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.
These calls are designed to
bring together Pachamama Alliance
participants, leaders, and supporters who are actively engaged
in creating a shift in humanity to a worldview
that honors and sustains life
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By coming together and grounding in this vision, you will:
*Feel supported in your work.
**Be inspired and energized in your unique role in a worldwide
network committed to a new future for all.
***Strengthen your connection to like-hearted people and to the spirit
that has inspired Pachamama Alliance since its inception.
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GO TO: https://www.pachamama.org/events
to reserve your space for the conversation.
Fill out the online form and submit.
You will receive a confirmation email.
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Join indigenous leaders from around the world for a day of Earth-based wisdom teachings, prayers, and music to support transformation, healing, and social change.
Powerful Indigenous voices from our beloved Mother Earth are coming together to share sacred knowledge with you… (scroll down for details)
There is no registration required to attend… just visit our Facebook page here on October 8 starting at 9am Pacific Time.
During this full-day Facebook Live gathering, you’ll:
- Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, October 8, 2018 LIVE with sisters and brothers all over the world
- Receive stories and wisdom from Indigenous elders
- Participate in reverent moments & an opening ceremony
- Learn about prophecies regarding enormous change & heart-connected evolution
- Discover how to take action for change!
- View The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code — a compelling documentary film by Sheldon Wolfchild
And much more good healing for us all!
At the core of global restoration is the recognition that Indigenous peoples carry a way of being that is sustainable, harmonious, healthy, and just. Their ancient wisdom can guide us in healing our hearts, transforming our minds and creating truly loving, collaborative communities on our planet.
That’s why we’re thrilled to announce that on Indigenous Peoples Day, Monday, October 8, 2018, The Shift Network is presenting a full-day Global Indigenous Wisdom Summit via Facebook Live!
This will be a profound spiritual gathering of Indigenous leaders from around the world sharing Earth-based wisdom teachings, prayers, and music to support transformation, healing, and social change, as well as concrete examples for birthing a new era — one in which all members of the human family are treated with respect, understanding, compassion and justice.
The day will be hosted by Indigenous speaker Shawna Bluestar (Shawnee, Lenape, Azteca), and will include keepers of wisdom from around the world, such as:
Grandmother SaSa (Swan of the North) is a seer, a dreamer and a universal healer. She founded The Rose and The Swan Healing Center for Healers, where she conducts teachings and the Medicine Hoop of Life ceremony twice a year.
Grandmother Flordemayo is a founding member of the Church of the Spiritual Path, the Confederation of Indigenous Elders of the America, Institute of Natural and Traditional Knowledge, International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers, and recently founded The Path a 501(c)3 organization.
Woman Stands Shining (Pat McCabe) has the honor of being of the Diné (Navajo) Nation. A life-bringer, life-bearer mother, writer, artist, activist, speaker and cultural liason, her work is driven by the study of the Science of Right Relations. Moving from the central knowledge that we, the five-fingered-ones, are born into beauty, as beauty, for joyful life, she brings the understanding of Indigenous ways of knowing into discussion and inquiry on sustainability.
Dave Courchene , Nii Gaani Aki Innini (Leading Earth Man), has traveled internationally, carrying a message of hope and peace. Dave shares ancient Indigenous knowledge that he believes can act as the foundation in supporting the new life that Mother Earth is now entering, and that the elders have confirmed has arrived. He has created a special place for sharing ancient Indigenous knowledge — the Turtle Lodge — built based on a vision he received many years ago.
Grandmother Moetu-Taiha Ransfield is descendent of the Ngai Tuhoe and the Kahungunu tribes of Aotearoa New Zealand. Moetu is always connected to her land, her mountain, her river and her people because she is them. She carries her ancestors with her. After an experience with cancer, she was given a choice of whether to stay “here” or go to the ‘loved ones’. Grandmother Moetu chose to stay and made a commitment to be a channel for helping humanity. Her ‘calling’ is her life. She wants to find and build leaders, the ones who want to make a difference and be a force for good in the world.
Pura Fé is a Native singer-songwriter, seamstress, teacher and activist. She is also the founding member of the Internationally renowned Native American women’s a cappella trio, “Ulali”.
Ilarion (Kuuyux/Larry) Merculieff has over 40 years of serving his Unangan (Aleut) people and is a carrier of messages from Indigenous elders from around the world. He speaks all over the world, has received many awards and co-authored two books.
Tiokasin Ghosthorse is a musician, writer, educator. He is an internationally-syndicated host, executive producer and founder of the 26-year-old “First Voices Radio,” heard on 77 public, community and commercial radio stations in the U.S. and Canada. Photo by Ivan March.
Joanne Shenandoah , PhD, is one of “America’s most celebrated and critically acclaimed Native American musicians of her time” (Associated Press). She is a Grammy Award winner with 3 nominations and over 40 music awards, including 14 Native American Music awards – a Hall of Fame Inductee. Her music ranges from solo to full symphony and 22 recordings.
Shawna Bluestar Newcomb (Shawnee, Lenape, Azteca) is a spiritual guide and mentor for women, supporting them to share their unique gifts and voices. Shawna is working with her father Steven T. Newcomb to challenge The Doctrine of Discovery, and dedicated to bring about healing for humanity, Mother Earth, and future generations by sharing The Reverence Code based on ancient and Indigenous wisdom.
Buffy Sainte-Marie is an internationally renowned recording artist, activist, educator, visual artist, and winner of countless awards. In 2017 she released Medicine Songs, a career retrospective of Sainte-Marie’s song collection spanning nearly 50 years. Medicine Songs features new recordings of Sainte-Marie’s songs about the environment, alternative conflict resolution, Indigenous realities, greed, and racketeering. Part rhythmic healing, part trumpeting wakeup call, Medicine Songs is the soundtrack for the resistance.
Unci Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance is an Oglala Sioux who lives on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She is a Lakota keeper of the traditional ways, great grandmother, Native American Church elder, and beadworker descended from Long Visitor and members of the Crazy Horse Band, named for the great warrior, Crazy Horse.
Steven Newcomb (Shawnee, Lenape) is the co-founder and co-director of the Indigenous Law Institute, along with Birgil Kills Straight who is an Oglala Lakota headman and ceremonial person. Steve Newcomb is author of “Pagans in the Promised Land: Decoding the Doctrine of Christian Discovery” and co-producer of the documentary film, “The Doctrine of Discovery: Unmasking the Domination Code” directed by Sheldon Wolfchild (Dakota). Newcomb is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Doctrine of Discovery based on the 40 years he has spent investigating and writing about these issues. Photo by William P. Laronal
Leah Shenandoah is an Oneida Iroquois Wolf Clan award-winning singer-songwriter, jeweler and multi-media artist. She considers herself a radical compassionist in a world filled with suffering.
Nathan Blindman is a commercial artist and a producer known for “CowJews and Indians” (2013).
Reverend Eila Paul is a Grandmother and healer who has a spiritual and physical connection to her people, the Maori of Aotearoa New Zealand, and to her culture. Eila works with the elderly, and children, to weave deep and sacred connection to the earth and all beings. She travels through North America and Europe offering sacred seeds of knowledge and healing.
Lyla June is poet, musician, educator, anthropologist, activist and community servant of Diné (Navajo), Tsétsêhéstâhese (Cheyenne) and European lineages. She holds a degree in Environmental Anthropology with honors from Stanford University as well as a degree in American Indian Education with distinction from the University of New Mexico.
Throughout the day, these powerful leaders will help open a deeper understanding within you about the many challenges Indigenous nations and peoples face, and how we can work together toward a brighter future for humanity, all living things, and Mother Earth.
At the Shift Network, we are deeply committed to our Indigenous brothers and sisters and see healing our society’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples, and supporting their upliftment, as essential for the larger healing of our world. That is why we dedicate this event to hearing more of their voices of wisdom, which carry important medicine for our time.
Please join us!
There is no registration required to attend… just visit our Facebook page here on October 8 starting at 9am Pacific.
Awakening Humanity at Work
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
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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
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.
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
Watch for announcements for our 2020 program!
You can attend one day: Saturday or Sunday, or both days!
(Registration includes community activities and meals)
Special pricing available for Seniors and Students
Creative Arts, Spirituality, Body/Mind/Spirit Healing,
Self-transformation, Manifestation, and so much more…. in a sacred space
and inspirational speakers & performers
during our shared meals and interactive group activities as we:
Share our stories . . . Build nurturing community
Empower each other . . . Transform our world
Build nurturing community . . . Transform our world
“This conference is a life expanding experience – a time of reflection, rejoicing, renewing and connecting with other fabulous women.”
If you believe in raising the Feminine Spirit and transforming our world, please consider contributing to Women of Wisdom. We desire to create the new WOW, for the next generation of women to know their power and the importance of their voices. As each of us grows into our power, there’s a ripple effect around the world.
Consider donating to our Crowdfunding Campaign
to support the WOW Conference this year and for the future!
