulation on “public charge.” If finalized, the regulation would dramatically rewrite immigration policy and make green cards only available to the highest bidder. This webinar describes public charge policy today, how it would change, and what you need to know if you work with immigrant families.
For more info: bit.ly/askPIFcampaign
Our next Community Conversation will be on
Thursday, July 18
9:00 – 10:30 am PST / 12:00 – 1:30 pm EST
The terrible issue of immigrant children detained at the U.S. border
The United States of America has, since its inception, been a country formed by immigrants. Yet now, at our southern border particularly, thousands of people leaving their home countries are requesting asylum or entrance and are being held in detention centers and processed very slowly. Meanwhile, the immigrating families are being separated and the children held in cells – cages in many cases – without adequate sanitation or bedding, without adequate nutrition and without access to their parents or adult relatives. In spite of legal and popular objection this problem has continued and continued to worsen for over a year under the Trump administration.
Is the description above adequate to define this problem? What are some of the underlying causes of the problem and what can or should be done instead? What actions can we take to effect those changes?
Looking at this issue through your social justice and elder lenses, please read the materials suggested below, focus your attention on this issue in other news you read and conversations you hear, then bring your thoughts on the subject to our conversation July 18th.
In our Community Conversations we draw on the experience and wisdom of our group to better understand the critical issues we are facing and discern what actions we would want to take as elders in our society today. We offer moral support for each other as we grapple with the issues and challenges of our times and discern how to best support the activism that we are each engaged in.
Resources:
Letter from Santa Fe Dreamers:
Dear Friends and Supporters,
We know that you have all been reading and watching the absolutely horrific news unfold about the conditions of detention on the border. We know that many of you feel scared, frustrated, angry, and powerless by the way that our government is treating vulnerable people, especially children. We are writing today with information and direction towards action but also to urge you not to feel powerless. We are always capable of making change through our collective power. Of course this requires courage, stamina, and an intelligent, disciplined, and organized theory of change. It will not be easy. We encourage you to turn away from despair and towards this place of collective power knowing that it will test you. We will be with you the whole way. Below you will find some ideas for inspiration.
Love,
Your friends at Santa Fe Dreamers Project
- Educate yourself: Here at SFDP this is always our number one piece of advice. The more you know, the fiercer you will be as an advocate and a voter. There are plenty of explosive news articles to read but here are a few that we have learned from recently: We suggested this piece in our last newsletter but if you haven’t had a chance to read it we highly suggest Dara Lind’s “The Border is in Crisis. Here’s How it Got This Bad”. The New Yorker ran an incredibly thought provoking piece written by a historian about “The Unimaginable Reality of American Concentration Camp”. Again from the New Yorker, a report from the lawyers who were recently allowed in to inspect a children’s facility in Clint, TX, “Inside a Building in Texas where Government is Holding Immigrant Children”. Another really important thing to learn about (and something that is not highlighted enough in the news) is the Migrant Protection Protocol or MPP program that has currently turned thousands of thousands of migrants around at the US border to wait in Mexico. This is an excruciatingly dangerous policy that is threatening the lives of migrant families day after day.
- Understand that this cruelty is not new and these tactics did not just begin. In fact, the Obama administration reignited the practice of family detention in 2014. One of the reasons this summer feels so out of control is because the sheer numbers of people asking for asylum are so high. The Obama and now Trump administrations’ policies attempted to deter migrants through punishment, suffering, and torture but their success was dependent on the flow of migrants actually stopping. Now that the numbers are so high, these cruel and failed policies have now turned deadly.
- Engage with politicians: Here is the thing: The Trump administration cannot be swayed with moral arguments or blame. They are doing this on purpose. One way of thinking about engaging with politicians is to remember that Congress has the power of the purse and is funding this enforcement regime. One theory is that we can defund ICE and CBP and redirect that money to agencies or NGO’s that are capable of handling a humanitarian crisis of this scope and are not killing people for political motive. This means we have to pressure progressives and democrats and republicans with a conscience to do more than just signal compassion for immigrants. We need these leaders to articulate how they are going to disempower the Trump Administration and make sure it is part of the work they are doing to secure our votes. We can and must demand courageous leadership from our Senators and Representatives and that their actions reflect our deep desire to end the state sponsored violence on the border.
- How to respond to the threat of ICE raids: Trump’s twitter threat for a massive enforcement action last week was credible and achieved its purpose of scaring the shit out of immigrant and refugee communities all over the US. While it has been “delayed”, now is a wise time for communities to get organized. The American Friends Service Committee published this resource about how allies can support their immigrant and refugee neighbors during this time. Here is the ACLU’s guide to knowing your rights during ICE encounters and we suggest exploring it. Santa Fe Dreamers will be holding walk in hours for people to help families with power of attorney and family prep plans every Friday in Santa Fe from 1-5 at our 1213 Mercantile Rd office. If you work with concerned families let them know about this resource.
- Actions happening in NM: There is a lot of talk about national protests to close concentration camps on July 12. One of the organizations that is involved with planning this is called Lights of Liberty. Their Facebook page is a source of info– although we don’t have much info yet about that organization. We are talking with folks in NM about planning more locally focused actions and as soon as we have more details we will announce it. Choose your social media of choice or keep reading our emails to stay in touch.
- Where to donate: Of course here at Santa Fe Dreamers Project we use your donations to protect vulnerable immigrants and refugees in a million different ways every day. Specifically, we need more help on the border. We just rented a much larger office space in El Paso for our expanding team there and are raising funds for a legal assistant so we can have greater impact in the borderlands. You can donate to that effort here. Write border in the note! We are grateful for any help you can give putting this donation link out there into the universe. For those of you wondering where else it might be useful to donate here is our list of several grassroots legal organizations that we know are having impact (we also know we have left many out!)
- And finally an offer of poetry from our director, Allegra, who likes to contemplate what this particular poem is trying to teach us when thinking about the horrors we witness:
Now you know the worst
By Wendell Berry
To my granddaughters who visited the Holocaust Museum on the day of the burial of Yitzhak Rabin
Now you know the worst
we humans have to know
about ourselves, and I am sorry,
for I know that you will be afraid.
To those of our bodies given
without pity to be burned, I know
there is no answer
but loving one another,
even our enemies, and this is hard.
But remember:
when a man of war becomes a man of peace,
he gives a light, divine
though it is also human.
When a man of peace is killed
by a man of war, he gives a light.
You do not have to walk in darkness.
If you will have the courage for love,
you may walk in light. It will be
the light of those who have suffered
for peace. It will be
your light.
Regarding Investor Activism:
Here are some groups focused on Social, Environmental and Governance-conscious investing:
- Proxy Impact
- Sustainable Investment Institute
- As You Sow
- Green America (and also: www.greenamerica.org/finance)
And finally, for your research about political donations, money flow and lobbying influence:
How to join the conversation:
We will be using Zoom video conferencing, which is very easy to access by computer or regular telephone. If you choose to use your tablet or smartphone, be sure to download the Zoom app ahead of time. We will be starting each meeting on time so please connect 15 minutes before the call so that the host can help with any technical difficulties or questions you may have. Once the call starts the host will be not be able to help with connection issues. Once you are connected via Zoom you are welcome mute your microphone and turn off your video until just before the meeting starts, or you may enjoy chatting with others in the meeting while you wait.
Instructions and access to Zoom conferencing
To receive email reminders for Elder Activists for Social Justice (EASJ) meetings, monthly community conversations and workshops, please sign up here:
SIGN UP
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.
