For Immediate Release

International Association for Human Values
For immediate release

Contact: Uma Viswanathan ▪ (617) 645-1428 ▪ umav@artofliving.org

Miami K-12 and University Students Sending Relief Material to Haiti
International Association for Human Values Distributing Materials through Haitian Youth Leaders

MIAMI – Thirty nine elementary, middle and high schools across Miami-Dade County, students at Florida International University, and youth from the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church have partnered with the humanitarian organization, International Association for Human Values to help provide food and supplies to the victims of Hurricanes Gustav, Hannah, and Ike in Haiti. On Sunday, September 28 during the morning service, Full Gospel Tabernacle will honor IAHV and the youth volunteers.

"Our youth need to value what they have and by giving to others we are instilling values in our leaders of tomorrow," says Marina Gasteli, Teacher of the Gifted, Sunset Elementary School, Miami FL. "Our students feel a sense of pride, generosity, and accomplishment when they participate in projects such as these. They see themselves as a team working for a collaborative effort."

The Haiti Relief Drive was announced to Miami Dade Public Schools on Monday, September 15. By Friday, classrooms were overflowing. Within just just five days, children across Miami Dade County gathered five truckloads full of canned goods, bandaids, teddy bears, clothing, and other supplies. On Monday, September 22, FIU undergraduates and IAHV youth volunteers collected the food, clothing, and supplies schools across Miami Dade County. All day Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, these youth, along with members of the Full Gospel Tabernacle Youth Center, sorted, packed, and unloaded, many staying past midnight.

Alba Gosalbez, FIU student, is inspired by her association with the organization. "It was absolutely amazing, the amount of goods we were able to collect and pack, but even more so, the short time we were able to do it all," says Gosalbez. "This was will power and compassion at its best; a truly beautiful and humbling experience." Leonor Armas, president of FIU Yoga Club is equally inspired. "Whatever movement we set into motion is going to carry on to the next generation," says Armas. "There's no better time to start a movement than now, when we can grow with it as part of it, and have young people grow up thinking this is how things are supposed to be."

In Haiti, extreme poverty and lack of proper infrastructure make it difficult for humanitarian organizations to ensure that their supplies and services reach the people who need them most. The hands-on involvement of IAHV ensures that the materials Miami students collect is distributed effectively.

The food and supplies they collect will be sent to 135 youth leaders in Haiti, who are trained in how to distribute the material and provide trauma relief through IAHV's Youth Leadership Training Program (YLTP). YLTP trains youth leaders, ages 18-25, from around the world to teach Breath Water Sound (BWS), a stress and trauma-relief program designed for low-income communities. The YLTP program incorporates training in reforestation and sustainable agriculture, given that 98% of Haiti's trees have been cut down.

This holistic approach fulfills both the physical and emotional needs of disaster victims. In addition, because the relief work is done by Haitian youth for Haitians, it plants the seed for the next generation of Haitians to rebuild their own country.

The 135 youth leaders will distribute food and supplies, as well as conduct BWS and hygiene workshops for hundreds of individuals traumatized by the disaster. YLTP graduates will partner with Friends of Petite-Anse/Corenord, an organization that has been working in Haiti on social, economic, and educational programs for more than 10 years. Through Friends of Petite-Anse/Corenord, the Haitian YLTP participants will collaborate with local Haitian schools, churches, governmental agencies, and NGOs to distribute goods and teach trauma relief and hygiene workshops.

Founded by humanitarian and spiritual leader Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, IAHV's mission is to develop a more peaceful, just and sustainable world through personal development programs that encourage practice of human values through service. The International Association for Human Values is a global, humanitarian, non-governmental organization affiliated with the United Nations and active in more than 140 countries.

Full Gospel Tabernacle is located at 9701 NW 7th Avenue, Miami FL. Sunday service begins at 10:00 am.

Save Haiti

Dear Friend,

Within the last few weeks, Haiti has been devastated by a string of hurricanes - Gustav, Hanna and, most recently, Ike. Many have been left homeless. Strong rain has pounded villages, has knocked down trees, and destroyed whatever little crops have been planted. The flooding by hurricanes has caused hundreds of deaths, loss of crops, homes, micro-enterprises and animals. Families are suffering from massive food shortages and lack of clean drinking water. Haiti being a smaller island country in the Caribbean has also received less international attention compared to other hurricane-affected areas.

We earnestly appeal to you to donate generously towards providing hurricane relief to Haiti. We have a goal to raise $400,000. You can contribute at www.iahv.org. Your contributions will be directly used to pay for:

1. Barrels of clean drinking water

2. Non-perishable food items

3. Basic over-the-counter medical supplies (bandages, aspirin, etc)

4. Transportation of goods to and within Haiti

The relief work will be conduct by IAHV (International Association of Human Values) and The Friends of Petite Anse Inc. IAHV has been working in Haiti to train youth leaders in a reforestation project. Please visit http://www.iahv.org to contribute.

Thank you for your generosity.

