
JAPAN, STOP THE DOLPHIN HUNTS!
Friday, Dec. 11, 2015 fr/ 2:00 PM outside
Consulate General of Japan 299 Park Ave. btwn E 48th St. & E 49th St.,
nr. #6, E, M, 4, 5, B, D, F, 7, N, Q, R, 1 or C train, cross town bus lines via 50th or via 49th or 42nd;
map: http://goo.gl/maps/zUoU4 bus map: goo.gl/9cQpB
Friends Of Animals United NJ/NY (FAUN) information@faunnj.org
(732)693-9044 ny4whales@optonline.net information@caafgroup.com
**Please join us as we enlighten the public about the dolphin slaughter in Taiji, Japan. We will honor the dolphins which have been, and will be killed in the annual slaughter that takes place from Sept. to March…..we honor, as well, all the dolphins…
please check online for any changes; look up event title, contacts, FAUN meetup page & issue background. be well. -t.
Dear Friends,
Our longtime friend and ally Andrew Vidich, known for his meditation classes , highly recommends the upcoming series of talks featuring world renowned meditation teacher and spiritual Master Sant Rajinder Sing Ji Maharaj.
They are taking place in Edison New Jersey and then in Amityville New York from Wednesday April 27th through Sunday May 1st. Sant Rajinder Singh Ji Maharaj is internationally recognized for his work promoting inner and outer peace.and transforming lives through meditation.
For more information and registration see the flyer below or you can go to http://sos.org/event/NYNJ
If you live in the New York area, or you have friends there, this unique and free mini-series promises to be both inspiring and enlightening!
Rick Ulfik
Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net
For more information and free registration:
http://sos.org/event/NYNJ
SUBSCRIBE to our WE Campaign Global Action Newsletter CLICK HERE | ||||
![]() WE – A global campaign of We, The World to unite and amplify the efforts of people, organizations and movements working for the common good WE.net International Women’s Day March 8, 2018 Join the Action – Add your Programs & Events to our public international
Global Unity Calendar at http://GlobalUnityCalendar.org When you post on our Calendar the post shows up on many other websites as well!
Please let us know if you want to synchronize your calendar with ours.
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![]() First Annual
Featured Speakers Include
![]() Sande Hart – Director of the Women and Girls Sector of Charter for Compassion International Rick Ulfik – the Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net
Other Featured Speakers include Treasures >From The Universe members Nina Laiberg, Nancy Baldry, and Sarah Otis.
Please join us for a dynamic, inspiring and interactive live conversation on the women’s movement and women’s empowerment between passionate advocates Sande Hart, Rick Ulfik and a collective of women who have come together to give birth to Treasures From The Universe – a project of co-creation and collaboration bringing light, love, and healing to the world in tangible ways.
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![]() INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WEBCAST March 7-9, 2018 http://peacechannel.com Co-Sponsored by We, The World, Playing For Change, Unity Foundation Pledge To Peace and Step It Up for Gender Equality Since 1909, International Women’s Day has celebrated the power of women around the globe. On March 8, 2018, International Women’s Day spotlights a worldwide movement for women’s rights, equality and justice. In our first annual Women’s Day Webcast, Peace Channel honors the strength and courage of the women who make up nearly half of the planet’s 244 million migrants, preserving families and contributing to the global economy. You may Embed the Peace Channel W ebcast on your own webpage using this code: <a class=”embedly-card” href=”http://peacechannel.com/“>PeaceChannel</a><script async src=”//cdn.embedly.com/widgets/platform.js” charset=”UTF-8″></script>.
To learn more, contact us at darlene@peacechannel.com. Let us know on Facebook if you are planning a Vigil in your area. here are our new Love Power T-Shirts! |
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Visit www.facebook.com/spiritualitygonewild
and like the page to get notifications of when we are live On March 8th, join us for a whole day filled with inspiring interviews, global meditations, and empowering action steps to become what we wish to see in the world. Conscious Women leaders in love, compassion, and kindness will share their uplifting stories of hope and ways the audience can help co-create a kinder and more loving world for all of us.
Guests include: Ladies Go Live, Tina Valant, Lottie Hern Ross, and Jenn Nelson, Then Wendi Gilbert of Kindness Evolution, Sande Hart of Charter for Compassion Women and Girls Sector, Teri Angel of Angelspeakers and Spirituality Gone Wild, David Nichol will lead us in a Global Meditation for Unity, Ann Cabano Founder of Just Be Love Project, Scarlett Lewis of Jesse Lewis Choose Love Foundation, Heidi Little of We, The World and International Children’s Month, and ShaRon Rae of No Judgement Just Love Movement.
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Unleashing the African Woman![]() Thato Angelina Gabaitse Founder and Director Gabarone, Botswana Unleashing the African woman is a program aimed and designed to train groups of vulnerable women across Botswana. The mission of this program is to empower women to take full control of their lives. The program is designed to bring out the beautiful, strong and compassionate goddess in every woman.
This program strives to achieve this goal by developing the woman’s mindset through the building of leadership, life and entrepreneurial skills. This will be achieved through training conducted for 30 weeks through a body, mind and soul transformation journey with counseling, training on the development of a wholesome and holistic childhood foundation through love, abundance, and joy. Other activities include arts & crafts, theatre & dance, and gardening. Currently we are mobilizing resources to launch the program in partnership with YWCA Botswana (Young Women’s Christian Association), an organization that gives teen mothers the opportunity to continue with their secondary education while their babies are enrolled in the day care centre within the institution!
And soon we will be opening a branch office for We, The World in Botswana. For more information contact us at info@WeTheWorld.org |
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![]() ![]() ZEMYNA The Goddess of Earth
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1654075494638275 Inviting all Eco Warrior women to join hands with us to make this a better planet Organised by Namrataa Arora Singh Country Director for Charter for Compassion India, Women and Girls Namrataa Arora Singh is a spiritual eco-feminism activist, currently a fellow with Change.Org’s She Creates Change program in India, battling against the use of plastics and other issues relating to empowering women.
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W.O.M.A.N., Inc.
Women Organized to Make Abuse Nonexistent http://www.womaninc.org 26 Boardman Place | San Francisco, CA 94103
Direct Line: (415) 969-6761 24/7 Support Line: (415) 864-472
Roberta Donnay’s New Album Release
For International Women’s Day March 8th ![]() |
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International Women’s Day 2018 Campaign Theme
![]() #PressforProgress https://www.internationalwomensday.com Now, more than ever, there’s a strong call-to-action to press forward and progress gender parity. There’s a strong call to #PressforProgress motivating and uniting friends, colleagues and whole communities to think, act and be gender inclusive.
Individually, we’re one drop but together we’re an ocean. Commit to a “gender parity mindset” via progressive action. Let’s all collaborate to accelerate gender parity, so our collective action powers equality worldwide.
Take action here: |
On International Women’s Day
Hear & Join Eve Ensler’s Passionate Call for 1 Billion Women To Rise! Go to http://WE.net/EveEnsler for the inspiring interview with Eve Ensler who has led a global movement to end violence against women.
“At the beginning, we got a group of women together in my living room. I think living rooms and kitchens are where all revolutions really begin.”
– Eve Ensler Tony Award winning playwright, activist, and author of the theatrical phenomenon The Vagina Monologues
Eve Ensler was the Featured Speaker on WOMEN for the 11 Days of Global Unity Tele-Summit 2015 produced by the Shift Network in Partnership with We, The World.
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It’s Time to Unite Our Efforts
Rick Ulfik
Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net
Subscribe to our WE Campaign Global Action Newsletter: WE.net/subscribe
Extended Interview with Eve Ensler at http://WE.net/EveEnsler
Resources for Collaboration & Action
11 Days of Global Unity – 11 Ways to Transform Your World
11 Days of Global Unity Tele-Summit 2017 – Listen to the recent interviews with Deepak Chopra, Marianne Williamson, Ralph Nader, Robert Thurman and many others!
Trends in Global Grassroots Organizing , Trends Newsfeed
An Urgent Message From Your Children at WeYourChildren.org
GlobalUnityCalendar.org – See and post social change and cultural events worldwide!
Renewable Energy Media Campaign and Movement
Volunteer Sign-up: http://WE.net/takeaction/volunteer
Organization Sign-up: http://WE.net/11days/participate
Donation Page: WE.net/donate
Facebook – Twitter
https://www.womensmarch.com/enough
Women’s March Youth EMPOWER is calling for students, teachers, school administrators, parents and allies to take part in a #NationalSchoolWalkout for 17 minutes at 10am across every time zone on March 14, 2018 to protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers in response to the gun violence plaguing our schools and neighborhoods. We need action. Students and allies are organizing the national school walkout to demand Congress pass legislation to keep us safe from gun violence at our schools, on our streets and in our homes and places of worship.
FAQ’s
Why are we doing this?
We are living in an age where young people like us do not feel safe in our schools. This issue is personal for all of us, especially for those of us who are survivors of gun violence. We are walking out for ALL people who have experienced gun violence, including systemic forms of gun violence that disproportionately impact teens in Black and Brown communities. It is important that when we refer to gun violence, we do not overlook the impact of police brutality and militarized policing, or see police in schools as a solution. We also recognize the United States has exported gun violence through imperialist foreign policy to destabilize other nations. We raise our voices for action against all these forms of gun violence.
Why March 14?
March 14 is the one-month anniversary of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Why 17 minutes?
The 17 minutes are in honor of the 17 lives taken in the tragedy in Parkland, Florida.
For more FAQs go to https://www.womensmarch.com/enough-faq
2018 Events around the world

To celebrate this year’s International Day of Forests, this event will gather eminent speakers presenting innovative ideas on urban farming, the integration of trees in buildings, wood construction and architecture, showing that technology and ingenuityhave no limits.
Project Extraordinary is an inaugural award competition to make sustainability sexy for consumers. The brief is to develop a concept for a short-form video that demonstrates an idea that makes sustainability so sexy it cannot be ignored any more. This initiative is a collaboration between WiLD Studios and WWF, supported by UN Environment.

Distinguished guests will discuss ‘difference’ from diverse perspectives and how engagement with the natural world, each other, and diverse spiritual traditions may bridge the divide. The evening’s guests include Duncan Murdoch, host of forest walks throughout the state with his organization, Nature Connection Guide, artist; and Steven Parker owner and manager of High Reach Farm, a diversified tree farm in Danville, VT.
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 |
International Event
For more information:
https://marchforourlives.com/faq
The march will take place on Saturday, March 24 on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C. between 3rd street and 12th street NW. The March will begin at 12:00pm (noon). Please RSVP here
Pope Francis said “Bring the whole human family together . . . for we know that things can change.” (Laudato Si’, 13)
Celebrate creation during mass. After mass, encourage your diocese to shrink its carbon footprint by signing postcards together.
It’s surprising, but postcards really do work.
The diocese is a moral leader. It also coordinates activities in parishes that affect a lot of people. That’s why its commitment is so important.
On Earth Day we lift our voices as one. We’re uniting in a big global effort to encourage dioceses to reduce their emissions. Here’s how it works:
- Celebrate creation during mass. After mass, work together to write postcards to the diocese.
- The postcards will encourage the diocese to put Catholic teaching into practice by reducing their greenhouse gas emissions.
- The first step is to establish an office devoted to caring for creation.
Diocesan staff are invited to a webinar led by Vatican officials.

Crystal Reiki is an Alternative Healing method which combines the Universal Life Force of Reiki Energy with the Healing Power of Quartz Crystals!
Requirements: Reiki Practitioner Level 1+2. If you are not a Level 2 Reiki Practitioner, please specify this, and I will include the Reiki Level 1+2 Attunements in this session.
You will learn how to use Crystals and how to benefit from the Reiki Energy for Healing.
In Association with Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
Present
and the Power of Nonviolent Communication
http://WE.net/wwv-nvc-june18 Monday June 18, 2018
Registration, Seating and Networking 6:30pm – 7:00pm
Program starts promptly at 7:00pm to 9:00pm
227 West 13th Street 3rd Floor Aqua Room
(Between 7th and 8th Avenues) in Manhattan, New York City Outside of New York?
View the Free Online LIVE Webcast!
(Livestream link at www.YouCanView.com or go to WE.net)
Featuring






- Dr. Jude Currivan – Author of The Cosmic Hologram and Co-Creator of the WholeWorld-View
- Rick Ulfik – Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net, Rick is also a Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Workshop Facilitator and leader
- Dr. Kurt Johnson – Author of The Coming Interspiritual Age, President of Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and a Co-Creator of Unity.Earth
- Kristin Hoffmann – Internationally acclaimed Singer, Songwriter and Recording Artist
- Gil Agnew – Co-Creator of the WholeWorld-View
- Robert Levine – Writer, activist, Yoga instructor, Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator for We, The World and Board Member of Friends of the Institute of Noetic Sciences
Sliding Scale: $20, $15, or $10 (no one turned away) Limited Seating! To RSVP please write to Gil@newinnergy.com
Dear Friends,
We invite you to join us for a dynamic, inspiring, informative and interactive gathering in New York City and LIVE Online wherever you are. At this gathering we will deepen our understanding and experience of the emergent WholeWorld-View. And we will explore how the framework and language of NonviolentCommunication can apply this unity awareness, empoweringus to value our personal uniqueness and celebrate our diversity whilehealing and transforming our relationships with ourselves, each otherand our planetary home.
In this participatory and experiential evening, you will:
- Discover the key insights of the WholeWorld-View of unified reality and unity awareness
- Explore the principles and processes of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) that have touched millions of lives and inspired many to believe that practicing NVC is a key strategy for bringing peace and unity to our world
- Understand the unity movements’ impetus in the world
- Participate in an NVC experience called Shifting Towards Compassion
- Attune with the transpersonal experience of unity awareness
- Explore and share what the embodiment of unity expressed in diversity means for our own lives
- Be deeply moved by the inspiring vocal performances of Kristin Hoffmann !
We look forward to hearing from you and hope you will join us June 18th – in person or online!
Rick Ulfik – Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net
Dr. Charles Mully
Mully Children’s Family USA
OnBuzz
Mother Teresa.
The Letters: The Untold Story of Mother Teresa.
will benefit Mully Children’s Family
Please join us in celebrating an amazing humanitarian
and Nobel Peace Prize winner who
served others in need.
The UN High Level Forum on The Culture of Peace, 5 September 2018 at United Nations Headquarters, New York, NY – Webcast at UN WebTV At this Forum key UN and civil society leaders discuss strategies for resolving and preventing conflicts and implementing the UN Programme of Action on the Culture of Peace. 1992 Nobel Peace Laureate Dr Rigoberta Menchu Tum will be the keynote speaker. President of the General Assembly and UN Secretary-General will also speak. The theme of the Forum is “The Culture of Peace: A Credible Pathway to Sustaining Peace“. Please visit the following UN link to know more: https://www.un.org/pga/72/wp-content/uploads/sites/51/2018/08/PGA-letter-Culture-of-Peace.pdf “Contact: Iris Spellings optu.ny@gmail.com

WORLDPEACEPRODUCTIONS.ORG, WE, The World, and FamilyOfLight,org invite you to participate in a global movement for Peace & Sustainability Sept 11-21, culminating in the International Day of Peace.
The FIRST DAY of our ONLINE #11DaysOfGlobalUnity
FREE FILM SCREENINGS VEGAN FILM FESTIVAL starts, Sept. 11.
THEME: UNITY
Please host a free film screening, watch the film, and take an 11 Day Challenge to go Vegan and share the opportunity with those you care about by hosting an improVdinners.com Breakin’ Bread Together for a Better World
MODERN DAY PEACE RALLY with WORLDPEACEPRODUCTIONS.ORG
MEDIA THAT MATTERS!
www.VeganFilmFest.com

