We love to share the good that continues to happen thanks to participants of our Living Peace Projects!
On December 4th, 2010 we hosted our Living Peace Projects (formerly known as “Working Groups”) with Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project (CTAOP)! The Social Action Squad of the Orange County School of the Arts (OCSA) supported Mpilonhle and its efforts in making Good Happen. Here are some photos of the work that has been accomplished!
Ana Robelo, one of the Living Peace Projects participants & awesome CLP interns, had this to say about the project:
“Working with Center for Living Peace through the speakers series has served as a kind of starting point for a growing momentum of interest in community engagement and civic engagement projects where I was forced to develop into capable leader. The Center really provided support in terms of organizing and pushing me to really envision something big that could have an impact and provide something that mattered to me, like art, to youth so far away. I also began to think about community empowerment because of Mpilonhle’s efforts to give communities the tools to become informed and have agency over their health. I love that it has been a project that I have had updates from as it unfolds.”
Our thanks to Mpilonhle for sharing the updates with us! We are so thrilled to see the continuing impact of these Living Peace Projects and the Living Peace Series. Thank you to all of the participants and partners who have made this possible!
Good Happens.
Peace Grl Out!
Every other Tuesday at the Center for Living Peace, the lovely Cynthia Callard of the Bower’s Museum reads a story in our library area. Sit on our comfy cushions and listen to Cynthia bring stories to life with her great energy and character voices! All of our library books are in line with themes of peace and changing the world for the better.
Next week’s book is Tenzin’s Deer by Barbara Soros, beautifully illustrated by Danuta Mayer.
Barbara Soros draws on the ancient wisdom of the Tibetan people to narrate the touching story of a young boy named Tenzin and the wounded musk deer he encounters in the woods. By paying heed to his dreams and to the needs of the animal he has rescued, Tenzin is able to cure the deer. But soon he discovers that he must learn one of the most important lessons of all: how to love deeply enough to let go. The lush, intricate illustrations evoke the emotional depth of this tale that encourages the Buddhist virtues of nonviolence, compassion and the rejection of materialism.
Find out how the story ends this Tuesday from 3:30pm to 4:30pm at the center! Sign up on our website or drop in to relax and listen to a good story.
Good Happens.
Peace Grl Out!
“There’s an important difference and distinction between the objective medical fact of my being an amputee and the subjective societal opinion of whether or not I’m disabled. Truthfully, the only real and consistent disability I’ve had to confront is the world ever thinking that I could be described by those definitions.”
-Aimee Mullins
Speaking from her wide ranging life experiences as an athlete, model, actress, and activist, Aimee Mullins challenges society’s view on the ideas of beauty and disability. Aimee had both her legs amputated below the knee when she was a year old because she was born missing fibula bones. She broke several world records at the Atlanta Paralympic Games in 1996 as the first person to use woven carbon-fiber prostheses, which were inspired by cheetah legs. Aimee was also the first amputee to compete in the NCAA in US history during her time at Georgetown University.
She has worked with major fashion designers such as Alexander McQueen and starred in movies such as Matthew Barney’s Cremaster 3. Aimee continues to act as a champion for women and the disabled in sports serving on the board of several non-profits and sports foundations such as the Women’s Sports Foundation and the Spire Institute.
Visit her TED profile to watch her other videos and learn more about Aimee’s approach to living peace.
Good Happens.
Peace Grl Out!
The Laguna Art Museum’s February/April exhibit, Victor Hugo Zayas: Mi Obra, featured sculptures built from two tons of destroyed guns. The artist partnered with the Los Angeles Police Department’s Gun Buyback Program, which strives to reduce gun violence by exchanging weapons for pre-paid Mastercard or Ralphs gift cards up to $200 depending on the weapon. Weapons are exchanged at six neutral locations. The program began in 2009 and continues to be a success collecting about 2,000 firearms this year. Zayas’s abstract and striking sculptures represent a transformation from violence to peace.
Photo taken by K.A. Gilligan.
Victor Hugo Zayas has worked to better the L.A. community in the past as founder of the Maestro’s Fine Arts program for underserved youth in 2006. The program works in partnership with Art Center College of Design to give life drawing and figure drawing lessons on scholarship. Zayas vision is that “If you can teach somebody to take an ashtray and see something beautiful, then that person’s life will change.”
Good Happens.
Peace Grl Out!
