ATD 工作坊报告

Today, 25th of September 2009, is the first day of the Global Gathering of Awakening the Dreamer facilitators around the world.  On 5 continents there are groups coming together to celebrate all that we are doing in 40 or more countries around the world spreading the message of awakening.  So there is no better day than this to share the latest news from China.

United International College in Zhuhai, China , is the first full-scale cooperation in higher education between the Mainland and Hong Kong. Its mission is to build a new model for liberal education in China and to nurture talented future graduates with international perspectives so it is just thrilling to know that the school is beginning to embed the Awakening the Dreamer symposium in its Whole Person Education curriculum.  The inspiration for this is Paul Wong, a faculty member with a strong background of activism within China.  Paul was introduced to the symposium in Hong Kong and trained there as a facilitator so that he could take the message back to his work at UIC – Paul, we salute you.

So the symposium is alive and growing within one of the most innovative approaches to tertiary education in China, and through this will become available to secondary and maybe even primary education there.  The approach is also a model of what’s possible in every other country in the world, so please feel free to spread this inspiration far and wide.

UIC students engaged in the symposium

And here are some of their comments, which just remind me of our shared humanity, regardless of nationality, race or other differences;

这节课印象最深的事一段十分钟的视频，沉重的话题，令人震撼的画面与数字令我不得不反思“Where are we”和“How did we get here”, 令我不得不思考那些我以前觉得不关我事的问题。很高兴有这次机会给了我思考环境的问题。

——冯叶 文化产业管理 大二

今天看了不少Video, 对其中一个讯息有很深的印象，“我们以为科技可以带我们做更多，处理问题，怎料在过程中也给人类带来不少的麻烦。”会把这个当作提醒，今天享受的时候也要记得自己为地球也要负上责任。

——Lam Lok Yan 社会工作与社会行政管理 大二

In today’s class, I’ve seen many ruthless truths from the 3 steps of topics. I got shocked every time I see the videos. To me, and also to human beings, environmental protections should be an obligation.

——冯羽 会计 大二

Through this workshop, I knew more about danger of the environment and the earth. We not only need to know the impact, but also need to do more and make a contribution to the earth.

——陈欣 会计大二

For the environmental sustainability on this planet, I realize I can protect the trees, avoid using one-used products and encourage more people to protect our earth.

——陈欣 会计大二

For the environmental sustainability on this planet, I realize I can change the life style of mine and try to do more good things for our earth.

——Peng Cheng会计大二

For the environmental sustainability on this planet, I realize I can cherish the resources surrounding myself, meanwhile, I need to encourage other people beside myself to do something for our planet

——马可 会计大二

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Results

As some of my recent posts show, I’ve just spent a remarkable month in South East Asia, conceived and organised for the largest part by Jo Fok.  Here’s my conversation with her and hubby Paul as I’m about to head for home.

Jo, I acknowledge you for the fantastic results you’ve achieved; thank you for being you.

Awakening Rings Loud in Manila

What a joy it was to visit Manila and witness the birth of another new community of soul brothers and sisters committed to help ring in a new dream for the human family.

And what a pity to visit the Philippines for the first time and be there but 72 hours.  I arrived to a wonderful greeting from the Philippines Tourist Board and was promptly escorted by the helpful and gracious Jo-Jo to a waiting car, and whisked safely off (thanks Vic) to Tagaytay, a volcano within a volcano just south of Manila.  Although an afternoon of site-seeing was on offer all I could do was fall into the hotel bed for a long-postponed sleep.  Hours later I woke up, enjoyed a massage and went back to sleep for another 10 hours.  That was my chance to see something of the country.

Returning the next day to Manila I met with some of Earthwards, stewards for a sustainable world, a newly formed group in Manila who had organised my entire visit: hotel rooms, symposium venues, professional A/V and meeting production staff were all arranged, and funded, so my thanks go to this group for their vision and their generosity.  You can find out more if you find the Earthwards page on Facebook.

The symposium on Saturday afternoon was quite a blast.  There was a full and enthusiastic crowd, lots to eat (remind me never to mix food and symposiums again) and a brown-out half-way through (yep, a black-out in that part of the world is called a brown-out!)  So the second half of the symposium was delivered by yours truly into a gloomy room as our A/V team worked to restore power.  And by a mix of means we got to the desired end-point, a crowd of folk awake and inspired to see what (more) they can do through their own lives to bring about an environmentally sustainable, spiritually-fulfilling and socially just human presence on Earth.

The very next day 18 enthusiastic souls gathered again to train as facilitators, here they are with their message to the world.

What’s Going on in Ecuador?