We appreciate any donations you can gift us – Thank You!
It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Nicole Sangsuree Barrett. She was hit by a car when she attempted to cross the Chiang Mai superhighway in Thailand on foot. It was determined that Nicole died instantly from the collision. She had friends with her who witnessed the accident and were grieving heavily by the time the emergency services arrived. After rescue teams helped calm Nicole’s friends, the women asked everyone to sing the Thai song “Deuan Pen” as it was her favorite song. Nicole will be missed at Women of Wisdom. She was a dynamic performer and an amazing activist and woman. Here is a video she finished just before her death. She performed this on our stage for the 2014 Women of Wisdom conference to the delight of many. It is an amazing tribute of her talent, beauty, and passion. We will miss you Nicole but know that your light continues to shine and your journey continues.
WOW Watering Wholeness Community Call on the third Wednesday of every month – next one is August 21st at 6:00pm. It’s a live video call (if you don’t have a camera on your computer you can call in from your phone) where you can meet other women in the community and discuss important issues for women. Read below how you can register for this call. It’s been great to connect with women from other parts of our country!
Looking for connections with other women? Join our monthly circles where you connect with other women year round!
We are a volunteer organization – 100% and WOW needs some assistance in these areas:
Please contact us if you are interested in supporting WOW through volunteering!
Take advantage of the variety of free webinars posted in this enewsletter – from Celtic Shamanism, Egyptian Shamanism, Thriving in your 40’s, 50’s and beyond, Reuniting Science and Spirituality and more! ************************************************************************************************
About this Event
Please join The Square One Project and The Vera Institute of Justice for Reimagining Justice: The Next 25 Years, taking place on September 11th at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY. As we approach the 25th anniversary of the federal 1994 Crime Bill, this multi-format event will consider the visionary work, big ideas, and fundamental values that will guide the next 25 years of justice policy.
Program: 3:30pm – 6:00pm ET (details to be announced soon)
Reception: 6:00pm – 7:00pm ET
Details for the livestreaming option for this event will be available shortly.
Update: The full list of researchers, activists, and professionals that will be participating in Reimagining Justice: The Next 25 Years is available here!
Speakers and presenters include [list in formation]:
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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
Song Carriers Immersion
OVERVIEW
The Song Carriers Immersion is an initiatory experience for women called to awaken their natural wild essence and vitality through song and sisterhood. The immersion brings participants deeply into the way of the Song Carrier and provides guidance about how to gather, learn, hold, and offer sacred Earth Songs. Through a rich mix of communal singing, dancing and ritual along with solo visioning and wandering, women uncover the unique gifts of their voice and remember their original role as caretakers of life and dreamers of the mystery. The setting is the pristine wilds of Apache Canyon, NM where the music and medicine of nature powerfully present themselves and root the overall experience.
**The Song Carriers Immersion is a pre-requisite for the
Song Carriers Leadership Training.**
DATES & LOCATION:
Fall 2019 Song Carriers Immersion is
Tuesday September 24, 2:00 pm through
Sunday September 29, 1:00 pm at
Apache Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, NM
CORE ELEMENTS
- Nature Immersion
- Ancestral and New Song Lineages
- Dance as Prayer
- Earth-based Ritual
- Rhythm Making
- Solo Time in the Forest
- Sisterhood Weaving
- Conscious Visioning
THE HARVEST
- Enliven your wild essence
- Receive earth songs in original languages
- Awaken the gift of listening for and shaping songs from nature’s music
- Increase fluency with rhythm
- Deepen embodiment
- Develop ritual practices
- Cultivate relations with Mother Earth and beyond-human entities
- Enter a community of sisterhood
THE SETTING & ACCOMMODATIONS
Apache Creek Ranch is located 30 minutes from downtown Santa Fe and is surrounded by 400 acres of forest with a small creek that runs through the canyon. The breathtaking ranch has two sweet adobe casitas with loft spaces containing individual beds to share with two or more women and there is one room available with a king size bed to share with another woman. (This room is reserved for two women who are unable to climb a ladder into the loft spaces). Camping is also available for those that want more privacy. Each casita contains communal bathrooms with a shower. There is also a luxurious heated outdoor swimming pool. The retreat includes 3 nourishing meals a day, using locally grown and organic foods by our personal chef, Brigita Lacovara. (http://brigitaskitchen.com)
THE SESSIONS & SCHEDULE
The Song Carriers Immersion sessions will mainly take place outdoors with evening sessions indoors. Most days require an easy twenty minute walk to the forest for our gatherings. There will be one day devoted to a longer hike up the sacred mountain to make offerings and listen for nature’s songs.
Tuesday, Sept. 24
2pm-3pm Arrival & Registration
4pm-6pm Session
6pm Dinner
Wednesday, Sept. 25
8am Breakfast
10am Opening Ceremony
1pm Lunch
2pm-5pm Session
6pm Dinner
7pm-9pm Session
Thursday, Sept. 26
8am Breakfast
9am-4pm Pilgrimage to sacred mountain
6pm Dinner
7pm-9pm Session
Friday, Sept. 27
8am Breakfast
9am-1pm Session
1pm Lunch
2pm-5pm Session
6pm Dinner
7pm-9pm Session
Saturday, Sept. 28
8am Breakfast
9am-1pm Session
1pm Lunch
2pm-4pm Session
5pm-7pm Closing Water Lodge
7:30pm Feast
Sunday, Sept. 29
8am Breakfast
9am Check-out
10am-12:30pm Song Carriers Women’s Community Circle in Santa Fe
GUIDE
Madi Sato is a singer and women’s community leader of Japanese Ainu and Celtic roots. She is devoted to raising women’s voices for the benefit of all life. Madi has guided hundreds of women in awakening and empowering their authentic voices through the self-designed Song Carrier method of gathering in community. From a young age, she was immersed in indigenous ceremony and drawn to the feet of traditional grandmothers. She continues to compose original songs & chants consonant with nature’s music and is a lifelong dancer versed in an array of traditions and styles, both old and new.
Madi and her husband, poet Timothy P. McLaughlin, are co-founders of PRAISING EARTH, an organization devoted to rewilding the human heart through the traditions of song, story, dance and ritual to enliven all people’s essential belonging to Earth. She is the creative mother of the organization’s Singing Waters programs, which include Song Carriers Women’s Circles, Basket of Seeds Grandmother’s Alliance, Song Carriers Immersion, Song Carriers Leadership Training, and the 13 Moons Song Archive. She lives in Santa Fe with Timothy and their three children.
PraisingEarth.org
COST
$1600, includes all meals and shared lodging
$1475, includes all meals and camping
Song Carrier Immersion
Application
Thank you for your interest in the Song Carrier Immersion! This application allows you to articulate your desires and intentions for this program and helps us get to know you.
Before applying, please ensure you are able to commit to living on-site and fully engaging in every day of the immersion.
(Type into the spaces beside/beneath each question. Use whatever space you need. When complete, save and send to: Info@TheSingingWaters.org)
Name:
Address, Telephone, Email Address:
DOB:
Heritage(s):
Languages spoken or sung:
Health/Fitness Condition:
Express what draws your soul to the path of the Song Carrier.
Describe your connection and experience with song & wilderness.
What is your ceremonial background?
Are you comfortable in the elements and with hiking and spending solo time in the wild?
Please state your lodging preference. Loft bed, shared king bed, or camping?
Please list any food preferences or restrictions—
On September 25th we’re hosting a live event in Chicago! At AWE Partners we LOVE the idea of blending profit and purpose to change the world. So we have created an event for business women who want to learn how they can support women’s empowerment. The event is called How to Invest, Shop, Give to Empower Women and will feature a panel of extraordinary women whose lives are a testament to doing good. At the event you will learn about…
The struggles our sisters are facing
Who is implementing solutions to change lives
How you can support these solutions in the way you invest, shop, and give
There will be plenty of time for Q&A, networking with other amazing women, and yummy food & drink. The event will be held at Susan Crown Exchange (4 East Ohio) and the price is only $30 – but space is limited so register early. Here’s the EventBrite link…
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/
SEPTEMBER 25, 2019
How to Invest, Shop, Give to Empower Women
$15 – $30
Event Information
Are you passionate about creating impact with your actions? Do you want to learn how to empower other women through investing, shopping, and giving?
Join a diverse community of heart-centered, mission-driven, and socially conscious women for a night of networking and learning. Our panelists and fellow impact-oriented women will help us discover how we can best incorporate the principles of Conscious Capitalism into our life and business for more passion, purpose, and profit!
We are embracing a paradigm shift to a more feminine approach to solving our social challenges that says “yes” to a new way forward and “no” to what’s not working.
Our guest panelists are:
Invest – Peg Quinn is a financial advisor and Certified Financial Planner for Paradigm Wealth Management. She works with individuals and families to simplify and organize their financial matters by providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management services. Her studies include a BS and MBA concentrating in finance. In addition, her 35 years of experience within the investment industry provide her a unique perspective into impact investing’s evolution. She is a friend of Gilda’s Club Associates Board and a member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO).