Celebrating 20 Years With We, The World & Good News Planet
CHURCH OF THE VILLAGE
201 WEST 13TH STREET (corner of 7th Ave.) Manhattan, NYC
WEDNESDAY SEPT 12, 2018
6:30PM – 9:30 PM
Sliding Scale: $10/20 in advance, $15/25 at the door
Ticket Link: http://bit.ly/WTW20GN
Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/250681448989549/
Livestream Link (day of event): https://www.youcanview.com/
Official Website page: https://we.net/20years
Don’t miss this Unforgettable Once-In-A-Lifetime Event!
6:00pm Doors Open
6:30pm Sharp – 9:30pm Program
9:30-10:00pm Networking
With Hosts
Paul Sladkus, Founder, Producer and Host of Good News Planet and
Rick Ulfik, Founder of We, The World and the We Campaign
Featuring:
Special Opening Performance at 6:30 by Dynamic New York R&B Recording Artist Al Smith
Kathryn Davis, host of Heart of Mind Radio
Rev. Deborah Moldow, founder of Garden of Light
Singer songwriter Heidi Little
World Dance with Kaeshi Chai and PURE (Public Urban Ritual Experiment)
Singer songwriter Kristin Hoffmann
Claire Diab, International Yoga Therapist, Board Member of the Deepak Chopra Center
Joumana Rizk, Peacelights
Monica Willard, United Religions Initiative
Rev. Susana Bastarrica, Founder, Vigil for Peace and Ecology
Alan Steinfeld, host and producer of New Realities
Mitchell Rabin, host and producer of A Better World
Drs. J.J. and Desiree Hurtak, Academy For Future Science
Andrew Kaen, Founder, Planet Heart, Producer of Annual World Peace Earth Day Celebration
Tribute To Carole Hart (helped launch Sesame Street, Free to Be, You and Me)
World Premiere of the We, The World Song by Heidi Little, Rick Ulfik, Andrew Kaen and others
Tribute to Aretha Franklin & Wilson Pickett Featuring Cherette White, Al Smith, Rick Ulfik and other Musicians
Plus Special Video Presentations including:
Video Message from Deepak Chopra (Bestselling Author and We, The World Advisory Board Member)
Woodstock Forever: Peace, Love, Hope. Movie Premiere Trailer
An Urgent Message From Your Children
For more information contact: Andrew Kaen, organizer 646-765-7890
or email andrewkaen@wetheworld.org
WORLDPEACEPRODUCTIONS.ORG, WE, The World, and FamilyOfLight,org invite you to participate in a global movement for Peace & Sustainability Sept 11-21, culminating in the International Day of Peace.
The 2ND DAY of our ONLINE #11DaysOfGlobalUnity
FREE FILM SCREENINGS VEGAN FILM FESTIVAL
Starts tomorrow, Sept. 12.
THEME: Interdependence
FILM: H.O.P.E. featuring Jane Goodall.
Please host or attend a fundraisin’ improVdinners.com film screening, watch the film online and donate to our WPP MEDIA THAT MATTERS cause, and take an 11 Day Challenge to go Vegan! for 11 Days by Breakin’ Bread Together for a Better World!
WE are here to help. You can do it!
www.VeganFilmFest.com

WORLDPEACEPRODUCTIONS.ORG, WE.NET, VEGANSEDONA.COM & FamilyOfLight,org
Invite you to participate in a global #11DAYSOFGLOBALUNITY
Movement for Peace & Sustainability Sept 11-21,
Culminating with the International Day of Peace.
The 3RD DAY of our ONLINE #11DaysOfGlobalUnity
FREE FILM SCREENINGS – VEGAN FILM FESTIVAL is Sept. 13.
THEME: Environment
FILMS: MEAT THE TRUTH & SEA THE TRUTH
Please host or attend a free improVdinners.com film screening by:
watching the film online,
donating to our cause and
joining our MEDIA THAT MATTERS movement,
AND/OR
take an 11 Day Challenge to goVegan!
by Breakin’ Bread Together for a Better World!
www.VeganFilmFest.com
GRANDMOTHERS OF THE SACRED WE
PRESENT
“INDIGENOUS WISDOM OF THE CHAKRAS”
Many Grandmother Elder prophecies have been foretold. Here is your invitation to experience and receive treasured wisdom as Grandmothers of the Sacred We return to Western Michigan.
Healing And Empowering Topics Will Include
Tribal Foundational Beliefs
Intimate Prayer
Courage to Trust
The Harmony of Love
Empowering Your Ancestral Voice
Expression of Joy and Peace
Friday, September 14, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 15, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, September 16, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Lunch and Beverages provided on Saturday and Sunday.
$270 for all three days. (No day passes.)
Tickets now on sale!
Also go to: www.skyviewretreatcenter.com
28 spaces remaining!
We have people traveling here from outside of Michigan for this extraordinary gathering! Driving from Canada and the Midwest!
If you are feeling the call to attend, please heed the call and do what you can to experience their healing ways and deep wisdom.
Those who register before midnight, EST, July 31st, will be eligible to win some Early Bird goodies donated from the Grandmothers themselves!
Please continue to share this auspicious opportunity for us as individuals and for the collective of humanity.
1 to 1 Healing Appointments are now being scheduled for
Monday, September 17 and Tuesday, September 18.
See information further down on the page for details.
Tickets are non-refundable after September 1, 2018.
No on-site camping.
Hotels available in Grand Haven, Muskegon, Holland, Allendale, or Grand Rapids.
Airports located in Muskegon and Grand Rapids.
PayPal account is not needed. You can check-out with a credit or debit card.
You will receive an email confirmation within 48-hours of registering. If you don’t receive a Welcome Email from Sky View Retreat Center within this time, please check your spam folder or email us to confirm your space for this Event.
If you are purchasing 2 tickets, please include the second person’s name and current email address.
Speakers subject to availability.
Facebook Event Page link: www.facebook.com/events/353236211822001/
Inspired by the 21-Day Gratitude Challenge (http://gratitudechallenge.com), musicians Nimo Patel and Daniel Nahmod, brought together dozens of people from around the world to create this beautiful, heart-opening melody.
Links to calendar and music:
http://www.karmatube.org/videos.php?id=446
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Connect for Peace is a public street happening for peace in honor of the International Day of Peace. We invite participants and passersby to connect with one another in a spirit of openness, spontaneity, and childlike innocence. A cross between performance art and a peace rally, these powerful events have touched the lives of people from around the globe.
We take a moment to connect for peace. We take a moment to really see the person in front of us. We say, “I see you” and are genuinely seen in return. The bungee cords physicalize the invisible connections between all people. As we realize how interconnected we are, peace is a natural outcome.
Amazing things happen at every Connect for Peace event. It touches something deep. Passersby stop to share intimate details of their lives. Strangers are moved to extraordinary acts of kindness. The premise is simple but the results are incredibly powerful.

Can the world be peaceful for 24 hours? Every hour a new invitation, action, mission, and hero will invite you in the UNIFY Experience for all to do and share together! This is hosted by UNIFY and all our amazing Partners honoring The International Day of Peace. The Incredible Celebration will be led LIVE on UNIFY FB Page.
Sept 21 we will be LIVE on FB,starting the kick off of this Global Synchronized Event and will be working towards breaking our last Guinness World Record!
Learn more about this at http://www.home.unify.org/
Share your peaceful actions on Twitter, FB, Instagram with us featuring hashtag # reporting your actions on the Map on our site
Please share this event! Peace on!
From Peace Accelerators Description: It is our dream (and hopefully it will become your dream as well) that over the next decade we begin to celebrate the International Day of Peace (September 21st) more and more each year, until over time it becomes the first holiday that the entire world celebrates.
It is not religious and it is not about any made-up country — it is about all of us seeing the commonality between each other, realizing we’re on one Earth (and in many ways this place needs us to adapt to her quite quickly at this crucial point in history).
This Thursday we are holding a large beautiful inspiring event for the International Day of Peace. There will be community leaders, speakers, musicians, meditation, yoga, dj’s and much more.
This will be one evening you will not want to miss.
It will be the largest celebration for the International Day of Peace in NYC, the heartbeat city of our one planet.
Let’s show the world what we want.

Join others for 15 glorious minutes of Laughter Yoga on the phone as we celebrate 11 Days of Global Unity! Today, we culminate these 11 days as we mark the UN International Day of Peace. When Dr. Kataria, founder of Laughter Yoga, began spreading his vision of sharing intentional laughter, he recognized that Laughter is a universal language and since its founding in 1995, he has hoped others will share his vision of using shared intentional laughter to help the world find peace. I’m SURE I’ve enjoyed laughing with each and every person who has called in during the 11 Days of Global Unity. On this, our last call of this series, we will focus on Laughter Exercises that envision a more peaceful world. As always: no previous experience, no special clothes or equipment required. CALL: +1-218-339-2460 CODE: 52844# (LAUGH#) We’ll start with SMILE-UPsSM and get the giggles with silly, playful LAUGHTER exercises that help unite us as we decrease stress, anxiety and depression, increase joy, connection, creativity, energy, focus and productivity. Connect to others through LAUGHTER! Time given is for Central Standard Time. More information about Sarah and her work on www.SeriousGiggles.com The Event Page has more details including a MAP to find the correct time in YOUR time zone and a link to the Facebook Event where you can RSVP if you want to connect further. Come together to LAUGH for joy! “Laughter is the shortest distance between 2 people.” – Victor Borge
Also NOTE: Sarah continues these Laughter Calls every MONDAY MORNING at 9am Central Standard Time for 15 minutes. You are always invited! Thanks for joining the fun as we all work together to find a more unified, and much more peaceful world, one big smile and one shared laugh at a time!
In celebration of our common humanity, we join with citizens from all around the world on September 21st for International Peace Day. This year we are excited to celebrate the EMPOWERED VOICES OF YOUTH in our commUNITY, who are leading the way to a more peaceful and just world. International Day of Peace was established in 1981 by unanimous United Nations resolution and this day of peace provides a globally shared occasion for all humanity to commit to peace above all differences and to contribute to building a culture of peace.
Come and join us as we
march, chant, dance, rally, listen and create
with one another to celebrate our
connection, hope, and commUNITY!
Festivities include:
March
Unique voices from our International community
Performances
International Flag Ceremony
Face-painting
Sign Making
…and more!
BE THE GENERATION TO TAKE ACTION.
Global Citizen is calling on YOU to take a stand, use your voice to make change and Be the Generation to Take Action.
From Sep 22 – 29, we are turning NYC into an arena of advocacy, with dozens of events and activations. We are uniting Global Citizens to learn, take action, and see world leaders commit to achieve the Global Goals for Sustainable Development and a world without extreme poverty by 2030.
Global Citizen Week coincides with the annual leaders meeting of the United Nations. We kick off at the historic Riverside Church on the Upper West Side celebrating the human rights leaders and movements who spoke up against injustice, and culminate at the iconic Global Citizen Festival in Central Park on Saturday, Sept 29.
Join us at conferences and concerts, on the streets, in shops, and in churches to show our leaders that the movement for change has never been stronger.
Be sure to check back as we add more events and opportunities for you to get involved!
SEE events already listed on website!
30+YEARS
STANDING WITH FAMILY FARMERS
Farm Aid works year-round to build a system of agriculture that values family farmers, good food, soil and water, and strong communities. Our annual music and food festival celebrates farmers, eaters and music coming together for change.
Farm Aid’s annual festival is a an all-day celebration of music and family farmers featuring a unique lineup of artists and genres, along with family farm-identified, local and organic foods as part of our HOMEGROWN Concessions®.
Farm Aid 2018 is Saturday, Sept. 22, at XFINITY Theatre in Hartford, marking the first Farm Aid festival in Connecticut.
TICKETS HAVE SOLD OUT
Tickets to Farm Aid 2018 sold out in less than four hours! Questions and issues regarding tickets purchased through the public sale on Live Nation should contact them at 1-800-745-3000.
There are still ways to join us; win a VIP trip to Farm Aid 2018 with Crowdrise and bid on one-of-a-kind Farm Aid 2018 experiences with IfOnly.
Click here to learn more about our VIP tickets and exclusive packages.
LINEUP
The Farm Aid 2018 lineup includes:
- Willie Nelson
- Neil Young
- John Mellencamp
- Dave Matthews with Tim Reynolds
- Chris Stapleton
- Sturgill Simpson
- Kacey Musgraves
- Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats
- Jamey Johnson
- Margo Price
- Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real
- Particle Kid
- Ian Mellencamp
Click here to learn more about the lineup and listen to our Farm Aid 2018 Mixtape.
“Folks are educating themselves about where and how food is grown – they’re hungry for the truth. Family farmers bring us good food, protect our soil and water, and strengthen our country. The Farm Aid concert is a day for us to honor that truth and keep working for family farmers.” — Willie Nelson
VENUE INFORMATION
THE FARM AID APP
Access the entire Farm Aid experience through the official Farm Aid 2018 mobile app, available now for iPhone and Android devices. View the entire Farm Aid 2018 schedule and add artists, workshops and artist briefings to make their own personalized schedule for the day. Learn more or download the app today:
WATCH & LISTEN AT HOME
We’re excited to bring the Farm Aid festival experience to your home. From the renowned music on stage and backstage interviews with farmers, to the excitement of the HOMEGROWN Village and an insider’s peek at the press event featuring Farm Aid artists sharing conversations with farmers.
Live Webcast
Watch the show here at farmaid.org on your computer, phone, or tablet at 3pm EDT. If you have a “smart TV,” Apple TV, Roku, or other streaming device, you can watch the webcast on Farm Aid’s YouTube channel(just search for “Farm Aid” and you should see us streaming live).
AXS TV
AXS TV will broadcast Farm Aid 2018 live beginning at 7pm EDT. Click here to find AXS TV in your area.
SiriusXM
Willie Nelson’s SiriusXM channel (59), Willie’s Roadhouse, will broadcast live from Farm Aid 2018, beginning at noon EDT. SiriusXM’s Dallas Wayne will host backstage interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage of the event.
THE HOMEGROWN VILLAGE
In The HOMEGROWN Village, festivalgoers explore hands-on activities that engage all of their senses in the Farm Aid mission. Hear farmers and artists talk together about pressing issues on the FarmYard Stage, attend demonstrations to learn agrarian skills and celebrate the culture of agriculture in the HOMEGROWN Skills tent, connect with farmers and organizations doing critical food and farm work all over the country and so much more.
Read about last year’s exhibits.
HOMEGROWN CONCESSIONS®
Farm Aid’s 2018 concert will feature Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Concessions®, the first-of-its-kind model for featuring family farm-identified, local and organic foods at major concert events. HOMEGROWN Concessions® has fed more than 260,000 festivalgoers since its introduction in 2007 at the HOMEGROWN Festival at Randall’s Island in New York City. It has served as a model for entertainment events, including the Super Bowl and a variety of music festivals and venues that have embraced the Good Food Movement in concessions. Backstage, artists and crew enjoy HOMEGROWN Catering with the same family farm standards. We use compostable service products and promote composting to festivalgoers and artists with a goal of zero waste.
Stay tuned for the 2018 menu, which will include a wide variety of vegetarian, ethnic and fresh, local foods.
“At Farm Aid…we’ll come together to stand up to the handful of corporations that control our food system. If you want a better world, it starts with you.” — John Mellencamp
HOTELS
Farm Aid has partnered with Hotels For Hope to assist festivalgoers with their lodging needs for Farm Aid 2018. Every room night booked through this Hotels for Hope link generates a $2 contribution for Farm Aid’s HOMEGROWN Youthmarket.
Click here to book your room through Hotels for Hope now.
VOLUNTEER AT FARM AID 2018
Volunteers play a vital role in making the festival happen each year. Interested in helping out? Visit our volunteers page for more information. Thank you!
FARM AID EVENTS
Farm Aid works closely with folks on the ground to host local activities and events preceding the show.
More information about this year’s events will be coming soon.
PAST FARM AID CONCERTS AND FESTIVALS
SIGN UP FOR FARM AID 2018 EMAIL UPDATES
FACEBOOK EVENT
Spread the word and let us know that you’re coming to Farm Aid 2018. Be sure to RSVP to our Facebook Event.
STAY CONNECTED
For the latest concert updates and information all summer long, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Peace Walk & Singing Peace
Hosted by Zach Freidhof
May all beings know peace. Om Shanti.
My the leaves of aggression fall from the trees of society,
and may the rotting fruits of anger
be turned to compost
through our inward efforts and outward compassion.
1111 Carey Ave (Big Love Headquarters)
Akron, OH 44314-1975
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We will begin at Big Love HQ and walk in silence and mindfulness to Chestnut Ridge Park, about 25 min. We will meditate there for about 20 min and return to Big Love HQ. Then we will have a Peace Kirtan until 2pm, chanting for Peace – mainly Peace Shalom Salaam Shanti.
All are welcome! If anyone would like to bring food, it can be there at Big Love HQ for after the walk. We will walk rain or shine, though if there is a drenching rain or thunderstorm, we will just chant for Peace and reschedule the walk.
For those who have not experienced The Big Love Network, Peace Month is the perfect time. Come and walk with the kindest group of folks you”ll ever meet. Laugh and share food. Please bring a dish to share and stay for the meditation and chanting for inner peace and the power to send that on.

