ODFL - One Dollar For Life - Projects For A Better World For Everyone

What is ODFL? - Download a printable PDF version of this page.

What is ODFL?
http://www.odfl.org/staticpages/index.php/What_is_ODFL

ODFL is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation founded to address third world poverty while empowering American teenagers to improve their world. It does this by collecting just one dollar from each of millions of US high school students and then channeling those funds into small-scale infrastructure projects in developing world countries.

ODFL works with qualified Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to fund and implement such projects as schools, water wells, irrigation systems, sanitary waste disposal, vaccinations, and other simple, low cost projects. These projects have the potential to dramatically improve the capacity for self-sustenance — or even of life itself — for tens of millions of people.

ODFL was founded in 2006 at Los Altos High School in Los Altos, CA. It is operated by students with the help of teachers in Los Altos, Mt. View, and Bakersfield, CA.

How Does ODFL Work?

ODFL helps US high schools manage fund-raisers, aggregate their monies, identify qualified NGOs and worthy projects, and oversee the projects’ implementation in developing countries. Conceptually, ODFL’s operation looks like this:

ODFL maintains the highest of standards for both its NGO partners and the projects it funds. It ensures that monies are properly spent and enables students to monitor the way their projects improve lives of thousands of people.

The nexus connecting U.S. students and developing world villages is a web site built with industry standard hardware and software. The site provides training tools to help schools operate fund-raisers, offers profiles of qualified NGOs, and presents case studies of successful projects. It brings together millions of people from the US and the developing world to create a singular humanity working to reduce human suffering.

The Need in the Developing World

One billion people live on less than $1 per day. Three billion people — almost half of humanity — live on less than $2 per day. Three million children die every year of dehydration and the pill to cure it costs $.10. Five million people die of malaria and the pill to fix it costs $.25. These and myriad other problems consign these billions of people — and their children — to permanent destitution. Unless they’re addressed, these problems will only get worse. This need not be.

The Need in America

Ironically, American high school students have needs as well. They are hungry to find a purpose larger than themselves. They have an impulse for compassion. And they have a longing for self-efficacy. ODFL allows tens of millions of American students to connect to others through altruism and civic engagement, and to demonstrate a sense of self-efficacy in their lives. It allows them to directly improve their own world while making themselves into “bigger” people.

The Solution

Small Scale Projects

Clean drinking water. Basic vaccinations. Reading materials. Often, the smallest thing stands between destitution and self-sufficiency. Such things cost much less in developing countries than they do in the U.S., allowing small contributions to make such a large impact. It is exactly such low-cost-high-impact projects that allow ODFL to help improve living conditions and the potential for growth in developing world countries.

Small Grain Fundraising

ODFL fundraising is based on a very fine-grained contribution model: only $1 from each donor. The size makes it virtually impossible for any person to not want to participate. Yet it is precisely when all of these minute donations are added together that such small donations become so powerful. ODFL has built a “Fundraiser in a Box” to help U.S. schools organize and carry out successful fundraisers. The process is magical for students and teachers alike!

Successes and Visions

In its first full year of operation, ODFL:

• Built a school in Kenya for 45 students who had been studying in a horse barn
• Set 452 bicycles to Africa, our “Wheels of Wonder” used bicycle collection drive
• Bought desks for 60 students at a primary school in Malawi
• Raised $3,000 for victims of the China earthquake
• Provided milk cows for 120 orphans in Kenya, feeding them protein for 8 years
• Donated 4,000 pounds of food to the Bay Area Second Harvest Food Bank
• Built a 3-room school in Nepal for 84 students with no school at all

These are the kind of low-cost, high impact projects that ODFL undertakes, helping both donors and recipients, both here and abroad. Bigger people. Better world. That is our mission. Please join us!

More about ODFL successes around the world.

ODFL's Vision, Philosophy & Mission

http://www.odfl.org/index.php?topic=fb

The Essential ODFL Fundraising Kit
& Supplemental Resources

The Overall Process

Stages and Tools of a Successful Fundraiser

If you want to download all documents and media below as one 173 MB .zip file, click here. 

1. Organize

Document/Instruction	Purpose
Fundraiser Checklist	Essential checklist. Print this out to manage all facets of the drive.
Tasks, Leader, and Teams	Checklist to delegate tasks, leaders, and teams. Print this out and keep with the Fundraiser Checklist.
Fundraiser Approval Form	MUST be returned before beginning
Order Boxes from ODFL	One for each classroom. Order online. You MUST also submit your Fundraiser ApprovalForm.
Order Tri-folds from ODFL	One for each teacher. Order online (same order form as for boxes above). You MUST also submit your Fundraiser ApprovalForm.

2. EducateYourself

Document/Instruction	Purpose
The Quick 411 on ODFL	High level conceptual view of how ODFL works
What We Have Done	A list of projects accomplished in our first three years
Partner/Project Standard	How we keep quality control on building projects
Sample Project Proposal	A concrete example of a proposal to build a project
Three Meanings of ODFL	Deeper explanation of what we're doing. Online audio version
Frequently Asked Questions	Commonly asked questions with answers
Student Talking Points	Five points of emphasis about ODFL
What is ODFL?	Strongly–recommended. This is a six minute student-produced video explaining most facets of ODFL

3. Enlist Teachers

Document/Instruction	Purpose
Present the drive to every teacher	Very Important! At a faculty meeting, in departments, or one-on-one meetings. Ask for their help encouraging students.
Teacher's Letter	Adapt this to meet your school's/club's needs. Back it with either the "Quick 411"or "What We've Done" letter
What Teachers Say	Actual quotes from teachers sponsoring ODFL drives.
What Students Say	Actual quotes from ODFL student leaders
Before and After Photos *	These show actual projects we've completed, Before and After. Find many more of these under Supplementary Tools

4. Publicize

Document/Instruction	Purpose
Flyers	Print and hang these throughout the school. Or make your own with our ODFL Logo - BW or Colored
Dollar Bill Locker Insert	Print on green paper. Use in lockers, on windshields, or hand out individually to students
Public Service Announcements	Download these .mp3 audio and video files for daily announcements or create your own with our ODFL Logo - BW or Colored. Or use ODFL on YouTube. Los Gatos HS's PSA
Facebook pyramid	Coordinate with other clubs. Get the whole school on board! Also ODFL on causes.com
Send photos to ODFL Mail or FTP	School and team members. We'll publicize on our web site! Mail a CD to ODFL or contact webmaster@odfl.org for details on how to FTP photos to ODFL.
Press Release - sample 1 Press Release - sample 2 Press Release - sample 3	Send a story to school and local newspapers. Usually takes a few weeks lead time