AUG 7
Disarm Hate: Gun Violence Prevention Vigil & Dialogue
Public
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Wednesday at 7 PM – 9 PM
2 days from now68–90°F Thunderstorms
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Former BC Courthouse then walk to Salem United Church
Doylestown Borough
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DISARM HATE: A CALL TO ACTION
CANDLELIGHT VIGIL & COMMUNITY DIALOGUE ON GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
WED, AUGUST 7, 2019, 7pm – Doylestown, PA
In the wake of the mass shootings this past weekend that left 30 dead and many injured, we ache for the victims, their families and the entire community. As we mourn, we also rise up to take a stand against hate and all forms of gun violence. The clear connection between hate and the access to firearms must be addressed by our elected officials
Please join us this Wednesday, August 7, at 7 pm on the steps of the former Courthouse (55 E Court St, Doylestown) for a candlelight vigil followed by a slow procession to Salem United Church for a Community Dialogue. (186 E Court St, Doylestown)
Please bring your own candle.
Co-sponsors include: Orange Wave, Temple Judea, The Peace Center, Rise Up Doylestown, Bucks Students Demand Action, Heeding God’s Call, The Rainbow Room, Salem United Church & CeaseFire PA.
For more information, contact thepeacecenter.org or call 215-750-7220.
Become More Present
Evoke Love and Compassion
You may contact us Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm Mountain Time.
AKRON PRIDE FESTIVAL
2019
The mission of Akron Pride is to unify and affirm the LGBTQ community and allies in celebrating our diversity and recognizing our likeness.
We will promote acceptance of all individuals by defending human equity.
“We came together, strong, unified, for the purpose of uniting the LGBTQ community for one day of celebration. With many obstacles and challenges ahead of us, we are willing to take risks and ask questions. With allies in tow, every person in this endeavor is helping to write history in this small city of Akron, Ohio. Every city in every state, no matter how big or small, should own their pride-strong, united, untethered! When there are many that say ‘no’ there is one to say ‘yes’-‘yes we can!’ Small city, big heart!”
-D. Lottman Cruise, President & Founder
Socially Conscious Leadership from the Inside Out
Our guest this week has come to believe that “No matter how wonderful a program is, if it is done as a bestowing – a certain group of people making decisions for another group – that is never going to bridge the divide in our city.” Does your work fit within this paradigm of “bestowing,” and how do you plant seeds for a deeper mindset or consciousness shift to address underlying structural issues? Share Your Reflection »
Dallas-based therapist, activist, writer, community leader and speaker Michelle Kinder examines and teaches conscious leadership “from the inside out.” She offers practical, achievable steps for parents, teachers and others to support children’s social-emotional health, and for business and other leaders to drive transformation in their lives and organizations. While exploring the lack of mental health resources in southern Dallas, Kinder got to know the work of the Momentous Institute, a 99-year-old Dallas-based nonprofit organization that has been building and repairing social-emotional health through education and mental health programs. Momentous Institute serves vulnerable children through therapy services, curriculum and teacher training focused on See full.
Five Questions for Michelle
What Makes You Come Alive?
Thank you for asking. Learning makes me come alive. Learning combined with contribution has long been a winning formula for me feeling most alive. Over the years I developed the habit of checking in with myself every six months or so with the questions “Am I learning? Am I contributing?” There have been interesting seasons on how the two balance each other. There are times that striving to contribute crowded out the kind of white space by brain needs for deep learning and I have had to course correct. And there have been other times that I was learning a lot, but didn’t feel like I was being a good steward in terms of making a difference for other people or for causes I care about. I should also say that because I am currently in a season of more white space and more time for discernment, increasingly, simple pleasures are what make me come alive. Listening to birds, watching our dogs, yoga, running, sunshine, good coffee and the sound of my girls laughing together. Things like that.
Pivotal turning point in your life?
When I was in High School I left my family in Guatemala and came to the states to attend boarding school. It was a transformational experience. The wonderful faculty there saw qualities in me that they nurtured into leadership and I really learned who I was and what I was capable of during those four years. Interestingly, in my previous school, there were teachers who experienced the exact same qualities as problematic, annoying or something to control. Having that experience has made me very interested in how adults show up in the lives of children in a way that respects the enormous privilege and responsibility. I always say there are no neutral interactions when it comes to our relationships with children – all interactions are either positive, negative or missed opportunities.
An Act of Kindness You’ll Never Forget?
When I was in college, my 24-year-old sister died suddenly and it was an enormous challenge to go back to school while navigating the grief process. Several weeks into it, when people had stopped checking in, I found a card tucked into one of my books. It was from a classmate I knew somewhat, but not super well. It said something like, “I know time has passed but your hurt hasn’t.” I still tear up thinking about that act of kindness. It meant so much and it has shaped my desire to show up for others in similar ways.
One Thing On Your Bucket List?
Have the kind of flexibility to visit different places for a month at a time and work remotely while folding into the local scene.
One-line Message for the World?
Regardless of the situation, if you ever aren’t sure how to be most helpful, regulate your own nervous system.
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Awakin Circles: A hub for local meditation circles that started in the Silicon Valley and have now spread to 80+ cities around the globe. The circle start with an hour of silence, followed by a circle of sharing and dinner in silence. A newsletter with a passage selected from various wisdom traditions and an audio reading is sent out to 87,000 subscribers each week. See also Awakin Calls that hosts weekly conversations with wide-ranging thought leaders.
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ServiceSpace is an organization run entirely by volunteers. We leverage technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in ourselves and others, creating both inner and outer transformation.
ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers — all for the benefit of volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service, to an acts-of-kindness portal, to a gift-economy restaurant. Regardless of the endeavor, we act in concert to create service opportunities for each other and to support each other’s service journeys.
In September of 2011, we formally changed our name from CharityFocus to ServiceSpace. Founded in 1999, ServiceSpace was originally started to help non-profits with technical services. Over the past dozen years, the organization has become an umbrella for many generosity-driven projects. Thus we have expanded our services from focusing just on helping charities, to encouraging everyday people to contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. As the name suggests, our new expanded ServiceSpace platform allows people to stay connected with others interested in service, participate in service opportunities through any of our dozen projects, organize their own local service event using our tools, and stay connected to inspirational content. Above all, we believe in the inherent generosity of others and aim to ignite that spirit of service. Through our small, collective acts, we hope to transform ourselves and the world.
We hold these three principles steadfast within our organization:
Stay fully volunteer-run.
ServiceSpace was founded by volunteers and is run by volunteers. There is no paid staff, no office, and no central facilities. All ServiceSpace programs are conceived, designed, implemented, and administered by people who selflessly give their time so that others can benefit from those services.
Based on twelve years of our experience with a volunteer-run infrastructure, we’ve developed a streamlined process that structures projects in a distributed and decentralized manner. This allows more volunteers to give small chunks of time and still deliver high quality services to the end-receiver.
Being volunteer-run also allows us to organically self-organize. Instead of hierarchies and prefabricated business plans, our volunteer infrastructure is dynamic, low-cost and open to radical change. Everything is based on relationships and presence, and that creates a powerful context to BE the change.
We continue to be amazed at what inspired and dedicated individuals can do. Margaret Mead eloquently said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” We could not agree more.
Serve with whatever we have.
We have chosen a slightly different path than most organizations, and choose not to focus on fundraising, grants, or other sources of revenue – for example, none of our websites contain any advertisement. All services are distributed are gifted without any fees. Thus, we serve with whatever support and resources that come in organically when people are truly moved to give.
ServiceSpace projects are built within a gift-economy system, an economic system in which goods and services are given freely, rather than traded. In a traditional market economy, one’s wealth is increased by saving. In a gift economy, giving leads to increase: an increase in connections and relationship strength.
Our services are given freely, without asking for anything in return. Instead of scarcity and fear for an uncertain future, our second principle roots us in abundance and trust. We have realized that over time, if you serve with pure intentions, people’s cups of gratitude overflow. They don’t give to fulfill a need, they give as an expression of their own solidarity and joy. These genuine gifts, no matter how small or large, are what sustains us.
Focus on the small.
Our attempt is to do “small acts with great love”. As our tagline says, “Change Yourself, Change the World.” If we started out by having a goal to change the world, we might have been a little disappointed in our abilities; when we start with ourselves, we notice that the ripples around us continue to get bigger and bigger and as more people try to do small acts, we have every potential to change the world.