Shop – Daniela Ancira is a human rights lawyer, an Ashoka Fellow, and founder of La Cana, a social enterprise working with incarcerated women in Mexico and creating social reintegration programs in prison. Daniela has promoted public policies on issues regarding prison labor, and is currently working closely with legislators to create a framework that guarantees basic working and social standards to inmates to incentivize companies to formally employ convicts, in order to help reduce recidivism and delinquency rates in Mexico. She has worked as a Human Rights lawyer defending victims of torture and enforced disappearance at a national and international level, and has collaborated with several organizations in litigating human rights violation cases before the UN and the Inter-American Human Rights Commission. She is a member of the Technical Working Group of the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime to create the United Nations Advanced Standards for the Mexican Penitentiary System; and in private practice has worked in prestigious firms in Civil and Commercial litigation, Corporate Law and Intellectual Property matters. Daniela is an Ashoka Fellow and was named Citizen of the Year in 2018.
Give – Izabel Olson is the Founder and CEO of Salt and Light Coalition here in Chicago, a non-profit organization which works with victims of human trafficking. She is dedicated to the empowerment of women, especially survivors of human trafficking, as they reframe their trauma experience and find success in the workplace. The unique combination of an academic background in cognitive science and a passion for holistic self-care gives her a unique ability to have a positive impact on women’s lives. Olson holds a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences from Northwestern University and is the founder and CEO of Salt & Light Coalition, a grassroots organization focused on job training and mind/body restoration for survivors of human trafficking in Chicago and beyond. In 2017, Olson was awarded the Illinois Secretary of State’s Latina Humanitarian Achievement Award.
Light appetizers and drinks will be served. The event starts at 5:30 and our panel will begin at 6. Hope to see you all there
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.
WECAN Birth to Three Conference – 2019
Registration for this conference is being processed by WECAN (Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America)
COST TO REGISTER:
WECAN Individual Member: $180
WECAN Institute Member: $190
Non-Member: $200
Housing Information:
If you have questions around housing or would like suggestions, please contact Katherine Scharff at katherine@sophiashearth.org.
Register By:
- Hayes Mansion, San Jose California
- 200 Edenvale Ave
- San Jose, CA
- 95136
At Science and Nonduality (SAND), preeminent scientists, philosophers, mystics and artists gather to explore and advance the new paradigm emerging in spirituality that is both grounded in cutting-edge science and consistent with the ancient wisdom of nonduality—the deep understanding of the interconnectedness of life.
To open the conference, Cynthia is excited to offer a teaching on Sacred Activism for the Great Turning; the Earth Treasure Vase Global Healing Meditation. Like acupuncture needles in the living body of the Earth, little holy vessels known as Earth Treasure Vases have been offered to Gaia to form a healing mandala of nodes and meridians imagined as a web of light to serve us as we awaken together into our own unique role in the great work of our time—to heal the web of life, restore balance and harmony, envision our world anew, and embody that vision with every fiber of our life force for the benefit of all. Charles Eisenstein’s excellent essay, Every Act a Ceremony, refers to the ETV practice. Charles will also be a speaker at SAND. October 23–27, 2019
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ADDITIONAL LINKS |
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Vendors |
Conscious Technology Exhibitor |
Media & Press |
Volunteer |
Apply for a Scholarship |
Youth Program |
Continuing Education |
FAQ |
Gallery 1 Gallery 2 |
For scientists, bonds and connections are essential to the working of the universe; for mystics, love is the ultimate principle. From the depths of physics to the delights of being human, relationships make life possible.
The mechanistic view of reality which sees the world as separate objects, separate individuals, communities and nations, has led to fragmentation in every aspect of life. We are now realizing that, from quarks to people, from gut bacteria to galaxies, it’s all about interconnectedness, cooperation, and symbiosis.
This year, SAND will be bringing together some of the brightest minds in science, along with spiritual teachers from various traditions and artists, in a quest to expand and deepen our understanding and experience of our relational nature through the two lenses of science and spirituality. We will explore and integrate our human knowledge and experience around the theme of relationships. We will inquire into the many scales of relationship we are part of, from microbes and bacteria to mushrooms and trees, to people and families, to galaxies and black holes.
At the end of the day, no matter how complex the field of study becomes, the innate intelligence and reflective nature of the universe shines through. Love is what breathes life into the equations; Love is the field in which the quarks and human beings relate.
We will meet you there.
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As of Aug 8, Hayes Mansion is sold out for the event dates.
See a list of alternative accommodations
Download the free SAND app
We’re excited to announce that Science & Nonduality Conference 2019 has a free, official app which you can Download and be able to:
– View the event agenda and plan your schedule
– Find someone to share a ride or a room
– Plan some social activities such as a morning run, city tour, or meet-ups with your fellow attendees.
– Receive updates such as last minute room change from the organizers
– Get presentation documents and slides
– Share photos and essential takeaway
Already used the Whova app in the past? Double-check that it is installed on your phone, and log in using your existing account email and password.
We look forward to seeing you soon at Science & Nonduality Conference 2019 !
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11:11 STAR KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE
CEREMONY OF REMEMBRANCE
Estes Park, Colorado
NOVEMBER 8-9-10-11, 2019
FEATURING:
CHIEF GOLDEN LIGHT EAGLE
JENNIFER BLACK ELK
GRANDMA CHANDRA
LAURA EISENHOWER
ELIZABETH APRIL
BLISS PREMA
JAMES GILLILAND
JEN BERRYHILL
BRIAN BERRYHILL
MICHAEL LEE HILL
CHARLES BOLTA
BOBBIE JO KUHL
AMANDA KIMIMILA
SHIRLEY BOLSTOK
MEGAN RILEY
MARITZA VALDIOSERA
SYLINA “TWO BEARS”
AND MORE!
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED
11:11 STAR KNOWLEDGE CONFERENCE EVENT DETAILS
JOIN US IN THE GLORIOUS MOUNTAIN SETTING OF ESTES PARK, COLORADO NEAR ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK FOR A ONCE IN A LIFETIME EXPERIENCE. THIS IS A CONFERENCE LIKE NO OTHER. NOT ONLY DO WE BRING YOU THE TEACHINGS OF THE STAR WAYS, BUT WE ENLIGHTEN OUR GUESTS WITH KNOWLEDGE AND ANCIENT WISDOM OF THE GALACTIC STAR NATIONS THROUGH THE WISDOM KEEPERS, ALTERNATIVE HEALERS, AUTHORS, CHANNELERS, LIGHT LANGUAGE SPEAKERS, AND INSIDERS TO THE TRUTH OF WHAT IS HAPPENING ON A GALACTIC LEVEL…
ALL WITH A TOUCH OF CEREMONY.
Chief Golden Light Eagle –
Your Host and Founder of Star Knowledge Conferences
Teacher of The Star Ways, Chief Golden Light Eagle is one of the “original code carriers” of Turtle Island (North America). Nakota Sundance Chief Golden Light Eagle, is a member of the Nakota Ihunktowan Band of South Dakota, a spiritual advisor, and He is one of seven Sundance Chiefs for the Yankton Sioux Sungdeska Sapa Tiospaye. Through years of prayer and ceremony, with a group of spiritual teachers, he has brought forth interpretations of the Star Laws.
He co-authored four books titled, “MAKA WICAHPI WICOHAN”, “ANPAO WICAHPI WICOHAN”, IKTOMI WICAHPI WICOHAN”, and “CAN WAKAN WICOHAN”. The MAKA WICAHPI WICOHAN manual was inducted into the Smithsonian Institution during a formal ceremony on September 26, 1999 and the manual was also donated to the A.R.E. Library on September 22, 2002.
Chief Golden Light Eagle will be sharing about the 11:11, 12:12, and 13:13 teachings featured in the books that he authored through the guidance of spirit and ceremony.
FRIDAY NOVEMBER 8, 2019
1:00 pm – Registration and Vendor Setup
2:00 pm — Opening Ceremonies/Conference Begins/Chief Golden Light Eagle/Jennifer Black Elk
2:30 — Jennifer Black Elk
3:30 — Sylina “Two Bears”
4:30 — Michael Lee Hill
5:30 — Elizabeth April
6:30 — 8:00 pm – Break for Dinner
8:00 pm – Laura Eisenhower
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 9, 2019
9:00 a.m. — Opening and Presentation with Amanda Kimimila
10:00 — Jen Berryhill – Blue Owl Woman
11:00 — Chief Golden Light Eagle Presentation
12:00 – 2:00 – Lunch Break
2:00 — Bliss Prema
3:30 — Grandma Chandra Via Skype
4:15 — Crystal Bowl Sound Healing with Caressa
5:00 — James Gilliland
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Break for Dinner
8:00 – 10:00 Live Entertainment/Music/Dance
CHIEF GOLDEN LIGHT EAGLE AND THE STARDUST JAM BAND
SUNDAY NOVEMBER 10, 2019
9:00 a.m. — Opening and Presentation with Brian Berryhill
10:00 – Megan Riley
11:00 – Bobbie Jo Kuhl
12:00 – 1:30 – Lunch Break
1:30 — Elliott Haines III
2:00 – Shirley Bolstok
3:00 – Light Language Panel (Garrett Duncan, Shakara Tosha, Yemanya Carey and friends)
4:00 – Charles Bolta
5:00 Special Panel to be announced!