5. Execute

Document/Instruction	Purpose
Box Label Template	Print and attach one to each collection box
Box Control Form	Create a form like this on a spreadsheet to manage collections from each classroom.
Public Service Announcements 83MB	Create and/or run these every day throughout the drive or create your own with our ODFL Logo - BW or Colored. Or use ODFL on YouTube. Los Gatos HS's PSA
Other	Schools have done car washes, fashion shows, art auctions, dances, be creative!
Follow-up with newspaper - sample	Report results, send pictures of student team
Follow-up with ODFL	Have school bookkeeper send check for funds to ODFL - address in footer below
Follow-up with your school	Publicize to school when pictures of your project start coming back

 

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constitutional amendment
to protect the pursuit of happiness

make the search for happiness an inalienable right

the Happier Movement, a non-governmental organization backing the legislation

Both Japan and South Korea include the right to happiness in their constitutions

Bhutan pioneered the idea of maintaining a "happiness index." W
1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence made its often-noted stand for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

"pursuit of happiness" into Article 6 of the constitution, which states that education, health, food, work, housing, leisure and security – among other issues – are the social rights of all citizens.

holding to account a government that has long been accused of not providing basic services to the poor.

"This great proposal would establish tools that would permit, in the pursuit of happiness, the rescue of social rights,"
change expectations.

Brazil Considers Adding 'Happiness' To Constitution

MARCO SIBAJA   02/ 2/11 07:20 AM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/brazil-happiness-constitution_n_817397.html

BRASILIA, Brazil — In a nation known for its jubilant spirit, massive parties and seemingly intrinsic ability to celebrate anything under the sun, is a constitutional amendment really required to protect the pursuit of happiness?

Several lawmakers think so, and a bill to amend Brazil's Constitution to make the search for happiness an inalienable right is widely expected to be approved soon by the Senate, which reconvened Tuesday. The bill would then go to the lower house.

The debate comes a month before Brazil's Carnival, a raucous festival replete with tens of thousands half-naked men and women that Rio officials call the largest party on Earth. But supporters say the happiness bill is a serious undertaking despite the revelry, meant to address Brazil's stark economic and social inequalities.

"In Brazil, we've had economic growth without the social growth hoped for," said Mauro Motoryn, the director of the Happier Movement, a non-governmental organization backing the legislation. "With the constitutional amendment, we want to provoke discussion, to seek approval for the creation of conditions in which social rights are upheld."

Similar explorations of officially finding happiness have been pushed by other governments. Both Japan and South Korea include the right to happiness in their constitutions, and earlier this month, the British government detailed plans to begin a $3 million project to measure citizens' well being.

In the early 1970s, the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan pioneered the idea of maintaining a "happiness index." Well before that, the 1776 U.S. Declaration of Independence made its often-noted stand for "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The bill before Brazil's Congress would insert the phrase "pursuit of happiness" into Article 6 of the constitution, which states that education, health, food, work, housing, leisure and security – among other issues – are the social rights of all citizens.

Cristovam Buarque, a senator and former minister of education who is the bill's sponsor in the Senate, said adding the "pursuit of happiness" was essential to helping ordinary people begin holding to account a government that has long been accused of not providing basic services to the poor.

While Brazil is on track to becoming the world's fifth largest economy by the time its hosts the 2016 Olympics, it's lagging public education system, poor roads and railways and crime-ridden slums threaten further advances.

Cristiano Paixao, a constitutional law expert and professor at the University of Brasilia, said he thought the proposed amendment was pointless tinkering that would end up being "legal folklore" as Brazil's democracy has moved beyond the need for such gimmicks since the end of the 1964-85 military dictatorship.

"It would make sense if we were in the moment of redemocratization, of the movement for direct elections," he said. "Now, it just won't be of use."

At a Senate hearing before the bill was passed by a committee last November, Daniel Seidel of the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops criticized the "pursuit of happiness" movement as little more than a marketing campaign that didn't propose solutions to Brazil's social woes.

"Wouldn't it be better to speak clearly about social welfare, about the reduction of inequality?" he asked senators.

But Luciano Borges, president of the National Association of Public Defenders, said the movement could breathe life into a legal push for stronger social rights.

"This great proposal would establish tools that would permit, in the pursuit of happiness, the rescue of social rights," he said.

Motoryn, of the Happier Movement, said he is simply hoping society will take a serious look at the proposed amendment, and perhaps change their expectations.

"Happiness isn't a game, people confuse it with something that is superfluous and it isn't," he said. "We need quality health care, which we don't have. We need quality education, which we don't have.

"It's about creating conditions for people to pursue happiness, but with training, with knowledge, preparing us to be a more advanced society in the future."

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How Eating at Home Can Save Your Life

link

THE SLOW INSIDIOUS DISPLACEMENT of home cooked and communally shared family meals by the industrial food system has fattened our nation and weakened our family ties. In 1900, 2 percent of meals were eaten outside the home. In 2010, 50 percent were eaten away from home and one in five breakfasts is from MacDonald’s. Most family meals happen about three times a week, last less than 20 minutes and are spent watching television or texting while each family member eats a different microwaved “food.” More meals are eaten in the minivan than the kitchen.

Research shows that children who have regular meals with their parents do better in every way, from better grades, to healthier relationships, to staying out of trouble. They are 42 percent less likely to drink, 50 percent less likely to smoke and 66 percent less like to smoke marijuana. Regular family dinners protect girls from bulimia, anorexia, and diet pills. Family dinners also reduce the incidence of childhood obesity. In a study on household routines and obesity in US pre-school aged children, it was shown that kids as young as four have a lower risk of obesity if they eat regular family dinners, have enough sleep, and don’t watch TV on weekdays.

We complain of not having enough time to cook, but Americans spend more time watching cooking on the Food Network, than actually preparing their own meals. In his series Food Revolution, Jamie Oliver showed us how we have raised a generation of Americans who can’t recognize a single vegetable or fruit, and don’t know how to cook.

I believe the most important and the most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork.

The family dinner has been hijacked by the food industry. The transformations of the American home and meal outlined above did not happen by accident. Broccoli, peaches, almonds, kidney beans, and other whole foods don’t need a food ingredient label or bar code, but for some reason these foods—the foods we co-evolved with over millennia—had to be “improved” by Food Science. As a result, the processed-food industry and industrial agriculture has changed our diet, decade by decade, not by accident but by intention.

That we need nutritionists and doctors to teach us how to eat is a sad reflection of the state of society. These are things our grandparents knew without thinking twice about them. What foods to eat, how to prepare them, and an understanding of why you should share them in family and community have been embedded in cultural traditions since the dawn of human society.

One hundred years ago all we ate was local, organic food; grass-fed, real, whole food. There were no fast-food restaurants, there was no junk food, there was no frozen food—there was just what your mother or grandmother made. Most meals were eaten at home. In the modern age that tradition, that knowledge, is being lost.