Just as every tiny bit of a hologram contains information of the whole, we feel that paying attention to the process, to the present moment, gives us plenty of information to become instruments of a larger, systemic change.
This is how ServiceSpace makes things happen. But essentially the engine that drives the organization is inspiration, pure and simple. We learn from each other, spur each other, help each other, and frequently amaze each other. Sure, we are stirred by the words and lives of great men and women like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa; but the examples set by our ServiceSpace colleagues–everyday heroes–are the real sustaining forces behind our projects.
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
RIVERKEEPER EVENT:
Hudson River Day at the Croton Yacht Club
- WHEN:
- September 7, 2019: 11:00AM to 4:00PM
- WHERE:
- Croton Yacht Club, 6 Elliot Way, Croton-On-Hudson, NY 10520 map
The Croton Yacht Club will be sponsoring its annual “Hudson River Day” celebration on Saturday, September 7th, from 11 AM – 4 PM at the Croton Yacht Club located at 6 Elliott Way in Croton-on-Hudson. The mission of the event is to promote interest in the history and ecology of the river, to cultivate future local environmental leaders and to promote, enhance and protect river related recreational resources.
There will be events and exhibits throughout the day targeting both children and adults, focusing on the history and ecology of the river, including a seining exhibition; hands-on exhibits for children such as toy sailboat making, fossil making; sailboat rides, and local artist displays and sales. Also, educational seminars will be conducted by NYSDEC Fisheries Biologist, Amanda Higgs on the Hudson River Sturgeon and Riverkeeper’s Nicholas Mitch who will speak about the ecological impact of the controversial proposal to build storm-surge barriers at the mouth of the Hudson River.
Free sailboat rides, will be offered by Ferry Sloops aboard their 22’ sloop-rigged Catboat the “Whimbrel” on a first-come-first-served basis. The sails will depart at 11AM, 12PM, 1PM, 2PM and 3PM. Guests can sign up at the Ferry Sloops table in the tent beginning at 10:00AM for any of the day's scheduled sail times. Limit of 4 passengers per sail. Passenger age requirement: must be at least 12 years old, under 18 years old must be accompanied by parent or adult guardian.
There will also be a youth fishing clinic and contest sponsored by the Hudson River Fisherman’s Association and the Yacht Club. Volunteers will be present during the hours of 11:30 PM and 3:30 PM and provide the use of fishing equipment and bait, free of charge. Fishing rod and reel combinations will also be awarded as prizes. All youths wishing to fish at the Yacht Club must be accompanied by an adult.
For additional information please contact Dennis Kooney at dennis@kooney.net or call 914-271-6384.
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The Islands
![[image]](https://i0.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/the_islands/image-1.jpg?resize=449%2C234&ssl=1)
Photo courtesy Giles Ashford/ashford7@yahoo.com
Upriver, channels diverge and a unique habitat of small islands and wetlands cry out for preservation. Here, mink, otter, and beaver live along the shore. Though huge container ships plow through the dredged, deep-water channel, this slow, low-lying stretch of the river is a link back to an earlier time. It offers a chance to re-discover our intimate relationship to the natural world.
![[image]](https://i2.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/the_islands/image-2.jpg?resize=212%2C157&ssl=1)
The Salomon Collection, The Historical Society of Rockland County
It’s in the quiet of the river that we get an inkling of how Native Americans lived: trapping fish, building small disposable dwellings, carefully observing the plants and wildlife. We no longer weave fishnets out of bark or make hooks out of deer bone, but just as the Lenape survived by adjusting their lives to the river’s, we’re beginning to understand that we need to respect, not dominate, the environment around us.
![[image]](https://i0.wp.com/www.riverkeeper.org/wp-content/uploads/hudsonriverjourney/images/the_islands/image-3.jpg?resize=211%2C313&ssl=1)
Photo courtesy Giles Ashford/ashford7@yahoo.com
The decline of the bald eagle in the Hudson Valley was a direct result of human interference: from the use of pesticides to the destruction of habitat. And it’s humans who are helping to bring the eagle back. Riverkeeper works with scientists and government agencies to reduce pollution, preserve nesting sites, and protect the eagle’s main source of food, fish.
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A Benefit Concert for Daily Acts: Rising up for Climate Action!Enjoy a full day music festival centered around Climate action and ways you can reclaim the power of your every daily action. Also enjoy local & sustainable craft and food vendors, non-profit organizations, green technology demos, inspirational talks and info on climate action programs, a kid’s craft area, silent auction, and more! LEARN MORE about the event, Bands, and Presenters on our Concert page under the Support tab on our main menu.Bands preforming:
Rupa and the April Fishes
The Coffis Brothers
The Highway Poets
Dusty Green Bones Band
The Real SarahsPresentations by:
Brock Dolman – Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Trathen Heckman – Daily Acts, Supervisor Lynda Hopkins, Sunrise Movement – Youth Climate Leaders, Trashion Fashion Show – CREDO High School + more to be announcedAll proceeds will benefit Daily Acts’ climate action programs
When: Sunday, September 8th, 2019 1pm – 7pm
Where: SOMO Village Event Center (Sonoma County’s 100% Solar Powered Venue)
Cost: $30, buy your tickets on our Eventbrite page here.
Please note that we have a new registration platform and if you have not done so already, you will be prompted to create a Daily Acts username and password. We are here to help by email or by phone (707) 789-9664.
THE NATIONAL HEIRLOOM EXPO AT SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA
|
SOW TRUE SEED OF ASHEVILLE, NC
(417)924-8917
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243 Haywood St, Asheville NC 28801
community@sowtrue.com
Mon-Fri : 9am-6pm | Saturday: 10am – 4pm
Seeds and Garden Supplies
2019 Festival Tickets & Passes
Tickets & passes are now on sale of the 2019 Global Peace Film Festival
Sept. 16-22, 2019
About the Festival
The Global Peace Film Festival, established in 2003, uses the power of the moving image to further the cause of peace on earth. From the outset, the GPFF envisioned “peace” not as the absence of conflict but as a framework for channeling, processing and resolving conflict through respectful and non-violent means.
People of good faith have real differences that deserve to be discussed, debated and contested.
GPFF works to connect expression – artistic, political, social and personal – to positive, respectful vehicles for action and change. The festival program is carefully curated to create a place for open dialogue, using the films as catalysts for change.
Don’t miss out on our Online Global Peace Film Festival, which goes live Monday, Sept. 16. Visit peacefilmest.org to watch the films in our online festival wherever you are, on whatever device you want!
CONTACT US
Global Peace Film Festival
P.O. Box 3310
Winter Park, FL 32790-3310
Schedule is up; Tickets & Passes now available
Tickets & Passes for the 2019 Global Peace Film Festival, Sept. 17 to 22, are available now. Browse the film catalogue, check the schedule, or dive right in and start buying passes or tickets.
Festival Venues
Bush Auditorium/SunTrust Auditorium/Tiedtke Concert Hall/Bush 176, @ Rollins College
Fairbanks Ave. & Interlachen Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: SunTrust Parking garage on E. Lyman Ave. or there is 3 hour street parking. Parking on the Rollins campus is extremely limited.
The Orlando LGBT+ Center
946 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL 32803
Parking: On site or street parking
CityArts
39 S. Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Parking: The Rogers-Kiene Building validates a portion of the fee in the Chase Plaza building parking lot. Patrons must enter CityArts to receive validation.
