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Sarkar School, Taiwan
The Sarkar School held an outdoor learning program November 7-11,
2005 named "Trace the Saint". They went mountain hiking
and climbing. One day the students and teachers walked 15km. It
was a wonderful experience for all, providing an opportunity for
deep introspection.
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| At school, we planted pineapple plants
at the edge of the hill for soil conservation. The idea came from
the Shrii P. R. Sarkar’s book, Ideal Farming. The faculty and
students wrote an article about the pineapple. We called the pineapple
“The Hero of the Hill Edge”. |
| The school undertook researching using
the sun’s energy for cooking and utilized the alternative method
for cooking rice. |
Valadora, India
In Vadodara town in Gujarat is a Tiny Green Island school called 'Ananda
Marga Gurukula Ashram' . All the children are on this photo along
with Didi Vandita and the nursery teacher. The building is owned since
1997 and has three rooms and a kitchen. Didi's dream is to be able
to construct a boundary wall and have a nice protected garden first
and then after have a second floor on the building to accommodate
up to 50 children. |
Anyone who would like to support this
school please contact the editors.
Muzzafarpur, Bihar, India
In Muzzafarpur, Bihar since 20 years the Ananda Marga Primary School
has shifted four times until finally now for five years has its
owned premises. The ground floor can accommodate now 52 children
from kindergarten to grade five. There are two teachers teaching
along with Didi Ananda Jahnavii. Didi was met a wonderful
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supporter in Ananda Nagar, Angela from
Australia who has helped her so that the school could grow to this
capacity. Didi's dream is to be able to extend the building and
to be able to accommodate 100 more children who are already on the
waiting list. Didi has great interest in NHE and writing her own
stories and illustrating them.
Bilaspur, Chatisgar, India
Ananda Pallavi is presently the principal of the Ananda Marga Primary
School in Bilaspur, Chatisgar. This school has 65 children from
kindergarten to grade 5 with three teachers and Didi. At present
construction is in progress to expand the facilities that will be
able to accommodate 150 children. Unfortunately they do not have
a playground but the programme is good with elaborate cultural programmes
that delight the children and guardians. If you come to Bilaspur
you are welcome to call Didi at 07752 244451. |
Syria
The Sports Union of Syria welcomed the Ananda Marga Yoga conference
in March in the city of Suwaida in Southern Syria. Among the 80 participants
were 20 children who learned some initial steps in Yoga and Quiet
Time. They enjoyed morning circle activities and learned kaoshikii
well. They delighted in the creation of their own dramas and performed
for each other.
At present there is research by the Sports Union and Ananda Marga
on how Yoga can enhance the learning of children. |
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Athens,
Greece
The Neohumanist Centre in Athens has
moved to a bigger and brighter space where the morning children's
program, called |
| One World Children's
Circle, meets 4 mornings a week. We are not yet a fully registered
school but do follow the principles of Neohumanist Education
for the 2 and 1/2 to 5 year olds who come. Vimala has been training
for the last few years and now she's a great teacher in the
process of training other NHE teachers. We're holding an NHE
teachers training course at the moment with 24 hours of classroom
theory, 30-40 hours of practical training with the children,
required reading and assignments plus mandatory attendance at
yoga and meditation courses. |
| We're delighted to have 6 trainees
and a few part-timers. With the move to the bigger space and
more teachers, we're looking forward to being able to accommodate
many more children in the autumn. Besides the morning program,
we have a regular parent-toddlers group and occasional Yoga
for Children lessons for the elementary aged students. |
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Ananda Marga River School, Maleny,
Australia
By Kamala Alister
This year has opened with more expansion and plenty of good news in our
12th year. At the end of last year we realized not only did we need to
add a new primary classroom, but that we also could move ahead one year
in our schedule to add a new "Prep" class in our early education
area (in line with state requirements.) Now we finally have 7 classes
for seven years of school (instead of mixed classes), plus three years
of "preschool." The exciting part was receiving an unexpected
government grant of US $160,000 (!) to build and fit out the new prep
classroom, after we had already budgeted and arranged loans to cover it
ourselves. It felt like such a special kind of grace in the way it happened.