6:00 – Closing Ceremonies
MONDAY NOVEMBER 11, 2019
11:11 CEREMONY
11:11 AM – Outdoors in Estes Park
(Free to All who want to participate)
Location to be announced
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STAR KNOWLEDGE HAS TEAMED UP WITH THE EAGLE HEART FOUNDATION FOR THIS YEAR’S NON-PROFIT BENEFACTOR
50% OF THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SILENT AUCTION AND RAFFLE WILL GO TO THE EAGLE HEART FOUNDAtion
TO DONATE ITEMS FOR THE SILENT AUCTION AND/OR RAFFLE, PLEASE CONTACT JOY GRAY
BOOK YOUR LODGING BY CALLING ROCKY MOUNTAIN HOTEL DIRECTLY
(970) 586-5363
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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!
Join us: RootSkills Workshop
November 15th // WaterFire Arts Center // Providence, RI
For full event details, visit the event website – linked here. Including: agenda, workshop offerings, speakers, cost of registration, scholarships & stipends, carpooling & travel.
View event website View workshops & agenda Register to attend Apply for a scholarship
The Grassroots Fund’s RootSkills workshops are day-long gatherings where grassroots organizers, colleagues and supporters convene to network, share stories and dig into both issue- and process-based skills-building sessions. We work with a planning committee ahead of each event to ensure a broad range of lived experiences and perspectives weigh in as we set agendas, select workshop topics and invite speakers.
The Grassroots Fund is committed to participatory, democratic decision making processes across our grantmaking and skillsbuilding programs. We work to bring together a broad range of lived experiences as we plan and design the RootSkills Training Series. We invite community organizers, students, non profit colleagues, funder partners and sustainable business people to apply to be on the planning committee for each of our RootSkills in-person trainings.
Contact program manager Tess Beem with questions about this event: tess@grassrootsfund.org or 603-905-9915×2.
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In an effort to make the RootSkills Conference as accessible as possible, registration is on a self-identified, sliding scale from $35 – $150.
Led by Starhawk, Charles Williams and friends.
Dates: January 5 – January 19, 2020: two-week intensive residential course
Location: Black Mountain Preserve and Golden Rabbit Ranch, Western Sonoma County, CA
Sliding scale:$1800-2300*
*includes all instruction, lodging, meals, and materials
WORK TRADE positions are currently full. Please feel free to apply for a spot on our waiting list ~ Limited Diversity Scholarships still available
Who is this training for?
We firmly believe that everyone can benefit from learning the tools and insights of permaculture to apply toward the broad goal of earth regeneration. Permaculture has solutions not just for landscapes and agricultural systems, but also for social design, public policy and survival strategies for these challenging times.
Topic and Projects Covered:
Hands-on projects vary with weather and needs, but may include mapping, water harvesting structures, graywater or roof catchment, compost, compost teas, sheet mulch, plant propagation, planting trees and shrubs, seed-starting, introductions to natural building concepts (including cob, straw-clay or plastering) and a collaborative design project. Our projects can be tailored to students of varied levels of physical ability and diverse ages and previous experience.
Our students include:
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- Young people looking for a career oriented around sustainability
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- People in mid-life looking for a new direction for existing or new work
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- Retirees wanting new fields to explore
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- Established professionals wanting to broaden and deepen their knowledge of sustainable alternatives
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- People involved with intentional communities, co-housing and eco-villages, or those who want to start or join one
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- Gardeners, farmers, ranchers, and land stewards of all kinds
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- Green business entrepreneurs who want to have a broader understanding of the possibilities
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- Teachers, environmental educators, and youth workers
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- Anyone involved in gardening, especially school gardens and community gardens
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- Architects and landscape designers
- Artists, musicians, poets, writers and dancers, and anyone who collaborates creatively
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- Community organizers and activists from many movements, including environmental justice, food justice, global justice, anti-oppression, human rights workers, and others
- Dreamers, visionaries, and more…
THOUSANDS OF LGBTQ ACTIVISTS TO CONVENE IN DALLAS, TX JANUARY 2020 FOR 32ND ANNUAL CREATING CHANGE CONFERENCE, WITH THEME OF LOVE, LEARNING & LIBERATION!
REVEREND ANGEL KYODO WILLIAMS TO KEYNOTE
– Thousands of LGBTQ advocates, activists, leaders, and allies will gather in Dallas, TX for the 32nd Creating Change Conference from Wednesday, January 15 through Sunday, January 19, 2020 at the Sheraton Dallas.
The Creating Change Conference, run by the National LGBTQ Task Force, is the foremost political, leadership, and skills-building conference for the LGBTQ social justice movement. Since 1988, Creating Change has created opportunities for tens of thousands of committed people to develop and hone their activist skills, build community, and inspire. This year, in addition to the political focus of the work, the Conference will be focusing on the 2020 Census and building capacity to ensure everyone is counted.
The primary goal of the Creating Change Conference is to build the LGBTQ movement’s political power from the ground up to secure our overarching goal of full freedom, justice, and equality for LGBTQ people and their families in the United States.
This will be the second Creating Change Conference managed by Andy Garcia, who is bringing some new changes to the longtime activist gathering as attendance grows and diversifies. Garcia said, “It is clear that 2020 will be a critical year for all of us, including LGBTQ communities. We face a historic election year, some of the most significant Supreme Court cases in our lifetime, on-going attacks from the current administration, and an epidemic of violence, among other challenges. Creating Change is where LGBTQ advocates, activists, leaders, and allies come together to learn and connect with each other, with a focus on creating a welcoming space for queer and trans people of color. We need that now more than ever.”
The keynote speaker for Creating Change 2020 will be Reverend angel Kyodo williams, who will kick off this year’s conference at the opening plenary on Thursday, January 16, 2020 at 7 PM. With the alarming murders of trans women of color across the country, the Creating Change Conference community will also be rallying to spotlight and build capacity to address this epidemic as well as featuring the resilience, determination, and leadership of the trans community.
PLENARIES
Opening Plenary Session: Love, Learning, and Liberation
From the Census to the election, 2020 is going to be historic. We have a lot of work ahead of us against a backdrop of an epidemic of trans women of color being murdered and a rollback of hard-fought gains by the current administration. This plenary aims to set a new tone for the conference and for our movement: one of love, learning, and liberation. As we create change together, how can we be mindful to center our hearts and our minds?
Opening Keynote Speaker: Rev. angel Kyodo williams: Love and Justice are One
Called “the most intriguing African-American Buddhist” by Library Journal, angel Kyodo williams is an author, activist, master trainer, and founder of Transformative Change. Her newest work, Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love & Liberation, is igniting communities to have the long overdue conversations necessary to become more awake and aware of what hinders liberation of self and society. angel notes, “Love and Justice are not two. Without inner change, there can be no outer change. Without collective change, no change matters.” She was made for these times.
Plenary Session: The Annual State of the Movement Address
Following our Creating Change 2020 theme, “Love, Learning, and Liberation,” Task Force executive director, Rea Carey, and deputy executive director, Kierra Johnson will host the annual State of the Movement plenary. Even as LGBTQ people and their families are under attack by the current administration, we know our community is strong, resilient, creative, and determined. This year, with special guests, we will focus on the issues facing trans women of color, the work being done to address anti-trans violence and systemic discrimination, and moving us forward in our work for freedom, justice, and liberation. Come be inspired to fight on, and defeat those who intend to make our lives invisible!
Closing Plenary Session: Queering Immigration: Owning Our Power, Building the Defense Line
Immigration will once again be a top issue this election year. This panel will focus on how we can collectively build power by centering the needs and experiences of those most impacted: queer and trans people of color. Our expert panelists will talk about deportation defense, rapid response at the neighborhood, city, and state level, the criminalization of Black and Brown bodies, legislative victories, and so much more. Our call to action will be the work that still needs to get done: closing the camps, stopping the arrests and deportations, and imagining a world without borders.
The immigration-focused panel will be made up of Sharita Gruberg (She/Her/Hers), policy director for the LGBT Research and Communications Project at the Center for American Progress; Oluchi Omeoga (They/Them/Theirs), a co-creator and Core Team member of Black Visions Collective, a black-led local organization working in Minnesota; Monserrat Padilla (She/Her/Hers) the Coordinator for the Washington Immigrant Solidarity Network; Nancy Haque (She/Her/Hers), executive director of Basic Rights Oregon, an LGBTQ political advocacy organization with a focus on transgender justice and racial justice; and Dani Marrero Hi of the Texas Civil Rights Project.