Enzian Theater & Eden Bar
1300 South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Parking: On site
Holocaust Memorial Resource & Education Center
851 N. Maitland Avenue, Maitland, FL 32751
Parking: On site
Mount Dora Plaza Live
2728 Old Highway 441, Orlando, FL 32757
Parking: On site
Orlando City Hall rotunda
400 South Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Parking: City Commons Parking Garage (across the street from City Hall)
Ten Thousand Villages
329 N. Park Avenue, Suite #102, Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: Street parking or North Park Avenue garage offers free parking
Winter Park Public Library
460 E. New England Ave., Winter Park, FL 32789
Parking: on site
FILM LISTINGS
Alternative Facts: The Lies of Executive Order 9066
65 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
At Arm’s Length
15 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
Blue Goes Green: Net Zero Police Station
26 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
Catching Giants
50 minutes | USA/South Africa | 2018
Documentary
Changing the Game
95 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
College Crucible
41 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Community First, a Home for the Homeles
65 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The Condor & the Eagle
80 minutes | USA/Canada/Ecuador/France/Peru | 2019
Documentary
Decade of Fire
75 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Eating Up Easter
76 minutes | USA/Chile | 2018
Documentary
For They Know Not What They Do
91 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
FusionFest Shorts
90 minutes | 2019
Documentary Short
The Gathering
24 minutes | USA | 2016
Documentary Short
heartbeat Iowa
USA | 2019
Documentary Short
Incompatible Allies
43 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
JFK: The Last Speech
58 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Keepers of the Future: La Coordinadora of El Salvador
24 minutes | USA/El Salvador | 2017
Documentary Short
King Bibi
87 minutes | Israel/USA | 2018
Documentary
LIKE
49 minutes | USA/Hong Kong | 2019
Documentary
A Living Earth
52 minutes | Belgium | 2018
Documentary
Marching Forward
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Nailed It
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The New Gatherers
2 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
New Homeland
93 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Plant the Seed
11 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
Planting Seeds, Growing Justice
13 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary Short
The Plummery
8 minutes | Australia | 2019
Documentary Short
The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution
56 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
The Public
119 minutes | USA | 2018
Narrative Feature
The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion
67 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Rigged: The Voter Suppression Playbook
79 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
Right to Harm
75 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
The Robo Con
16 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary Short
The Sequel
61 minutes | UK/Greece | 2018
Documentary
Travel Ban: Make America Laugh Again
84 minutes | USA
Documentary
Undeterred
75 minutes | USA | 2019
Documentary
The Uterati, Fighting Back in the War Against Women
51 minutes | USA | 2012
Documentary
Walk in My Shoes
60 minutes | USA | 2018
Documentary
Documentary Feature
What Will Become of Us
72 minutes | USA/Australia | 2019
Documentary
The Worst Thing
84 minutes | Germany/USA | 2019
Documentary
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Ashland Global Peace Conference
Sat, Sep 21, 2019 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM PDT
David Wick at info@ashlandcpc.org, 541-552-1061
The World Peace Flame in Ashland is firing the imaginations of Peace Leaders from Middle School students, Ashland City Leaders to Oregon Legislators. Ashland is catching the attention of the global community. Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, and Founder of the Global Movement of the Culture of Peace, is coming to Ashland to learn first-hand how Ashland Culture of Peace Commission partners with the city, local non-profits and others to transform the city with the vision of a Culture of Peace. The Ashland Global Peace Conference will give local residents the opportunity to learn more about why Ashland is deserving of the global community’s attention by highlighting how our state and local leaders are inspired to work hard to create a culture of peace for their constituents. The views of creating a culture of Peace from the global, national, state, city, community, interpersonal and personal levels will be explored.
Come to the conference and be inspired by city and state leaders’ personal commitment to cultivating a culture of peace in Oregon and be empowered with your own commitment to peace.
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Early Bird Pricing ends 8/31
while we are together, and beyond.
Peace is not an idea, it is a practice.
Thank you.
A WORLD THAT WORKS FOR ALL
A community-wide movement dedicated to transforming our attitudes, behaviors and institutions into ones that foster harmonious relationships with each other and the natural world.
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Brings heart and compassion to conversations, decision-making, and systems.
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Recognizes the inherent value of each person, the diversity within community.
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Invites everyone’s participation, relying on the natural gifts of each community member.
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Encourages mutual respect so that all residents and visitors feel safe, heard, and empowered.
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Establishes trust through holding all persons responsible for their actions.
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Employs compassionate listening to air feelings, viewpoints, and concerns.
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Discovers solutions through collaborative exploration.
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Emphasizes the universal values of kindness, generosity, love and beauty, caring and curiosity.
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Seeks larger truths and broader perspectives to better comprehend local and world affairs.
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Values and nurtures all of life, honoring the environment and promoting humanity’s balanced place in the web of existence.
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Builds upon the foundation of existing groups contributing to the wellness of the world.
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Creates an emerging, evolving, living model for thriving together as fellow humans.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, until recently the Senior Special Advisor to the UN General Assembly President, has devoted many years as an inspirational champion for sustainable peace and development and ardently advancing the cause of the global movement for the culture of peace that has energized civil society all over the world.
As a career diplomat, Permanent Representative to United Nations, President of the UN Security Council, President of UNICEF Board, UN Under-Secretary-General, and recipient of the U Thant Peace Award, UNESCO Gandhi Gold Medal for Culture of Peace, Spirit of the UN Award and University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor’s Medal for Global Leadership for Peace, Ambassador Chowdhury has a wealth of experience in the critical issues of our time – peace, sustainable development, and human rights.
Ambassador Chowdhury’s legacy and leadership in advancing the best interest of the global community are boldly imprinted in his pioneering initiatives at the United Nations General Assembly in 1999 for adoption of the landmark Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace and in 1998 for the proclamation of the “International Decade for Culture of Peace and Nonviolence for the Children of the World (2001-2010)”.
He served as Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York from 1996 to 2001 and as the Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, responsible for the most vulnerable countries of the world from 2002 to 2007.
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“I was impressed by their work in developing Ashland as a City of Peace, thereby evolving and inspiring at the same time a practical and workable model that other cities and civil society entities can learn from. I along with GMCoP encourage and support this brilliant endeavor by ACPC. My co-activists at the United Nations who interacted with ACPC leaders have particularly welcomed it.”
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury,
Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations,
Founder of the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace (GMCoP)
Ashland Global Peace Conference
“You Are The Flame”
Practical Applications of the Culture of Peace
September 21st, 2019 • Ashland Hills Hotel,
Ashland, Oregon
Whereas: On March 17, 2015, the Ashland Mayor and City Council proclaimed support for a Culture of Peace Community.
Whereas: On May 16, 2017, Ashland joined the International Cities of Peace and “…the City Council and Mayor, on behalf of the citizens of Ashland, do proclaim that the City of Ashland, Oregon, is a City of Peace in perpetuity and encourage city and community leaders to work with concerned citizens to develop policies and procedures that promote a culture of peace in our region.”
Whereas: The 20th anniversary of the adoption of the landmark UN “Culture of Peace” Resolution is being observed by the UN on 13 September 2019, at this year’s Eighth annual High-Level Forum on The Culture of Peace at the UN headquarters. On 13 September 1999, the United Nations General Assembly adopted, by consensus and without reservation, its resolution A/RES/53/243 on the Declaration and Programme of Action on a Culture of Peace.
Whereas: This historic norm-setting document is considered as one of the most significant legacies of the United Nations that would endure generations and manifests very significantly that the culture of peace is a process of individual, collective and institutional transformation. ‘Transformation’ is of the most essential relevance in its implementation.
Whereas: Bearing in mind the broader dimension and potential impact of the Culture of Peace, OPGA (President of the United Nations General Assembly) chose this year’s theme to be “The Culture of Peace: Empowering and Transforming Humanity.” Their concept notes states that: “In the light of the importance of the Culture of Peace and its potential for responding to the global challenges facing mankind, the 20th Observance should be central to the pivotal discussions and commitments expected at the General Assembly in September.”
Whereas: To manifest their own commitment to the culture of peace, various activities have been initiated by civil society organizations in different parts of the world. A unique mind-body spirit Culture of Peace event is planned separately as a contribution by Pathways to Peace to the 20th anniversary observance on Saturday, 14 September – titled On, By and For Youth in New York. The Ashland Culture of Peace Commission is co-planning this incredible day-long event that honors, positions, and empowers youth as peacebuilders. Students from Ashland OR will participate.