The sustainability of our planet, our health, and our food supply are inextricably linked. The ecology of eating—the importance of what you put on your fork—has never been more critical to our survival as a nation or as a species. The earth will survive our self-destruction. But we may not.

Common sense and scientific research lead us to the conclusion that if we want healthy bodies we must put the right raw materials in them: real; whole; local; fresh; unadulterated; unprocessed; and chemical-, hormone-, and antibiotic-free food. There is no role for foreign molecules such as trans fats and high-fructose corn syrup, or for industrially developed and processed food that interferes with our biology at every level.

That is why I believe the most important and the most powerful tool you have to change your health and the world is your fork. Imagine an experiment—let’s call it a celebration: We call upon the people of the world to join together and celebrate food for one week. For one week or even one day, we all eat breakfast and dinner at home with our families or friends. For one week we all eat only real, whole, fresh food. Imagine for a moment the power of the fork to change the world.

The extraordinary thing is that we have the ability to move large corporations and create social change by our collective choices. We can reclaim the family dinner, reviving and renewing it. Doing so will help us learn how to find and prepare real food quickly and simply, teach our children by example how to connect, build security, safety and social skills, meal after meal, day after day, year after year.

Here are some tips that will help you take back the family dinner in your home starting today.

Reclaim Your Kitchen

Throw away any foods with high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fats or sugar or fat as the first or second ingredient on the label. Fill your shelves with real fresh, whole, local foods when possible. And join a community support agriculture network to get a cheaper supply of fresh vegetables weekly or frequent farmers markets.

Reinstate the Family Dinner

Read Laurie David’s The Family Dinner. She suggests the following guidelines: Make a set dinnertime, no phones or texting during dinner, everyone eats the same meal, no television, only filtered or tap water, invite friends and family, everyone clean up together.

Eat Together

No matter how modest the meal, create a special place to sit down together, and set the table with care and respect. Savor the ritual of the table. Mealtime is a time for empathy and generosity, a time to nourish and communicate.

Learn How to Cook and Shop

You can make this a family activity, and it does not need to take a ton of time. Keep meals quick and simple.

Plant a Garden

This is the most nutritious, tastiest, environmentally friendly food you will ever eat.

Conserve, Compost, and Recycle

Bring your own shopping bags to the market, recycle your paper, cans, bottles and plastic and start a compost bucket (and find where in your community you can share you goodies).

Invest in Food

As Alice Waters says, food is precious. We should treat it that way. Americans currently spend less than10 percent of their income on food, while most European’s spend about 20 percent of their income on food. We will be more nourished by good food than by more stuff. And we will save ourselves much money and costs over our lifetime.

Now I’d like to hear from you.

Do you think the health of our planet and the health of our diet are linked? How?

Which of the steps outlined above have you taken in your own life and how have they worked for you?

What ideas do you have that will help us reclaim the family dinner and revive the tradition of eating real, whole foods?

Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

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Governor Brown Cuts Governor's Office Budget By 25% & Returns 84% of Transition Funds

Governor Brown Cuts Governor's Office Budget By 25% & Returns 84% of Transition Funds

cutting spending in the Governor’s Office by 25 percent—$4.5 million
eliminating the Office of the Secretary of Education, ... save the state $1.9 million.
returning to the state treasury 84 percent—$650,000—of the $770,000 allocated in the 2010 budget for his transition.
or a total savings of $7.05 million.

• Eliminating the position of Cabinet Secretary and all deputy cabinet secretaries.
and more

This is only the first week in office...
--
[Show me any other Governor or public official doing anything like this - and much more to come.]
===


Governor Jerry Brown Returns 84 Percent of Transition Funds to California Treasury     Print     E-mail
Written by Imperial Valley News  
Saturday, 08 January 2011
http://imperialvalleynews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9149&Itemid=2

Sacramento, California - Governor Jerry Brown announced that he is returning 84 percent of the Governor’s transition fund, making sharp cutbacks in the Governor’s Office, and eliminating the Office of the Secretary of Education, for a total savings of $7.05 million.

“California is facing a huge deficit and it is necessary to find savings throughout all of government. We all have to make cuts and I’m starting with my own office,” said Governor Brown.

• His administration is returning to the state treasury 84 percent—$650,000—of the $770,000 allocated in the 2010 budget for his transition. His administration spent $120,000 on the transition.
• Governor Brown is cutting spending in the Governor’s Office by 25 percent—$4.5 million—in the budget that will go the Legislature on Monday.
• His budget also eliminates funding for the Office of the Secretary of Education. This will save the state $1.9 million.
• The total savings from these actions is $7.05 million.

To achieve the 25 percent savings in his own office, the Governor is making cuts that include:

• Cutting the Governor's Washington, D.C. office staff.
• Cutting the Governor's press and communications staff.
• Eliminating the position of Cabinet Secretary and all deputy cabinet secretaries.
• Eliminating the Office of the First Lady.
• Closing the Governor’s field offices in San Diego, Fresno, and Riverside.
• Eliminating the Office of the American Reinvestment and the Recovery Act Inspector General six months ahead of schedule, as previously announced.

The 2010 Budget Act included a total of $18 million for the Governor’s Office. After the 25 percent reduction, the total Governor’s Office budget in 2011 will be $13.4 million.

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Movie - American Pastime - About Life In American Concentration Camp

American Pastime - a movie worth watching.

Set in LA and American Concentration Camp for internment of American citizens of Japanese descent - over 120,000.

The movie deals with multiple issues - jazz, to enlist or not, creating community no matter what the circumstance, family, racism, sexism, parental harms, anger directed at others, the cost of war to families and the people involved in them, celebrating American holidays and baseball.

Great examples of transcendence beyond being victim. Also examples of dealing with bullies. And human dignity at many levels.

What would today's ready made concentration camps be like if they are put to use.

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(Canada also had internment of 20,000 of their citizens. One of the earlier American use of concentration camps was in 1830 for Cherokee and other Native Americans, in the late 1890s American's set up concentration camps  in the Philippine-American War.)

===

More at IMDbPro »

American Pastime (2007)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0825225/

105 min  -  Drama   -  14 May 2007 (USA)

    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.6/10 X  

Users: 6.6/10 (397 votes) 8 reviews | Critics: 6 reviews

The first scene shows the life of the Nomura family, a typical American family of Japanese descent in 1941...

Director:

Desmond Nakano

Writers:

Desmond Nakano (screenplay), Tony Kayden (screenplay), and 1 more credit »

Stars:

Aaron Yoo, Olesya Rulin and Carlton Bluford

---

User Reviews

8 reviews
 

Worth seeing "American Pastime"

21 May 2007 | by justgazin (United States) – See all my reviews

When I saw the movie "American Pastime", there was a Q and A afterward. This film is a compilation of many of the experiences that friends and relatives of the screen writer had during the Japanese internment camps of WWII. The producer and director stated that the entire film was filmed in Utah, near where one of the internment camps had been, so the actors could feel and understand even the weather, sand, and restrictive situations that happened.