My last post was about the trip to the rain forest but there was a real treat waiting for me in Quito as we left the jungle for our trip home.

On Tuesday I met with 9 of Los Caminantes de la Nueva Tierra, the facilitator group from Ecuador.  17 folk trained together last year, a training that was run in Spanish by trainers from staff here at The Pachamama Alliance and a US-based Chilean (thanks tracy and Anne Marie) since when, to be honest, we haven’t heard much from them.  But in the silence thare has been a real rush of activity including;

• they have run about 30 symposiums for groups up to 400 in size, and also
• they have opportunities to train facilitators inside Ecuadorian universities, not only this but
• they have also run the symposium at the World Social Forum in Brazil and in Chile (that’s another new pin in the map), AND
• they have set up there own beautiful, comprehensive web-site (check it out even if you don’t speak Spanish, that’s not all
• last week they presented the symposium to the Minister for the Environment, she was deeply moved and immediately wants another symposium for her senior civil servants (can you run another event for 200 next week please?) and then for all of the staff of the Department, but even more than this
• they aim to take the symposium to President Rafael Correa by the end of the year

I am moved, impressed, excited and inspired by this example of what we can do when we are committed to bring forth a new dream, when we can give that a focus, when we realise who we are and what capabilities we have and when we look to our right and look to our left to see the beautiful people who we stand alongside.  Together we are a genius and together we are an unstoppable force.

On behalf of facilitators and new dreamers everywhere I salute Los Caminantes, we love you all.

Hong Kong Happenings

Just back from a week in Hong Kong, where I was privileged to train up another 30+ people to carry the message of Awakening the Dreamer.

Got to tell you a bit about the city, which is like New York on speed. Crammed on to a few small and rocky islands, 7 million people create one of the busiest ports and financial centres anywhere. Its one of the most densely populated cities in the world, 40% of residents live above the 14th floor, largely because 70% of the land mass is either too mountainous to build on or protected habitat.

I got to experience both of these elements first hand. staying as I was in an apartment in Causeway Bay, one of the most crowded areas (and this courtesy of the generosity of a friend of a friend). The apartment was 2000 square feet, four bedroom, and was palatial compared to the average size living space here. To get some sense of what this part of HK looks like check out the video at the bottom of this post.

I also tripped out by commuter ferry to Lantau Island to visit Merrin and Louise in their idyllic hideaway, 20 minutes walk to the end of a steep path in the forest, a small house completely off the beaten track, enjoying fresh spring water and great views of the countryside.

The business end of the trip was organised by the indomitable, tireless Ms Jo Fok, who has taken on the organising of Awakening the Dreamer in HK. She was largely responsible for organising the Symposium there last Thursday, Lynne Twist and Marcia Martin delivered this to a crowd of about 170. The response of the audience was as moving, and moved, as usual and so we had 32 people show up the following Sunday to train as presenters of the symposium.

From this, and from the many contacts of contacts in this highly networked city, we already have options to share our work with universities in mainland China and Hong Kong, at least three schools and a host of groups of all kinds. Another friend of Jo’s, film star Michael Wong, wants to take us into the educational hierarchy of the city and a Thai Buddhist sect – I can only say watch this space, things are happening in Hong Kong.

A Vision of the Universe from Ireland

Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year, the point of turning at which the cycle of life begins again, after the harvest comes the incubation from which all new life emerges.

It is also the day on which the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest, when the spirits can come visit us most easily and when, perhaps, we can see into their realm.

Else where this has become Halloween, and for most of us passes with no more significance

Where better to be on this important day than in deepest Ireland, not far from the seat of the Irish Kings of old, with 49 people who want to help create a new dream in Ireland and in the world.

I’ve got to tell you about Agnes, Dervilla, Luarena and Mary, four Sisters of Mercy, a religious order of Catholic women who give their lives to serving the poor. Since 1821 this order have been serving the disadvantaged, first in Dublin and then rapidly expanding their ministry into places of need around the world. More recently these women have had the insight to include our increasingly poor and needy planet in their work. So when they found the work of the Pachamama Alliance (Bringing forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence) they saw this as a thoroughly modern and necessary expression of their ministry, encompassing their compassion for the oppressed and excluded,, their newly found concern for our environment and of course their knowing that at peace with ourselves and whatever we regard to be the source of life we can attend to these other needs.

So the four sisters had trained to deliver the Awakening the Dreamer Symposium and taken it into their communities across Ireland. Just a few months and 11 events later they had 45 others inspired to train up to take the Symposium off into their own communities – and a waiting list of 20 or so more.