Women’s Environmental Institute presents:
September 29 @ 8:00 am – September 30 @ 3:30 pm
The New Will Allen Farmer Training Weekend –
Farm, Eat, Sleep: All Four Seasons
Overview:
The weekend workshops will provide participants with hands-on knowledge for building a low-cost hoop house, growing microgreens, growing mushrooms, herbalism workshops, soil building through composting and vermiculture, keeping bees, and growing fish and greens together through aquaponics. The Saturday night bonfire discussion with Will Allen will focus on cold climate farming, community sustainability and climate change – a very popular capstone event which brings environmental, agricultural and food justice together.
CLICK THIS LINK FOR COMPLETE DESCRIPTION
Registration Info: $275/person
Deadline is September 19, 2018 at 12:00pm
Meals: All meals, snacks and beverages included.
Overnight Accommodations at WEI: Limited camping space is available, please reserve your camp space upon registration.
Instructor Name: Will Allen, Will Allen Farms, LCC Milwaukee, Former Founder Growing Power, Inc., Urban Farmer Hero
REGISTER HERE or SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
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THE WOMEN’S ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTE
The Women’s Environmental Institute (WEI) is an environmental research, renewal and retreat center designed to create and share knowledge about environmental issues and policies relevant to women, children and identified communities affected by environmental injustice; to promote agricultural justice, organic and sustainable agriculture and ecological awareness; and to support activism that influences public policy and promotes social change.
Our mission brings together agricultural, food and environmental justice, one community at a time; one farm at a time, one person at a time and all of us together.
Amador Hill Farm and Orchard
15715 River Road
North Branch, MN 55056
Mailing Address:
WEI
P.O. Box 128 (55056)
St Paul Office –
550 Rice St
St Paul, MN 55103
Email: wei@w-e-i.org
September 29–30, 2018
Loyola Marymount University
Los Angeles
Note that times are for Pacific Coast Time Zone
jotff@anewwayoflife.org
323-563-3573
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Note: Last movie – SURVIVORS GUIDE TO PRISON – with Q&A to follow with producer DAVID ARQUETTE
September 30 | 3:30 PM (RunTime: 102 minutes) – at MAYER THEATRE
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Film Synopses & Trailers
Saturday, September 29
(Screenings will be followed by Q&A with filmmakers)

RT: 30 minutes
September 29 | 11 AM
Life Sciences Building Auditorium Theatre
Q&A to follow with writer/director Tiffany Johnson and producer/animator Jonathan Clark
The Real Background Check
This animated short film is based on the real life story of Tiffany Johnson, who survived life-altering trauma caused by early childhood abuse. “The Real Background Check” breaks down what happens to people before they enter the criminal justice system.

RT: 57 minutes
September 29 | 1:30 PM
Life Sciences Building Auditorium Theatre
Q&A to follow with Johnny Perez (Director of U.S. Prison Programs, National Religious Campaign Against Torture)
Rikers: An American Jail
From Bill Moyers comes the first film to focus exclusively on former detainees who were held at Rikers Island. Their searing testimonials about the deep-seated culture of systemic violence and corruption that has plagued the notorious NYC jail for decades add a powerful authentic voice to investigative journalism that has reported on violence and abuses at the jail.

RT: 68 minutes
September 29 | 1:30 PM
Seaver 100 Theatre
Q&A to follow with writer/director/producer Saffron Cassaday
Returning Citizens
“Returning Citizens” focuses on a passionate group of individuals who are looking for a second chance – or perhaps a chance they never had to begin with. Set in Southeast Washington, DC, the film offers a humanizing perspective on a community that has been negatively impacted by mass incarceration.

RT: 40 minutes
September 29 | 1:30 PM
Seaver 200 Theatre
Knife Skills
What does it take to build a world-class French restaurant? What if the staff is almost entirely men and women just out of prison? What if most have never cooked or served before, and have barely two months to learn their trade? Oscar-nominated Knife Skills follows the hectic launch of Edwins restaurant in Cleveland. In this improbable setting, with its mouth-watering dishes and its arcane French vocabulary, we discover the challenges of men and women finding their way after their release.

RT: 45 minutes
September 29 | 3:05 PM
Life Sciences Building Auditorium Theatre
The Bail Trap: American Ransom
Money bail is one of the main causes of mass incarceration in the United States. Yet, few people know what the money bail system is, let alone how it all works or why we need to do away with it. This short film compilation from Brave New Films explains America’s broken bail system.

RT: 22 minutes
September 29 | 3:00 PM
Seaver 100 Theatre
Q&A to follow with producer/director Terrell Wormley
Wild Roots
Hakeem, a reformed gang member, gets out of jail and wants to change his life around, but the hood won’t left him go easily. He knows how senseless gang banging is, but what do you do when your past catches up to you?

The Talk
After an unarmed black teen is killed, James & Maddie argue about whether they should warn their 9-year-old son about police brutality.
RT: 16 minutes
September 29 | 3:40 PM
Seaver 100 Theatre
Q&A to follow with Marlon Perrier, writer/director/star of “The Talk”
Sunday, September 30
(Screenings will be followed by Q&A with filmmakers)

RT: 60 minutes
September 30 | 11 AM
Life Sciences Building Auditorium Theatre
Q&A to follow with director/producer Ultan Guilfoyle, Craig Webb (Gehry Partners) & Leonard Noisette (Justice Team Director, Open Society Foundations)
Building Justice
At the invitation of George Soros and his Open Society Foundations, architect Frank Gehry arranged two ‘masters’ studios, one in SCI-Arc in Los Angeles, the other at the Yale School of Architecture, to investigate prison design as a subject for the best architecture students in the US. Partnering with Susan Burton of A New Way of Life Re-Entry Project in
Watts, Gehry and his students explored all aspects of prison design, learning first hand the design flaws of prison living from women who have been incarcerated in America’s worst prisons and visiting what are considered to be the world’s most successful prisons, in Norway.

RT: 60 minutes
September 30 | 1:50 PM
Life Sciences Building Auditorium Theatre
Q&A to follow with director AJ Ali
Walking While Black: L.O.V.E Is the Answer
“Walking While Black: L.O.V.E. Is The Answer” presents proven action steps
to bridge the painful gap between peace officers and the communities they serve. Featuring interviews with peace
officers, faith leaders, educators, activists and others, the film offers an inspiring blueprint to end racial profiling and heal our communities.

RT: 73 minutes
September 30 | 1:50 PM
Seaver 200 Theatre
Q&A to follow with director/executive producer Rahiem Shabazz
Elementary Genocide III: Academic Holocaust
Elementary Genocide: Academic Holocaust adds more statistical proof of the scholastic inequalities faced by Original people around the country. The documentary revisits the importance of education and its impact on self-image, family structure, financial freedom and the collective future of African/indigenous people in America and abroad.

RT: 16 minutes
September 30 | 1:50 PM
Seaver 100 Theatre
Let My People Vote
Filmed in Tampa, two days before the 2016 presidential election, this verité short covers a day-in-the-life of civil rights activist Desmond Meade. His mission? Assisting people in voting — something our “forefathers marched and died for.”
What begins as an upbeat day of faith in our democratic process, ends with a heartbreaking realization: Jim Crow is not dead.

RT: 102 minutes
September 30 | 3:30 PM
Mayer Theatre
Q&A to follow with producer David Arquette
Survivors Guide to Prison
Follows the stories of two innocent men, Bruce Lisker and Reggie Cole, who spent decades behind bars for murders they did not commit. With gripping testimony from formerly incarcerated people, guards, cops, lawyers and reformers, “Survivors Guide” exposes the failed “punishment model” and examines the programs proven to work.
‘GRANDMOTHERS ON THE MOVE’ Podcast Episodes
Click HERE!
NO START TIME and NO END TIME – LISTEN to past and current podcasts!
Grandmothers To Grandmothers Campaign
The Grandmothers to Grandmothers Campaign exists to support the indomitable African grandmothers who are caring for the millions of children who have been orphaned by AIDS. Members of the Grandmothers Campaign share three goals. They work to:
- Raise funds to meet the needs of African grandmothers and the children in their care;
- Listen to African grandmothers, respect their expertise and amplify their voices, in order to promote authentic and substantive responses to the epidemic in Africa;
- Build solidarity among African and Canadian grandmothers in order to motivate and sustain the vital work of turning the tide of AIDS in Africa.
Canadian grandmothers groups are tremendously active in their communities. They put on concerts, organize card tournaments, and sell jewellery. They visit countless schools and community organizations. They bake, cook, sew, knit, paint, write, organize cycle tours, walks, and even ride motorcycles – all to raise funds and awareness for grandmothers in sub-Saharan Africa through the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
To learn more about how you can get involved in the Campaign, write to Ilana here.
Articles About The Campaign
What started as a conversation around a kitchen table has grown to become a movement to empower women, especially grandmothers, in Africa.
The Grandmothers Campaign, an initiative of the Stephen Lewis Foundation, is known as Grandmothers 4 Grandmothers in Regina, which was among the very first places in Canada where women took on projects to support families in Africa.
‘We know the power of women’s organizing in Canada and older women have an extraordinary amount of vigour and energy.’– Ilana Landsberg-Lewis
As Ilana Landsberg-Lewis explains, the movement arose in response to the human crisis, observed by her father Stephen Lewis during his time as a special envoy for the United Nations, afflicting the African continent during the HIV and AIDS pandemic.
Millions of children were orphaned by the deaths of their parents. Their grandmothers were left to raise them, with little or no support.
Ilana Landsberg-Lewis is co-founder, with her father Stephen Lewis, of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. One of their main campaigns supports grandmothers in Africa. (Lisa MacIntosh/Stephen Lewis Foundation)
“Grandmothers were just in an agony of loss,” Landsberg-Lewis said. “Death was everywhere. They were left with no income and often isolated by the terrible stigma surrounding HIV-AIDS.”
Landsberg-Lewis recalled how requests seeking aid referred to the grandmothers as “caregivers” and when she asked why, she learned there was a strong bias in play.
“Nobody wants to fund them because they’re older women and nobody sees them as a meaningful investment,” she learned.
“We decided if Canadian grandmothers knew what was happening on the [African] continent then it would surely resonate with them and boy did it ever,” Landsberg-Lewis said.
“I wish I could say that I was prescient but it would be overstating it,” she said, talking about how the success of the organization, which quickly grew from a handful of activists brain-storming at a kitchen table (her own) to over 250 chapters across the country.
Since 2006 they have raised about $25 million.
“It was really extraordinary but I can’t say that I’m surprised,” she said. “Older women in our communities, we know the power of women organizing in Canada and older women have an extraordinary amount of vigour and energy.”
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The Campaign currently boasts more than 240 grandmothers groups across the country. Many of the groups have organized into regional and national networks in order to support each other’s efforts in solidarity with African grandmothers and the children in their care.
Resources from the Grandmothers Campaign go to grassroots organizations that support African grandmothers with food, health care, school fees and school uniforms for their grandchildren, income-generating programmes, counselling, social support, essential shelter, and other necessities. Throughout Africa, grassroots organizations run by and for grandmothers are sharing insights, deepening their expertise, collaborating with other local organizations, and building their capacity to turn the tide of AIDS at community level.
How would you like to help the Charter for Compassion raise awareness of our work, generate significant funding and uplift the world – and laugh a lot while doing it?
You can do ALL of these things by taking and spreading:
Rolling on the Floor Laughing Challenge to Spark Laughter that Uplifts the World!
The Charter for Compassion is beyond thrilled to announce that we are one of the benefiting organizations in the Rolling on the Floor Laughing Challenge to raise awareness and funding for the positive work of over 50 non-profits GLOBALLY!
Our focus is on the FUN in FUNdraising and the power everyday people have to fuel some of the most important work being done in the world.
The #ROFLChallenge dares each of us to create a funny video, share and donate. Every video, every share, and every donation supports over 50 nonprofits and helps to solve complex problems that no individual business, organization or leader can solve alone.
Take the ROFL Challenge – Spark Laughter that Uplifts the World
- Step 1: Take the challenge! Tell a joke, play a (safe) prank, put on a skit — or just plain ANYTHING to get another person laughing.
- Step 2: Film it and post it with the hashtag “#ROFLChallenge”.
- Step 3: Challenge your friends and activate your networks! Challenge them by name in your video and use social media to invite others to make a video or donate (or both!)
Acts of laughter and generosity are potent remedies to divisive times we live in, acting as sparks that ignite the good will and good intentions that we all have within us.
Laughter is a universal connection we all share, able to bring joy to our hearts and form bridges across differences we have with one another.
With #ROFLChallenge – you get to spread laughter while also contributing, supporting and uplifting the world through donating to organizations that dedicate themselves to making the world a much better place.
Please help Spark Laughter that Uplifts the World:
TAKE and SHARE #ROFLChallenge – Text ROFL to 50155 or go to www.rolfchallenge.org
ACTIVATE YOUR NETWORKS:
Challenge your well known, most generous or funny friends to take the ROFL Challenge and/or Donate.
Share our Facebook Video on your Facebook Newsfeed so that others can see it, comment on it, like it and share it. (We want our video to go viral.)
Thanks so very much for joining us in Laughing, Giving and Uplifting the World Together!
P.S. Check out our ROFL Challenge Video Here. Please help us make it more visible by Liking it, posting a Comment, or Sharing it on your own Facebook Newsfeed.
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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Theater Company of Lafayette Presents
The Laramie Project
by Moises Kaufman and the Tectonic Theater Project
Directed by Nanci Van Fleet
October 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of Matthew Shephard’s murder. He was the victim of a brutal assault because he was gay. Moises Kaufman and fellow members of the Tectonic Theater Project made six trips to Laramie over the course of a year and a half, in the aftermath of the beating and during the trial of the two young men accused of killing Shepard. They conducted more than 200 interviews with the people of the town and created a deeply moving and fascinating theatrical experience.
Do not miss this powerful and moving production that explores the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights of compassion of which we are capable.
Performances run October 5 – 14
Fridays and Saturdays – 7:30 pm
Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm
LAFAYETTE ARTS HUB
420 Courtney Way
Lafayette CO 80026
Tickets at
https://
or
1-800-838-3006

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.