Inspite of the seriousness of the situation, the viewer will laugh, think, and cry as they watch this film. The baseball scenes were fun, but one knows it was a bit over the top. That didn't hurt the film though. During the Q and A, we were told that baseball really was a big part of life at internment camps.

The actors were sincere. I only hope that because this film is a small budget film, that it does not get lost in the shuffle. I think it was one of the best films I have seen this year, and I go to the movies a lot..It is a sure thing.

(2007) More at IMDbPro »

San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival
Year	Result	Award	Category/Recipient(s)
2007	Won	Audience Award	Drama Desmond Nakano
			Drama Tony Kayden Desmond Nakano

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Foods you should buy from organic sources

Friday, December 17, 2010 by: Shona Botes, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/030754_organic_food_health.html

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030754_organic_food_health.html#ixzz18RKZNBIX

(NaturalNews) Organic foods have started taking root (no pun intended) in the minds of more and more consumers each year as people strive to live healthier lives.

Not only do they taste a lot better (without the help of chemicals and flavour enhancers), but they also provide far more nutrients and benefits than their often irradiated and chemically fertilized counterparts. Admittedly, organic foods are often more expensive, but the benefits of consuming them are well worth the expense.

While growing, some foods absorb a lot more chemical fertilizers and pesticides than others, so they should be bought organically as much as possible. There are still cases where crops are absorbing Dieldrin (a highly carcinogenic insecticide) from soil, even though it was banned way back in 1974!

Some foods absorb a lot more chemicals than others, so even if you truly cannot afford to purchase all organic foods, there are some that you should only ever buy organic:

Apples:

Apples absorb more pesticides than any other fruit. Around 36 different chemicals have been discovered on them. There were as many as seven different chemicals found on a single apple. Therefore, it makes good sense to only purchase these from an organic source. Alternative options for these would be tangerines, bananas and watermelon.

Strawberries:

These are also among the most contaminated fruits you can buy. If you cannot buy these organic, rather opt for kiwifruit or pineapple.

Peaches:

These have also been known to absorb far more chemicals and pesticides than other fruits.

Baby Foods:

Babies and children have developing immune systems, so it's very important for them to be exposed to as little pesticides and chemicals as possible. Wherever possible, purchase organic baby foods, or better still, make and puree your own, using organic fruit and vegetables.

Blueberries:

These may be hailed as a superfood, but this only applies if they are organic. Tests have shown them to be contaminated with as many as 52 different pesticides.

Dairy Products:

Most cows consume grain that contains chemicals, pesticides and antibiotics. Wherever possible, try to source organic dairy products. Or better still, 100% raw milk and cheese will be 100% healthy and nutritious, unlike the pasteurized versions.

Nectarines:

These contain as many as 33 different chemicals and pesticides. If they are not available as organic, safer alternatives would be papaya, watermelon and mango.

Cucumbers:

These have been ranked as one of the most contaminated fresh foods.

Bell Peppers:

Because these have a very thin skin, they absorb pesticides and chemicals very easily. Should they not be available as organic, safer alternatives to these would include peas, cabbage and broccoli.

Grapes:

These can contain as many as 17 different chemicals and pesticides. They are also very high in fructose, so they should be consumed in moderation. Safer alternatives include kiwifruit and raspberries.

Spinach and Kale:

The leaves of these two vegetables are capable of absorbing as many as 48 different pesticides, so it is very important to only use the organic varieties. Safer alternatives would be cabbage, broccoli and asparagus.

Potatoes:

Potatoes have been known to absorb as many as 37 chemicals and pesticides. Safer alternatives to these would be mushrooms, eggplant and cabbage.

Winter Squash:

These have also been known to absorb Dieldrin from soil.

Green beans:

These unfortunately rank high on the contamination list, with as many as 60 different pesticides being used on them.

Meat Products:

Organic meats are always healthier, as they contain no growth hormones and stand little to no chance of containing any pesticide products.

Sources:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/health...
http://business-ethics.com/2010/07/...
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/a...


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/030754_organic_food_health.html#ixzz18RKJMyxY

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U.S., Chinese Youth Join Forces

Disputes between the U.S. and China, the two biggest emitters of global warming gases, have stymied progress on a global climate deal.

Recognizing that, youth from both nations launched an unofficial collaboration a little over a month ago called the U.S.-China Youth Climate Exchange.

Members of the partnership will carry out workshops and shared actions in Cancun.

"Sino-American relations have been characterized by mistrust," said Jared Schy of the Cascade Climate Network and the new U.S.-China exchange. "We hope to strengthen trust between our countries by growing our own trust. We hope ... to show the world in a more visible way that China and the U.S. are working together now."
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Youth Activists Plan Co-Operation Over Protest at Cancún Climate Summit

With few government heads expected in Mexico, influence will come behind the scenes, not in front of a camera

by Stacy Feldman from SolveClimate
Published on Friday, November 26, 2010 by The Guardian/UK

What a difference a year makes for climate change activism.

Police made some 400 arrests at a mass rally in Copenhagen, during the 2009 UN climate summit. Such protests and arrests are unlikely at the successor conference, COP16 in Cancún. (Photograph: Mads Nissen/AFP/Getty Images)

Twelve months ago, thousands of young campaigners worldwide converged on Copenhagen to pitch protests against the global political failure to tackle global warming.

They disrupted summit meetings with non-violent civil disobedience to air demands of climate justice. Scores were arrested. Naomi Klein, the writer and activist, said at the time that it felt as though "progressive tectonic plates are shifting."

But a year later — with the start of the next big climate-treaty conference in Cancun, Mexico, days away — activists appear to have dramatically changed their emphasis from confrontation to cooperation.

"There are certain times when it's useful to take a more critical tone and times when it's useful to take a more collaborative tone," said Michael Davidson of SustainUS, an all-volunteer climate action group.

The two meetings "are extremely different," he noted. For one, the eyes of the world were on Copenhagen as 120 heads of state attended, garnering gobs of global media coverage for the summit — and youth-led protests.

But few government heads are expected in Mexico, meaning that a majority of advocates' influence will be behind the scenes, not in front of the camera.

A Model for Progress

In lower-key Cancun, one of the main goals of young people will be to set an example of progress for quarreling climate negotiators, Davidson said.

"Youth have cooperated within negotiations in an extremely intricate way — in some ways much more than other civil society participants," he said. "We're trying to present a model for what delegates should be doing in order to push forward solutions."