Our timing was auspicious indeed; we convened on Samhain, studied all the next day, All Saints Day, celebrated mass and studied more on All Souls Day and finished the next day as the sun set on autumn splendour. In these days we shared, sang, danced, laughed and cried and brought through as committed and deep a group as I have seen anywhere

The space was soon full of love, community, song, Irish wit and an abundance of poetry; we had a container in which all experienced a deep sense of connection, belonging and the birth of a new possibility for the individuals and for the group assembled. Once again it was clear that planting deep roots will serve us well in creating a unique and powerful expression of this work in a new country.

The group named themselves Aisling na Cruinne – which translates from the Gaelic as the Dream/Vision of the Universe (its pronounced Ash-ling na crin-eh) – what a vision.

What about this from Ghana

As Outreach Director at the Pachamama Alliance I get allsorts of requests from around the world, this is one of the most amazing, from an amazing guy, please take time to tread it and add any comments that you have about how to help Awal.

Hi every one,
My name is Yakubu Mohammed Awal,am 27 years old,male and a student at
the university for development studies in Tamale-Ghana,
am studying agricultural technology and in my third year of studies.
as part of our academic requiremnts to attain a degree my university
is mandated by the constitution of the republic of Ghana to blend
academic work witha rural practical experience which is compulsory for
every student in the university to participate in for three years.
this is how iot works.
In your first year of studies-ie in the third trime you’re sent to a
community anywhere in Ghana study the community
profile,topography,geographical location , population census, and the
community transect.
-in the second year- You are required to go there again and study the
problems and potentials of the community-where upon data collected you
ananlyse it with tools like the prolem tree analyses, pairwise ranking
etc.
in the third and final time – you go there again,and this time you are
reqiured to write a proposal with you findings in the community and
present to the school.
So,i the first year when i arrived in my community of research called
subriso number 1 which is located in the Brong Ahafo region which is
predominantly a forest area,
i was quick to notice that they had a major challenge,
and that was both legal and illegal chainsaw operation which seemed to
be an everyday activity.
I noticed with great dismay the rate at which the precius forest trees
were being depleted every day was alarming.
Funny enough enough this particular community happaend to be a settler
community,
They went there to farm cola nut and then the forest trees became a
discovery to them,
So the lazy youth abandoned their farming activities and simply took
up dogma machines and started cutting down trees which fetched them
quick money.
So they had more hands to join in the business and iut became worse.
But with my little experience of deforestation i tried to talk to them
about the dangers involved in this business but i was met with stiff
opposition from the towns people,
to them it was a gift from God and they were going to use it fully to
thier advantage.
so they woudnt listern to me.
but i also thaught they should listern because it was importand for us
to know that a well lived toiday brings a better tomorrow.
it became a challenge to then but my time to return to school was due
so i had to go back to school.
-Then i met Jon symes through a friend called alastaire wolfe who
introduced me to jon and the we exchanged e-mails and phone calls and
jon inspired me to organise a symposium for this people.he sent to me
a symposium dvd and some materials to study as aguide torwards
organising the serminer.
i accepted to do it and organised a symposium at this community on the
28of nov2008
This community has no electricity so i had tocarry my television set
together wlth a generator to this place.
i had three friends of mine who volunteerd to join me to do this one
of them had to do the translation for me since he spoke the same
language withg them.
on frinday at 10 am the entire community was gathered at the village
square top listern to the message we had brought to them.
we displayed thedvd and explained as it rolled on untill the end.
we then had an open forum where we receieved questions freom the
people as to their understanding of the video and the message,
the response was affirmative and we had to deal withy questions like ,
‘what do you want us to do now that you want us to stop cutting down the trees.?
‘where do we get money to go into farming since it is not cheap to go farming?
‘do we just leave the forest to waste now that yopu asked us to stop
cutting them?
‘were you(me)bringing jobs tro us as alternatives to cutting this trees?
‘How do wqe get our fuel wood then?
and awhole lot issues,
But am much as i tried to answer them i also gave the hope,since i had
no immidiate solutions to their answers.
but in the end they saw reason in my case and the chief of the village
called Nana Yaw Kyere. rose up and pledged his commitment to end this
chainsaw operations in the area,.
so we made a list of names mostly opinion leaders to endorse their
commitment to this fight.
we ended the day by praying to God for that day and asked him to help us.
Dear jon this symposium as it took place will change the lives of my
people and the generations yet unborn if this continues.
i want to do this to help my country and help realise the dream of
pachamama also.becase subriso number is just one community around
hundredsof those communities engaged in this acts.
but here i’am just a student,
it took me my entire savings to make this first seminar happen,
transporting the tv ,generator, my self , my two friends feeding then
and accommodating then became a cost to me, in the end i spent about
430 Ghana cedis 430 us dollar equivalent.
But i do not regret it bacause not is more expensive so long as it
pays to educated someone(people)
jon, i’ll be on holidays soon,
foe 1 month and i was hoping to use this period to visit the other
communities withe same message.But i cant afford it now since i do not
have any mony again and this time i wish to use a two weeks period to
cover about 20-25 communities and that will cost me a fortune.
please can you tell a friend to to tell a friend that if they can
assist me to this,
we will all contribute in changing the lives of many people around
especially here in Ghana.
thank you Jon,
hope to read from you soon.
N/B This is a long e-mail to you,
please i could not go through to make corrections please if find
mistatkes do understand.
thank you.
Awal from Ghana