A Meng-Wu Lecture featuring Stephanie Brown, PhD, presents:
When
6:00 pm to 7:30 pm, October 11, 2018
Location
Cubberley Auditorium, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University
485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, CA, United States
Be our guest for this special event when Dr. Stephanie Brown, Associate Professor at New York’s Stony Brook School of Medicine, will present her research on helping behavior and its responses in multiple biological systems. Audience Q&A will follow her presentation.
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Awakening Humanity at Work

Agriculture. Plant seedling. Hand nurturing young baby plants growing on fertile soil with natural green background
CCARE and Whirling Chief are excited to bring this unique leadership development retreat to California at the Allegretto Vineyard Resort. In this powerful three-day program we will explore the latest in neuroscience, the bio-psycho-physiology of compassion, and dynamic practices that support the development of compassion, wisdom, and well-being at work. A significant body of evidence shows that when people in power adopt a human-centered view of business and promote a culture of respect, trust, compassion, and wisdom, the performance of the organization rises along with individual wellness.Join us to expand your capacity for this kind of leadership.Reach out to us if you are interested in participating.
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The rise of artificial intelligence, robotics, and “smart” technologies powers change faster than ever. For some, this new era has ushered in prosperity and the potential to address some of humanity’s most vexing challenges in creative new ways. For others, however, this era of technological and social change has ushered in isolation, loneliness, and fear.
Humanity Needs a New Form of Leadership
A significant body of research shows that when people in positions of power adopt a human-centered view of business that emphasizes a culture of respect, trust, compassion, and wisdom, the performance of the organization rises along with individual well-being. Rigorous evidence from multiple disciplines demonstrates that organizations can recruit more talented people, retain them longer, draw out higher quality service, and engage in more rapid innovation when performance goes hand-in-hand with human thriving. Where people thrive, business thrives.
Audience
Corporate executives, organizational leaders and those in influencing roles who want to immerse in the new science of compassion and well-being and explore the strategic value of human-centered leadership to create stakeholder and shareholder value.
Program Objectives
In this powerful three-day program, we will use the latest research in neuroscience, the bio-physiology of compassion and well-being, and dynamic findings from organizational behavior and psychology to learn the skills of resilience and creating thriving organizations.
We will explore how a neuroscientific and physiological approach to building an organizational culture of compassion and well-being changes what you think you know about the basics of human and organizational psychology. Along with like-minded fellow travelers on a journey of evolution, we will participate in a discussion about how to develop new qualities within ourselves and within the organizational ecosystems where we live and create action plans that inspire our own compassion and well-being.
Some of the benefits you will experience through a combination of classroom learning, experiential work, discussion, and case study include:
- Gain a better understanding of the scientific basis for an emphasis on compassion and well-being in the workplace and the motivators for compassion in business,
- Increase consciousness and build skill in managing the physiology and psychology of human well-being,
- Recognize thinking habits and biases that work for you and against you as you endeavour to cultivate compassion, wisdom, and well-being,
- Learn about and experiment with some new taxonomy of ‘being’,
- Use scenario planning to envision future states of ‘doing’,
- Develop methodologies to lift self and others into new states of thriving and vitality in your organization
- Develop approaches to reducing and responding to suffering at work that may otherwise be invisible or unaddressed in order to build collaboration and enhance working relationships.
Agenda
The three days of this program will emphasize a blend of classroom-style learning, expert presentations, and discussion with experiences that help you fully internalize and practice the skills and ideas that will change your life and your workplace.
Day 1: What is the new world of work and how shall humanity respond?
Day 2: Awakening humanity in leadership: The crucial element of success in the new world of work
Day 3: A new kind of being, a new kind of business
Program Facilitators
Developed as a collaboration between Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and Whirling Chief, the program will bring together best-selling author and renowned neurosurgeon Dr. James Doty with leadership expert and business guide Sesil Pir, principle of Whirling Chief.
Other facilitators include Monica Worline, research scientist at CCARE with expertise in compassion science and the field of Positive Organizational Scholarship; Aslı Aker, global leadership and organizational development expert; and Sinan Canan, neuroscientist and co-founder of Açık Beyin Academy.
Venue
Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paso Robles, California.
Pilot Pricing Info
Discounted rate 6,000 USD / person, plus travel costs.
Facilitators: Dr. James Doty & Sesil Pir
Where: Allegretto Vineyard Resort, Paso Robles, California
When: October 21–24, 2018

We’ve all had that hunch, that intuition, that knowing. And many of us have seen it materialize in what we call “the future”. But what is time really? And how does science interface with these parapsychological, virtually metaphysical kinds of ideas, some say the farther reaches of the mind & human potential?
This evening, out-of-the-box, holistic therapist, host of A Better World Radio & TV, Mitchell Rabin, conducts a fun & far-reaching, public conversation with neuro-scientist, co-author of The Premonition Code, Fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, Julia Mossbridge. Come join us & learn something about how to reach into the future ourselves.
Requested Donation: $10/person in advance or $15 at the door.
Get tickets at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/reading-the-future-mitchell-rabin-interviews-neuroscientist-julia-mossbridge-tickets-50769523010
For more information, mjr@abetterworld.net or 212 420-0800
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

HONOR NATIVE LAND:
A GUIDE AND CALL TO ACKNOWLEDGMENT
IN COUNTRIES SUCH AS NEW ZEALAND, AUSTRALIA, CANADA, AND AMONG TRIBAL NATIONS IN THE U.S., it is commonplace, even policy, to open events and gatherings by acknowledging the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of that land. While some individuals and cultural and educational institutions in the United States have adopted this custom, the vast majority have not. Together, we can spark a movement to change that.
We call on all individuals and organizations to open public events and gatherings with acknowledgment of the traditional Native inhabitants of the land.
Acknowledgment is a simple, powerful way of showing respect and a step toward correcting the stories and practices that erase Indigenous people’s history and culture and toward inviting and honoring the truth. Imagine this practice widely adopted: imagine cultural venues, classrooms, conference settings, places of worship, sports stadiums, and town halls, acknowledging traditional lands. Millions would be exposed—many for the first time—to the names of the traditional Indigenous inhabitants of the lands they are on, inspiring them to ongoing awareness and action.
For more than five hundred years, Native communities across the Americas have demonstrated resilience and resistance in the face of violent efforts to separate them from their land, culture, and each other. They remain at the forefront of movements to protect Mother Earth and the life it sustains. Today, corporate greed and federal policy push agendas to extract wealth from the earth, degrading sacred land in blatant disregard of treaty rights. Acknowledgment is a critical public intervention, a necessary step toward honoring Native communities and enacting the much larger project of decolonization and reconciliation. Join us in adopting, calling for, and spreading this practice.
Download the Guide: Created in partnership with Native allies and organizations, the Guide offers context about the practice of acknowledgment, gives step-by-step instructions for how to begin wherever you are, and provides tips for moving beyond acknowledgment into action.
Download the #HonorNativeLand Guide
Fill out the form to download the guide
WHY INTRODUCE THE PRACTICE OF LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT?
- Offer recognition and respect.
- Counter the “doctrine of discovery” with the true story of the people who were already here.
- Create a broader public awareness of the history that has led to this moment.
- Begin to repair relationships with Native communities and with the land.
- Support larger truth-telling and reconciliation efforts.
- Remind people that colonization an ongoing process, with Native lands still occupied due to deceptive and broken treaties.
- Take a cue from Indigenous protocol, opening up space with reverence and respect.
- Inspire ongoing action and relationship.
Acknowledgment by itself is a small gesture. It becomes meaningful when coupled with authentic relationship and informed action. But this beginning can be an opening to greater public consciousness of Native sovereignty and cultural rights, a step toward equitable relationship and reconciliation.
Print, Customize, and Post #HonorNativeLand Art
Imagine going to a local coffee shop, music venue, grocery store, or town hall, and finding a sign on the wall acknowledging traditional lands. Sound far-fetched? It doesn’t have to be! As part of this campaign to #HonorNativeLand, we partnered with Native artists to create downloadable signs that you can print, customize, and post in your community.
After Downloading the Guide, Take the Pledge
We urge organizations, collectives, institutions, and agencies to publicly commit to practicing traditional Native land acknowledgment.
Those who have taken the Pledge:
- Artist’s Laboratory Theatre
- Arts in a Changing America (ArtChangeUS)
- ArtSpark
- ArtWell
- California Indian Culture & Sovereignty Center
- Dancing Earth
- Democracy at Work Institute
- Emerging Arts Leaders/Los Angeles
- Indigenous Women Rise in Gallup
- Ink People, Inc.
- IU First Nations Educational & Cultural Center
- Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection
- Marietta Ohio Arts Innovation Lab
- National Council for Science and Faith
- Native American Music Awards
- Native Arts and Cultures Foundation
- New Economy Coalition
- SOMArts
- Women of Color in the Arts (WOCA)
- Artivists LA
- Kamiah Community Library
- Peñasco Theatre Collective
- Self Help Graphics & Art
- The Field
- YWCA Olympia
As a step toward honoring the truth and achieving healing and reconciliation, our organization commits to open all public events and gatherings with a statement acknowledging the traditional Native lands on which we stand. Such statements become truly meaningful when coupled with authentic relationships and sustained commitment. We therefore commit to move beyond words into programs and actions that fully embody a commitment to Indigenous rights and cultural equity.
Empowering Women through Writing, Weaving and Sharing
Be heard, connect with your inner resources and cultivate courage to create change.
Our Mission
To create a woven tapestry based on the stories of 1,000 women globally by 2020 that will be exhibited internationally to shine a light on the creative accomplishments of women while calling attention to the challenges women currently face world-wide.
To foster a culture of self-knowledge and sharing that builds courage and fosters a sense of power in women everywhere to contribute to their communities in positive ways.
To allow women to tell the story of their lives, as a catalyst for change, particularly by opening up discussions about issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse in a safe and supportive way.
To promote resilience, compassion, open communication, healing and peace in individuals and communities.

Intro to the Project
Participating in Woven Voices is a journey that starts with self-reflection and writing, and transforms into a woven tapestry, a visual storyboard of women’s lives from around the globe. The 3 elements of the Woven Voices project work together as tools to access, claim, and celebrate our power as individuals and together as a global community of women.
The Artist
Brecia Kralovic-Logan is a passionate champion of creativity who has spent the last 40 years helping people of all ages to embrace and express their unique individuality.

Brecia Kralovic-Logan
4164 Mount Hukee Ave
San Diego, Ca 92117
Mobile: 805-896-3287
breciakl@gmail.com
breciacreative.com
thespiralofcreativity.com

WE – A global campaign of We, The World to unite
and amplify the efforts of people, organizations
and movements working for the common good
WE.net
UNITY EARTH LIFT OFF
http://www.unity.earth/lift-off
AN INTERACTIVE CONCERT & BROADCAST
IN CELEBRATION OF UN WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK
The United Palace
A Magnificent Landmarked Urban Treasure
4140 Broadway at 175th Street in Manhattan New York City
Featuring Performances By
BELLA GAIA – an unprecedented NASA-powered immersive experience that blends live music, dance and large screen NASA imagery into a breathtaking planetary journey.PATO BANTON – a Grammy-nominated artist whose audiences become participants as the beat keeps them on their feet, and Pato delivers a message that is food for the mind and soul.
KRISTIN HOFFMANN – a Juilliard trained multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and recording artist with a transcendental ability to take audiences on a journey of deep awakening to Spirit.
AKIM FUNK BUDDHA – a Zimbabwe-born legendary urban performer known for his holistic approach to Hip Hop, rhyming, beat-boxing, mouth percussion, story-telling, Mongolian throat-singing, and martial arts.
MYSTIC VOICE – her soothing and meditative chanting stems from a deep spiritual connection to the ancient texts such as the Tao Te Ching, the Buddhist Sutras, the Sanskrit Vedas and the poetry of Rumi.
PLUS Appearances By indigenous leaders, diplomats, artists, scientists, peacemakers, interfaith and faith-based activists in an unprecedented celebration of our common humanity
& Other Special Guests to be announced!
General Admission Tickets: $20
VIP Reserved Orchestra Seating Tickets: $100
(includes Pre-Concert Recepton with the Artists + VIP admission to the After Party!)
The Concert Livestream plus Interviews and Special Features
will be Broadcast on multiple platforms including
We, The World’s Facebook Page: Facebook.com/TheWeCampaign
We, The World
is excited to be partnering with Unity Earth for this remarkable concert and broadcast event! We invite you, your friends and families to join us for UNITY EARTH LIFT OFF February 2nd – in person, if you are in New York City, or via Online Broadcast. Tickets are available at www.unity.earth/lift-offNOTE: Do you have an organization that might be interested in joining our Road To 2020 Coalition? Are you available to attend a special high-level organizing meeting in Manhattan NYC the day before the concert, on Friday Feb. 1st from 11AM – 4PM? If so, please reply to this email as soon as possible since this free Leadership Conference is by invitation only and is nearly at capacity. Please include information about your organization and a link to your website.
I would be thrilled if you can join us in person or online for the UNITY EARTH LIFT OFF CONCERT February 2nd. Together let’s grow this worldwide movement for unity and peace!
Rick Ulfik
Founder of We, The World and the WE Campaign at WE.net
Subscribe to our WE Campaign Global Action Newsletter: WE.net/subscribe
11 Days of Global Unity – 11 Ways to Transform Your World
An Urgent Message From Your Children at WeYourChildren.org
GlobalUnityCalendar.org – See and post social change and cultural events for a global audience!
Volunteer Sign-up: http://WE.net/takeaction/volunteer
Organization Sign-up: http://WE.net/11days/participate
Donation Page: WE.net/donate
Facebook – Twitter