"We're not giving up on trying to get countries to actually cooperate," Davidson continued.

Beyond that, SustainUS announced this week that they will use Cancun to fight for a legally binding deal to curb climate-altering emissions — their ultimate goal — and will make the strong link between carbon-cutting clean energy development and job creation.

They also want to stress that vulnerable populations would suffer disproportionately if climate change is ignored — including themselves.

"We're doing this because our future is at stake," Marcie Smith, co-chair of SustainUS, told reporters on a conference call detailing their strategies.

Activists, who align themselves with developing-country governments, suffered defeat at the negotiations in Copenhagen last December, after the 194 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change failed to deliver a post-2012 pact to slow warming.

Agreement is still far off.

The Nov. 29 – Dec. 10 Cancun talks are expected to make progress on some issues, such as green technology transfers and slowing deforestation, but will not a produce a new treaty to succeed the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

U.S., Chinese Youth Join Forces

Disputes between the U.S. and China, the two biggest emitters of global warming gases, have stymied progress on a global climate deal.

Recognizing that, youth from both nations launched an unofficial collaboration a little over a month ago called the U.S.-China Youth Climate Exchange.

Members of the partnership will carry out workshops and shared actions in Cancun.

"Sino-American relations have been characterized by mistrust," said Jared Schy of the Cascade Climate Network and the new U.S.-China exchange. "We hope to strengthen trust between our countries by growing our own trust. We hope ... to show the world in a more visible way that China and the U.S. are working together now."

Influencing U.S. Policy from Cancun

Reed Aronow of SustainUS said activists will lead a "series of creative actions and campaigns" in Cancun centered on getting both meaningful treaty text and climate change legislation in the United States.

Their biggest Cancun campaign, run in conjunction with the Energy Action Coalition, will be the grassroots Rapid Response Network. Organizers will enlist a crew of U.S.-based "climate responders" who will be called on to take action at home when big developments happen in Cancun. 

"We're hoping through the ... network to build up media pressure back home," Davidson said.

The goal is to draw 25,000 participants, Aronow said. 

Their other tactics may ring a more familiar note. Among planned protests, youth activists, dressed as penguins, will hold signs that read, "Save the humans," in what they're calling the "March of the Penguins."

Davidson said he is "not aware of any actions to shut down the talks."

This article originally appeared at SolveClimate.

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Rethinking the Global Economy: The Case for Sharing

by Rajesh Makwana and Adam Parsons
Published on Friday, November 26, 2010 by Share the World's Resources (STWR)

As the 21st Century unfolds, humanity is faced with a stark reality. Following the world stock market crash in 2008, people everywhere are questioning the unbridled greed, selfishness and competition that has driven the dominant economic model for decades. The old obsession with protecting national interests, the drive to maximise profits at all costs, and the materialistic pursuit of economic growth has failed to benefit the world's poor and led to catastrophic consequences for planet earth.

The incidence of hunger is more widespread than ever before in human history, surpassing 1 billion people in 2009 despite the record harvests of food being reaped in recent years. At least 1.4 billion people live in extreme poverty, a number equivalent to more than four times the population of the United States. One out of every five people does not have access to clean drinking water. More than a billion people lack access to basic health care services, while over a billion people - the majority of them women - lack a basic education. Every week, more than 115,000 people move into a slum somewhere in Africa, Asia or Latin America. Every day, around 50,000 people die needlessly as a result of being denied the essentials of life.

In the face of these immense challenges, international aid has proven largely ineffective, inadequate, and incapable of enabling governments to secure the basic needs of all citizens. Developed countries were cutting back on foreign aid commitments even before the economic downturn, while the agreed aid target of 0.7 percent of rich countries' GDP has never been met since it was first conceived 40 years ago. The Millennium Development Goals of merely halving the incidence of hunger and extreme poverty, even if reached by 2015, will still leave hundreds of millions of people in a state of undernourishment and deprivation. When several trillion dollars was rapidly summoned to bail out failed banks in late 2008, it became impossible to understand why the governments of rich nations could not afford a fraction of this sum to ‘bail out' the world's poor.

The enduring gap between rich and poor, both within and between countries, is a crisis that lies at the heart of our political and economic problems. For decades, 20 percent of the world population have controlled 80 percent of the economy and resources. By 2008, more than half of the world's assets were owned by the richest 2 percent of adults, while the bottom half of the world adult population owned only 1 percent of wealth. The vast discrepancies in living standards between the Global North and South, which provides no basis for a stable and secure future, can only be redressed through a more equitable distribution of resources at the international level. This will require more inclusive structures of global governance and a new economic framework that goes far beyond existing development efforts to reduce poverty, decrease poor country debt and provide overseas aid.

In both the richest and poorest nations, commercialisation has infiltrated every aspect of life and compromised spiritual, ethical and moral values. The globalised consumer culture holds no higher aspiration than the accumulation of material wealth, even though studies have shown that rising income fails to significantly increase an individual's well-being once a minimum standard of living is secured. The organisation of society as a competitive struggle for social position through wealth and acquisition has led to rampant individualism and the consequences of crime, disaffection and the disintegration of family and community ties. Yet governments continue to measure success in terms of economic growth, pursuing ever-greater levels of GDP - regardless of the harmful social consequences of a consumption-driven economy.

Although the crises we face are interlinked and multidimensional, the G20 and other rich nations offer no vision of change towards a more sustainable world. The old formula, based on deregulation, privatisation, and the liberalisation of trade and finance, was unmasked by the economic crisis and shown to be incapable of promoting lasting human development. Multilateral institutions like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have failed the world's poor, and the myth that economic growth will eventually benefit all has long been shattered. As we also know, endless growth is unsustainable on a planet with finite resources. This impasse is further compounded by ecological degradation and climate change - the side-effects of economic ‘progress' that disproportionately affect the poorest people who are least to blame for causing these multiple crises.

Humanity's ability to effectively address these interrelated crises requires governments to accept certain fundamental understandings that are instrumental to securing our common future. Firstly, that humankind is part of an extended family that shares the same basic needs and rights, and this must be adequately reflected in the structures and institutions of global governance. And secondly, that many basic assumptions about human nature that inform the thrust of economic decision making - particularly in industrialied nations - are long outdated and fundamentally flawed. The creation of an inclusive economic framework that reflects our global interdependence requires policymakers to move beyond the belief that human beings are competitive and individualistic, and to instead accept humanity's innate propensity to cooperate and share. This more holistic understanding of our relationship to each other and the planet transcends nations and cultures, and builds on ethics and values common to faith groups around the world. It also reflects the strong sense of solidarity and internationalism which lies at the heart of the global justice movement.