In China

The Big Trip; taking the Awakening the Dreamer message around the world. Here I am, blessed and privileged to be taking this message to China for the first time.

Courtesy of DC Cordova and her business partners I am being flown into Hangzhou to present to up to 1000 social entrepreneurs.

First impressions
• The amazing 3 lane highway between Shanghai and Hangzhou, full of trucks at 2 in the morning
• The familiar elements of the old dream, advertising bill boards
• The huge number of tower blocks everywhere it seems
• The tang in the air
• The wonderful greeting of so many Chinese people
• Language lessons from David, his pride in his country and the Olympics, he was actually a torch bearer as the flame made its way through the country, he personally handed over the Olympic spirit to me as a Brit because London will host the 2012 Games
• My own preconceptions and prejudices
• The piece in the South China Morning Post (check) about the Chinese government minister saying how successful propaganda had been in the H1 08, reinforcing the hegemony
• Meeting Randy, a Bucky afficianado and friend of Dave Buck
• Opulent hotel room, size of my last apartment
• My luggage is way-laid, I’m dressed in a Doers shirt and borrowed pants
• “I AM” with me, I am God in Action in this work
• The Toilet – American Standard its called – which offers a flush, rinse, wash and blow-dry all in one sitting

Pudong Airport in Shanghai would rival any modern airport in the world for scale, modernity and efficiency.

I’m supping Italian coffee, chatting online and watching a somewhat up-market crowd move through the airport. Clearly here the flights are out of reach of the poorer folk (or they are consigned to another airport of their own) and we could be in Paris or Geneva. The crowd is oh-so-bored Western business folk, travelers from the more developed world clutching bargains and tourist guides, plus seemingly wealthy Chinese wearing the latest fashions. The airport offers the normal diversions, food, drink and lusting after material excess. Why did I think I might get a pair of cheap trainers here, the $100 sneaker is alive and well – and not even a brand I know. All the familiar brands are here and then the wanna-be local brands borrowing look and feel to up their own perceived value. So what . . . . . why would it be any different? Its only my preconception or projection which would make this airport different from any other. And I do want to se it different, I do want to see an ancient culture reflected somehow, I do want to resist the McChina effect. For sentimental reasons, for environmental reasons, for the love of diversity and in hope for our future.

We drove here on wonderful roads that shame the infrastructure of the Bay Area, past an endless parade of huge hoardings erected 20 metres or so above the ground, advertising with huge Chinese characters, cars, textiles, washing machines. A few companies had arranged an English strap line on the ads, for whose benefit I can’t figure, but thank you to the kind folk at Kalibo Gear Hobbing Machines, International Automotive Electromechanical Plaza and Global Home Furnishings Centre. And I wonder if Sunkey Aluminium will achieve the sales boost they envisage from their investment.

The outlook, underneath a hazy smog or a smoggy haze (couldn’t tell which), was the same for the entire 200 km drive; clusters of apartment blocks 6 or so stories high surrounded by fields being farmed in small parcels of different crops, mile after mile, this is a huge country.

I was somehow reminded of being in Puyo, which Pachamama rainforest visitors will know is the last town before the forest, and yet seems to already represent all the trappings of the old dream, alive and well on the very edge of the unspoilt wilderness of the Amazon basin. Is China already one massive Puyo expanding westward and gobbling up the wisdom of their ancients, replacing it with our exported culture?

What this is really about, for me, is knowing our work in Awakening the Dreamer is every bit as important here. And I’ve been blessed to meet a host of great people who see the trap that we’ve laid for them. Some even see the irony that it is baited with Made in China goods, but all want to find a way to avoid further descent into the unsustainable dream of the modern world.

My travel bag is full of business cards I can’t even read, each piece in its incomprehensible characters represents another soul alive right now to how bad it is and how much basis for hope exists. Every one of these people will do something, they might want help to see what to do or how to join their efforts to ours, but they are with us just the same. Open minded, open hearted and ready to act even more for a world which is environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just: partners in blessed unrest.