mission statement News Flash: The Ahimsa School is pleased to announce the The King Center's acceptance of The Ahimsa School as an affiliate program. This relationship provides us special permission to utilize Dr. King's priceless writings and recorded voice for education. Thank you King Center!
You cannot go to a doctor to ask for a pill to give you compassion. No. You can't go to a supermarket and buy it with a big check. I think that we can explain to our brothers and sisters, especially those who are young children, that there is some secret that we have, whether educated or uneducated, or rich or poor, or this race or that race, or this culture or that culture. We are human beings. We have great potential and we can try to promote in them basic human values that I call secular ethics. full text HH the 14th Dalai Lama Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself.
...these profound human transactions called knowing, teaching, and learning are not just about information, and they're not just about getting jobs. They are about healing. They are about wholeness. They are about empowerment, liberation, transcendence. full text Parker Palmer
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The Ahimsa School
Non-violence, Ethics, Compassion I want my school to be Ahimsa Certified. |
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What is the Ahimsa School and how did it come about? The Ahimsa School will promote compassion and non-violence as foundations of learning as well as character development goals. Students will learn skills and practices for developing peace and compassion within themselves and for others. Like all valuable skills, compassion and non-violence require specific education, modeling, training, and practice to develop and strengthen into expertise. This is not a new idea; it exists in the wisdom of many cultures. Already, many organizations and schools are implementing peace education around the world. We hope to bring these aims of peace into the forefront beginning with our daily lives throughout the culture of our participating schools. Here is an example of peace education planning at work through UNESCO:
The Ahimsa School is non-sectarian, i.e. it is not affiliated with any religious organization or agency. The School is open to students of all faiths and backgrounds. Understanding and appreciation of different world spiritual traditions is part of the school's mission of tolerance and compassion. Toward that end, the school examines various world spiritual traditions and philosophies without adopting dogmatic stances. Some sources for teaching and comparative analysis will include, for example, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and secular ethics and philosophy. The focus among these disciplines will be to discover and celebrate the interrelation and interdependence of the global family of cultures, creatures, and continents. Educational Aims: Students in affiliated Ahimsa Schools will be able to 1) demonstrate individual, civic, and environmental responsibility in their expressions and actions, 2) recognize, engage, challenge, and counteract assumptions, prejudices, fear, misinformation, and hatred, on both the societal and personal levels, 3) meet or exceed academic performance standards as defined by grade-level state and national metrics. School Organization and Funding: One avenue of approach to peace education is to start a new school. Charter schools are one possibility. There is enthusiastic community interest from interested parents, educators, and business leaders in new schools with this kind of mission. A team of people is currently weighing the option of a Charter School with the NYC Department of Education. One school, however will not be enough. That's why the Ahimsa School is envisioned as more than a single school, but a global resource for any interested student, educator, parent, school, or organization. This is your school--wherever you are. Please submit your ideas or questions here. Healthy Meals: How does the kitchen figure in education? Our kitchens are wonderful places for first-hand learning about our relationship to each other, to other creatures, and to the earth. A core component of the Ahimsa School's programs on compassionate and non-violent education is the establishment of meals with environmental, nutritional, and ethical consideration. Fresh ingredients from local sources (farmers market, etc.) are encouraged where possible. The meals will be planned in consultation with a qualified nutritionist taking into consideration the special nutritional requirements of growing children. Students will have the opportunity to learn cooking skills through occasional chef participation days. They will study the real-life environmental, economic, and ethical impacts of food production, land usage, resource allocation, transportation, and treatment of animals as they relate directly to their own daily consumption choices. With this knowledge the students will participate in selecting the most suitable food choices for the school (under supervision of qualified nutritionist). Garden projects are encourages wherever feasible. The idea is that students who take personal responsibility for their role in the greater world will make well-considered decisions in their adult lives. Family and Community Participation: The school encourages family and friends to participate in the community of the school. Several times each year an informal family dinner will be held during which family and friends can meet each other in a relaxed setting. In addition special after-school programs will be available for students, family, and friends (e.g. yoga, dance, theater, sports, book clubs, etc.). Physical Fitness: Physical health and well-being will be a major element of the daily educational practice at the Ahimsa School. The School will offer varied choices in rigorous physical training to develop strength, concentration, health, balance, and poise. Possible offerings would include for example yoga, tai chi, gymnastics, swimming, basketball, soccer, etc. Guest Speaker Program: The Ahimsa School has guest speakers who are available for visits to your school. Programs include classroom or school-wide talks, workshops for teachers & students, faculty in-service training, and leadership consulting. This is a fundamental aspect of the Ahimsa School mission. So, we will be very pleased to talk with you about scheduling a visit to your school or group. Contact karl@ahimsaschool.org How you can help: We are currently in our first major fund-raising campaign. If you would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Ahimsa School please contact karl@ahimsaschool.org. If you have contacts or resources relating to planning, funding development, curricular development and preparation, media announcements and public relations please let us know. Specific dates of team meetings and deadlines are published privately for those involved in the school founders team. If you are interested in participating, please contact karl@ahimsaschool.org Please help us provide our children with fertile educational ground for peace, compassion, non-violence, academic & ethical excellence. Support the Ahimsa School.
Karl Straub Please contact Karl Straub 917-622-5509 for more information Thank you for your interest and support!
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©2003-2005 Karl Straub |
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