Whereas: The Ashland Culture of Peace Commission installed the World Peace Flame in Ashland, Oregon and on September 21, 2018 established the World Peace Flame Monument through an international acclaimed lighting ceremony. Students from the Ashland Middle School have embraced the opportunity to be the World Peace Flame, Flame Keepers.
Whereas: Ashland and Southern Oregon are becoming more known nationally and internationally as a hub embracing a Culture of Peace and developing a model which can benefit other communities. This activity will further raise this profile, brand our region, and attract visitors to experience, learn, and enjoy.
NOW, THEREFORE, the Ashland Culture of Peace Commission initiates:
Ashland Global Peace Conference
“You Are The Flame”
Practical Applications of the Culture of Peace
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Ashland is catching the attention of the global community.
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, and Founder of the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace, is coming to Ashland to learn first-hand how ACPC partners with the city, local nonprofits and others to help transform the city after the March 11, 2019 presentation at the United Nations. The Ashland Global Peace Conference will also allow residents to learn more about why Ashland is deserving of the global community’s attention by highlighting how our state and local leaders are working hard to create a culture of peace for their constituents.
How did this happen?
On March 11, 2019 Irene Kai and David Wick were invited to the United Nations to make a presentation about the progress we have made developing a Culture of Peace in Ashland. We also presented the stunning story about bringing the World Peace Flame from Wales to Ashland which now stands as an iconic monument of peace locally and internationally. We then were invited to a private meeting with Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, the Founder of the Global Movement for The Culture of Peace and Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations. Ambassador Chowdhury was so deeply inspired by what he heard of these activities that he requested to come to Ashland to experience these leading peacebuilding activities himself. We therefore have planned the Ashland Global Peace Conference around his coming to Ashland where he will be our keynote speaker.
Taking active steps to co-create a Culture of Peace is vital within the United States as well as internationally. You are invited to attend and participate in the Ashland Global Peace Conference, September 21, 2019 in Ashland, Oregon. Ashland is the Home of the World Peace Flame and the conference theme is “You Are The Flame”, Practical Applications of the Culture of Peace. This is an exceptional experience of a city co-creating a Culture of Peace.
The program planned for this special conference highlights the global, national, state, city/community, personal/interpersonal levels of personal commitment and peacebuilding action each person represents.
This conference is one of a kind and will be promoted in southern Oregon, Oregon, nationally, and internationally. The conference will be live streamed internationally.
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“I would like to encourage you to seriously consider the invitation from the city of Ashland’s Culture of Peace Commission to attend their unique Global Peace Conference in Ashland, Oregon, on September 21. 2019.
The Peace Commission has brought the World Peace Flame from Wales to Ashland where it serves as inspiration to stand for peace in the world and do all we can at the local level to promote world peace. I visited the flame this April and was honored to meet members of the Peace Commission and learn about their valuable efforts.”
US Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon
“I extend my whole-hearted encouragement to ACPC in its efforts in creating this local-to-global and global-to-local pathway for advancing the culture of peace.”
Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury
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The full day program includes lunch.
Program
Welcome – John Stromberg, Mayor, City of Ashland
Introduction of the World Peace Flame in Ashland – Irene Kai, Ashland Culture of Peace Commission
Keynote Speaker – Ambassador Anwarul Chowdhury, Former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations. Founder of the Global Movement of the Culture of Peace
Dr. David Yang – Vice President, Center for applied Conflict Transformation. United States Institute of Peace
Flame Keeper of the World Peace Flame in Ashland – Finley Taylor, Flame Keeper from the Ashland Middle School
——-Break——-
Oregon State Panel –
Jeff Golden – Oregon State Senator
Pam Marsh – Oregon State Representative
Ashland City Panel –
Rich Rosenthal – Ashland City Councilor
Tighe O’Meara – Ashland Chief of Police
Sandra Slattery – Executive Director, Ashland Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Raymond – Superintendent, Ashland School District
——-Lunch——-
Creating infrastructures for Peace in all nations – Dr. Saul Arbess, Director, Canadian Peace Initiative and Co-Founder and Director, Global Alliance For Ministries and Infrastructure For Peace
Rogue Valley Community Panel –
Sheila Clough – CEO, Asante Ashland Community Hospital
Steven Saslow – CEO and Publisher, Rosebud Media
Linda Schott – President, Southern Oregon University
Dee Anne Everson – Executive Director, United Way of Jackson County
David Zaslow – Rabbi, Interfaith Community
——-Break——-
Be The Flame – Thriving Leadership Academy – Will Wilkinson and Chris Harding – A summary of the key points of the conference, followed by an invitation to participants to apply what they’ve learned, and specific action steps to integrate it all.
Light the World Peace Flame Candle and
Read the invocation inspired by the World Peace Flame
——-Concludes and network——-
Accommodations:
Ashland Hills Hotels and Suites at 2525 Ashland Street, Ashland, OR 97520
(Event name: Ashland Global Peace Conference)
Standard King rooms $149
Queen-Queen rooms $159
Premium King rooms $159
Standard King Suites $169
Double-Double Suites $169
To enjoy discounted guest room rates please contact our conference host hotel – Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites at 541-482-8310 and ask for the Ashland Global Peace Conference group rates.
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Find your adventure…
Surrounded by not only the culturally rich Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Ashland also features a variety of natural wonders, including Crater Lake National Park.
——-Theater and Music——-
Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF)
15 South Pioneer St, Ashland, OR 97520
(800) 219-8161
Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm.
Performance times vary.
Group Sales (866) 545-6337 Monday – Friday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm.
Oregon Cabaret Theatre
241 Hargadine St, Ashland, OR, 97520
(541) 488-2902
Monday – Wednesday, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Thursday – Saturday, 11:00 am – 6:00 pm, Closed Sunday
Between productions 11:00 am – 5:00 pm
Britt Music and Art Festival
PO Box 1124, Medford, OR 97501
(800) 882-7488
——-Family——-
ScienceWorks Hands-on Museum
1500 E Main St, Ashland, OR 97520
(541) 482-6767
Tuesday – Sunday, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
Emigrant Lake Water Slide
5505 Highway 66, Ashland , OR 97520
(541) 774-8183
Monday – Friday, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm, closed 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
——-Outdoor Adventures——-
Rafting
Mountain Biking
Cycling
Hiking
Fly Fishing
Golf
Crater Lake
Want to help make this Global Peace Conference possible? Want to provide people the opportunity to be inspired by this personal/local/global event? Want to illuminate the local community as well as communities and people around the world?
Sponsor today!
If you are interested in sponsoring any aspect of the Ashland Global Peace Conference, please contact David Wick at info@ashlandcpc.org, 541-552-1061
Peace Lanterns Festival 2019
September 21, 2019
2:00-8:30pm
Gantry Plaza State Park
Long Island City 11011
Our next peace event that Heiwa Peace & Reconciliation Foundation is co-sponsoring will be annual Peace Lanterns Festival on Saturday, September 21 (UN International Day of Peace!!!) from 2pm – 8:30pm. It will be held at Gantry Plaza State Park in LIC, NY (along with East River, across the River from the United Nations) – Center Blvd & 49th Ave., LIC.
Schedule of Peace Lanterns Festival:
-Free Public Event. Donations are welcome. –
2:00 – 6:00pm Lantern Decorating, Origami, Face Painting, Henna Tattoos, Seedball Making, and African Dance.
2:30 – 5:30pm “Meditate NYC” – Public Meditation Day
Practice mindfulness and calming under the guidance of revered teachers from Buddhist and other traditions from across the globe.
3:00 – 6:00pm Public Paddling, organized by HarborLAB
6:15pm – 7:30pm Speakers and Interfaith Prayers for Peace
Music by Heiwa Peace Band
7:30 – 8:30pm Floating Peace Lanterns
108 lanterns with your words and images of peace and set them afloat with the setting sun.