It was also a kind of spiritual experience
to see our new buildings arrive on cranes through the air! This year for
the first time, instead of renovating second-hand donated buildings, we
were able to order buildings that were built off site, and then delivered
to the school. A much faster and less stressful process! But of course
they arrived late, during the second week of school. All the kids were
on hand to see the buildings swinging through the air!
All told this last 12 months has brought US$
240,000 worth of grants, including funding for new play areas, new computer
center, ceramic kiln and pottery wheels, and a beautiful new "art
space" (open air and fronting into rainforest!). We have also been
so happy to hire our first two Ananda Marga teachers in this year, and
they have been such a wonderful addition.
Our new year six teacher, Tara McPhail, and
school director Prabha Demasson, will be traveling together to the NHE
Educator's Conference in Sweden. How wonderful that the school can support
their trip.
On the last day of our school year in December,
all the children pitched in to plant over 200 native rainforest trees
near our creek (partially funded by more grant money!) What a beautiful
sight! It was part of such a highly vibrated few days at the end of the
year including great performances, and our usual deeply touching graduation
ceremony. (Its always so beautiful to hear the deep feelings of our graduating
class about their years at the River School.)
Various service projects continue at the school
such as year 1 students raising money with an art sale for poor children
in India, year 3 students regularly visiting residents at a seniors' center,
and all-school participation in the Walk Against Want.
At least ten River School families, and several
teachers, attended the Ananda Mela festival, an annual event held at the
Sectorial Master Unit (about five hours away). It was great for these
families and teachers to have a blissful taste of a spiritual lifestyle,
with daily meditation, kiirtan and yoga, plus inspiring workshops. As
one teacher commented, “It was nothing like I ever expected to happen
on this earth. I am successfully blissed out!"
Sangkhlaburi, Thailand
| The new AMSAI school in Sangkhlaburi was
inaugurated with 120 children enrolled. Nearby construction has started
on the new children's home that will be able to accommodate 200 children.
It is being built on top of a hill with a view of the lake. The giant
aesthetically placed institution will include a medical clinic, a
weaving factory, a kindergarten and a horticultural plot. Support
comes from the Italian government. |
Myanmar
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At the Growing Together Preschool in
Yangon in Myanmar children learn through the play-way method. Art
work is also an integral part of daily activities and the children
meditate based on their readiness.
Indonesia
Our Rainbow AMSAI school in Medan opened a second school in another
part of the city. The facility is a new construction with 30 classrooms.
In the opening semester 360 students where signed up. The old school
has 1425 students enrolled. The two Rainbow schools print their
own schoolbooks with color covers. Every year 16,000 books are printed.
Progressive School of Long Island,
USA
By Eric Jacobson
We negotiated an agreement with the neighborhood and the town for
expansion in Middle School (7th and 8th grade) We had all of our
building plans approved.
Construction will begin within 2 weeks
We were in the news (paper and TV) several times this year for …
-a first grader had an art exhibit at a local science museum
-a second grader created a service project to restore a famous antique
carousel
-a sixth grader scored first place in Nassau County in a math competition,
and will be the youngest of a 4 person team to represent New York
in a National Championship
-a fifth grader starred on Broadway in the Lion King, and was also
in South Pacific at Carnegie Hall, to be aired on public TV this
month
Our theme this year is “Year of
Hope,” and my personal highlight was during an assembly (which
was attended by a Didi in uniform) for Women’s History when
a fifth grader wrote an original song about Hope that included Baba
Nam Kevalam at the end of each stanza.
Lome, Togo, West Africa
Dada Tapan’s school which started in 2001 has now grown to
3 classes with 35 children and three teachers from kindergarten
to grade 3. The foundation has been laid for a new building and
they are looking for funding for building the three classrooms.
If you are able to help, please contact Dada at Box:B.P 30874 Lomé,
Togo. <ecoleneohumaniste@yahoo.fr>
Porto Alegre, Brasil
Since1982 many children and teens have benefited by the numerous
local NHE institutions. In recognition of their work which honors
human rights, Ananda Marga was selected by the CMDCA for the "Humans
Rights” prize for the year 2005.
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