New for this year, the traditional closing plenary brunch will be replaced by a dynamic indoor street fair on Sunday, January 19th with an 11:30 am – 1:00 pm “Send Off Celebration!” including accessible HIV testing and mammogram screening.
DAY-LONG INSTITUTES
This year’s Racial Justice Institute encompasses queerness and racial diversity within an expression and experience that centers on resisting with all our brilliance, our joy, and our truth. Keynote speaker and Queer Black Feminist Love Evangelist Alexis Pauline Gumbs will offer a loving reflection and an accessible practice designed to impact how to work together through and across difference and depth. In addition, our second keynote Timothy DuWhite is a Black, queer, poz-writer/artist based out of Brooklyn, NY. A majority of his work circles around the intersections of state & body, state & love, and state & mind. Following our keynotes is a series of afternoon breakout sessions on topics that range in topics from Talking to Kids about Race, Respectfully United – Allyship Without Tokenization, Beyond D&I: Organizing for Racial Equity, The Metamorphosis of White Men: Ending our Legacy and Creating a New Story.
Also this year, the Conference team is excited to add six new Day Long Institutes, bringing the total number of these intensive eight hour sessions to 23. New topics like Disability Justice and Leading in Complex Situations will be held alongside returning favorites like the Trans Institute, Latinx Institute, and LGBTQ+ Campus Resource Professionals Institute.
For more information about the day long institutes see here: https://www.creatingchange.org/day-long-institutes-2/
WORKSHOPS AND CAUCUSES
The conference features over 250 workshop and caucus sessions. Workshops range from 90 minutes to three hours, addressing the vast scope of issues relevant to LGBTQ activism and organizing. There are nearly a dozen sessions on campus organizing, several intergenerational dialogues, many workshops focused on healing and well-being, art and theater activism, racial and economic justice, trans issues, and a robust track for political advocacy. Caucuses cover a broad range of identities and interests, including caucuses for deaf queer people, lesbians, Queer Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) people, LGBTQ people in STEM, LGBTQ Jews, and parents.
AWARDS
SAGE Award for Excellence in Leadership on Aging Issues: Carmen Vasquez
Carmen Vasquez was born in Puerto Rico and grew up in Harlem, New York. Among her many accomplishments, Vasquez was the Founding Director of the Women’s Building in San Francisco, helped found the Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center in San Francisco, and the LGBT Health & Human Services Network. She was a founder and principal author of Causes in Common (a national coalition of Reproductive Justice and LGBT Liberation activists). Her essays have been published in several anthologies and she has made scores of keynote presentations at conferences and college campuses across the United States. Vasquez is the Co-Chair of the Woodhull Freedom Foundation Board of Directors and the former Director of LGBT Health and Human Services.
Haas, Jr. Award for Outstanding LGBTQ Leadership for Immigrant Rights: Stephanie Cho
Stephanie Cho is the Executive Director for Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Atlanta. She brings 20 years of experience in labor and community organizing, strategy planning, and fundraising at the local and national level. Under her leadership over the last three years, AAAJ-Atlanta has worked to protect DACA and end local law enforcement cooperation with ICE. Originally born in South Korea, Cho grew up in Oregon. In 2015, she co-authored “Beyond the Binary: A Tool Kit for Gender Identity Activism in Schools.” Last year, she was a Grand Marshal for Atlanta Pride.
The Leather Leadership Award: Judy Tallwing McCarthy
Judy Tallwing McCarthy has been involved in the leather/BDSM world since 1969; and, in 1987, became first International Ms. Leather. That same year, she was the leather community’s keynote speaker at the 1987 March on Washington. She has also served as Co-Chair of the National Leather Association from 1988-1992. She is widely credited for helping change the focus of leather to community activism. Judy Tallwing McCarthy continues to judge, teach, and speak at various leather events and has been honored with numerous awards from the leather community. Of Apache, Tewa, and African descent, Judy Tallwing McCarthy has raised raising six biological children (with 25 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren) and nurtured and protected numerous “leatherkids.” Judy Tallwing McCarthy will be the first woman of color to receive the Leather Leadership Award.
The Susan J. Hyde Award for Longevity in the Movement, sponsored by Wild Geese Foundation: Monica Roberts
Monica Roberts is the founding editor of the award winning TransGriot blog, and a longtime award-winning human rights advocate. She has been advocating for the human rights of transgender people for over 20 years, with a focus on the issues affecting Black trans people. Her writing has appeared at Ebony.com, the Advocate, Black Girl Dangerous, and in the ‘Unapologetically Trans’ monthly column in Houston’s OutSmart magazine. Some of the honors that Roberts has received are the 2018 GLAAD Media Award, the Robert Coles Call of Service Award from Harvard University’s Phillips Brooks House Assn, the Virginia Prince Transgender Pioneer Award, the Barbara Jordan Breaking Barriers Award from the Harris County Democratic Party, the IFGE Trinity Award, and being named to the 2019 OUT100.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Creating Change Conference is committed to radical accessibility. Everyone benefits when everyone participates fully and equitably in every aspect of the conference. When you register online for Creating Change, you can request:
- ASL interpretation
- Spanish translation
- Programs in large print
- Electric scooters and wheelchairs
- Assisted Listening Devices
- Magnifiers, readers, and step stools
There will be a staffed Accessibility Table set up near registration, where attendees can ask questions, meet up with an interpreter, and pick up the items listed above.
There will also be an ASL “Hub” where our team of ASL interpreters meet and plan their day. Last year we had over 40 ASL interpreters.
There will also be a People with Disabilities Hospitality Suite where those who need and want to have an opportunity to regroup and relax.
PRESS CREDENTIALS
Press are invited to the conference, and press credentials are given out as space provides. To request credentials email Sarah Massey and Cathy Renna below. Confirmation of credentials will be considered on a rolling basis and as space allows.
MISSION STATEMENT
The National LGBTQ Task Force advances full freedom, justice and equality for LGBTQ people. We are building a future where everyone can be free to be their entire selves in every aspect of their lives. Today, despite all the progress we’ve made to end discrimination, millions of LGBTQ people face barriers in every aspect of their lives: in housing, employment, healthcare, retirement, and basic human rights. These barriers must go. That’s why the Task Force is training and mobilizing millions of activists across our nation to deliver a world where you can be you. For more general information go to https://www.thetaskforce.org
Contact: Sarah Massey, Communications Director, National LGBTQ Task Force, 202-639-6308, smassey@thetaskforce.org
Cathy Renna, TargetCue, 917-767-5123, cathy@targetcue.com
pictured above: Brooke Medicine Eagle
www.Spiritual-Wildfire-Summit.
com Joan D’Argo
I’m thrilled to invite you to a FREE global online Summit that starts Feb. 2-7 called:
Igniting the Worldwide Spiritual Wildfire We Need Now: A Call to Action
LINK TO: https://www.spiritual-wildfire-summit.com
I’ll be participating with 23 other featured speakers including Sandra Ingerman, Andrew Harvey, Nina Simons, Cynthia Jurs, Steve Farrell and Lyla June Johnston and I’d love for you to join us! Each of us will be offering inspiration, healing, and empowering practical tools to anyone who is ready to courageously use their own light to help ignite a worldwide spiritual wildfire.
The Spiritual Wildfire Summit is organized to address the fact that we live in epic times. In fact, we are experiencing nothing less than the reinvention of civilization. Yet as we dive into uncharted waters and move closer to a critical tipping, we see a worldwide awakening beginning to catch fire. The Spiritual Wildfire Summit offers inspiration, healing, and empowering practical tools to anyone who is ready to courageously use their own light to help ignite a worldwide spiritual wildfire.
To register for this free event click here. Link to: https://www.spiritual-wildfire-summit.com
Together we can create a new world based on compassion, wisdom, justice, and joy!
During this FREE 6-day global online summit, together we will experience & integrate profound ways to restore the Story of Our Awakened Hearts.
This transformational event is FREE to all registered attendees! You do need to RSVP in order to receive all of the info you need to participate in this unique and never before seen gathering of visionaries!
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ShaRon Rea
The Whole Family Coaching
480-420-9551
ShaRon@TheWholeFamilyCoaching.
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
Want to continue meditating with Master Mingtong Gu?
Sign up for weekly meditations here.
Convert to your timezone here.
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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
Tuesday, March 10, 2020
Hallock Auditorium, Lewis Environmental Studies Building, Oberlin College
122 Elm Street, Oberlin, OH, 44074
4:30pm – 6:00pm EST; doors open at 4pm
Topic: Tainted: Anti-Suffragism and Race Politics in the Crusade for Women’s Votes
“Determined to Rise”: Women’s Historic Activism for Equal Rights
Panelists:
- Angela P. Dodson, Author, Remember the Ladies: Celebrating Those Who Fought for Freedom at the Ballot Box (Center Street Press, 2017): Angela P. Dodson is author of “Remember the Ladies: Celebrating Those Who Fought for Freedom at the Ballot Box” about the woman suffrage movement in the United States and women’s political gains up to the present. Dodson is also an independent editor, writer and consultant. She founded an editorial services company, Editorsoncall LLC, in 2012, to link freelancers to clients in need of writing, editing, graphic and photographic services. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism at Marshall University and a master’s degree in journalism and public affairs from the American University. Angela is a former senior editor and former Style editor for the New York Times. She has most recently been an online editor and book reviewer for DIVERSE: Issues In Higher Education, diverseeducation.com, and diversebooks.net. She is the former executive editor of Black Issues Book Review.