Open Heart Conversations: Zoroastrianism with Ferzin Patel, M.A.
Who are the Zoroastrians?
In this Open Heart Conversation, we will explore Zoroastrianism, the ancient Persian religion that may have originated as early as 4,000 years ago. It is arguably the oldest and first monotheistic faith and was the state religion of three Persian dynasties until the Muslim conquest of Persia in the seventh century.
Famous Zoroastrians include Cyrus the Great, founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire who ruled by the Zoroastrian law of asha (truth and righteousness), but didn’t impose Zoroastrianism on the people of Persia’s conquered territories.
Many scholars claimed that tenets of Zoroastrianism helped to shape the major Abrahamic religions— Judaism, Christianity and Islam —through the influence of the Persian Empire. Zoroastrian concepts, such as a single god, heaven, hell, and a day of judgment may have been first introduced to the Jewish community of Babylonia, where people from the Kingdom of Judea had been living in captivity for decades.
When Cyrus conquered Babylon in 539 B.C., he liberated the Babylonian Jews among whom many returned home to Jerusalem, where their descendants helped to create the Torah or Hebrew Bible.
In Western culture:
Farrokh Bulsara, better known as British musician Freddie Mercury, lead singer for the rock band Queen, was of Parsi descent and a Zoroastrian. His 1991 funeral was performed by a Zoroastrian priest.
Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda served as the namesake for Japanese automaker Mazda Motor Corporation. The company hoped that an association with the “God of Light” would “brighten the image” of their first vehicles.
George R.R. Martin, creator of the fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire, which was later adapted into the HBO series Game of Thrones, developed the legend of Azor Ahai from Zoroastrianism. In it, a warrior demigod, Azor Ahai, defeats darkness with the help of the deity R’hllor, a fire god, which Martin may have modeled after Ahura Mazda.
On Sunday March 31st, join Rev. Arda Itez and Rev. Dr. Jose Roman in unveiling and celebrating the rich history and culture of this ancient tradition with Ferzin Patel, M.A., a Zoroastrian community leader and Trustee of the Dar-E-Mehr Zoroastrian Temple.
For over 25 years, we’ve inspired, educated and activated thousands of communities and organizations through our solutions-focused programs and ready-to-use social and digital tools. Together, they provide the launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change.
- a 21-day engagement program focused on carbon reduction;
- a challenge taking place April 3-24 and;
- following actions highlighted in Drawdown, a book based on meticulous research that maps, measures, models, and describes solutions to global warming that already exists and;
- where participants track and share their progress online in a robust platform and earn points for taking action and;
- the combination of collective action, camaraderie, and friendly competition makes change a little easier — and a lot more fun and;
- providing tools and inspiration to turn intention into action, and
- giving participants a fun and social way to think about and act on proven solutions to reverse global warming!
Over eighty actions within seven challenge categories
provide participants with diverse options to reduce carbon usage.
The EcoChallenge Platform is a signature offering of EcoChallenge.org (formerly Northwest Earth Institute), a sustainability organization that provides innovative social and digital tools designed to be a launchpad for emerging generations and sustainability leaders to experience “ah-ha” moments that lead to extraordinary environmental and social change. EcoChallenge.org also hosts a global October EcoChallenge which is free and open to everyone, everywhere. Over 73,500 people from 101 countries have used the EcoChallenge Platform and the organization has engaged over 250,000 people throughout its 25-year history. The EcoChallenge Platform can also be used to create custom Challenges that meet the engagement and action goals of your workplace, college, or community.
Portland, OR 97214
(503) 227 2807
PURPOSE AND INTENTION
Climate Change & Consciousness: Our Legacy for the Earth, April 20-26 2019, will be a collaborative and participatory investigation into how we can steward a sustainable future on what has already become a radically changed planet Earth. We have travelled to this ‘new’ planet on a burst of carbon dioxide. A new planet requires new ways of living.
The conference will bring together eminent scientists, wisdom keepers, business people, activists, artists, entrepreneurs, young people and others, to envision and begin to inhabit our joint future. It will be an international, inter-generational and multi-disciplinary gathering. This is the principle of ‘the big tent‘, borrowed from party politics, whereby diverse viewpoints, backgrounds and interests (the ‘voices in the room’) are brought together to engage and dialogue.
Floor plan of the Universal Hall, the main conference venue, with
a symbolic representation of the diversity of ‘voices in the room.’
Through interactive, embodied and experiential means, participants will access intuitive, intelligent and innovative insights into how we will meet the demands of this new world. Each individual will be invited to invoke their ‘Legacy for the Earth.’ Our combined roles and commitment will represent a global mission of stewardship. Everyone will be part of this love story.
Participants will collaborate in exploring:
- The science and truth of climate change in language that we can all comprehend;
- Ways to embody our longing to connect with the Earth and hear Her voice;
- How we can build and rebuild communities as functional entities;
- Political, legal and social activism, and networking for social change;
- How do we nurture children and support youth to restore our environment;
- Soil restoration, organic food production and community-scale agriculture;
- Alternative energy sources and appropriate technologies;
- Biodiversity and the intrinsic preciousness of all species;
- Racism, misogyny and gender bias – how they deepen the environmental crisis;
- Contemporary and traditional resources to address the trauma of climate change;
- What can we learn from indigenous cultures, activists and wisdom keepers;
- Healthcare and the detoxification of environmental pollutants and toxins; and
- How to generate inspiration for a grassroots upsurge to reclaim our future.
THREE MAJOR ORIENTATIONS
Three major threads running though the conference will be:
- AWAKE: Facing the truths of climate change.
- CELEBRATE: Using the arts to express our love for the Earth and all life.
- ACT: Developing our response, locally and globally.
TEN GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF CCC19
These principles were received along with the guidance for the manifestation of CLIMATE CHANGE & CONSCIOUSNESS on November 8, 2016:
1. That the gathering be a grassroots representation of diverse global populations;
2. That the gathering be held at the Findhorn Foundation due to its origins and because it represents and embodies community and sustainability;
3. That indigenous environmental leaders be represented;
4. That youth play a significant role and that their voices be heard;
5. That all participants, both at the conference and online, be encouraged to connect, engage, contribute and network.
6. That everyone at the gathering have an opportunity to establish and cultivate a direct, intimate and personal relationship with Nature;
7. That the gathering be infused with art as one of the key celebrations of human creativity and resiliency;
8. That the outcome of the gathering be the creation of networks of innovation and communities of inspired action;
9. That these networks and community initiatives be seeded before the conference begins; and,
10. That they be effectively supported to grow and flourish after the conference ends, in order to accelerate the generation of sustainable, life-serving responses to climate change.
WHY THIS CONFERENCE IS UNIQUE
While words like ‘climate change’ and ‘sustainability’ are in the popular parlance, the truth about the magnitude of our environmental predicament is not well understood. This is in part because the language used to deliver the science is frequently infused with acronyms that deter engagement. This conference will translate scientific jargon into language that is accessible to anyone. In addition, we intend a celebratory response to climate change that emphasises human resilience and creativity, which is key to coping with the scientific reality. These two sides of the coin (environmental science and celebratory resilience) will be linked at every juncture of this gathering.
This conference will be led by some of the most knowledgeable and highly regarded voices of the climate change movement. The key contributors are recognised internationally for their expertise, their commanding presence, and their proven capacity to identify practical and optimistic strategies for sustainability action. Joining these voices with those of artists, healers, parents and youth has seldom been attempted in quite such a way.
YOUTH
We are planning (although it’s funding dependant), a separate youth programme that will run parallel to the conference. Youth aged 16 – 20 will form a contingent that will join with, and present to, the entire assembly. Their ideas will be woven into an action plan that is developed for follow through after the event. The intention will be to permeate schools and social media with viable options for surviving and thriving in a climate-changing world.
LIVE STREAMING
There will be live streaming from Findhorn of most of the conference programme (details to follow). Aside from individual subscriptions to the streaming, we are encouraging organisations (such as community groups, non-profits, institutions and companies) to subscribe to the streaming as a collective, or hub. Hubs will take the opportunity to do much more than just passively watch the streaming. We will encourage them to self-organise a mini-conference of their own, whereby they hold their own in-house discussion groups, panel sessions, workshops and so on. We envisage these hubs becoming cells of impassioned and empowered activists who sustain their climate activism into the future.
Interested in forming a hub? Please contact us or email: CCC19@findhorn.org.
WHY FINDHORN?
The Findhorn Foundation and Community are a renown ecovillage, spiritual community and learning centre (See blog post here). This conference comes at a time when the art of community building is badly needed. Findhorn famously demonstrates the potential of community to develop low-impact settlements and lifestyles. Further, Findhorn’s deep roots in the natural world and 50 years of ‘co-creation with the intelligence of nature’ makes it the perfect host for this event.
The central intention of Climate Change & Consciousness is to encourage the participants (including thousands watching by live-stream) to prioritise their love for the Earth, putting the environment first in order to steward for the children of the future. This epitomises the role that Findhorn has long played in raising consciousness for the good of the whole. This conference fulfils Findhorn’s essential purpose as a lighthouse beaming forth messages from Mother Nature.
The Universal Hall at Findhorn, the main conference venue.
PRESENTERS
ANGAANGAQ ANGAKKORSUAQ
Angaangaq Angakkorsuaq is an Eskimo-Kalaallit Elder from far North Greenland. He is a shaman, healer, storyteller and bearer of the Qilaut (wind drum). Angaangaq has been a keynote speaker at international conferences on climate change, environmental and indigenous issues. His beliefs and practices are deeply rooted in the wisdom and traditions of his people. www.icewisdom.com
Quotes: “The greatest distance in the existence of Man is not from here to there nor from there to here. Nay, the greatest distance in the existence of Man is from his mind to his heart. Unless he conquers that distance he can never learn to soar like an eagle and realize his own immensity within.”
“The Ancient One’s say that One Day, when the World needs it most, the Sacred Fire will come home to the people on the Top of the World.”
CHARLES EISENSTEIN
Charles Eisenstein is an extremely popular philosopher, author and internationally renowned speaker and program facilitator. His books include The Ascent of Humanity, Sacred Economics and most recently, The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible. His forthcoming book, to be released in 2018, addresses the impacts of climate change. www.charleseisenstein.net
Quotes: “Humanity is meant to join fully the tribe of all life on Earth, offering our uniquely human gifts towards the wellbeing and development of the whole.”
“Enlightenment is a group activity.”
“The path of service is a path of self-realization.”
“Our salvation must come from recovering a direct relationship to what is alive in front of us.”
POLLY HIGGINS
Polly Higgins is founder of Ecocide Law, the Earth Community Trust and co-founder of the Earth Law Alliance. She holds the Arne Naess Chair at Oslo University and won the 2016 Polarbröd‘s Utstickarpriset prize for Future Leadership. Ecologist Magazine have named her one of the top ten visionary thinkers in the world. www.pollyhiggins.com
Quotes: “The shift in consciousness required here is an espousal of our collective responsibility for the ecology of our planet. Once we have that shift we will have true social progress.”
“Without the wellbeing of the ecology of our planet, our wellbeing suffers.”
“Calls for public and environmental justice are about securing peaceful life for future generations, the aspiration for a better world. To me, this is the ultimate altruistic act; to give your life in service for a greater good. My rallying call is for life for all who inhabit this planet, not just humans. It can be your call too if you so choose. I ask you to join me.”
XIUHTEZCATL MARTINEZ
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 17 year old indigenous climate activist who has spoken at the Rio + 20 Summit and the UN. With beauty, flare and music he reachs out to youth to invite them to be advocates for the Earth. He received the Peace First Prize in 2015 and the Children’s Climate Prize in Sweden in 2016. www.earthguardians.org/
Quotes:“My generation faces a total systemic collapse on every level of our planet. Never before has there been such an intergenerational opportunity to shape the world we serve.”
“Every young person in the world has the potential to lead. There is nothing holding us back…Whether it is on the local level or it is about the entire world, we can take on the leadership role. We deserve a healthy environment to live in.“
“I have to do something with the sadness I feel about what is happening to my world. I am totally in love with this planet and it is falling apart. I have to use my voice and my passion to make a difference. I have to education, empower and inspire.”
BILL MCKIBBEN
Bill McKibben is a pioneer of the climate change movement, best-selling author, journalist, environmental activist and founder of 350.org, a global grassroots climate change movement. Bill has won the Gandhi and Thomas Merton Prizes. He is a Distinguished Scholar in Environmental Studies at Middlebury College. The Boston Globe calls him “America’s most important environmentalist.” www.billmckibben.com, www.350.org
Quotes: “We must step up the fight to keep climate change from getting even more powerfully out of control, and to protect those people most at risk, who are almost always those who have done the least to cause the problem.”
“We will build the architecture of the world that comes next. We will create the dispersed and localized societies that can survive the damage that we can no longer prevent. We still must live on the world we’ve created and we will do that lightly, carefully, and gracefully.”
JONATHON PORRITT
Jonathon Porritt CBE is founder and Director of Forum for the Future, the UK’s leading sustainable development charity. He was co-chair of the British Green Party (1980-83); Director of Friends of the Earth (1984-90); and Trustee of WWF UK (1991-2005). Jonathon received a CBE in January 2000 for services to environmental protection. www.forumforthefuture.org
Quotes: “Imagine the good world we are going to be living in – massively improved by smart, clean technology, and committed to a much fairer, more sustainable model of economic growth.”
“Practically everything we need to fashion a sustainable world for nine billion people is either out there, on the drawing board or in the lab. And the pace of change is extraordinary, the wealth creating potential quite staggering.”
VANDANA SHIVA
Vandana Shiva PhD is a world-renowned environmental thinker, activist, physicist, feminist, philosopher of science, science policy advocate and author of 20 books. She has taken on what is likely one of the greatest challenges of climate change – feeding a growing population without further harming the Earth. Vandana was awarded the Right Livelihood Award in 1993. http://vandanashiva.com/
Quotes:“Soil teaches us how to be earth citizens.”
“We will either make a democratic transition from oil to soil or we will perish.”
“Soil is the metaphor of decentralized and deep democracy.”
“Living economies are grounded in the soil; literally and metaphorically. They are localized, which reduces our ecological footprint on the planet while enhancing our wellbeing. Economies rooted in the soil are centered on nature and people.”
“Earth democracy grows in the fertile soil shaped by the earth, the human imagination and human action.”
ADDITIONAL PRESENTERS
Margaret Elphinstone is one of Scotland’s foremost writers who has written extensively about the crises in which we now find ourselves. Margaret contributes to Dark Mountain, a British based project that seeks, through the arts, to elicit urgently needed myths that reflect our times. She is Emeritus Professor of Writing at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and an Honorary Fellow of the Association of Scottish Literary Studies. www.margaretelphinstone.co.uk
Mumta Ito is founder of the charity Rights of Nature and the International Centre for Holistic Law. A former financial lawyer in the City of London, she was an adviser to governments, multi-national corporations and investment banks. She is now a public interest environmental attorney. She initiated the European Citizens Initiative to put the rights of nature on the legislative agenda of the EU. www.rightsofnature.eu
Deborah Jay Lewin is an energy worker disguised as a dance teacher. She is a senior practitioner in her field having trained with Gabrielle Roth in 1994 and as a co-founder of Open Floor International in 2014. Her knowledge of and respect for the wisdom of the body is incisive and contagious. Deborah is devoted to utilising embodied movement to harness creativity for the benefit of all beings and the Earth. www.vitalmoves.co.uk
Rachelle McCabe, concert pianist and Professor of Music at Oregon State University, enjoys an international career as an artist-teacher and as a solo recitalist and highly respected chamber musician. She has performed extensively in the United States, Canada, Southeast Asia and England, and has been heard on NPR’s Performance Today, the CBC, and PBS television. http://www.riverwalking.com/a-call-to-life.html
Stephanie Mines is a neuroscientist, psychologist and author of five books on the treatment of trauma and shock. Stephanie first went to Findhorn in 2011 when she was a keynote speaker at the Conscious Medicine Conference. She has returned every year since and has a strong love for the community and the place. Stephanie lives in Portland, Oregon and is married to environmental attorney Robert E. Yuhnke. www.Tara-Approach.org
Kathleen Dean Moore is a moral philosopher, nature writer, and veteran climate advocate best known for her ability to weave science, ideas, and emotions in her spoken-word performances and books. She is the author or co-editor of a dozen books, including Great Tide Rising, Moral Ground, and the newest, a novel, Piano Tide. http://www.riverwalking.com/a-call-to-life.html
Dave Rock is a spoken word artist, storyteller and Authentic Speaking coach. He works with communities, co-creating rites of passage, ritual and celebration; and with stage performers and change makers to help them embody and express their message as a way of being. As a performer he finds ways to speak all voices and remember life into being whole again. www.speakingrocks.life
Joey Walters is the Founder of Awakening Feminine Leaders. Her work is a soulful, authentic pathway to allow feminine leadership to emerge. She is gifted in inviting the power of ritual to accompany her gentle, clear and focused leadership. Joey is completing her first book based on her successful international series “A Call to Stand.” She lives close to nature in the woodlands of Scotland with her partner and two wee sons. www.awakeningfeminineleaders.com
Robert E. Yuhnke has been an environmental attorney and policy consultant for forty-five years. He co-authored the Clean Air Act in the US and has worked tirelessly for its enforcement. His ability to explain the science behind climate change and how communities must respond to survive and thrive will add significantly to this conference. Robert lives in Portland Oregon and is married to Stephanie Mines. bob.yuhnke@prodigy.net