Peace Lanterns Festival is co-sponsored by the HaborLAB, the Heiwa Peace Reconciliation Foundation of New York and the Buddhist Council of New York, in partnership with the Global Movement for the Culture of Peace, the Interfaith Center of New York, the Interfaith Center of USA, the Newtown Creek Group, the NY de Volunteers, the Origami Therapy Association, the Sikh Cultural Society, the TF Cornerstone, and the World Yoga Community.
A $30 donation per guest is highly appreciated.
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.
About this Event
????Festival of the Child is a completely FREE event and takes place ONLINE, from Nov 14th-20th, featuring experts and change-makers working tirelessly for the good of children everywhere.
????Supporting a paradigm shift in learning, we are reimagining education.
????Join us and add your voice to the collective.
????Learn directly from visionaries, storytellers, teachers, activists, doctors, psychologists and more to get the latest insights in how to grow today’s child for tomorrow and restore wellbeing now.
????So many of our children suffer from mental health issues that directly result from ways in which they are being educated and a system that is failing to look at their developmental needs.
????Learn tried and tested strategies that support YOUR child to grow up healthy, happy and full of hope for the future.
????Now more than ever we have an incredible opportunity to shift the learning paradigm into one that supports ALL of our children to truly thrive.
????It is time to be bold in our vision and brave in our footsteps as we re-imagine what learning looks like in the 21st century.
????We know that you want your children to grow up with a connection to themselves a strong sense of self and personal identity, empathy and care for others and full of creative solutions to transform humanity as this crucial time in our collective evolution.
????Come join the education revolution. Be heard. Have your say. Be a part of this important conversation.
????Completely free to sign-up. ????
But only available to registered participants.
Get your FREE eventbrite ticket then head on over to our website www.festivalofthechild.com to REGISTER.
It’s the only way to access the videos – as all links will be sent out by email.
Can’t wait to see you all on the other side!
ShaRon Rea
The Whole Family Coaching
480-420-9551
ShaRon@TheWholeFamilyCoaching.
www.thewholefamilycoaching.com
Join us in setting our intentions for healing in China and around the world. We will be meditating together for 7 days, through February 21 with Master Mingtong Gu.
February 15th – Saturday 11am Mountain Time
February 16th – Sunday 9am Mountain Time
February 17th – Monday 9am Mountain Time
February 18th – Tuesday 9am Mountain Time
February 19th – Wednesday 9am Mountain Time
February 20th – Thursday 9am Mountain Time
February 21st – Friday 9am Mountain Time
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Master Mingtong Gu
Master Mingtong Gu
Named Qigong Master of the Year by the 13th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, Mingtong Gu possesses a profound ability to harness energy in order to accelerate personal and global healing, making him a sought-after healer, practitioner, and teacher.
As a child growing up in China during the Cultural Revolution, Master Gu endured hunger, poverty, and a long separation from his birth family. Despite these incredible hardships, he became the first from his village to attend college, earning a bachelor’s degree in mathematics followed by two master’s degrees, including an MFA from Ohio State University. As a graduate student in art, Master Gu discovered the treasures of his own culture through the spiritual iconography of Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Western mystic traditions while practicing yoga, Tantric Buddhism, and qigong.
In 1997, Master Gu returned to China for qiqong training under Dr. Pang Ming, a qigong grandmaster trained in Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine, and the founder of the world’s largest qigong hospital. During his training, Master Gu observed thousands of cases of chronic and “incurable” diseases being healed at this “medicine-less” hospital, which has now treated over 200,000 patients with over 185 different illnesses, with a 95 percent effective improvement rate.
Witnessing these profound healing experiences inspired Master Gu’s dedication to the teaching and practice of qigong healing, which he now teaches to thousands of people in the United States, China, and Europe through his workshops, books, and education programs. He created the Pure Qi Online series—a collection of courses which translate the ancient teachings of Wisdom Healing Qigong™ for contemporary times—and is the founder of the Chi Center and the Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong, a beautiful 79-acre resort located 20 minutes south of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Through practice, Master Gu has recovered from his own chronic conditions of asthma, scoliosis, back pain, and kidney weakness. His teaching emphasizes activating the power of inner self-healing, facilitating the release of chronic illness while improving health and well-being. Master Gu lives and teaches with his wife Linling, also a gifted healer, and their two children.
Linling Xie
Linling studied Zhineng Qigong at the medicine-less Qigong hospital in China under the guidance of Dr. Pang Ming. She is a gifted Wisdom Healing Qigong Teacher and Healer, offering private sessions while Healing Intensive Retreats are in session at the Center in Santa Fe.
40 Camino Vista Clara
Galisteo, NM 87540
Free LIVE Webinar
How to Shine Your Light to Co-create the World We Know is Possible
Wednesday, March 4 at 2:00 pm EST
- Courage: Courage to believe in your dreams . . . for yourself and for the Earth . . . even when appearances seemingly prove otherwise.
- Tools: Empowering practical tools that work. Tools that you help you stay calm, grounded, and centered, even when it can feel like the world around us is falling apart.
- Community: Connection to a community of like-minded visionaries who share your hopes, dreams, and visions. The kind of people who believe that together we can co-create a new world. In our lifetime.
- Why courage is an essential quality of all visionaries today and how to cultivate it on a daily basis to foster your dreams.
- 3 easy tools to help keep you grounded and centered so you can integrate this courage to help build your innate strength and resilience. One tool in particular focuses on building your heart’s resilience.
- Why connection to a community that shares your values is vital for visionaries.
2020
New York City at Sony Hall
Get ready to celebrate!
Join us in New York on March 9, 2020 as No Bully celebrates our partners and friends at our annual Broadway Against Bullying event. This annual one-night-only cabaret show, featuring stars from some of Broadway’s biggest musicals, benefiting No Bully’s mission to eradicate bullying and cyber-bullying worldwide.
Calling all New York area Friends who LOVE Broadway. March 9th: Broadway Against Bullying, a one-night-only cabaret featuring stars from some of Broadway’s biggest musicals. Lexi Lawson (Hamilton), Telly Leung (Aladdin) and Kevin Duda (Book of Mormon). A wonderful organization, committed to a kinder world, No Bully has teamed up with Broadway Stars,(Year 2) for an evening supporting bullying prevention school programs and positive action initiatives. Entertainment and Doing Good! Get your tickets for March 9: www.nobully.org/broadway2020 and join the movement to end bullying! #broadwayagainstbullying #nobully #bullying #kindevolution, #nobullyingperiod
IGNITING COMPASSION
Words that come to mind when describing our team include: compassionate, kind, inclusive, strong, and has a generosity of spirit.
Each one of us has our own personal story around bullying and we hold this work near and dear to our hearts. We are constantly trying to live out our mission on a day to day basis, both igniting compassion around the office and also the world!
No Bully takes a holistic approach to partnering with schools and districts by involving the administration, staff, parents, and students in the process.
FIND OUT MORE
No Bully is the most comprehensive professional development program proven to combat bullying and enhance school culture.
There are so many ways to become a part of No Bully’s mission to dramatically reduce bullying. Consider yourself invited to tell us how you’d like to connect.
Phone:
(415) 767-0070
Mailing Address:
No Bully
1012 Torney Ave
San Francisco, CA 94129
Take Action on National Refugee Shabbat
National Refugee Shabbat 5780, which will take place on March 20-21, 2020, is a moment for congregations, organizations, and individuals around the country to dedicate a Shabbat experience to refugees and asylum seekers.
Register: Learn more about how your community or group can participate at hias.org/nrs – it’s not too late!
There are also many ways individuals can take action for refugees and asylum seekers in the week leading up to National Refugee Shabbat, as well as on the actual Shabbat itself (in accordance with individual Shabbat practice). Feel free to share the list below widely with family and friends.
12 WAYS TO TAKE ACTION THIS NATIONAL REFUGEE SHABBAT
1. Advocate – Call your Member of Congress to ask them to stand for the rights, safety and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers.
