A New Hope: Education for the Underprivileged

Sri Sri Seva Mandir Project has been initiated by volunteers in four districts in Andhra Pradesh - Guntur, Vishakhapatnam, Hyderabad and Kurnool.

Why the Project was initiated:

The inspiration to start the project came as a result of wanting to address situations arising in the following four categories

a) Naxals forcing parents to join and get trained for Guerrilla Warfare so once both the parents leave the kids , no one was there to take care of them.

b) Fathers would force children into child labour and use the money so earned to drink alcohol

c) Usually girl child is considered a burden and married of at age of 15 or 16

d) Socio Economic Factors. Education for Kindergarten in Andhra Pradesh is expensive so sending children for education was a huge financial burden for the parents. So they were sent to work to support the family financially from a Young Age

The Free School project was started so that disadvantaged children could get the opportunity to study in an environment which provided both advanced technology and spirituality too. 

Simultaneous Teacher Training happened as teachers were selected as young students and were encouraged to complete their B.Ed. through distance education, later to be absorbed in the same school;

This motivated the teachers to give their best and ensured quality in the education being imparted. Coaches trained at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) come on weekend and also week days to train in games like Carrom, Chess ,Volleyball etc.

The teachers are also encouraged to do Advanced level courses of the Art of Living thereby learning Meditation and breathing techniques. This enables all round growth of the teachers which has a direct impact on the quality of their teaching and values they impart to the children. In Hyderabad school, they have advanced learning concepts

More than 500 kids have benefited from the project in the past 5 years.

Empowering Rural Women in Rajasthan

It all began with a Rural Art of Living Happiness Program of 16 women in Tirol Village, Tehsil Gogunda in Rajasthan. The Program was organised by Dinesh Sharma ji , with Sunita Rathore ji as the faculty. .

Another Happiness Program was conducted soon in Nandeshma (near Tirol).

The women who did the program belong to a tribal area, far away from the city. Their  travelling to the city for employment was nearly impossible and the only means of income for their family was  farming . 

Therefore, the faculty and organizers  decided to help them by enhancing their best talent - Stitching. The material needed for stitching was arranged through the contribution of volunteers from the Art of Living family. 

The stitching training was given by another volunteer - Jyoti Jhala ji from Udaipur. 

Once in every month two women from the group visit the city for training and material , and then forward the same to other ladies of the village.  Once in two months , Art of Living faculty Sunita Rathore ji and Trainer Jyoti Jhala ji  visit the village for follow-up and enquiry of the work .

The items being made include Guru puja vastra , Dupattas(Chunnis), Greeting Envelopes , Bags , Bandhanwaar etc.

All those interested in buying the products may contact Sunita Rathore ji  on sunita.rathore44@yahoo.com Sunita ji is also the YLTP Coordinator in Rajasthan.

About YLTP 
Inspired by His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's vision, the Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP) was established in August 1999.
Not only does the Youth Leadership Training Program focus on personal development and communication skills. Through stress-reducing breathing techniques, individuals find inner peace and communities to come together in a spirit of service. Participants are inspired to volunteer for rural projects, and the fruits of the seeds sown in the classroom can be experienced by the community as a whole.

Flood Relief in Namkhana - West Bengal

Relief materials given to the Moushuni Gram Panchayat by Art of Living volunteers from Kolkatta.

Sri Sri's Interview in Vogue

Art of Living dedicates Guru Purnima As Environment Day

12^th July, 2014,Bangalore. The Art of Living designated Guru Purnima, July 12, 2014, as “The Art of Living Environment Day”.

A nationwide campaign was launched to green the environment by planting economically and environmentally beneficial tree-species that would reduce erosion of the soil while improving its water-retention capacity.

The Art of Living International Centre at Bangalore began its programme for the

day by clearing a stretch of road in Kanakapura of garbage. As many as 75 tractor loads of garbage had been cleared by the enthusiastic volunteers who included members of the local Panchayat, Youth Leaders, volunteers of Art of Living and its associated educational institutions.

An inaugural function was held at the International Centre to officially launch the greening drive by planting saplings. Dr.Vaman Achariya, Chairman, Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, Bangalore, presided.