- Dr. Carol Lasser, Emerita Professor of History, Oberlin College: Carol Lasser is Emerita Professor of History at Oberlin College and former president of the Society for the History of the Early American Republic (SHEAR). At Oberlin she taught about women, gender and race in American history, and chaired the History Department and the Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies Program. Her books include Antebellum American Women (with Stacey Robertson, 2010); Friends and Sisters: Letters Between Lucy Stone and Antoinette Brown Blackwell, 1846-1893, (with Marlene Merrill, 1987), Educating Men and Women Together: Coeducation in a Changing World (1987), and, most recently, with Gary Kornblith, Elusive Utopia: The Struggle for Racial Equality in Oberlin, Ohio (Louisiana State University Press 2018). Her articles address topics ranging from Civil War courtship to utopianism to the scholarship of teaching and learning. With students, she created Digitizing American Feminisms: Projects from the Oberlin College Archives (http://americanfeminisms.org/), featuring materials that bring feminist history alive. Her current projects include ongoing research on the life Lethia Cousins Fleming (1876-1963), a Cleveland woman of color who pursued a pioneering political career in the first half of the twentieth century. Professor Lasser is also rethinking the racial implications of the Nineteenth Amendment in her work-in-progress, “Bending to the Color Line: The Fight for Woman Suffrage in Ohio,” and she continues her work exploring Oberlin history, focusing on racial inequality in employment, public schools, housing and recreation from the 1930s to the 1980s. She earned her B.A. at the University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. at Harvard University.
- Dr. Ben Railton, Professor of English Studies and Coordinator of American Studies, Fitchburg State University: Ben Railton is Professor of English Studies and Coordinator of American Studies at Fitchburg State University in Massachusetts. He is the author of five books, most recently We the People: The 500-Year Battle over Who is American (Rowman and Littlefield’s American Ways series). He also writes the daily American Studies blog, contributes the bimonthly Considering History column to the Saturday Evening Post, and is the Boston Chapter Leader for the Scholars Strategy Network.
- Moderator: Tamika Nunley, Assistant Professor of History, Oberlin College: Tamika Nunley is an assistant professor of American history. Her research and teaching interests include slavery, gender, 19th-century legal history, digital history, and the American Civil War. At Oberlin, she created the History Design Lab that allows students to develop scholarly projects that involve methodological approaches that range from digital humanities, exhibit design, oral history, podcasts, historical fiction, and public history. Her book manuscript, ‘‘At the Threshold of Liberty: Women, Slavery, and the Boundaries of Freedom in Washington, D.C.,’’ examines how black women strategically used the laws, geography, and community networks of the nation’s capital to make claims to liberty during the Civil War era. Her work has been supported by the Andrew W. Mellon and Woodrow Wilson foundations as well as the American Association of University Women.
To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/determined-to-rise-womens-historic-activism-for-equal-rights-tickets-93388356087
The Spring Awakening and Healing Through Pure Consciousness Retreat
Whether you have significant health concerns or not, the Pure Consciousness practices support you to:
transform the stress of modern living,
improve your overall well-being,
expand your capacity to be of service to others (including healing your loved ones, humanity, and our planet), and
expand your experience of life to live with more freedom, joy, and wisdom.
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Explore our 7-Day Awakening and Healing Retreat with us,
focused on continuous practice, silent connection, and
the embodied experience of pure consciousness,
During the 7-day Retreat you will be guided by Master Mingtong in gentle movement, sound healing, and meditation practices, specifically to strengthen and stabilize your connection to Pure Consciousness and Pure Energy.
The Spring Awakening and Healing Through Pure Consciousness Retreat is coming up soon — March 20-26. It will convene at the beautiful Chi Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong, just outside Santa Fe, New Mexico.
During 7 magical days, Master Mingtong will guide you in cultivating your consciousness via group learning, direct transmission, and continuous practice — while you enjoy the clean air, starry skies, amazing food, charming facilities, and warm community you’ll find at The Center.
The Center for Wisdom Healing Qigong
Santa Fe, New Mexico |
The Chi Center, 40 Camino Vista Clara, Lamy, NM 87540, US
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.
The climate crisis is the greatest challenge we face – already excacerbating injustices and environmental health disparities.
The good news? Leading medical journals and experts confirm that climate change poses the “greatest health opportunity of the 21st century.” Taking action to reduce fossil fuel pollution and address the crisis can save lives, improve our air quality, and address inequality.
Health professionals are essential messengers to inspire action.
Will you join us in Vancouver, WA on March 22nd for this
free education and advocacy training event
focusing on the latest on climate change and health,
and how to effectively promote solutions?
The climate crisis is big, but we know we can achieve meaningful solutions through dedicated advocacy. To do so, we need to build upon our movement and engage more health professionals to drive action. Join us in Vancouver to learn more and get plugged in!
Featured speakers include Dianne Glover, MD, a WPSR Climate & Health Task Force pediatrician, Don and Alona Steinke, RN, of Southwest Washington Climate Action, and Lluvia Merello, Energy Justice Organizer for Oregon PSR.
Vancouver Public Library, 901 C Street, Vancouver WA
RSVP: Vancouver Climate Change & Health Event
This is a FREE event, and lunch will be provided.
See you there!
Sarah Cornett
WPSR Climate Program & Advocacy Manager
sarah@wpsr.org
206-547-2630
Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020
APR22
24-Hour Youth Climate Strike on Instagram
Public:
Hosted by Pittsburgh Earth Day 2020
MissionPittsburgh is marking the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day by reigniting our dedication to our planet, to each other and to our collective future here on Earth. We call on everyone to unite, stand and act for a healthier, safer, more just and sustainable world. |
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Earth Day Live will feature a three-day livestream where millions of people can join activists, celebrities, musicians, and more in an epic moment of community and hope for the future.
STRIKE, DIVEST, AND VOTE
FOR OUR FUTURE!
From April 22 – the 50th anniversary of Earth Day – to April 24…
The fights against the coronavirus and the climate crisis go hand-in-hand, and as we work to flatten the curve of this pandemic, we must strive toward the longer term goal of building a society rooted in sustainability and justice.
FIND A LOCAL LIVESTREAM
https://www.earthdaylive2020.org/
The Earth Day Live stream will be viewable on this website and will be the full user experience. In addition, it will be simulcast across major streaming platforms such as Facebook Live, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and Twitch to engage with broader audiences. Partner organizations and an extensive network of major websites will be embedding the live stream as well.
PARTICIPANTS
Featuring Al Gore • Amanda Palmer • Amber Valletta • Angela Rye • Angelique Kidjo • Bill McKibben • Chef Alexandra Shrader • Chef Dominique Crenn • Daniel Fernandez • David Wallace Wells • DJ Spooky • Dr Michael Greger • Dr. Sweta Chakraborty • Ed Begley Jr. • Emily Wells • Ilyasah Shabazz • Jack Johnson • Jameela Jamil • Jason Mraz • Joaquin Phoenix • John Kerry • Kathryn Budig • Lil Dicky • Lisa Edelstein • Local Natives • Louie Schwartzberg • Luke Baines • Madame Gandhi • Margaret Klein Salamon • Mark Ruffalo • Mary Heglar • Matt McGorry • Megan Boone • Michael Franti • Moby • Monica Dogra • Mustafa Santiago Ali • Nahko the Bear • Ndaba Mandela • Patricia Arquette • Patrisse Cullors • Questlove • Rep. Lauren Underwood • Rep. Ted Lieu • Reverend Dr. William Barber II • Robby Romero • Rosanna Arquette • Secretary John Kerry • Sharon Carpenter • Shepard Fairey • Soul Clap • Stacey Abrams • Talib Kweli • The Both -w- Aimee Mann and Ted Leo • Tim Heidecker • Tony Revolori
And many more to be announced soon!
STRIKE – Earth Day and Youth Climate Strikes – April 22
On the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, we will demonstrate our collective power and unity through community building and storytelling. This first day will focus on amplifying the voice of indigenous leaders and youth climate activists who are leading the movement to halt the climate crisis
DIVEST – Divestment and Climate Financing – April 23
Led by Stop the Money Pipeline Coalition, during this day of action we are calling for a global reset. We want to reprogram the economy so that it works for people and the planet, not polluters and politicians.
VOTE – Voter Registration and Political Engagement – April 24
We need leaders who will address this existential threat. It’s critical for all of us to show up at the polls this year and vote for our future. So the final day will focus on the importance of voting through a nationwide youth voter registration day.