2. Get Involved in the Election – Research the candidates running in local elections in your area, and let them know that the rights of refugees and asylum seekers are among your top priority issues this year.
3. Update Your Facebook Photo Frame – Show your support for refugees by updating your Facebook profile picture with the HIAS #JewsforRefugees frame. Click here for directions.
4. Join the “Jews for Refugees” Facebook Group – Joining this group is a great way to connect with thousands of other committed individuals across the country, access up-to-the-minute information about the Jewish response to the refugee crisis, and share the actions that you are taking. Click here to join.
5. Donate Your Miles to Asylum Seekers – HIAS has partnered with Miles4Migrants (M4M), a nonprofit charity dedicated to using donated frequent flyer miles and money for the relocation of refugees and those seeking asylum – including families recently separated at the U.S.-Mexico border. HIAS and Miles4Migrants (M4M) will work to identify refugees and asylum seekers who need assistance purchasing airfare to reunite with their families. Donate your frequent flyer miles here the week of National Refugee Shabbat.
6. Buy Refugee-Produced Goods – Support refugees and asylum seekers around the world and in your local community by buying refugee-produced goods and/or researching refugee-owned restaurants in your community and having a meal there. Check out this website to purchase goods made by a collective of African asylum-seeking women living in Tel Aviv, Israel.
7. Give Life to Refugees and Asylum Seekers – In the week leading up to National Refugee Shabbat, set up a Facebook fundraiser to benefit HIAS’ work.
8. Scholarships for Displaced Students – Research whether your local universities and colleges offer scholarships to refugees and asylum seekers. If not, reach out and ask them to consider starting such a program. Check out Columbia University’s program for an example.
9. Have A Difficult Conversation – Using the HIAS Conversational Guide for How to Talk About Refugees with Family and Friends, commit to having at least one conversation with someone in your life who has expressed concern about welcoming refugees to the United States or even someone who has made disparaging remarks about refugees or asylum seekers.
10. Light Shabbat Candles with Intention – As you welcome Shabbat on March 20, use this reading before lighting Shabbat candles to set an intention to stand with refugees and asylum seekers around the globe.
11. Host A Gathering In Your Home – Invite a small group of friends over to your home for Shabbat dinner or lunch or a havdallah (the ceremony for closing Shabbat) wine and cheese gathering. At the gathering, consider using the HIAS National Refugee Shabbat 5780-2020 Programming Content Resource. Use the text study on page 6 of this guide as a jumping off point for conversation, take a look at and discuss the refugee art on page 13 of this guide, or screen the movie suggested on page 14 and 15 of this guide.
12. Start A Book Club – Start a book club – for adults or young people – to read books by and about refugees and asylum seekers. Use this list as a jumping off point for suggestions or search google for even more ideas.
Awakening Humanity’s Consciousness as One,
“Celebrating Our Planet,
Healing our Heart“
The13th AnnualWORLD PEACE EARTH DAY CELEBRATION 2020
Planet Heart Logo © Elana Stanger,
a.k.a. St. Angel www.diversityarts.com Come join us on EARTH DAYWednesday, April 22, 2020, at
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Portions of the Proceeds supportWe, The World andPlanet Heartto produce these events.“We hear Mother Earth’s call to simultaneously become more heart centered and action oriented. Feeling Mother Earth’s sacredness in our hearts can be profound motivation to act on Her behalf. Many actions are needed now, from calling legislators to attending rallies … art making, creative planning, spreading the word, writing letters to the editor … advocating for clean water, renewable energy … as well as social, racial, and economic justice issues that are inseparable from co-creating a sustainable, thriving world that works for all. We believe these actions are most effective, and most beautiful, when they are inspired by and carried out with love and respect for this beautiful planet, all who reside here, and whatever divine energies are loving us and encouraging us through this Great Turning. This feeling of connection, love, and inspiration is what we seek to create through Planet Heart’s Annual World Peace Earth Day. Please join us, be inspired, keep your heart open, and channel that love into action. ”
Ellen Osuna, Environmental and Peace Activist
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Global Love Day
The Vision
We honor each May 1st as a symbolic day of unconditional love and call upon all people and all nations to gather together in the wisdom of peace and love.
Global Love Day is the universal recognition of our innate oneness through love. It is our vision to unite one and all in a celebration of love and compassion. Join people around the world in celebrating and expanding LOVE.
We are one humanity on this planet.
All life is interconnected and interdependent.
All share in the Universal bond of love.
Love begins with self acceptance and forgiveness.
With respect and compassion we embrace diversity.
Together we make a difference through love.
When we come from this limitless love we naturally and easily embrace ourselves and our fellow humanity. Opening our heart, we allow unconditional love to be our guide and compassion to be our gift to life.
We invite you to celebrate with us by consciously focusing on love and what it means to you throughout this day. We hope that by practicing love in all areas of your life, you will find it easy to love unconditionally all year long. Our main themes explain it best…”Love Begins With Me” and ‘Celebrating Our Humanity.”
Be a part of it. Spread the word. Share your love.
Think: Global Love Day;
Feel: Love Begins With Me;
Remember: May 1st
We Celebrate our Humanity
As we continue to connect with people and organizations around the world, we are amazed at how much is being done in efforts to positively assist humanity. There are so many wonderful people and associations that are actively working on behalf of a community, nation and even in global proportions.
As we often remind ourselves, what is presented by mainstream information sources is frequently a narrow and negative perspective of what is happening upon this planet right now. To the contrary, we see and know that good and right is occurring everywhere. Look for love and you will see it all around you.
This simple reminder changes the very nature of our experience. We are what we place our attention upon. When we allow love to be our focus of life, we expand this in our everyday activities. It is as simple as changing each perspective and allowing the negative and limiting views to be released and replaced by a higher, more loving understanding.
We appreciate and are grateful for the courage each of you express. In a world that has historically revered the negative and fear-based aspects, it takes strength to be and share love. It is time for love to become our common vision.
Please join us. Be a part of this global day by choosing love, compassion, peace, and unity. Share this information with your friends, relatives and coworkers. Love locally and spread it globally.
Participate
Our first Global Love Day was presented on May 1, 2004. A variety of celebrations and events were held by individuals and groups around the world that initial year and the day was recognized with over a dozen proclamations from prominent Governors, Mayors and Councils. Since then we have continuously expanded each year to include many more communities and nations and now have over 580 proclamations honoring the day with thousands participating individually and at events. We are into our second decade of sharing love and celebrating our humanity – will you join us?
We have a special section dedicated to Global Love Day here on our site filled with ideas of how you can get involved and host your own local event on May 1st. Follow the dropdown tab above and find some suggestions of how you can participate and also find examples of what other creative events have been held before. You can find our Global Love Day social site pages too.
Our annual Art, Essay and Poetry Invitational is held in conjunction with Global Love Day each year and encourages anyone young at heart to submit their art, essay or poetry based on the tenents and vision and theme of the day. See our Guidelines for more information on this special related program.
The Global Love Day Flyers have been translated in over 37 languages so far and all are available to download and print right from your desktop.
The Initial Vision
(An open letter from Founder Harold Becker in 2004)
The Love Foundation is delighted to announce the first annual GLOBAL LOVE DAY on May 1, 2004 with this year’s theme of Love Begins With Me. Join people from around the world as we acknowledge, celebrate and share the love we have within. This is a special day of recalling that love is the link that binds us all. It is also the awesome power that heals and transforms everything it contacts.
Each of us is a potent force of love when we allow this energy to express itself. There is nothing we have to ultimately do, rather we need only allow ourselves to feel and be love. It is that simple. Global Love Day is merely our way of saying let’s remember love is ours to be and to share every moment of our lives.