The Haiti Relief Team

Uma Viswanathan (umav@artofliving.org)

Gerthy Lahens (gerthyl@MIT.EDU)

Amanda C. Williams (amandacorissa@gmail.com)

YES!+ at FIU

Miami

so jason, director of youth programs at AoL (stands for Art of Living, NOT america online) called me up on a saturday mid-august and said,
"so you're going to miami...with uma (i had only met her once but was very excited)...can you leave on tuesday?"

tuesday? that's so soon! (i couldn't) so i left that friday. went to my storage unit, tried to find a few things that might be appropriate for miami weather, re-packed my bags, which were basically packed since i had been living out of my bags since the end of february, loaded up my car and left boston.

now i'm here. in miami. with uma. working at FIU. and things are going fabulously well.

we have a miami dance. we go to the beach (not every single day, but often). we wear lip gloss. we wake up at 5:30 everyday (well today was the first day, but still...) we're working with the most amazing students. and we get whatever we want. i mean whatever we want. even baskets full of free pastries from panera.

life is good.
(don't worry, better pictures coming soon.)

wal-mart fun:

kitty that met us at the door when we arrived in miami:

itinerary 2008

february.29.2008
boston, ma. to. brooklyn, ny.
by bus.

march.4.2008

brooklyn, ny. to. tampa, fl.
by plane.















march.10.2008
tampa, fl. to. reno, nv.
by plane.

march.14.2008
reno, nv. to. davis, ca.
by car.

march.15.2008
davis, ca. to. berkeley, ca.
by car.

march.19.2008
san francisco, ca. to. tokyo, japan.
by plane.



march.31.2008
tokyo, japan. to. bangalore, india.
by plane.

april.25.2008
bangalore, india. to. pune, india.
by bus.

april.31.2008
pune, india. to. bangalore, india.
by bus.

may.20.2008
bangalore, india. to. chennai, india.
by train.

june.9.2008
chennai, india. to bangalore, india.by train.


july.19.2008
bangalore, india. to. tokyo, japan.
by plane.

july.28.2008
tokyo, japan. to. san francisco, ca.
by plane.

august.4.2008
san francisco, ca. to. boston, ma.
by plane

august.15.2008
boston, ma. to. new york, ny.
by car.

august.16.2008
new york, ny. to. washington, dc.
by car.

august.17.2008
washington, dc. to savannah, ga.
by car.

august.18.2008
savannah, ga. to. miami, fl.
by car.

more pics coming soon....

how did i do it?

in december, 2007 i sat in my brother, justin's apartment in chicago thinking of all the places i wanted to go...india...new york...sweden...tampa...california...japan...reno...hawaii...texas...

but, how?

i wanted my decision to be a well-thought out, not-so-impulsive one so i gave myself one week to come up with a game plan.

justin said, "don't worry. if you don't have the money, i'll give it to you."

by the end of that week i had bought one-way tickets to different cities in the u.s. and round-trip tickets for my international stops. i was locked in. there was no backing out.

on the first day of the first month of 2008 i would put in 2 months notice with mylandlord - thank God i was on a month-to-month lease - and at Hyde/Jackson Square Main Street (Main Street Program), where i was the executive director.

needless to say when i got back from my christmas vaca in chicago, i let go of the dead-end relationship. girls, i have to say this...please don't settle! just don't do it. there's SO much more out there. you can't date someone's potential. just do what's easy. let him GO.

the last two months of my time in boston was focused on tying up loose ends. i managed to leave the organization on good terms, found a nice home for my dog chopper, and even managed to keep my furniture in my apartment (since my friend took over lease.)

but, how did i pay for it all?

to be honest, i really don't know. money just showed up. you know that part about trusting that the decisions i make from my heart will just get supported? well, they did. because as soon as i decided i was going on this trip, all of a sudden i had a $250 credit on my credit card, i had overpaid my tuition and brandeis sent me a check (The Heller School). the universe supported me!

everybody's got a blog

so i got one too.

lots of people i know are doing things (like their jobs & school) just because they think that's what they're supposed to do. that's how i have always lived my life. that is, until february of this year when i decided to dump my boyfriend, leave my job, move out of boston and do what i most wanted to do...travel.

this was the most important decision i've made in my life.

it was also the first time i made an important decision based only on what i wanted. for the first time i didn't wonder, what do my parents, my brother, my boyfriend, my friends think i should do?

instead i thought, what does amanda want to do?

the truth is, i went to a good school because my parents wanted me to, i got a job right after graduating because my parents wanted me to, and then got my masters because my parents wanted me to. or rather, because i knew it would make them proud. and it did, no doubt. (don't get me wrong, i'm happy i've made the decisions i did. as a result i'm a very successful young woman with an mba and an impressive resume.)

so. i stayed in boston for my ex-boyfriend, and got a job there to be with him. we had been on and off for a few years. pretty soon i realized it really wasn't going to work. my job became really intense. i was unhappy and a bit of a basketcase. i felt trapped, suffocated, bored, unfulfilled, sad, angry, hopeless. the list goes on...

WAKE UP!

i did. i thought:

"what the HELL am i doing here?!?! WHY am i wasting my time?!? i'm a young, successful, smart, beautiful woman! i can do whatever i want, where ever i want!"

i woke. i didn't want to be with him. i didn't want to stay at my job. i didn't want to care about whether it looked bad on my resume to be there for less than a year. i didn't want to live in boston.

i just wanted.
to be.
FREE.

i wanted to travel. to see my friends scattered all over the world. to go to india. to volunteer with the Art of Living. to be happy. i just wanted to live my life for MYSELF. not for my dad or my mom or my friends or my would-be significant other.

so that.
is just what i did.

i let go of all my concepts and "should's." i let go of "what will they think..." or "what will happen if..." and instead just trusted that i was a good person and whatever i chose to do from my heart would be supported. and it was. and now i'm centered and smiling. the happiest i've ever been.

so. this blog is about that. doing what's easy. what's natural and free. just do what's easy.