The US Climate Strike Coalition and Stop The Money Pipeline Coalition, who together are made up of over 500 organizations, have come together to organize Earth Day Live.
The US Climate Strike Coalition is a coalition of over 400 organizations that formed ahead of the September 20, 2019 climate strikes. Led by the leading youth-led climate organizations in the US, the coalition works intergenerationally and collaboratively to coordinate the Climate Strikes in the US.
Stop the Money Pipeline is a coalition of over 100 climate, environmental and Indigneous rights groups that is demanding that the financial sector stops funding the fossil fuel industry and deforestation, and starts respecting Indigenous sovereignty and human rights.
The Light of the World
A Retreat in Arizona with Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng
April 23–26, 2020
Arizona Biltmore
Register today! This event will sell out! Register Now
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Eckhart Tolle teaches a simple but profound truth: you are not separate and are never alone. Just as a sunbeam is an emanation of the sun, you and everyone you know come from the same basic source—and are still connected at the deepest level.
In this spirit, we are pleased to host The Light of the World: A Retreat in Arizona with Eckhart Tolle and Kim Eng. In April of 2020, you can join Eckhart and Kim at the historic Arizona Biltmore Hotel for four days of personal and spiritual exploration.
You Are the Light of the World
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Sonoran Desert, this retreat will dive deep into questions about the origin of consciousness, humanity’s ongoing evolution, the tendencies of the ego, and your true, timeless nature. Eckhart and Kim will guide you through inquiry, meditation, guided movement, piercing insights, and much more—all in the comfort of one of Arizona’s most storied resorts.
When we meet to share the search for meaning, we take another step closer to embodying our inherent interconnectedness. During The Light of the World, you’ll not only receive live instruction from two of the world’s premier spiritual teachers, but also enjoy the rare opportunity to explore the spaciousness of the present moment with fellow seekers.
“There’s no place where you say, ‘Here’s the sun and here’s the ray.’ They merge. Here’s the sun, and then it becomes the rays of the sun. And in the same way, consciousness emanates from the source of all life and then manifests as beings.” Eckart Tolle
Highlights
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Inspiring daily talks with Eckhart Tolle
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Presence Through Movement practice and talks with Kim Eng
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Group meditation and practical question-and-answer sessions with Eckhart and Kim
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Opportunities to explore the startling beauty of the Sonoran Desert and its pristine night skies
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Ample time for both solitude and community engagement within the beautiful grounds of the Biltmore
Arizona Biltmore Resort
Since 1929, the Arizona Biltmore has been a stand-out destination, creating unforgettable memories. Over the years, the 39 acres of gardens, swimming pools, and iconic architecture have provided a safe haven for celebrities, diplomats, and presidents, and a luxurious resort for guests from all walks of life.
The resort has been an Arizona landmark since its opening and is one of the only existing luxury hotels in the world with a Frank Lloyd Wright influence. The Biltmore was designed by Albert Chase McArthur, a Harvard graduate who had studied under Wright. The Arizona Biltmore, located at the base of the Phoenix Mountain Reserve, is a timeless treasure in itself as well as a base to explore the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. The beautiful and magical red sandstone formations of Sedona are a short two-hour drive away.
We have reserved a large block of rooms at a special group rate for retreat participants. The nightly rate of $359 for a single occupancy room or $419 for a double occupancy room includes a daily private group lunch for retreat participants.
Rooms will sell out! Please book your lodging as soon as possible.
Lodging costs are paid separately to The Arizona Biltmore and are not included in your retreat tuition. A special group lodging rate will be available until March 23, 2020 or until rooms are sold out, whichever comes first. Reservations require a one-night deposit. After March 23, 2020, any unsold rooms can be booked at the current hotel rates based on availability. Please be sure to review the room cancellation penalties at the time of booking.
For hotel booking inquiries with specific requests, or to book days before and after the retreat, please call the Arizona Biltmore at 602.955.6600.
For those who would like to find a roommate, please visit the Meetup forum.
Dining
A daily group lunch will be served in a private dining room for The Light of the World retreat participants beginning on Friday, April 24 and ending with lunch on Sunday, April 26. Gluten-free and vegetarian options will be offered.
For breakfast and dinner, guests are encouraged to dine at one of several restaurants and casual cafes at the Arizona Biltmore: Frank & Albert’s (casual dining, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner), Wright’s (fine dining, only open for dinner), and the Wright Bar (contemporary American fare). Also available: poolside service at the Cabana Club, grab-and-go items at the Café, and 24-hour in-room dining.
Travel
Nearest Airport
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (8 miles)
Airport Shuttles
There are many transportation options available upon arrival at Phoenix Sky Harbour International Airport, including airport shuttles, taxis, private car service, and car rentals. Driving time is approximately 15 minutes.
Parking
Parking at the Arizona Biltmore is available for an additional cost.
Schedule
Opening Day: Thursday, April 23
3:00–7:00 pmRetreat registration7:00 pmDoors open7:30 pmEckhart Tolle opening talkClosing Day: Sunday, April 26
9:30 amDoors open10:00 amEckhart Tolle closing talkFull retreat schedule to be announced at a later date.
Morning sessions on Friday and Saturday will be Kim Eng’s Presence Through Movement workshop. You will have the opportunity to choose which day you would prefer to attend. Afternoon and evening sessions will be talks, meditations, and Q&A sessions with Eckhart and Kim.
This event will sell out!$1,197 USDRegistration fee covers tuition only. Lodging, which includes a private daily group lunch, is paid separately through the Arizona Biltmore.
For more information contact support@soundstrue.com
or call 800.333.9185
Webinar Registration
Apr 26, 2020 at 1:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Link to register for this: https://zoom.us/webinar/
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
A welcome letter from the host…
Greetings friends…
We’ve all got to follow best practices for staying safe and taking care of each other during the pandemic. This online gathering is about best practices for your inner life.
How can you rest in your own presence and non-reactivity? How can you open in compassion and let your heart’s intelligence guide your actions? How can you stay open to your experience – not grabbing onto your emotion but not bypassing it either? How can your struggles deepen your practice and bring forward new capacities?
This Being & Doing gathering will give you a chance to hear from some extraordinary, open-hearted, generous mentors. The teachers will all be live – guiding practices, taking questions and joining with you in a supportive field of collective presence. Use this opportunity to help you stay open and free inside of yourself, to nourish your resilience, and to connect with a powerful community of like-minded souls.
Jeff Charno, Being & Doing Host
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You can use this Awakening in the Midst video collection right away.
From Loch Kelly, Craig Hamilton, Diana Winston, Caverly Morgan
These aren’t ordinary guided meditations. These four short programs lead you directly into natural awakened awareness – a state of flow and effortless presence. Clarifying this in yourself is life changing and it’s easier than you think.
MAY 19, 2020 3:00 pm EST
The Intersection of the Climate Crisis and Social Justice
Join the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival and The Climate Reality Project for our upcoming webinar highlighting the intersection of climate and environmental justice, the history of the #PoorPeoplesCampaign, and the upcoming digital mass march and assembly.
The webinar will feature Campaign Co-Chairs Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II and Dr. Liz Theoharis, as well as Dr. Robert Bullard, Climate Reality board member, Texas Southern University distinguished professor of environmental policy, and to many, the “father of environmental justice.”
The only way to solve the climate crisis is by working together. And to build a winning coalition, we need to understand how this crisis intersects with social inequities like racial discrimination, poverty, and environmental injustice.
Register here: bit.ly/ClimateRealityPPC-
From Indigenous New England
https://indigenous.boston |
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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.
TODAY.
Where have we been?
Where are we going?
What might be possible together?
https://peopleshub.org/
https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesHub-1695905997109684/
The Circle may be over but the workshops are coming up!
It’s time to sign up!!
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Select a date and time
This weekly call is for those of us who are terrified of the climate emergency and determined to be part of a movement to claw back our future from the jaws of extinction.
You will learn about The Climate Mobilization’s strategy for transforming our economy in the next ten years, and how you can take action locally and be part of this plan.
You will make contact with an excellent team of organizers who will offer support and coaching in your journey to push back and win a just and inclusive future.
- In 2020, the climate emergency threatens to take our future away from us.
- YOU
- The solution is to organize.
- YOU
- This session is designed to show you how.
The session is open to anyone, whether you are part of an organization or not, whether you have experience of organizing or not. We support over 100 different campaigns!
To Join the Call:
SIGN UP HERE –> https://secure.everyaction.com/dSlTBlrtZUWt8okpc256ig
You will learn:
- What YOU can do to respond to the Climate Emergency
- How to get plugged in to a team or a Climate Emergency campaign in YOUR community
- How we’re planning to make the Climate Emergency the key issue of the 2020 election
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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
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.