We understand this day is a symbol of what we can do every day of the year. Our intent is to join together in a conscious recognition that love is always present. For so many, love is often hidden under layers of hurt, trauma, drama, pain and suffering. Emotional memories, unspoken doubt, fear, resentment and a multitude of old beliefs often keep us from realizing these thoughts and feelings have no real power over us. We give them power by living in the past and being afraid of the future. We ignore the love that is present every moment while embracing limitation. It is time to change that. It is time to release ourselves from our own self created bondage.
You and I have the opportunity to make a difference. Together we can embrace our unlimited self, the part of us that knows love and expresses it naturally and simply. It is when we accept ourselves just for who we are that we transform the moment into peace, security, joy and love. This process begins with releasing our limiting beliefs, past mistakes, lack of self worth, pride and ego through the conscious act of forgiveness. It is up to us as individuals to undertake this journey. We begin the transformation when we turn within and accept our self. We change the world when we change our perspective.
As we come to know who we are and why we act and react the way we do, we start to see ourselves in the faces of humanity. The reflection of hurt is our hurt, their pain is our pain, another’s anger is our anger. It is also seen in the face of nature. Her destruction is our destruction. These seemingly random expressions are our past thoughts seeking manifestation. It is our constant reminder that love is the answer. We build a new reality in this current moment when we let go. When we choose love over fear, kindness over hate, integration over separation, and peace over war, we bring a new reflection to humanity… our loving selves.
So, please accept our invitation to love. Join us hand-in-hand as we share our love on this planet once again.
Love, light, and peace,
Harold W. Becker
Founder/President
Founder’s Address 2019
Welcome Dear Friends to Global Love Day 2019,
We join our hearts this day in celebration of life itself. Coming together around the globe, we unify our highest intention and collective potential, igniting the creative spark that lights our shared journey forward on this precious planet we call home. Realizing our magnificence as loving beings, each of us holds the key to our brightest futures. Compassion, kindness, joy and peace are our natural expressions when we recognize that love begins with me.
As one humanity on this planet, we have a common heritage and universal destiny. With each unfolding moment, we are comprehending the grandness of our personal and combined opportunities to evoke our heart-felt wisdom. It is a simple knowing that all life is interconnected and interdependent and our gift to the world is appreciating one another with grace and dignity.
We all share in the Universal bond of love and, from this essential understanding, we build fresh, new realities that infuse the very best of who we are. In this way, we consciously manifest for the greatest benefit of all. We begin with self-acceptance and forgiveness as the cornerstone to a foundation built solidly on love. This ensures we inspire, nurture, cultivate and express our dreams of a better world for our children and the earth herself.
There are infinite possibilities before us to explore as we walk in harmony with everyone and everything around us. It is with respect and compassion that we embrace diversity. We learn and grow through our countless interactions and expand far beyond the sum of our parts when we allow ourselves to evolve beyond our present perspectives. The majesty of life reveals itself within and about us when we open our hearts. Together we truly do make a difference through love.
With happiness, delight and love, I welcome you to our sixteenth Global Love Day celebration.
Love, light and peace,
Harold W. Becker
Founder and President
The Love Foundation
https://www.njjl.world/message-sharon
From Indigenous New England
 https://indigenous.boston |
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Oscar winner Wes Studi launched a new PSA raising awareness about the seriousness of COVID-19 in Indian Country. (courtesy photo)
ADDISON, Texas — From small-town Oklahoma native to internationally acclaimed actor and musician, Wes Studi forever changed a stereotype with his unforgettable performances in Dances with Wolves, The Last of the Mohicans, Heat and Avatar.
Now, he’s working on another mission.
Yesterday, the Cherokee citizen and legendary film star released a public service announcement (PSA) to raise awareness of the serious effects of COVID-19 in Indian Country and request widespread support for Partnership With Native Americans (PWNA) to ensure Native Americans are not left behind during the pandemic.
What sparked the PSA is a series of vital health issues happening in the wake of COVID-19, even with many stay-at-home orders in place. The risk of contracting the virus is higher among Native Americans due to overcrowded housing and high rates of diabetes, kidney disease and asthma. And despite more than 7,100 confirmed cases of COVID-19 within the Navajo Nation and other tribal communities, federal aid has been slow to arrive.
In his new PSA, the Oscar winner reminds the public of the need for immediate attention and charitable donations to PWNA, which has secured tribal clearances and follows CDC and tribal guidelines to continue delivering critical items, such as food, water, sanitizer and personal protective equipment (PPE).
For more information on the PSA, and to learn how to donate, visit NativePartnership.org/
“Every day, remote reservation communities face shortages of food, water and healthcare, and COVID-19 has magnified that reality,” said Joshua Arce, PWNA president and CEO. “Donations are critical now as we bring relief to under-resourced communities.”
Studi notes PWNA is a nonprofit he trusts. In 2019, they collaborated in a five-part Realities Video Series with Wes Studi that aimed to give an accurate portrayal of reservation life and dispels long-held myths that continue to impact Native communities.
The post Legendary Actor Wes Studi Urges the Public to Assist Indian Country Amid Pandemic appeared first on Native News Online.
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Virtual Rites of Spring 2020
We gather in May for our 42nd time to celebrate the sacred Earth and the turning of the seasons in the mountains of western Massachusetts.
Join us online, (and in person in September) – as together we:
Weave the web of community;
Share in ancient traditions and new rituals;
Look forward to what we can become;
Learn through workshops and dialogue;
Light the Sacred fire;
Feel the rhythms of life in our drums and dance to raise our spirits;
Form lasting friends and see families grow as we come together in community – learning, sharing music, celebrating with ritual, and fueling our joy.
Register now for virtual Rites of Spring programming!
We are terribly sad not to be able to be together for the first time in 42 years, but we are excited to be able to still offer a substantial program. Zoom links and program details will go out to everyone who registers.
Please spread the word!
Virtual Rites of Spring 2020 – EarthSpirit
www.earthspirit.com
We gather in May for our 42nd time to celebrate the sacred Earth and the turning of the seasons in the mountains of western Massachusetts. Join us online.
Saturday
- 8 – 8:30 AM Family Program – Seasonal Stories and Creative projects with Andrew Coate, and Sarah Rosehill
- 11:00 AM Workshop: Pagan Perspective Permaculture Primer with Martin Bridge
- 3:00 PM Web Ritual
- 8:00 PM Bardic Circle Sign Up Sheet
- 11:00 PM DJ Meow Meow
Sunday
- 8 – 8:30 AM Family Program – Seasonal Stories and Creative projects with Andrew Coate, and Sarah Rosehill
- 11:00 AM Workshop: Anamanta: a Pagan Practice for Troubled Times with Andras Corban Arthen
- 3:00 PM EarthSpirit FUNdraising Kickoff with Billy Bardo, Anya, Arianna (and maybe Patrick)
- 6:00 PM The Feast at home
- After Feast: DJ Dawn Dance Party! with Dawn Flatt
Monday
- 11:00 AM Closing Ritual with Deirdre and Andras Arthen
Plus Recorded Programs on YouTube
- Healing Ritual
- Building a Sacred Shrine
- Maying!
- Preparing your own Feast
Register Online
If you are registered and paid for Rites of Spring 2020 (May or September), please follow this link to get your virtual Registration number. This program is an included add-on to your registration.
To register if you are not already signed up for Rites of Spring: Admission for the week is a sliding scale $50 – $100. Please pay what you are able, to help us keep going through this time of crisis. No one will be turned away for serious financial hardship, as long as you pay something. Additional contributions are appreciated.
Once you are registered, close to the date of the virtual events, you will receive a registration code, an accessible link and password for the Zoom sessions, and a link to the Facebook Virtual Dining Hall. Please save that registration number for access to the Virtual Dining Hall or for any questions on your registration.
We look forward to seeing you all online.
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| Join the Next Pulse – SUMMER SOLSTICE Sunday, June 21st at 12pm PT, 3pm ET, 7pm GMT Timezone ConverterThis month’s theme: Celebrating Our Coherence Featured Organization: Earthdance Global Featured Musician: Miranda Macpherson
Followed by the Earthdance ConcertReserve My Space
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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.