International Unity

The first true political expression of our global unity was embodied in the establishment of the United Nations in 1945. Since then, international laws have been devised to help govern relationships between nations and uphold human rights. Cross-border issues such as climate change, global poverty and conflict are uniting world public opinion and compelling governments to cooperate and plan for our collective future. The globalisation of knowledge and cultures, and the ease with which we can communicate and travel around the world, has further served to unite diverse people in distant countries.

But the fact of our global unity is still not sufficiently expressed in our political and economic structures. The international community has yet to ensure that basic human needs, such as access to staple food, clean water and primary healthcare, are universally secured. This cannot be achieved until nations cooperate more effectively, share their natural and economic resources, and ensure that global governance mechanisms reflect and directly support our common needs and rights. At present, the main institutions that govern the global economy are failing to work on behalf of humanity as a whole. In particular, the major bodies that uphold the Bretton Woods mandate (the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and World Trade Organisation) are all widely criticised for being undemocratic and furthering the interests of large corporations and rich countries.

A more inclusive international framework urgently needs to be established through the United Nations (UN) and its agencies. Although in need of being significantly strengthened and renewed, the UN is the only multilateral governmental agency with the necessary experience and resources to coordinate the process of restructuring the world economy. The UN Charter and Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been adopted by all member states and embody some of the highest ideals expressed by humanity. If the UN is rendered more democratic and entrusted with more authority, it would be in a position to foster the growing sense of community between nations and harmonise global economic relationships.

Being Human

Establishing more inclusive structures of global governance will only remedy one aspect of a complex system. Another key transformation that must take place is in our understanding and practice of ‘economics' so that government policies can become closely aligned with urgent humanitarian and ecological needs.

The economic principles that have fashioned the world's existing global governance framework - particularly in relation to international trade and finance - can be traced back to the moral philosophy of Enlightenment thinkers during the emergence of industrial society in Britain. Drawing on the ideas of these early theorists, mainstream economists have assumed that human beings are inherently selfish, competitive, acquisitive and individualistic. Such notions about human nature are now firmly established as the principles upon which modern economies are built, and have been used to justify the proliferation of free markets as the best way to organise societies.

Particularly since the 1980's, these basic economic assumptions have increasingly dominated public policy and pushed aside ethical considerations in the pursuit of efficiency, short-term growth and profit maximisation. But the ‘neoliberal' ideology that institutionalised greed and self-interest was fundamentally discredited by the collapse of banks and a world stock market crash in 2008. As a consequence, the global financial crisis reinvigorated a long-standing debate about the importance of morality and ethics in relation to the market economy.

At the same time, recent experiments by evolutionary biologists and neuro-cognitive scientists have demonstrated that human beings are biologically predisposed to cooperate and share. Without this evolutionary advantage, we may not have survived as a species. Anthropological findings have long supported this view of human nature with case studies revealing that sharing and gifting often formed the basis of economic life in traditional societies, leading individuals to prioritise their social relationships above all other concerns. As a whole, these findings challenge many of the core assumptions of classical economic theory - in particular the firmly held belief that people in any society will always act competitively to maximise their economic interests.

If humanity is to survive the formidable challenges that define our generation - including climate change, diminishing fossil fuels and global conflict - it is necessary to forge new ethical understandings that embrace our collective values and global interdependence. We urgently need a new paradigm for human advancement, beginning with a fundamental reordering of world priorities: an immediate end to hunger, the securing of universal basic needs, and a rapid safeguarding of the environment and atmosphere. No longer can national self-interest, international competition and excessive commercialisation form the foundation of our global economic framework.

The crucial first step towards creating an inclusive world system requires overhauling our outdated assumptions about human nature, reconnecting our public life with fundamental values, and rethinking the role of markets in achieving the common good. In line with what we now know about human behaviour and psychology, integrating the principle of sharing into our economic system would reflect our global unity and have far-reaching implications for how we distribute and consume the planet's wealth and resources. Sharing the world's resources more equitably can allow us to build a more sustainable, cooperative and inclusive global economy - one that reflects and supports what it really means to be human.

This article has been adapted from sections of a recent booklet entitled Sharing the World's Resources - An Introduction

Rajesh Makwana is the director of Share The World's Resources and can be contacted at rajesh(at)stwr.org. Adam Parsons is the editor at Share The World's Resources and can be contacted at adam(at)stwr.org.

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Nutrition & Elimination Of Toxins Prevent & Cure Disease: Antoine Bechamp vs. Louis Pasteur

most illness is due to cellular malfunction caused by cellular toxicities and cellular malnutrition, both of which can be avoided and overcome naturally.

Louis Pasteur, the so-called "father of modern germ theory" so widely revered by mainstream medicine,

a more esteemed contemporary whose works Pasteur plagiarized and distorted.
Antoine Bechamp, one of France`s most prominent and active researchers and biologists whose theories and research results stood in stark opposition to Pasteur`s germ theory.

Bechamp, on the other hand, proved through original research that most diseases are the result of diseased tissue and that bacteria and viruses are largely after-effects instead of causes of disease.

Antoine Bechamp was able to scientifically prove that germs are the chemical by-products and constituents of pleomorphic microorganisms enacting upon the unbalanced, malfunctioning cell metabolism and dead tissue that actually produces disease. Bechamp found that the diseased, acidic, low-oxygen cellular environment is created by a toxic/nutrient deficient diet, toxic emotions, and a toxic lifestyle.

Pasteur`s germ theory ended up winning the day with mainstream medicine - owing in large part to the fact that the theory enabled mainstream medicine to hugely profit from the patented drugs and treatments for fighting germs.

Hippocrates also advised, "Leave your drugs in the chemist`s pots if you can cure your patient with food."

Lack of nutrition combined with exposure to toxins is what causes us to become ill.

the words of Thomas Edison may prove to be a welcome prophesy:
"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."
+++

Louis Pasteur vs. Antoine Bechamp: Know the True Causes of Disease

Saturday, November 13, 2010 by: Tony Isaacs, citizen journalist
http://www.naturalnews.com/030384_Louis_Pasteur_disease.html

(NaturalNews) Mainstream medicine believes that virtually all illness is caused by germs or genetic hereditary weakness, as well as deformities and trauma injuries. Their solution and strategy is to have us believe that there are over 10,000 different diseases and that each of these diseases requires outside intervention from drugs and surgery. The truth is that most illness is due to cellular malfunction caused by cellular toxicities and cellular malnutrition, both of which can be avoided and overcome naturally.

It was Louis Pasteur, the so-called "father of modern germ theory" so widely revered by mainstream medicine, who was largely responsible for germ theory being a primary precept of today`s medical practice. Few people are aware of the controversy which surrounded Pasteur in his early days or of the work of a more esteemed contemporary whose works Pasteur plagiarized and distorted. That contemporary was fellow French Academy of Sciences member Antoine Bechamp, one of France`s most prominent and active researchers and biologists whose theories and research results stood in stark opposition to Pasteur`s germ theory.

