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Lucca Leadership Training
About this event: Leadership Foundations Programme
Related to country: Italy

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Also posted at: http://abc4all.net/essay.htm

The training is in a beautiful villa called Villa Boccella which is 45 minutes away from the town of Lucca. Our villa is at the foot of the mountain and we are surrounded by trees, flowers, herbs and vineyards. Everytime the sun rises, it shines through my window and it is just so lovely. Our food is strictly vegetarian but once in awhile we go out of the villa and eat at the nearby restaurants. The food is just so good, you woudn't even ask for fish or chicken or meat. The water tastes so good since Tuscan water is fresh.

The training is composed of of 24 particapants across the globe, alot of them are Americans, Irish, British and Australians (age17-35). And due to economic circumstance and language barrier, there are only 4 from Asia (Me, 2 Vietnamese, and 1 Nepalese) and 1 from Africa. We are divided into 4
teams, and all of us have a chance to be the "leader". On the first day, even without knowing each other that much we have learned to trust each other, especially within the team. Each task requires different leadership style and the more you participate the more you know which style fits you. We manage to resolve conflicts, use our own voice, and use dialogues to get to the bottom of things. nothing in the course is not known to us. However, the training reminds us of what we value, what we love and the kind of philosophy we embrace in relation to giving service to other people and the community. Questions like, how do we become aware of our surrounding if we are not even aware of our self? How do we maintain trust and partnership, when competition is the name of the game?

We are also lucky to visit Siena and learn how this city was built by visionaries of that timeand how this town became prosperous and pro-people. The lecturer is also a volunteer and is so passionate in sharing her knowledge with us. She is not even an Italian but through her self-discovery and self-study, she's been invited to lecture in different conferences and trainings in Europe. So I believe that in order to become an effective leader, it is not only limited to doing something outside but also one must work within. As leaders, we have to make ourselves a good "educator" to also inspire others.

In the training we also have "moments of silence" or others call it "meditation" and just listen to what the Universe is telling us, so to speak. It gives us a sense of stillness which makes us see, hear and
understand more.

Each of us also have personal mentor from the Lucca Trainers/Coaches to guide us in our current or future projects. All of the trainers are volunteers too, who of course, have been under the Lucca trainings. A lot of the trainers are Educators, Businessmen and Lawyers who are also traveling alot to reach the places and people who are often neglected. They also use their "miles" to sponsor trainees in the training, which a friend told me about. I'm sure, in the nearest future, when I'm able to sponsor others, one of the training grounds will be Lucca Leadership.

Anyway, here is the link to the organization: www.luccaleadership.org I will try to make a video presentation of our training to post on our yfci or abc4all web. But it may take a little more time.

July 5, 2008 | 12:35 AM Comments  1 comments



Invitation: Writing Retreat in Thailand
Related to country: Thailand

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

This is actually an invitation to those who are interested in writing and who need a nurturing space and a pleasurable time to do so. The facilitators are the same facilitators who taught me the feminine face of meditation :) Anyway, you don't have to be a pro, if you are interested in writing or if you just want to give it a shot, here goes:

WRITING RETREAT July 10 – 14, 200

International Women’s Partnership for Peace and Justice (IWP) announces a 5 day writing retreat for aspiring and seasoned writers. The retreat will provide a quiet, peaceful and supportive environment to create the time and space needed for contemplative and creative writing or journaling.

The retreat will be largely self-facilitated, and the majority of each day will be time for writing. Meals, optional daily meditation and yoga, and group check-ins will be communal. Participants may decide on creating more group time; the schedule will be flexible and emergent.



The retreat will be housed at the training and retreat center of IWP in a village in northern Thailand. Participants will be housed in double/triple accommodation in our earthen guesthouse. Participation is limited to 15 people.

There are no formal course fees given the self facilitated nature of the retreat. Fees for food, accommodation, and venue are on a sliding scale of 650-900 baht per day; thus for the 5 day retreat, the scale is 3250 baht – 4500 baht, based on your ability to pay.

Please contact Ginger at ginger@womenforpeaceandjustice.org for more information or to register for retreat.

(directly adapted from the web at www.womenforpeaceandjustice.org)

May 18, 2008 | 10:22 AM Comments  0 comments



GREENPEACE WATER PATROL INVESTIGATES...
Related to country: Philippines

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

ADAPTED FROM THE WEBSITE: http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/greenpeace-water-patrol-invest#

Greenpeace Water Patrol investigates polluting garbage dump in Laguna Lake
Calls for strict enforcement of waste laws to protect water sources

Manila, PHILIPPINES — Greenpeace Water Patrol activists today investigated a dump site in Angono, Rizal which has taken over the banks of Laguna Lake, and called on the government for the strict enforcement of waste laws to protect the country’s threatened freshwater sources.

As part of the investigation, the activists procured water samples in the vicinity, and placed a signpost with the words "Our trash. Our water. Protect our water sources!" to also remind the public, in time for Earth Day tomorrow, that waste dumped on land eventually ends up in the water that we use. The theme for this year’s Earth Day in the Philippines is water protection.

"Illegal, open dump sites have remapped the banks of Laguna Lake, creating reclaimed areas built on the filthy refuse of towns and cities, and slowly killing one of the major freshwater bodies in our country. How have we come to this? Clearly there is a serious shortcoming in the government's enforcement of its own environmental laws," said Greenpeace Toxics Campaigner Beau Baconguis.

"But Greenpeace would also like to highlight this Earth Day that this should be a call to action for all Filipinos to adopt a more responsible attitude toward the waste they generate and dispose. Through the simple practice of responsible waste management at home, such as segregation and composting of organic waste, we can be part of the solution to the problem of garbage and water pollution."

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) disclosed last December that dumpsites in four municipalities—Paete and Biñan, Laguna, and Angono and Taytay, Rizal—are located close to Laguna Lake’s shores. Meanwhile fourteen dumpsites various other nearby towns compound the lake's water pollution problem. Although the LLDA has asked the concerned local government units to implement the Ecological Waste Management Act of 2000 (RA 9003) the dumps continue to pollute the lake. oxic leachate from the said garbage dumps are expected to ooze into the lake for years to come, even after the dumps are successfully closed.

The dumps in Angono and Taytay, in particular, occupy the lake's waters in blatant violation of the Clean Water Act of 2004 (RA 9275), and RA 9003. The Angono dumpsite was supposedly declared closed by Mayor Aurora Villamayor last January 2008, but Greenpeace Water Patrol investigations encountered garbage trucks delivering fresh garbage to the site just a week ago. The Taytay dumpsite, on the other hand, is still fully operational.

Laguna Lake, also known as Laguna de Bay, is the country's largest lake, and the 2nd largest freshwater basin in Southeast Asia. It is being eyed as a potential source of potable water for Metro Manila. However, according to the LLDA, the lake is in danger of dying in five years if no steps are taken to improve its fast deteriorating water quality.

"Starting with the Angono dumpsite, Greenpeace is taking samples of water within the lake as part of our larger campaign, Project Clean Water, launched last October 2007. The project aims to bring people together toward a common goal of safeguarding our water sources. We intend to examine and expose the pollution levels of various freshwater sources around the country. Through this, we hope to catalyze much-needed action to reverse the continuing decline of our water resources," said Baconguis. Greenpeace expects to release the partial results of its investigations later this year.