Expressing happiness about the initiatives being launched, 

Dr. Achariya said, “Trees are an integral part of our life, and everyone should raise their voice against tree felling and rising emission levels". He also  quoted the UNDP slogan:"Raise your voice and not the sea level."

Reiterating Art of Living's commitment towards environment, Mr. Prakash Athrayil, Administrator at the Centre, shared, "Civic/municipal authorities alone cannot get rid of the heaps of garbage in our cities. Every citizen must contribute to keeping cities clean by practicing individual civic responsibility, creating awareness and participating in community cleanliness campaigns."

After the inaugural ceremony, around 900 high-school students and teachers from the Art of Living's VVMVP school in Kanakapura participated in a tree-planting initiative.

In addition, as several trees had been felled for road-widening work, the Art of Living’s Sri Sri Institute of Agricultural Sciences and Technologies Trust (SSIAST) - a non-profit organization – is overseeing the plantation of saplings to substitute the felled trees. To ensure each sapling that is planted survives and grows into a tree, the SSIAST has also developed a monitoring system for the planted saplings. Here too, the species have been judiciously selected for sustainability.

Besides planting trees, SSIAST aims to train youth on river rejuvenation technologies, which is one of the service-projects of the Art of Living’s Volunteer for a Better India (VBI).

The tree-planting drive has been taken up on a pan-India level.

Delhi, Bombay and Pune were some of the other places where volunteers gathered in their hundreds for this project.

As followers took to social media to express their gratitude, the hashtag #ThankYouSriSri trended worldwide in around 60 countries. A large number of Twitter users were also pleasantly surprised with a personalised message from Sri Sri.

Later in the evening, thousands joined the Guru Purnima celebrations with Sri Sri via a webcast. Many expressed a resolve to commit themselves towards societal change and participate in community welfare. 

www.artofliving.org

IAHV selected one of the Best Human Care Charities of America

The International Association for Human Values (IAHV), was selected to be one of the Best Human Care Charities of America!

IAHV received the Independent Charities of America Seal of Excellence which is awarded to nonprofit charitable organizations that have been independently reviewed annually and certified to meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness.  These standards include those required by the US Government for inclusion in the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

Out of the more than 1 million charities operating in the US, fewer than 2500 have been awarded this recognition.

The award reads:
 "As Published in Federal Times"  Best Human Care Charities, Presented to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, International Association for Human Values, 2013.

Interfaith Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence in Oman

The Sixth Observer Roundtable Conference was held at the Modern College of Business and Science in Oman focused on the  "Significance of Interfaith Dialogue for Peaceful Coexistence."

Art of Living faculty Mrs Kamal Khimji was at the Conference. 

Some Media Coverages and pictures

Youth Educate People on Cleanliness

In Sahranpur, Uttar Pradesh, youth volunteers of the Art of Living took up the task of educating people and creating awareness about cleanliness. A highly successful event that was shared by the Media extensively.

The volunteers also did tree plantations as part of the drive.

Press Coverages of the Event are being shared here.

Empowering Women and Spreading Smiles in Bangladesh

'An Art of Living Initiative: End Violence against Women & to Empower them'.

In Satkira, one of the most affected areas in Bangladesh where women are affected with trafficking & sexual violence, the Art of Living Foundation Bangladesh have reached out 250 affected women who are extremely poor and affected with all kinds of violence with the help of NGO Biswas foundation. The special 3 day Trauma Relief Program set permanent smiles on sad, brooding faces stuck with the uncertainty of life. At the beginning of the program, they were so restless, that they just couldn't sit down for few minutes! But at the end of the session, all of them were in one voice told us that the session was so powerful that they feel strong peace in their mind with a new ray of hope towards life.

The Art of Living Foundation, Bangladesh is committed to support them towards self-reliance by providing them skill training through the self-help groups already created. This project will start with training them in tailoring and providing them with machines & also helping them to sell their products.

Another excellent example, how H.H Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji's programs cuts across cultures, religion and countries Healing Lives, Helping underprivileged & vulnerable section of society providing them a new direction in life.

Enclosed are some photos of the program.