Pasteur essentially dug up the germ theory of disease and put his name on it. It wasn`t a new idea. The concept, which theorizes that many diseases are caused by germs, had actually been outlined by other people many years before. Pasteur nevertheless claimed to have "discovered" germs. Bechamp, on the other hand, proved through original research that most diseases are the result of diseased tissue and that bacteria and viruses are largely after-effects instead of causes of disease.

Antoine Bechamp was able to scientifically prove that germs are the chemical by-products and constituents of pleomorphic microorganisms enacting upon the unbalanced, malfunctioning cell metabolism and dead tissue that actually produces disease. Bechamp found that the diseased, acidic, low-oxygen cellular environment is created by a toxic/nutrient deficient diet, toxic emotions, and a toxic lifestyle. His findings demonstrate how cancer develops through the morbid changes of germs to bacteria, bacteria to viruses, viruses to fungal forms and fungal forms to cancer cells.

After some initial controversy, Pasteur`s germ theory ended up winning the day with mainstream medicine - owing in large part to the fact that the theory enabled mainstream medicine to hugely profit from the patented drugs and treatments for fighting germs. After all, had Bechamp`s discoveries been incorporated into current medical curriculum, it would likely have meant a virtual elimination of disease and the end of the pharmaceutical industry.

The germ theory of medicine stands in stark contrast to thousands of years of man looking to nature to nourish and heal it, dating back to ancient Chinese medicine which treated the whole body instead of the symptoms of illness. As Hippocrates, "the father of medicine" observed 2400 years ago, "Nature is the physician of man." Hippocrates also advised, "Leave your drugs in the chemist`s pots if you can cure your patient with food."

Though mainstream medicine might have us believe otherwise, the simple truth is that no one ever became ill due to a deficiency in pharmaceutical drugs. Lack of nutrition combined with exposure to toxins is what causes us to become ill.

Someday, germ theory and unnatural drugs will be relegated to the science junk pile where they belong and man will re-discover the value of eating a nutrient-dense organic diet, avoiding toxins and nutritional deficiencies and living a healthy lifestyle. When that happens, the words of Thomas Edison may prove to be a welcome prophesy:

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease."

Sources included:

http://arizonaenergy.org/BodyEnergy...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germ_t...
"Cellular Toxicities & Cellular Insufficiencies", The Crusador, May/June 2010 edition
http://www.naturalnews.com/028093_l...

About the author

Tony Isaacs, is a natural health author, advocate and researcher who hosts The Best Years in Life website for baby boomers and others wishing to avoid prescription drugs and mainstream managed illness and live longer, healthier and happier lives naturally. Mr. Isaacs is the author of books and articles about natural health, longevity and beating cancer including "Cancer's Natural Enemy" and is working on a major book project due to be published later this year.
Mr. Isaacs is currently residing in scenic East Texas and frequently commutes to the even more scenic Texas hill country near San Antonio and Austin to give lectures in health seminars. He also hosts the CureZone "Ask Tony Isaacs - featuring Luella May" forum as well as the Yahoo Health Group "Oleander Soup" and he serves as a consultant to the "Utopia Silver Supplement Company".

Articles Related to This Article:

• Disease Economy: How the United States economy runs on "treating" chronic disease

• Disease names like diabetes and osteoporosis are misleading and misinform patients about disease prevention

• Heal yourself in 15 days: Stop making disease by embracing the recipe for health (part eight)

• Psychiatry and disease mongering: Road Rage Disorder is latest spontaneously "discovered" disease

• The Cure Con: how you're being deceived by charities that claim to be racing for the cure for cancer and other chronic diseases

• Medical myths explained: Why health researchers mistakenly think one disease causes another

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Social Enchantment With Values And Emotions For A Better World For Everyone

Valuing and sharing common people's knowledge and experience, awakening critical consciousness and finding paths for effective social participation

people come together, sharing their own thoughts and feelings, with a strong sense of commitment and full awareness of what they are doing,"

people who train in the methodology of popular education experience "re-enchantment" with values and emotions that are denied by the competitive and individualistic culture of free market societies. "They fall in love again with a social project, with what they do, with service, solidarity and sharing,"

encourage people to become critical subjects who were capable of collectively solving their problems, managing their lives and transforming their surroundings.

"Popular Education is that knowledge that we have and build on, but when we organise it, it frees us from the bonds created by the consumer society."

 "a person takes up the reins of their own life,"

it is vital to bring [people] to this kind of learning, so that they
"take power over their own bodies [and minds] and do not allow others to make decisions for them."
+++

Cuba: Popular Education Transforms Lives

November 13, 2010
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=32830

HAVANA TIMES, Nov 13 (IPS) — Valuing and sharing common people’s knowledge and experience, awakening critical consciousness and finding paths for effective social participation are the processes used by more than 1,000 people in Cuba working in Popular Education, a liberating approach to education developed by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire in the 1960s.

“The deepest form of participation is when people come together, sharing their own thoughts and feelings, with a strong sense of commitment and full awareness of what they are doing,” José Ramón Vidal, head of the Popular Communication Program at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Centre (CMMLK), told IPS.

Combining true dedication and horizontal ways of organizing to ensure everyone’s opinion was included, the Fourth National Popular Education Encounter was held Nov. 9-12 in the Cuban capital. Cuba has appropriated this educational approach since 1995, when the first workshop was organized.

This philosophy of critical awareness began to find followers in Cuba during the severe economic crisis suffered by the Cuban population in the 1990s. “The hardship we have endured for so many years creates despair and disillusion,” said Vidal, a psychologist.

Experiencing re-enchantment

In Vidal’s view, people who train in the methodology of popular education experience “re-enchantment” with values and emotions that are denied by the competitive and individualistic culture of free market societies. “They fall in love again with a social project, with what they do, with service, solidarity and sharing,” he said.

In the 15 years since the movement arrived in Cuba and the birth of the National Network of Popular Educators, which has about 1,500 members, Freire’s precepts have reached community groups and institutions around the country.

In Granma province in southeastern Cuba, “local bodies like the People’s Councils are adopting, timidly as yet, this way of doing, learning and organizing,” Yordenis Monge, coordinator of the Food Sovereignty and Local Development Project in the eastern city of Bayamo, told IPS.

Promoted by Cuban and Spanish non-governmental organizations in three provinces on the island, the outreach initiative involves, directly or indirectly, more than 60 institutions. “Leaders and their community work groups are now going through a Popular Education learning process,” Monge said.

Becoming critical subjects

Some authorities have recognized the benefits of this way of doing things. According to Mario Cruz Díaz, a member of the local legislature in the province of Holguín, which borders Granma, the method “is a great help in the work of directing, planning, forecasting and coordinating.”