Climate Change & Consciousness 2019 Live-streaming
20-26 April 2019
Connect with a worldwide community of people who are willing to face Climate Change and are committed to creating a sustainable future for all beings on earth.
Breaking News:
Attending the livestream of the Climate Change and Consciousness Conference now qualifies for CPD certification!!
By registering, you can:
- Access the conference through livestream
- Engage with other livestreamers through livechat during the event
- Access our social network CCCnet where you can share inspiration and meet all other participants
Access recordings:
- Streamed sessions are available about 30 minutes after the end of each live session to watch in your own time.
- You have lifetime access to all livestreamed sessions.
Findhorn livestream provided me with an exciting, heartfelt, inclusive and sublime experience – very close to actually being there in the Universal Hall.
EW, Tallahassee, USA
Your host Thomas George is here to welcome you and answer all your questions. (findhorn.live@findhorn.org)
Click here for detailed information on speakers and workshops etc.
Click here for the livestream schedule.
Click here for the CCC19 website.
Create your own mini-conference (CCC19 hub)
We invite you to use the livestream as a basis to create your own mini-conference. Imagine if groups all over the world come together in a single week to take responsibility for their part in Climate Change. Our vision is that these hubs will stay connected after the conference and keep working towards a sustainable future for all beings.
Do you feel called to be that person in your community, company, city? Read our hub-guide and see the growing list of hubs.
If you need help with setting up a hub, please email: ccc19.hubs@findhorn.org.
Pricing & Registration
Subscription prices are self-selected on the basis of personal income levels, the size and type of group as well an organisation’s profitability.
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This year we explore all the various ways we can be and co create love in action. Along with a challenge~ How are you showing up in the world? at the grocery store, with your family, at work, school, out being social How are we showing up in the world? Does it feel in alignment? Since we know we are love, and love is who we are… what does love look like for us personally? Each person here is a divine, miraculous unfolding. We each have our own Unique Energetic Signature… what you bring to the planet, to the streets, only you can bring. Be strong in your heart, be strong in your dreams. Let’s show the world what we can do in the name of love! International Children’s Month 2019 Platform is TAKING IT TO THE STREETS! Love In Action! International Children’s Month web site is based in Oral Traditions. If you are inspired, please cite your source. We stand on the shoulders of those who have come before us. IN the name of love we thank Gandhi, our indigenous relatives/relations, and for this year especially the first wave of love in action creators of the 60’s…We have come full circle. GAME ON and BE THE MEDICINE! #ICMTakingItToTheStreets #ICMGameOn #ICMGlobalWaveofLove #ICMBeTheMedicine
FIRST WE TUNE INTO SELF, THEN TO OUR FAMILY, COMMUNITY AND THE WORLD. AS WE DO THIS WE SPREAD LOVE. DR. EMOTO TAUGHT US THAT WE TRANSFORM THINGS BY THINKING AND FEELING ABOUT THEM… JOIN ICM IN THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE 7 DAYS OF REST AND REFLECTION BEGINNING TODAY, AND FOR THE NEXT 7 DAYS. YOU CAN ALSO SHARE THIS WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY, AND TOGETHER WE WILL LOVE ALL THAT IS SACRED AND IMPORTANT TO US. SIGN UP ON THE WEB SITE WWW.7DAYS-OF-REST.ORG AS AN INDIVIDUAL, TEAM OR COMMUNITY. #GAMEON
JOIN US!! WE WILL BE READING FABULOUS BOOKS FOR US ALL ON FACEBOOK LIVE SHOWS THROUGHOUT THE MONTH!
LIKE AND SHARE US ON FACEBOOK!
https://www.facebook.com/2019-International-Childrens-Month-Global-Wave-of-Love
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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.
Gardens at Sweetwater
Join ONE vision council members Pam Montgomery, Jen Frey, and Lauren Valle for this dynamic weekend of coming home to our first and true Mother as we heal our relationship with her.

Connecting with Sweetwater Creek
At this time in our evolution we have the privilege of being present here on Earth as she is in rapid transformation. As the Earth shifts, we are asked to adapt and, more importantly, to evolve into the Earth Stewards we are meant to be, taking up our rightful place as part of Nature. When we accept our role as co-creative partners with Nature, a new world emerges where all life can thrive. We continuously have access to support and guidance from Nature and our allies and realize that we are never alone. We move into the flow, working with Nature. Often overwhelming tasks become easy or perceived impossibilities become possible.

The Center at Sweetwater Sanctuary
During this weekend we will engage in the process of becoming co-creative partners with Earth as we delve deeply into the ways to create good partnership:
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Healing separation
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Effective communication
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Self-love
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Trust
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Joyful encounter
From within co-creative partnership we rise to walk in balance, coming home to ourselves and our Mother Earth, while we experience the interconnected web of life.
About Sweetwater Sanctuary
Sweetwater Sanctuary, our venue for this weekend, sits at the base of Marble Mountain and is surrounded by 10,000 acres of conserved land. Heart Spring, just outside our back door, brings forth from the Earth “wild water” which nourishes all your cells as you drink the most delicious water you can imagine. The lifeblood of the land is the mountain stream that flows centrally through the Sanctuary. It is this life-giving water that we listen to as we settle into our hearts and go into depth perception. The gardens are full of medicinal herbs, beautiful flowers and nourishing food. Wander amongst the wild plants and forest full of mixed hardwoods and evergreens while being touched by the embrace of nature. This land has received many ceremonies over the years and prayers are made on a regular basis. Your experience here goes beyond information exchange touching into your heart, soul and spirit for core integration, assimilation, and connection with yourself and nature. The Nature Beings of Sweetwater Sanctuary know how to live in community and want to welcome us back into co-creative partnership so that we all may thrive. As you are held in the nurturing fold of Sweetwater Sanctuary transformation is not only possible but probable.
You will:
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Have restorative time immersed in the vibrant nature of Sweetwater Sanctuary
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Connect deeply with your Nature Ally
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Uncover the roots of separation hindering a deeper relationship with Earth
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Gather in community around a Fire circle
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Develop a personal path for moving forward in co-creative partnership with Nature
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE STUDIED WITH PAM BEFORE: This is not Plant Spirit Healing or Plant Communication. This workshop focuses on co-creative partnership and it’s various aspects with an emphasis on healing our separation from nature. Pam has never taught this class before so this is not work you have done before.
Details:
Date and Time: 10:00 am July 27 – 3:00 pm July 28
Location: Sweetwater Sanctuary in Danby, Vermont
Cost: Sliding scale of $250 – $500
The Organization of Nature Evolutionaries is a non-profit run by an all-volunteer Vision Council. We offer a sliding scale to make this weekend affordable for those who are in need. Please consider a higher donation if you are able so that we can continue to grow the work of O.N.E.
Deposit: $100 non-refundable will hold your space (nonrefundable). The remaining balance of the sliding scale you choose is due by July 1st.
Includes: all instruction, indoor accommodation or tenting, and vegetarian-friendly, locally-sourced, delicious meals
Contact: Pam Montgomery at pam@wakeuptonature.com
After paying the deposit, you will be directed to our registration form. Please take a moment to fill it out so we have your contact you and can share retreat information.
Honoring the Past • Healing the Present • Celebrating the Future
A CELEBRATION OF NATIVE AMERICAN ART, MUSIC AND CULTURES
Thank you Joanne and Monte for this inspiring, hope-infused interview.
Tickets: www.sheatheater.org
Note that the concert is at the Shea Theater at 17 Avenue A in Turners Falls at 7:30 pm on Saturday and tickets are available before the event at a reduced rate and also available at the door.
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Festival details and schedule: www.nolumbekaproject.org

P.O. Box 285, 91 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01302
The mission of the Nolumbeka Project is to promote a deeper, broader and more accurate depiction of the history of the Native Americans/American Indians of New England before and during European contact and colonization;
To protect and preserve sites sacred to, and of historic value to, the Native Americans/American Indians of New England; to create and promote related educational opportunities, preservation projects and cultural events; and to work in partnership, as much as possible, with the tribes.
We will strive to exemplify the Native American/American Indian peoples’ respect for Mother Earth and all living beings; to be mindful of our role as caretakers for future generations; and to honor our connection to the Earth and Sky and to the Creator.
The Nolumbeka Project, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Native Americans/American Indians of New England through educational programs, art, history, music, heritage seed preservation and cultural events. We are actively building, maintaining and expanding an historical archive research library for use by the Tribes and Educators of the Northeast and beyond.
Our Board of Directors is comprised of volunteers who have been active for more than 40 years in a number of other preservation, historical research, environmental and social justice organizations.
Join TransOhio for our Annual Unity Picnic
for the transgender and gender non-conforming community and allies.
Sunday, August 4 2019
11:00 am to 3:00 pm
We will be serving hamburgers, hot dogs and veggie dogs.
Bring a side to share!
All ages are welcome.
We will be at the Shadblow Shelter at
Blendon Woods Metro Park
in Westerville, Ohio.
We hope to see everyone there!
Blendon Woods Metropolitan Park 4265 E. Dublin-Granville Road, Westerville, Ohio 43081
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TransOhio is a state-wide nonprofit that serves the transgender and ally communities by providing services, education, support, and advocacy.


Columbus, Ohio 43214
Meditation and Prayer Gathering for World Peace on Hiroshima Day
August 5 @ 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm
This is a simple call for a gathering of spiritually-minded persons dedicated to world peace. Please join us, to make peaceful compassionate steps to help heal our wounded world. Walk together one step at a time mindfully. Let us cultivate peaceful minds and hearts within, and work harmoniously with our fellow beings on earth.
The event includes A-bomb panels, experiencing a walking mindful meditation, Origami, Tanabata tree of wishes, music, prayer and readings.
May Peace Prevail On Earth International

Nagasaki Peace Pals Art Awards by artist
Join us in a one minute SYNCHRONIZED GLOBAL MEDITATION

WATCH THE LIVE Broadcast HERE
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/wppc

Our friends at the URI – United Religious Initiatives
invite you to recite The Nuclear Prayer on Hiroshima Day
as a call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Join 791 URI Community Circle in 98 countries
in a call for the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
Learn more about The Nuclear Prayer and the
Voices for a World Free of Nuclear Weapons URI Cooperation Circle.
www.TheNuclearPrayer.org
May Peace Prevail On Earth
Weekly Coherence Call for Our Co-Mentoring Community – REGISTER TO JOIN COHERENCE CALLS
WE’RE BUILDING A FIELD OF COHERENCE AROUND THE PLANET FOR THE GOOD OF THE WHOLE
Our Weekly Coherence Call is for Mentoring Stewards of GOOD of the WHOLE. We invite you to join our community and open to your infinite, creative potential each Wednesday. We intentionally gather to build a field of coherence and conscious connection. We delight in expanding the resonance and resting in the experience of our inherent wholeness and (w)holiness, while we move into generative, co-creative, mutual support of one another. On this weekly Coherence Call we will:
- Attune to our wholeness and (w)holiness
- Build a field of coherence for the GOOD of the WHOLE
- Co-Create a conscious, deep connection with each other and all aspects of life
- Provide generative mutual aid and support
- Experience unique co-mentoring opportunities
There are TWO STEPS to participate. If you aren’t already, you must be a Mentoring Steward (CLICK HERE) of GOOD of the WHOLE. And then, please sign up (BELOW) to join us. You will receive notices and Zoom information about our weekly gatherings of conscious community, connection and coherence.
What is a MENTORING STEWARD? – GOOD of the WHOLE offers a “mentorship” instead of membership. As stewards of a Whole World View, cultivating the ethos of wholeness, and mentors for the evolution of consciousness, we collectively dwell on the evolutionary edge, ground heart-based initiatives and practices, and listen for new and emerging social forms. Old membership models don’t quite fit what we are called to bring forward. So, we’re gathering with a deeper sense of knowing and trusting the unified field to guide us. Our co-mentoring community is here to learn, teach, grow, embody, and expand together, as we evolve, and express ourselves for the greater good. Mentoring Stewards are both mentor and mentored–co-creating a co-mentoring community for the GOOD of the WHOLE. Myriad benefits include conscious synergistic connection and generative community support. You can become a Mentoring Steward with a minimum gift of $15.00 per month.
You will also be listed in the WHOLE Community Mentoring Directory with contact information and a link to your websites and projects. You may make special offers for events, education, and products to the community and participate in a variety of weekly and monthly offerings designed for our Mentoring Stewards. You will receive access to the WHOLE Community’s archive links, documents, resources, tools, private conversations and the Mentor’s Resonance Lounge. Send in your calendar events and we’ll upload and promote you and your events. Contribute news, blogs, information, coupons, special offers, classes, products and services to be shared and exchanged with other Mentors, Stewards and our greater GOOD of the WHOLE Community.
CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT
WE WANT TO CONNECT WITH YOU!
Welcome to GOOD of the WHOLE. Basic membership and connection is FREE. Simply sign in here and fill out your personal profile. We can’t wait to get to know you! The benefits of basic membership are engagement and connection. You may comment, share materials and receive important communications, coupons, special offers, news, updates and notice for emergency response action. Join us on our free community calls and become part of our conscious, resonant community for the GOOD of the WHOLE.

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.

The Convergence
Archives Available on VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel
In a world inevitably going global and multicultural, what becomes of religions and spirituality? What becomes of activism towards real global change? In THE CONVERGENCE, global Interspiritual pioneer and scientist Dr. Kurt Johnson joins interfaith leaders Ben Bowler of Australia and Doug King of America in engaging women and men who are inspiring leaders and change agents around our world. Spiritual and cultural leaders, sacred and secular activists, scientists, artists, writers, economists, politicians and even shamans join in this discussion of a world trying to wake up and grow up. What is at stake and what are the technologies and cosmologies creating a world that can work for everyone? If you are concerned for our world’s future and sincere about your commitments to bold and world-serving ideas, you’ll want to tune in to The Convergence on the VoiceAmerica Empowerment Channel.
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Episode Description
VoiceAmerica presents this Evergreen Special detailing major 2019 and 2020 global events upcoming from UNITY EARTH partners Standing for Peace Campaign, Road to 2020 Events, and Caravan of Unity across America. The five sections of the Special spotlight, now and for months to come: United Nations mandated global holiday events like the International Day of Yoga and the International Day of Peace, the vision and work of Light on Light Magazine and VoiceAmerica in covering all these events, UNITY EARTH and its partners month to month activities and initiatives 2019-2020, and the roles of partner groups like Transformation365, We, the World, URI, UNIFY, EcoPeace and The Evolutionary Leaders. Featured are global leaders from the UN, UNITY EARTH, Light on Light Magazine, Transformation365, We, and The Evolutionary Leaders. Lets share this Special, ongoing, as a resource and PR instrument pointing toward all of these global events and gathering a global constituency for their success!
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STAND UP FOR HUMANITY! 2019
1225 R Street NW | Washington, DC, 20009 | 202-543-1414
Stand Up For Humanity! is a movement promoting and supporting a world that works for all. It is about embracing those qualities that serve the Highest and Best of our Humanity. We are here to help each other connect and act from our universal and common good; and to raise the consciousness and vibrations on the planet, and within our nation, to one of inclusion, peace, and harmony. And to demonstrate that even one small act taken by an individual can make a difference and contribute to the positive uplifting of humanity.
THE EVENT
On Saturday, August 10, 2019 at 6pm, let’s gather, millions strong at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, to “Stand Up For Humanity”. Featuring dynamic speakers and fantastic music! We are calling all people willing to raise the consciousness within our nation and the world!
Hosted by Unity of Washington, DC – Rev. Sylvia E. Sumter, Senior Minister
1225 R Street NW – Washington, DC 20009 – 202-543-1414
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The Nature of Unity
Unity is a religious movement that began over a century ago. In the 1880’s Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, co-founders of Unity, began to work with some new ideas that they had found about life. Charles had a withered leg; Myrtle had tuberculosis. But in a short time, Myrtle was healed and Charles’ health was so much improved that other people, seeing the changes in them, were drawn to them to find out how they, too, could change.
The Fillmores had no thought of starting a new religion; they just wanted to help themselves and others who turned to them for help. In 1889 they began to publish a little magazine called Modern Thought, which a few years later they renamed Unity. In this magazine, they presented the ideas that had helped them heal themselves and find peace and strength. These ideas are simple. They are centered around two basic propositions:
One ~ God is Good.
Two ~ God is available, in fact, God is in you.
If God is good, God’s will is good. It is impossible to believe that a good God — a God who is love and intelligence — could have made you in any other way except to be healthy, happy, prosperous, loved and loving, courageous and strong. If you are not healthy and happy, it can only be because you have separated yourself from God in mind — the only place you can separate yourself from God and God’s good. You have only to reunite in mind with God, and your life is certain to be full and fulfilling. You do this best by getting still and realizing your oneness with God. Every thought, negative or positive, comes one at time to the door of your conscious mind; there you let it in or turn it away. To have a good life, you have to learn to say no to the negative thoughts which deny your oneness with god’s good and say yes to the positive thoughts which affirm your oneness with God’s good.
Perhaps this is an oversimplification of Unity teachings, but these are the essential elements.
Unity is not a proselytizing religion. We are happy to have you call yourself a Unity student and join a Unity group. But we are also happy when we can help you be a better Methodist, a better Catholic, a better whatever you are.
Unity began as an open-ended religion, and we pray it always will be. May we always be seekers after Truth rather than people who feel that they have found all the Truth and must form an exclusive little circle to preserve it.
Unity is the religion of the written word, and Unity School of Christianity is the organization that has carried that written word around the world. Unity has grown almost entirely because individuals who have been helped by its ideas have told others who need help about it. Unity has always been a warm and loving way of life, sensitive to people’s needs, God-centered but human-hearted. This is Unity.
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Calling All Volunteers – “Stand Up for Humanity”
Saturday, August 10, 2019
Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool
In November of 2017, Unity of Washington, DC kicked-off our Stand Up for Humanity Movement on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. We are excited to share that we have planned another gathering at the Memorial on Saturday, August 10, 2019. Additional information will be forthcoming, however in the interim we are seeking volunteers to assist with the execution of the event. There will be a variety of opportunities to serve on sub-committees prior to the event, as well as onsite. If you are interested in volunteering sign-up TODAY!
Dawnland