“Waking Up Fabulous: Taking Refuge in The Time of Corona” – A Half-Day LGBTQIA+ Community Retreat
In the midst of this global pandemic, taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha has never felt more important for our community and this world. As LGBTQIA+ people, in these challenging and difficult times, we recollect the power of community to know that we are not alone; that together we can begin the healing of centuries of oppression and trauma within a deep knowing of our interconnectedness and interdependence. We learn to trust the unfolding of this life and act for the benefit of all beings.
This virtual retreat is an opportunity to come together and care for ourselves: to remember who we really are and to reconnect with our innate goodness. We will explore ways of sustaining a clear and open mind, a kind heart, and a strong body. And we will engage with the ancient teachings and practices offered by the Buddha that cultivate wisdom, kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity, and skillful actions.
This virtual retreat is for all those who identify as LGBTQIA+. The program will include guided awareness and heart practices, Dharma talks, small and large group sharing, and gentle yoga.
This Virtual Retreat will be conducted on Zoom from 12:30pm – 4:30pm EST on Saturday, May 23. The virtual retreat link will be emailed to participants within twenty-four hours of your registration. Registration for this live webinar closes at 11:30am EST on May 23.
In keeping with the tradition of offering these teachings by dana, there are no fees associated with this retreat, it is by donation only. We invite you to consider making a tax-deductible contribution during the registration process. Suggested donation levels are listed, but if you would like to contribute more, please select the Participant option and type in your desired donation amount. We appreciate your support.
Teachers:
Madeline Klyne has loved the dharma since 1986. She is a co-founder and teacher of South Shore Insight Meditation Center (SSIMC), a core teacher at Cambridge Insight Meditation Center (CIMC), and a visiting teacher at Insight Meditation Society. Madeline teaches programs and retreats for LGBTIQ communities. Part of Madeline’s spiritual path was to come out at the age of 5. Madeline delights in exploring practice in daily life with all who are interested. Learn more at www.southshoreinsight.org.
La Sarmiento has been practicing Vipassana meditation since 1998, is a teacher and senior retreat/event manager for the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, and has been the guiding teacher of the IMCW LGBTQ and People of Color Sanghas since 2006. A 2012 graduate of the Spirit Rock Community Dharma Leaders Training Program, they also lead mindfulness retreats for teenagers with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education and retreats for Young Adults at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center. This will be La’s 5th retreat at Garrison for the LGBTIQ community. La has been a bodyworker in private practice since 1992 and a Reiki Teacher since 2004 in Washington, DC, where they reside with their life partner Wendy and their two Cairn Terriers, Annabel and MacGregor.
Lama Rod Owens is considered one of the emerging leaders of his generation of Buddhist teachers. An author, activist, and formally authorized Buddhist teacher in the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism, he is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice community as well as a visiting teacher with several Buddhist centers including the Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. A graduate of Harvard Divinity School, Lama Rod has also been a guest faculty member at the Harvard School of Education’s program Mindfulness for Educators. He has been a regular guest on SiriusXM’s Urban Viewhosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Karen Hunter. He is also a co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation and his next book project “Love & Rage” exploring transformative anger and rage is due out June 2020. Lama Rod can be reached at www.lamarod.com.
Jacoby Ballard has been teaching yoga for 20 years and now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his partner and child. His work sits at the intersection of spiritual practice and social change and has led him to consult with Insight Meditation Society, the Yoga Alliance, Lululemon, and speaking on college campuses. His current foray into study and taking the role of student is through his enrollment with the Community Dharma Leaders program at Spirit Rock. His teaching style is playful and profound, integrating the teachings of the dharma into how we move and breath on our mats and with each other. More at www.jacobyballard.net.
Isabel Adon, LCSW, FOT, IFOT is a Bilingual Psychotherapist with an Office in Midtown, NYC. Isabel Adon is an Aboriginal Focusing Oriented Therapist and Trainer. She has over 20 years of experience in the mental health and presently works with children and families in an outpatient psychiatric setting in the Bronx. Isabel has been a volunteer rape crisis and domestic violence advocate for over nine years responding to crisis at six different NYC emergency rooms as a volunteer for the Mount Sinai SAVI program. She has extensive training in diversity work and for the past 15 years has been a practitioner of Vipassana and Ascension meditation.
Registration Options
1 – Participant 2 – Friend (Donation) 3 – Contributor (Donation) 4 – Supporter (Donation) 5 – Patron (Donation) 6 – Benefactor (Donation) |
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Garrison, NY 10524
https://www.facebook.com/PeoplesHub-1695905997109684/
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Learn how you can apply these teachings and help everyone you know to embrace a happier, healthier life even during times like these.
Episode 3: Where Healing Comes From
May 23 – 9pm Eastern (USA)
Episode 4: Healing the Past, Healing the Future
May 24 – 9pm Eastern (USA)
Episode 5: Self-Love, Loving Others
May 25 – 9pm Eastern (USA)
Episode 6: The Body’s Wisdom
May 26 – 9pm Eastern (USA)
Episode 7: Love is Medicine
May 27 – 9pm Eastern (USA)
Join the Facebook Group
Stay up to date with all things Love is Medicine
Structuring an Economy for People and Planet
In the Time of Climate Crisis and COVID-19
Thursday, May 28, 2020
11:00 am PST/ 2:00 pm EST USA time
Please check your own time zone to coordinate!
Registration is required – register at this link
This webinar is part of WECAN’s Advocacy and Solutions Series: A Just and Healthy World is Possible, an ongoing dialogue series lifting up women’s leadership as we continue to collectively build a powerful movement founded on principles of justice, love, and a fierce dedication to our planet and each other.
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Net of Light/The Grandmothers Speak | 2106 Shelter Bay Ave., Mill Valley, CA 94941 |
During these changing times we are living in, we will come together in non-traditional ways to share the Grandmothers’ messages.
These Online teachings will be held on a regular bi-weekly basis, starting this Sunday (June 14).
The Grandmothers want us to know how vitally important each of us is, as we anchor the Net of Light where we live.
The Grandmothers say, “No one comes to this work unless we call them,” so, if they are calling you, join us.
Many more are being called into this work in these times, and we fully embrace all who step forward through this online medium.
to see June 14 Zoom meeting
Longstanding racial tensions have once again exploded, following the recent horrific deaths of Black Americans, causing grief, anger and outrage in towns and cities across the country.
Peaceful protests and violent confrontations have spilled into the streets and jolted our fragile communities.
Please join The Peace Center (on a Zoom call) for an authentic conversation on race and injustice, as we witness the stark reality of a nation whose wounds have not been dressed or healed.
When: Wednesday, June 17 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Facilitated by: Gayle Evans, Barbara Simmons, and Tayna Longino
Register Here for Democracy Circle
(Zoom link will be emailed upon registration.)
Our mailing address is:
The Peace Center
102 W Maple Ave
Langhorne, PA 19047-2820
215-750-7220
Prides in over 500 cities around the world have been canceled
due to the coronavirus.
For millions of LGBT+ people, Pride events represent a precious moment of visibility, community, and solidarity. Pride boosts our movement and our community, powering our batteries for the coming year. Without it, our sense of belonging, our visibility, our advocacy, and our ability to support each other are all weakened.
But we don’t need to give up on Pride 2020 around the world. The power of digital gives us the chance to come together for Pride in spirit, if not with our bodies. It allows us to respect physical distancing, but embrace social and community cohesion. It allows us to celebrate who we are and who we love across borders and cultures.
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.
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Interested in joining us in 2020? Fill out our early interest form and be the first to know when registration opens and save $50 off your registration. We’ll make sure you’re the first to know when registration opens for our August 7-9, 2020 ILI in Chicago. Bonus: you’ll receive $50 off when you register!
See the ILI in action
The Interfaith Leadership Institute (ILI) is the largest gathering of students and educators with a commitment to American religious pluralism. Each year, hundreds of people who care about the future of our religiously diverse society converge in Chicago to learn, train, share, and get inspired to bring the movement for interfaith cooperation back to their campuses and communities. Over the course of three days, participants learn to bridge divides and forge friendships across lines of religious and worldview differences. Come to the ILI with the passion to bring people together and leave equipped with the knowledge and skills to make it happen.
Interested in joining us in 2020? Fill out our early interest form and be the first to know when registration opens and save $50 off your registration.
Training Tracks
Introductory and advanced training tracks are designed to support those new to this work by laying the foundation for interfaith leadership, and providing advanced skills in topics ranging from strategic planning to navigating tricky challenges and more.
Plenary Sessions
Plenary sessions will feature conversation with experienced leaders and their stories of engaging religious difference and disagreement in American life. During the Unconference, attendees will have the power to guide these conversations by choosing discussion topics and important questions at the beginning of the gathering.
Discounts & Scholarships
As we do not want cost to be a hindrance to engaging with interfaith leadership, we have a number of discounts, as well as registration scholarships available.
Learn more about out discounts and scholarships
Interfaith Youth Core
141 W. Jackson Blvd, Suite 3200, Chicago, IL 60604
Phone: (312) 573-8825
Email: info@ifyc.org