In his province, which has a population of more than 300,000, distribution of the few resources available is difficult, and they must be used to the best effect. “When a person receives aid as welfare, without consciously participating, he or she is incapable of really valuing the cost of what they are given,” Cruz said.

Freire’s educational goal was to encourage people to become critical subjects who were capable of collectively solving their problems, managing their lives and transforming their surroundings. Community and environmental groups and neighborhoods facing difficulties like poverty and high levels of violence are taking up Popular Education.

Neighborhood Transformation Workshops in the Cuban capital, the Promotion and Education Centre for Sustainable Development (CEPRODESO) in the western province of Pinar del Río, the La Marina social and cultural project in Matanzas province, and some small farmers’ cooperatives are adopting the methodology.

At present, CMMLK is participating in the work of the National Network of Popular Educators in 17 Cuban provinces and municipalities. Most of the network’s members are women, according to María Isabel Romero, the coordinator of CMMLK’s Popular Education and Participating in Local Experiences Program.

Connections abroad

CMMLK also has connections with similar partners abroad, mainly in Latin America, and with social movements. The Cuban centre offers training and promotes Freire’s approach for the work of civil society groups in Latin America, Vidal said.

Brazilian theologian Frei Betto contributed to introducing this educational perspective in Cuba, and has closely followed its development. At the meeting, Betto said he brought “this contribution to the (Cuban) Revolution, out of conviction of the political importance of Popular Education methodology.”

Latin American activists like Messilene Gorete, of Brazil’s Landless Workers Movement (MST), Honduran activist Salvador Zúñiga of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organization (COPINH), a member of the coalition of groups opposed to the June 2009 coup d’état, and Dolores Iveth Velasco of Equipo Maíz, a Salvadoran political education group, also attended the meeting.

Velasco is part of an education project working with a wide range of groups in El Salvador. In her view, “Popular Education is that knowledge that we have and build on, but when we organize it, it frees us from the bonds created by the consumer society.”

As a result of this liberating methodology, “a person takes up the reins of their own life,” she said. According to her social work experience, it is vital to bring women to this kind of learning, so that they “take power over their own bodies and do not allow others to make decisions for them.”
===

Popular Knowledge Can Transform People's Worlds

by Dalia Acosta
Published on Saturday, November 13, 2010 by Inter Press Service
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2010/11/13-0

HAVANA - Valuing and sharing common people's knowledge and experience, awakening critical consciousness and finding paths for effective social participation are the processes used by more than 1,000 people in Cuba working in Popular Education, a liberating approach to education developed by Brazilian educator Paulo Freire in the 1960s.

"The deepest form of participation is when people come together, sharing their own thoughts and feelings, with a strong sense of commitment and full awareness of what they are doing," José Ramón Vidal, head of the Popular Communication Programme at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Centre (CMMLK), told IPS. Combining true dedication and horizontal ways of organising to ensure everyone's opinion was included, the Fourth National Popular Education Encounter was held Nov. 9-12 in the Cuban capital. Cuba has appropriated this educational approach since 1995, when the first workshop was organised.

Dolores Iveth Velasco of Equipo Maíz, a Salvadoran political education group, said, "Popular Education is that knowledge that we have and build on, but when we organise it, it frees us from the bonds created by the consumer society."(photo by Flickr user katerha)

This philosophy of critical awareness began to find followers in Cuba during the severe economic crisis suffered by the Cuban population in the 1990s. "The hardship we have endured for so many years creates despair and disillusion," said Vidal, a psychologist.

In Vidal's view, people who train in the methodology of popular education experience "re-enchantment" with values and emotions that are denied by the competitive and individualistic culture of free market societies. "They fall in love again with a social project, with what they do, with service, solidarity and sharing," he said.

In the 15 years since the movement arrived in Cuba and the birth of the National Network of Popular Educators, which has about 1,500 members, Freire's precepts have reached community groups and institutions around the country.

In Granma province in southeastern Cuba, "local bodies like the People's Councils are adopting, timidly as yet, this way of doing, learning and organising," Yordenis Monge, coordinator of the Food Sovereignty and Local Development Project in the eastern city of Bayamo, told IPS.

Promoted by Cuban and Spanish non-governmental organisations in three provinces on the island, the outreach initiative involves, directly or indirectly, more than 60 institutions. "Leaders and their community work groups are now going through a Popular Education learning process," Monge said.

Becoming critical subjects

Some authorities have recognised the benefits of this way of doing things. According to Mario Cruz Díaz, a member of the local legislature in the province of Holguín, which borders Granma, the method "is a great help in the work of directing, planning, forecasting and coordinating."

In his province, which has a population of more than 300,000, distribution of the few resources available is difficult, and they must be used to the best effect. "When a person receives aid as welfare, without consciously participating, he or she is incapable of really valuing the cost of what they are given," Cruz said.

Freire's educational goal was to encourage people to become critical subjects who were capable of collectively solving their problems, managing their lives and transforming their surroundings. Community and environmental groups and neighbourhoods facing difficulties like poverty and high levels of violence are taking up Popular Education.

Neighbourhood Transformation Workshops in the Cuban capital, the Promotion and Education Centre for Sustainable Development (CEPRODESO) in the western province of Pinar del Río, the La Marina social and cultural project in Matanzas province, and some small farmers' cooperatives are adopting the methodology.

At present, CMMLK is participating in the work of the National Network of Popular Educators in 17 Cuban provinces and municipalities. Most of the network's members are women, according to María Isabel Romero, the coordinator of CMMLK's Popular Education and Participating in Local Experiences Programme. CMMLK also has connections with similar partners abroad, mainly in Latin America, and with social movements. The Cuban centre offers training and promotes Freire's approach for the work of civil society groups in Latin America, Vidal said.

Brazilian theologian Frei Betto contributed to introducing this educational perspective in Cuba, and has closely followed its development. At the meeting, Betto said he brought "this contribution to the (Cuban) Revolution, out of conviction of the political importance of Popular Education methodology."

Latin American activists like Messilene Gorete, of Brazil's Landless Workers Movement (MST), Honduran activist Salvador Zúñiga of the Civic Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisation (COPINH), a member of the coalition of groups opposed to the June 2009 coup d'etat, and Dolores Iveth Velasco of Equipo Maíz, a Salvadoran political education group, also attended the meeting.

Velasco is part of an education project working with a wide range of groups in El Salvador. In her view, "Popular Education is that knowledge that we have and build on, but when we organise it, it frees us from the bonds created by the consumer society."

As a result of this liberating methodology, "a person takes up the reins of their own life," she said. According to her social work experience, it is vital to bring women to this kind of learning, so that they "take power over their own bodies and do not allow others to make decisions for them." 

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