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Join the makers of the Emmy Award-nominated film DAWNLAND for a special screening of the 86-minute feature edition.
For decades, child welfare authorities have been removing Native American children from their homes to save them from being Indian. In Maine, the first official “truth and reconciliation commission” in the United States begins a historic investigation. DAWNLAND goes behind-the-scenes as this historic body grapples with difficult truths, redefines reconciliation, and charts a new course for state and tribal relations.
After the movie please stay with us
so you can ask questions of the film team
in a live online chat.
Learn more about the film and watch the trailer at dawnland.org
120 minutes
Panelists
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Adam Mazo is the director of the Upstander Project and co-director and producer of First Light, and the feature-length film, Dawnland. Adam also directed and produced Coexist (WORLD Channel, Africa Movie Academy Award Nominee). He co-founded the Upstander Project in 2009. He is originally from Minnesota, graduated from the University of Florida, and now lives in Boston with his wife and son.
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Mishy Lesser, Ed.D., is the learning director for the Upstander Project and Education Fellow at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center at the University of Connecticut. She is director of the Upstander Academy, a weeklong professional learning experience for teachers and museum educators that focuses on genocide and human rights education and the skills of upstanders. Currently Dr. Lesser spends much of her time researching and writing the five-inquiry Teacher’s Guide for Dawnland. Mishy authored the Coexist Teacher’s Guide to promote learning about the complexity of reconciliation in post-genocide Rwanda. She is a Circle Keeper and has been featured on WBUR (Boston) and PRI/BBC’s The World. Mishy was a Fulbright Scholar in Ecuador and spent 12 years learning and working in the Andes.
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Tracy Rector (Choctaw/Seminole) is the impact producer for Dawnland and the Upstander Project. She is a mixed race filmmaker, curator, community organizer, co-founder of Longhouse Media. She has made over 400 short films, and is currently in production of her fifth feature documentary. Her work has been featured on Independent Lens, Cannes Film Festival, ImagineNative, National Geographic, Toronto International Film Festival, and in the Smithsonian’s Museum of the American Indian. She is a current Firelight Media Lab Fellow, WGBH Producer Fellow, and Sundance Institute Lab Fellow. Raised in Seattle and Albuquerque, Tracy lives in Seattle and sits as a City of Seattle Arts Commissioner.
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Become More Present

Evoke Love and Compassion
You may contact us Monday–Friday, 8:00 am–5:00 pm Mountain Time.
Elder Activists for Social Justice
Community Conversations
Our next Community Conversation will be on
Thursday, August 15
9:00 – 10:30 am PT / 12:00 – 1:30 pm ET
|
Bystanders to Activists:
Ways of Being Engaged in Ensuring Social Justice
3rd Thursday of each month
9:00 – 10:30 am PT / 12:00 – 1:30 pm ET
We participate together over Zoom video conferencing in a lightly-facilitated, educational and interactive conversation. We have time to deep dive into our topics using an Elder and social justice lens…always provocative, meaningful and community-oriented.
We began, three years ago, by looking at issues related to racism, white privilege, wealth inequality and Islamophobia, and have recently studied Native peoples’ history, reconciliation and the moral voice of an Elder. Each month’s topic grows from the previous month’s and the interests of those attending.
Approximately two weeks before each meeting we may post resources about our subject which include relevant readings, videos, articles, and introspective questions. Our meeting format is participatory, and everyone has a chance to interact and share. All meetings are via Zoom video conferencing. Click for instructions and access to Zoom conferencing. ALL ARE WELCOME.
Our next Community Conversation will be on
Thursday, August 15
9:00 – 10:30 am PT / 12:00 – 1:30 pm ET
Bystanders to Activists:
Ways of Being Engaged in Ensuring Social Justice
In this month’s Community Conversation we turn toward taking specific actions on developing an EASJ project to end the separation of immigrant children from their parents at the border. Your task, should you decide to accept it, is to look up and read everything you can find on recent actions taken by the US government, state and local border governments, prison facilities housing immigrants and ICE officials to change separation practices.
Also, think about how you would actually define the problem and its underlying causes. Be thorough in asking yourself “Why?” or “What does that mean?” because we’re setting this up as a serious project. We’re not just talking about or protesting the problem. We’re developing responsible action for finding and enacting positive solutions for this terrible, heartless situation. Join us!
To receive email reminders for Elder Activists for Social Justice (EASJ) meetings, monthly community conversations and workshops, please sign up here.
July Conversation:
The terrible issue of immigrant children detained at the U.S. border
At our July 18 meeting we asked What can I or We do about [the] problem [of immigrant children being separated from their parents at the border]?…. As Elders who care deeply but who are not necessarily able to get up and go to protests – although some do – determining what can one person do presents the usual question of just that – what can one person do? The power of positive action of any type was deemed to be essentially of a personal choice, but whatever it is, it’s important – whether it be writing letters to editors, senators or representatives; joining local or bigger groups and jumping on the bandwagon; donating money for aid or bail for immigrants, or writing to our mutual fund investment managers about divesting from prison complex companies like Geo Group (GEO) and CoreCivic (CXW), it’s all good.
But, perhaps the best way to help is to follow Shannon’s information she found in the New York Times on June 24, 2019: Children Shouldn’t Be Dying at the Border. Here’s How You Can Help
Donation of money (100%) to the National Bail Fund Network aids in disrupting the injustice of bail requirements in the immigration detention and mass incarceration systems. For more information contact Pilar Maria Weiss, Director of Community Justice Exchange at 202-279-1656 or go online to: www.communityjusticeexchange.org/national-bail-fund-network
So…show up…speak out…and ‘be the light’ because it all matters!
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:
To receive email reminders for Elder Activists for Social Justice (EASJ) meetings, monthly community conversations and workshops, please sign up here.
Compassion Camp
August 15-18, 2019
at Earthaven Ecovillage | near Asheville, North Carolina
Compassion Camp is a four day event for adults and children where we create a community of people who learn, play and celebrate together, empowered to then send each other back into the world to spread these seeds of justice and love. Our time together is designed to foster community among the growing number of people in Western North Carolina and beyond who are passionate about living and promoting compassionate consciousness. Located at Earthaven Ecovillage, it is an opportunity to have fun, enjoy ourselves, learn together, and connect deeply in a beautiful natural setting.
Compassion Camp is inspired by the life and work of Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, the creator of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). We believe that the theory and practice of NVC is a life-changing tool for cultivating compassion in our hearts, communities, and the world. In addition to NVC, other topics may include: social justice, ecology, circling, restorative circles, healthy relationships, feminism, families and children, eco-sexuality, community, economics, and authentic movement.
Compassion Camp combines experiential and traditional approaches to learning, including professionally led classes, small-group conversations, hands-on practices, movement, self-reflection, and interactive activities, to provide an intimate, well-rounded, and powerful experience. Through both pre-planned presentations and Open Space sessions, Compassion Camp seeks to concentrate the creativity and inspiration of participants into an ongoing, life-serving energy for the community and create networks among affinity groups such as educators and social activists. Compassion Camp also features relational activities centered around singing, dancing, storytelling, and silence, which cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien has identified as the four most common ways that humans create wellness, community, and connection.
Compassion Camp participants will likely experience:
- Increased connection to self, others, and nature
- A deeper commitment to being of service
- A broader understanding of the ways you can live compassion
- More skill in creating supportive community in your life
- More practical tools and resources to inspire yourself and others
Schedule
Compassion Camp hosts a broad selection of topics to explore through the combination of pre-planned presentations and group-selected open space offerings. Connection and movement activities, meals, and rituals also contribute to a rich and nourishing experience.
More about schedule and Open Space technology
About the Co-Directors
For over thirty years, Steve Torma has gently guided our culture toward cooperation and regeneration. He is the former President of Earthaven Ecovillage, where he continues to live his passion for community and sustainability. Trained in Nonviolent Communication, and other healing modalities, Steve co-founded The REAL Center in 2007. Through his compassionate presence and guidance, Steve has helped countless people to find healing, direction, and meaning in their lives.
Terrie Lewine focuses her work on deep self-awareness, communication and relationship work. She currently resides in Philadelphia, PA where she owns and manages her private teaching/coaching practice and the Back to Life Wellness Center. She offers classes, workshops and trainings for individuals and couples, and supports organizations by developing and supporting best practices regarding collaboration, team building and effective conflict resolution.
Steve and Terrie have been deeply enriched by using NVC in their own lives, relationships, communities and with the people they serve. Having felt the power of NVC to transform lives they are excited to create a gathering where people can come together to learn from each other, celebrate, and network.
While deeply inspired by NVC, their vision of a compassionate world includes many other aspects of creating the more beautiful world our hearts know is possible. With that in mind, they’ve brought together a group of leaders in WNC to share their wisdom at Compassion Camp.
More Facilitators and Class Descriptions
Location, Travel, and Accommodations
Location
This program takes place at Earthaven Ecovillage. This permaculture-based community offers a unique living classroom where participants will engage with the natural world, eco-infrastructure, and the intimate experience of rural community living.
Accommodations
Camping is included. Private indoor lodging at Earthaven is available for an additional cost.
Shared indoor lodging
Cost per person: 1 night $20, 2 nights $40, 3 nights $60, 4 nights $75
Private indoor lodging
Cost for 1 person: 1 night $50, 2 nights $85, 3 nights $105, 4 nights $120
Cost for 2 people (shared bed): 1 night $75, 2 nights $130, 3 nights $160, 4 nights $175
Off-site options
Various options in Bat Cave, Black Mountain, and Asheville.
Travel
Earthaven is nestled in the heart of the rural Southern Appalachian Mountains, 30 miles outside of Asheville, NC on curvy mountain roads and within two hours of three airports.
Food
Delicious, omnivorous meals are prepared by talented culinary artists from the Earthaven community. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options available. Snacks and beverages (tea, coffee) are provided. Participants are invited to help with meal clean-up. Many hands make light work.
As much food as possible is sourced from Earthaven and its surrounding farms and gardens, with some ingredients sourced from local grocery stores. Our meals are created with seasonal, local, fresh, wildcrafted, humanely-raised, and organic ingredients.
Children and Families
We welcome families with children to attend and will do our best to support you and your children. The village setting of Earthaven offers a safe and fun place for people of all ages and stages to explore. Much of the content involves focused, sit-down presentations, so attending with a young child will likely mean being less able to participate fully in the program.
Children ages 0-3 ($0 includes food and camping)
Young children are welcome to attend with parent/guardian at no cost. We do not offer a program or childcare for this age group. If you decide to bring your young child(ren) to sessions, please understand that you and your child may need to step outside if your child is crying or playing loudly so that others may participate fully.
Children ages 4-12 ($100 includes food and camping)
Children are welcome to attend with parent/guardian. For this age group we offer a youth program that runs during open space sessions and will include games, crafts, and nature connection activities. Parents are responsible for their children during all other times.
Teens ages 13-17 ($100 includes food and camping)
Teens are welcome to attend with parent/guardian. We do not offer a program for this age group. Teenagers may attend sessions, but parents should be aware that there may be adult content, and parents are responsible for them and what they attend.
Compassion camp was an emotionally nourishing environment where I was able to sink into my relationship with my partner and our children. ~ Angel Trail, 2018 Participant
Cost
Registration includes instruction, all materials, food, and three nights of camping. Private indoor lodging at Earthaven is available for an additional cost (see above).
Adults
Registration Sliding Scale: $220-400
Payment available in $60 increments
Youth
Infant and Toddlers ages 0-3: Free
Children ages 4-12: $100 (youth program available)
Teens ages 13-17: $100 (no program available)
Work Trade: We offer a few partial work trade opportunities to individuals who are available and qualified for the following service areas, and who would otherwise not be able to afford to attend. Our partial work trade positions cost $50-90 depending on the position, require about 11 hours of service, and include food, camping, admittance to camp, and materials.
Scholarships: We offer limited partial scholarships of $100 to individuals who otherwise would not be able to afford it. We prioritize scholarships for people of color and single parents with financial needs. We understand that people of color experience more financial and institutional barriers to participation, and we want to counteract that by offering scholarships.
Work trades and scholarships do NOT cover transportation or indoor lodging.
Please contact us at info@schoolofintegratedliving.org to receive a work trade or scholarship application.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. ~ Dalai Lama
We envision a world where women’s history inspires all people to have equal respect for everyone’s experiences and accomplishments and to see there are no obstacles to achieving their dreams.
When a field trip is out of the question, bring the museum to you! The National Women’s History Museum is offering 45 minute electronic field trips for 4th through 11th grade classes, non-profit organizations, corporations, extracurricular groups (and more!) on a variety of topics this fall. Interact with a Museum Educator through field trips that are streamed directly into your classroom using the Zoom video platform, and offer your students a glimpse into how museums bring history to life. All sessions last one class period and include pre-and post-program curriculum materials.
Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/electronic-field-trips-tickets-68218392047
Prices:
- $125 – private schools, youth organizations, homeschool associations, clubs, corporations, & non-profits
- $100 – public schools
- No Charge – Title I schools (contact us to verify status as a Title I school and to schedule the field trip)
Current Electronic Field Trips:
Standing Up for Change: African American Women and the Civil Rights Movement
In the 20th century, African American women formed the backbone of the modern Civil Rights Movement. They were the critical mass, the grassroots leaders challenging America to embrace justice and equality for all. This program discusses women’s critical roles in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Little Rock’s Central High School integration, and the little-known women behind the scenes of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Join us to explore the Civil Rights Movement through the perspectives of its women leaders.
Taking a Stand Part 1: The Beginnings of Woman Suffrage (1776-1872)
Though the woman suffrage movement started in 1848, the movement had roots going back to the beginning of the country. This program will explore the early factors in the suffrage movement including key women such as Abigail Adams, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Sojourner Truth, and Susan B. Anthony. Learn about the beginnings of the women’s rights movement in the United States and the legislation that was put in place to halt the movement.
Taking a Stand Part 2: Woman Suffrage and Protest at the White House (1872-1920)
By the early 20th century women had yet to achieve the vote nationally. A group of women, adopting radical tactics from their British counterparts, brought their protests to Washington, DC and the White House fence. Learn how Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) drew public attention to their cause and became a model for peaceful public protest marches in the United States.
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Previous Electronic Field Trips (videos are currently free for use):
Women Pioneers of Computer Programming
In 1943 the US Army hired six women mathematicians to set up and operate the Army’s newest top secret weapon in World War II. The Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was the first electronic, digital computer. These unsung heroes figured out how to wire the electrical connections that enabled ENIAC to complete 300 multiplications per second. This field trip incorporates math and science content including electronic circuits and geometry. To see a recording of this program, click here.
Katherine Johnson and the Mathematics of the Space Race
Getting astronauts to space and back involves more than rockets and hardware. During America’s space race in the 1950s and 60s, mathematicians performed calculations that determined the geometry for space orbit. Women “computers”, including National Women’s History Museum’s Women Making History honoree Katherine Johnson, were integral members of NASA’s teams. Join us to learn the mathematical concepts behind space orbit and the women who sent America’s astronauts into space. To see a recording of this program, click here.
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It takes an African American woman until almost the end of August (2019) to make the same amount that a white man made through Dec 31, 2018.
That’s why we are launching our Equal Pay for Equal Work Petition to
#DemandMore here at NWHM.
Add your name now to sign on and help us reach our goal of 10,000 members strong!
“…Each one of us can make a difference, and together, we make change.”
SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI
Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 1
Our live journey ran from August 2017 to March 2018 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
and
Welcome to the Self-Study version of Living the New Story Series 2 !
Our live journey ran from September 2018 to April 2019 and each of the 8 videoconferencing sessions were recorded.
Throughout the eight sessions, we are inviting you to take an experiential journey into what needs to change in us, and in the human story. Each session will explore, at increasing levels of depth, what it is to live the new story personally, and accelerate it collectively, through:
-
Understanding our own personal journey inside of our larger, collective story of human evolution.
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Awakening to ourselves as dynamic, inspired agents of change and learning how to powerfully cocreate the future of our world in a way that is uniquely ours.
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Catalysing our growth and evolution beyond the patterns and core beliefs of our past to make way for the new story to unfold.
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Honouring the best of the old story and integrating it into the new.
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Connecting with, and beginning to harness, the power of the collective field to carry the new story forward.
As we change our story, we change our world
We humans find our way by story. Our stories shape us, hold us and give meaning to our lives. Every so often it becomes clear that a prevailing story is no longer serving. Now is such a time. Humanity needs a new, inspiring picture of the future to live into.
This website is designed to support the emergence of a coherent new story for humanity and the production of practical, collaborative ways to live this new story.
We invite you to help us accelerate our collective understanding of what the ‘world in waiting’ holds for us, what is already emerging and what needs to change, both in us and in the human story.
As a first step in this journey already begun by others, the Findhorn Foundation gifted to the world – The New Story Summit: Inspiring Pathways for our Planetary Future –which was held from 27 September to 3 October 2014…a gift economy gathering of the human family to experience planetary community, draw on our collective intelligence and co-create a story to inspire us all.
The Summit was more than full so we know there is huge support and longing for a new way to live together – a way which honours ancient wisdom and the interconnected whole living system of which we, the Earth and the cosmos are all part. It’s all connected and we are all accountable. To find out more, visit our Summit page.
This online hub will continue to be just that – a hub for people from all over the world to meet, engage, collaborate, share information, dream, synergise and inspire each other to live a new story.
If you would like to join this wave of collaborative action to shift consciousness and build on the threads of a new story already being lived and experimented with, you are very welcome. We invite your engagement, transparency, trust, compassion, innovation, entrepreneurship and generosity of spirit
You can also contact us by post:
Visitors Centre
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For general enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690311
Email: enquiries@findhorn.org
Bookings office contact details:
Bookings
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For booking and workshop information tel: +44 (0)1309 691653
Email: bookings@findhorn.org
Media and Public Relations
Public Relations
Findhorn Foundation
The Park
Findhorn
Forres, IV36 3TZ
Scotland, UK
For media enquiries tel: +44 (0)1309 690605
Email: pr@findhorn.org
Scottish charity No. SC007233, registered offices at the address above.
VAT registration No. 0957.68.506B01
The Findhorn Foundation is a Non-Governmental Organisation associated with the Department of Public Information of the United Nations.
CREATING COMMUNITY
Boulder, CO
Free
August 22, 2019
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM MDT
Join Loam on August 22 for a Loam Home strategizing session and sweet summertime picnic. We’ll gather together in the garden to break bread, savor herbal tea, and talk about tangible next steps for Loam Home.
Loam Home is an emerging community center and creative co-working space in Boulder, CO committed to serving as an intentional container for climate adaptation and eco entrepreneurship. From hosting permaculture workshops to farm-to-table suppers, we envision Loam Home as a vibrant hub for our community to explore regenerative living in practice. We want Loam Home to be a true collaboration and hope you’ll bring your radical skills and big dreams to share with us.
Location will be e-mailed to registered participants the day before.
We’re so excited to connect with you all!
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Loam is a movement of compassionate and creative activists who strive to support one another as we find our footing in the heart of the climate crisis. Our community is passionate about seeding regeneration, resilience, and joy through embodied experiences that inspire the cultivation of sustainable activist practices, foster inter-sectionality across movements, and help each one of us to heal our connection to our earth.
From publishing vibrant print publications to facilitating immersive workshops, Loam’s constellation of creatives is committed to building a better world through arts-as-activism.
We are endlessly grateful to the Kalliopeia Foundation for supporting this work. Loam would not be possible without our community!
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Reconnecting Ecology, Culture, and Spirituality
Kalliopeia Foundation is responding to a need—a global challenge—to take spiritual as well as physical responsibility for our common home. Our programs and those we support engage with contemporary issues at their root, with the understanding that ecological, cultural, and spiritual renewal are interdependent.
We envision a future rooted in fundamental values, such as compassion, respect, dignity, reverence for nature, and care for each other and the Earth. Our work strives to embody the following core principles:
- Life Is Sacred: Honoring all life as sacred; expressing reverence for one another, the Earth, and life as a whole.
- Interconnectedness: Approaching ecology, culture, and spirituality as inextricably interdependent.
- Innovation: Generating creative ideas and outcomes through simple, meaningful engagement with others and the Earth.
- Service: Embracing an ethic of care—the essential and natural aspiration to respond to needs beyond our own.
Kalliopeia’s Story
In 1997, Kalliopeia was founded as an independent private foundation to help support people and organizations who are working to bring spiritual values into institutions and systems of everyday life and work. The name “Kalliopeia” means beautiful voice and refers to the first of the nine Greek muses. She is associated with heroic poetry, justice, and transforming lower qualities into higher.
https://kalliopeia.org
AKRON PRIDE FESTIVAL
2019
The mission of Akron Pride is to unify and affirm the LGBTQ community and allies in celebrating our diversity and recognizing our likeness.
We will promote acceptance of all individuals by defending human equity.
“We came together, strong, unified, for the purpose of uniting the LGBTQ community for one day of celebration. With many obstacles and challenges ahead of us, we are willing to take risks and ask questions. With allies in tow, every person in this endeavor is helping to write history in this small city of Akron, Ohio. Every city in every state, no matter how big or small, should own their pride-strong, united, untethered! When there are many that say ‘no’ there is one to say ‘yes’-‘yes we can!’ Small city, big heart!”
-D. Lottman Cruise, President & Founder




