As part of the Living Peace Series with Sir Richard Branson, we hosted our Living Peace Projects (formerly known as “Working Groups”) on January 22, 2011. With each Living Peace Series speaking event, we host a day of service for youth encouraging participants to not only get involved, but continue to do good in the world.
Now, over a year after the Living Peace Projects with Virgin Unite, we are so happy to highlight the work of Erwin Wang. As a local high school student, Erwin joined us back in January 2011 and began a project to raise funds for charity. As part of the project Erwin began at the Living Peace Projects, he raised $2,000! The funds supported the Human Options scholarship program here at the Center as well as the food pantry at Families Forward.
Erwin and CLP Founder Kelly
When asked about the impact the event had on him, Erwin said:
“Since I could remember, both my mother and father spoke of the importance of generosity, and the far-reaching happiness it brings to all people. It is an aspect that has influenced me throughout my childhood and teenage years. I’ve been privileged to have been raised in such a nurturing environment – it only seems fitting to give back to the community that has given me so much. What started out as a simple idea developed into a full-fledged fundraising event. It was a wild and exciting ride from start to finish, and ultimately saw it appropriate to provide the funds to Families Forward and the Human Options program. Many are unaware of the financial and domestic issues families in Irvine must tackle daily – which is precisely why these organizations are deserving of these funds. I’d like to acknowledge my team for pulling off such a feat, along with Kelly Smith and Rebecca Hendrickson of CLP for allocating the funds.”
-Erwin Wang
Erwin is certainly an amazing example of making good happen and how a project that may seem small can make a huge impact. We wish him all the best in his college career and endeavors!
What an amazing and inspiring week it has been! Last weekend we had our working groups, which were followed on Wednesday by the Living Peace Series with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama! Here are some highlights from the events.
Working Groups for Compassion and Global Leadership
On Saturday, April 30, 2011 we held working groups at CLP with youth between the ages of 14 – 24. They gathered together to work on projects and awareness raising initiatives that promote compassion and global leadership in their lives, their communities and the world.
A few days later, our working group participants were invited to attend a speaking event with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, called PTTOW. At this event, His Holiness watched this video:
We are so thrilled with the outcomes from the working groups. Here are a few of the service projects and initiatives that they will be working on…
High Tech High Media Arts’ 4 Africa Club will be executing a local week-long awareness campaign about issues in Africa and how individuals can help. They plan to include: an organized 5k walk that will help them gather donations and supplies for youth in Africa, documentary screenings, a benefit concert, and a letter writing campaign.
Peace Jam plans to research the issue of access to and scarcity of clean water throughout the world from local and international perspectives. They are also going to organize a beach clean-up; raise awareness about water in local schools, neighborhoods and through social networks.
The Interfaith Youth Council will host a county-wide interfaith youth forum (which will be planned, run and facilitated by high school teens) that will encourage interfaith understanding, respect, and civility. They hope to increase attendance at the event this year from 120 (in 2010) to 200, and build on the 12 faiths previously represented by including Baha’i and Hindu youth as well.
Students for Integrative Medicine plan to pair volunteers with bedfast individuals to record the bedfast individuals’ stories. Volunteers will be trained in compassionate listening and will visit patients in a 5-session program designed to give the participants time to build rapport, share stories, and crucially, to say “goodbye.”
We are so thrilled to work will all of these organizations and assist them in their projects as they grow and evolve!
The Living Peace Series featuring His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama
On May 4, 2011 His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama returned to UC Irvine as a part of the Living Peace Series to engage students and the community in a discussion about compassion, happiness, interfaith harmony and global leadership.
He spoke about how the goal of education should be to “develop sensible, compassionate leaders who are realistic and warmhearted.” He also stressed the importance of respect for all religions, and nonbelievers as well, which elicited cheers from the audience.
The event opened with songs from Tibetan singer, Yungchen Lhamo
Followed by an introduction by UCI Chancellor Drake, where he explained the partnership between UCI and The Center for Living Peace and also introduced the Dalai Lama scholars (including our very own Programs Manager, Rebecca Hendrickson!)
Then His Holiness stepped onto the stage with Thubten Jinpa, His Holiness’s English translator, and the fun began!
The Dalai Lama wowed the crowd with his compassion and sense of humor– when asked about the secret to happiness, he replied “If there is some secret factor for happiness, I must keep it.” He also encouraged people to “pay more attention to [the] young and provide maximum love and compassion to [their] children.” He explained that ”if we make some effort now, in the later part of the century we can produce very sensible compassionate leaders.”
… Like our wonderful Kelly Smith!
If you missed the speaking event, you can watch it on our Livestream page!
PTTOW!
Immediately following the speaking event at the Bren Center, His Holiness met with our working group participants at PTTOW!.
PTTOW! (Plan to Take On the Word) is a conference that brings together the nation’s top marketers, from companies such as Microsoft, Red Bull, Mastercard, Electronics Arts, Facebook, Hewlett-Packard, Quiksilver, Pepsi, and many others. The Dalai Lama spoke about the power of youth and technology to catalyze global change, promote ethical leadership and spread compassion. Here is a video from the PTTOW event:
A special thank youto: Apples & Oranges for filming our working groups and Living Peace Series events, Alex Abercrombie for her beautiful photography, Philip Schneider and Lisa Rueff from Jacmel Children, PTTOW!’s Roman Tsunder and eXcel Youth Zone’s Bryan Banville for presenting at our working groups. And of course, all of our participants! YOU help us make these events possible!
“A compassionate mind thinks more about others, that makes it very easy to communicate.”