Socially Conscious Leadership from the Inside Out
Our guest this week has come to believe that “No matter how wonderful a program is, if it is done as a bestowing – a certain group of people making decisions for another group – that is never going to bridge the divide in our city.” Does your work fit within this paradigm of “bestowing,” and how do you plant seeds for a deeper mindset or consciousness shift to address underlying structural issues? Share Your Reflection »

Dallas-based therapist, activist, writer, community leader and speaker Michelle Kinder examines and teaches conscious leadership “from the inside out.” She offers practical, achievable steps for parents, teachers and others to support children’s social-emotional health, and for business and other leaders to drive transformation in their lives and organizations. While exploring the lack of mental health resources in southern Dallas, Kinder got to know the work of the Momentous Institute, a 99-year-old Dallas-based nonprofit organization that has been building and repairing social-emotional health through education and mental health programs. Momentous Institute serves vulnerable children through therapy services, curriculum and teacher training focused on See full.
Five Questions for Michelle
What Makes You Come Alive?
Thank you for asking. Learning makes me come alive. Learning combined with contribution has long been a winning formula for me feeling most alive. Over the years I developed the habit of checking in with myself every six months or so with the questions “Am I learning? Am I contributing?” There have been interesting seasons on how the two balance each other. There are times that striving to contribute crowded out the kind of white space by brain needs for deep learning and I have had to course correct. And there have been other times that I was learning a lot, but didn’t feel like I was being a good steward in terms of making a difference for other people or for causes I care about. I should also say that because I am currently in a season of more white space and more time for discernment, increasingly, simple pleasures are what make me come alive. Listening to birds, watching our dogs, yoga, running, sunshine, good coffee and the sound of my girls laughing together. Things like that.
Pivotal turning point in your life?
When I was in High School I left my family in Guatemala and came to the states to attend boarding school. It was a transformational experience. The wonderful faculty there saw qualities in me that they nurtured into leadership and I really learned who I was and what I was capable of during those four years. Interestingly, in my previous school, there were teachers who experienced the exact same qualities as problematic, annoying or something to control. Having that experience has made me very interested in how adults show up in the lives of children in a way that respects the enormous privilege and responsibility. I always say there are no neutral interactions when it comes to our relationships with children – all interactions are either positive, negative or missed opportunities.
An Act of Kindness You’ll Never Forget?
When I was in college, my 24-year-old sister died suddenly and it was an enormous challenge to go back to school while navigating the grief process. Several weeks into it, when people had stopped checking in, I found a card tucked into one of my books. It was from a classmate I knew somewhat, but not super well. It said something like, “I know time has passed but your hurt hasn’t.” I still tear up thinking about that act of kindness. It meant so much and it has shaped my desire to show up for others in similar ways.
One Thing On Your Bucket List?
Have the kind of flexibility to visit different places for a month at a time and work remotely while folding into the local scene.
One-line Message for the World?
Regardless of the situation, if you ever aren’t sure how to be most helpful, regulate your own nervous system.
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Awakin Circles: A hub for local meditation circles that started in the Silicon Valley and have now spread to 80+ cities around the globe. The circle start with an hour of silence, followed by a circle of sharing and dinner in silence. A newsletter with a passage selected from various wisdom traditions and an audio reading is sent out to 87,000 subscribers each week. See also Awakin Calls that hosts weekly conversations with wide-ranging thought leaders.
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ServiceSpace is an organization run entirely by volunteers. We leverage technology to encourage everyday people around the world to do small acts of service. Our aim is to ignite the fundamental generosity in ourselves and others, creating both inner and outer transformation.
ServiceSpace was conceived by volunteers, was built by volunteers, and is run by volunteers — all for the benefit of volunteers. Our projects range from a daily positive news service, to an acts-of-kindness portal, to a gift-economy restaurant. Regardless of the endeavor, we act in concert to create service opportunities for each other and to support each other’s service journeys.
In September of 2011, we formally changed our name from CharityFocus to ServiceSpace. Founded in 1999, ServiceSpace was originally started to help non-profits with technical services. Over the past dozen years, the organization has become an umbrella for many generosity-driven projects. Thus we have expanded our services from focusing just on helping charities, to encouraging everyday people to contribute in meaningful ways to the world around them. As the name suggests, our new expanded ServiceSpace platform allows people to stay connected with others interested in service, participate in service opportunities through any of our dozen projects, organize their own local service event using our tools, and stay connected to inspirational content. Above all, we believe in the inherent generosity of others and aim to ignite that spirit of service. Through our small, collective acts, we hope to transform ourselves and the world.
We hold these three principles steadfast within our organization:
Stay fully volunteer-run.
ServiceSpace was founded by volunteers and is run by volunteers. There is no paid staff, no office, and no central facilities. All ServiceSpace programs are conceived, designed, implemented, and administered by people who selflessly give their time so that others can benefit from those services.
Based on twelve years of our experience with a volunteer-run infrastructure, we’ve developed a streamlined process that structures projects in a distributed and decentralized manner. This allows more volunteers to give small chunks of time and still deliver high quality services to the end-receiver.
Being volunteer-run also allows us to organically self-organize. Instead of hierarchies and prefabricated business plans, our volunteer infrastructure is dynamic, low-cost and open to radical change. Everything is based on relationships and presence, and that creates a powerful context to BE the change.
We continue to be amazed at what inspired and dedicated individuals can do. Margaret Mead eloquently said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever does.” We could not agree more.
Serve with whatever we have.
We have chosen a slightly different path than most organizations, and choose not to focus on fundraising, grants, or other sources of revenue – for example, none of our websites contain any advertisement. All services are distributed are gifted without any fees. Thus, we serve with whatever support and resources that come in organically when people are truly moved to give.
ServiceSpace projects are built within a gift-economy system, an economic system in which goods and services are given freely, rather than traded. In a traditional market economy, one’s wealth is increased by saving. In a gift economy, giving leads to increase: an increase in connections and relationship strength.
Our services are given freely, without asking for anything in return. Instead of scarcity and fear for an uncertain future, our second principle roots us in abundance and trust. We have realized that over time, if you serve with pure intentions, people’s cups of gratitude overflow. They don’t give to fulfill a need, they give as an expression of their own solidarity and joy. These genuine gifts, no matter how small or large, are what sustains us.
Focus on the small.
Our attempt is to do “small acts with great love”. As our tagline says, “Change Yourself, Change the World.” If we started out by having a goal to change the world, we might have been a little disappointed in our abilities; when we start with ourselves, we notice that the ripples around us continue to get bigger and bigger and as more people try to do small acts, we have every potential to change the world.
Just as every tiny bit of a hologram contains information of the whole, we feel that paying attention to the process, to the present moment, gives us plenty of information to become instruments of a larger, systemic change.
This is how ServiceSpace makes things happen. But essentially the engine that drives the organization is inspiration, pure and simple. We learn from each other, spur each other, help each other, and frequently amaze each other. Sure, we are stirred by the words and lives of great men and women like Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Mother Theresa; but the examples set by our ServiceSpace colleagues–everyday heroes–are the real sustaining forces behind our projects.
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Peace of mind is attained not by ignoring problems, but by solving them. – Raymond Hull |
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS!!!
Would you like to volunteer at The Peace Center?
Do you already volunteer, and would like to learn more about The Peace Center’s varied programs?
Join us for an informational (and fun) Volunteer Training, Tuesday, August 27, 9:30 – 11:30 AM, at The Peace Center. In this optional training, participants will learn about the many programs offered by The Peace Center to schools and communities throughout Bucks County and beyond, as well as how to best represent and promote The Peace Center and its mission.
For more information or to register (it’s free), email events@thepeacecenter.org, or call 215-750-7220.
Then…sign up to represent and promote The Peace Center at these 3 upcoming local festivals: https://forms.gle/