[Greenlist] "sharing our gifts and privileges for social change" gathering!

Tue Oct 9 20:14:34 PDT 2007

> From: Shilpa Jain <shilpaminajain at yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 6 Oct 2007 03:37:24 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: [Van Utsav] "sharing our gifts and
> privileges for social change" gathering!

dear friends -
  hope you are doing well!

  i wanted to share with you an invitation for an
event we are pulling
 together next month, from november 17-22, 2007.  it
is to connect
 people who are commited to putting their resources
(money, time, energy,
 talents, skills, contacts, etc.) towards social
transformation, and want
 to explore how to do this well, and how to overcome
the obstacles/blocks
 that come up along the way...  the full invitation is
below.

  please see if it's something you or others you know
might like to be
 a part of.  space is limited, yet we hope to
accommodate all who are
 interested!

  best wishes and love,
  shilpa

  The First Ever Gathering on
  ‘Sharing our Gifts and Privileges for Social Change’

  Unleashing all that we are, and all that we have, 
  for all that we love
  Nov 17-22, 2007. Deer Park Institute. 

  Greetings Dear Friend,

  This is an invitation and application for the first
ever gathering in
 India, on ’Sharing our Gifts and Privileges for
Social Change’. We
 hope that you will find it exciting and meaningful to
be a part of this
 unique event. 

  What is the ‘Sharing our Gifts’ gathering about?
  Many of us are gifted with certain special
privileges and advantages
 in our lives, including monetary wealth, media
attention/fame, free
 time, social networks, particular skills and talents,
leadership positions
 in organizations or social change movements, etc.
Several us already
 are (or want to be) using these privileges to make a
significant impact
 in our lives and the world around us.  The ’Sharing
our Privileges for
 Social Change’ gathering tries connect, support, and
inspire 30 such
 diverse and committed people from various walks of
life and positions of
 ‘privilege’. 

  What specifically will we do at the Gathering?
  The event specifically tries to address three
levels: the internal,
 the interpersonal, and the social/systemic, to offer
an opportunity for
 deep, holistic exploration. Through activities like
facilitated
 dialogue, sharing circles, inspiring guest
presentations by renowned social
 change leaders, dance, music, artistic expression,
organized networking,
 games, yoga, participant-led workshops, outdoor
adventure, and lots of
 free time for spontaneous interactions amongst the
participants, we
 will together explore our own experiences, questions
and dynamics For
 example we will look at: 

  Ø      What does privilege mean to each of us, and
how does it affect
 who we are and our relationship to the world? 
  Ø      How can we use our lives,
connections/relationships,
 opportunities and resources to live healthy lives and
work collaboratively for
 social change? 
  Ø      How can we face the realities of the social
and environmental
 crises of our times without being overwhelmed? 
  Ø      What would it take to bring our lives and our
resources into
 alignment with our highest values and ideals? 

  The gathering would be an opportunity for
networking, community
 building and gaining support as people committed to
social change. In
 bringing together people with different backgrounds,
skills, passions and
 questions, we will create something new and powerful,
connect our issues
 and nurture meaningful friendships. 

  Date, Place and Contribution
  The event is scheduled to be held from Saturday
November 17th, to
 Thursday November 22nd 2007, at the Deer Park
Institute, Himachal Pradesh
 (www.deerpark.in). We ask that participants make and
cover their own
 travel arrangements.  Additionally, It we estimate it
will cost Rs.600
 per participant to cover boarding, lodging, and
program expenses. Please
 let us know if you would like to use one of the few
travel/contribution
 scholarships available. Also please let us know if
you would be able
 to contribute more than the suggested amount. This
money would be used
 towards making it possible for those with financial
constraints to also
 attend. 

  How to confirm your participation
  If you’d like to be a part of this exciting
opportunity, please send
 us your basic information (name, address, phone
number, email, age) and
 your reply to the following questions:

  1) What moves you to be a part of this event?  How
do you see
 yourself as privileged?  (monetarily, through
position, through fame, or...?)

2) What are a few issues or questions that you
struggle with around
 this privilege(s)?

  3) How have you been (or how would you like to be)
sharing your
 resources and privileges with others? (volunteering,
being a spokesperson
 for causes, donating time, money etc  or... ?) 

  4) What work are you currently doing?  Tell us some
part of your
 story (how you came to be where you are).

  5) Please share with us a favorite saying, quote,
poem or song that
 inspires you in your work and life.

  We don’t have a formal selection process.  At the
same time, we do
 want to ensure that a great mix of people can come to
the gathering.
  We’ll be in touch with you if we have any concerns
or questions. (Note:
 There are NO age restrictions. We appreciate a
diversity of ages,
 experiences, opinions and backgrounds in our
participants.)

  Thank You and Best Wishes,
  Apoorv Bajaj, Mumbai
  Naveen Kumar, Chennai
  Nirali Shah, Ahmedabad
  Prashant Varma, Himachal
  Shilpa Jain, Udaipur
  Vani Tripathi, Mumbai
  Vartika Poddar, Kolkata

  Ps: If you have any questions please contact: 
  Shilpa – shilpa at swaraj.org (21-Fatehpura,Udaipur,
Rajasthan-313004,
 India. Tel: 0294-2451303) or 
  Naveen – naveenv at gmail.com (750, 4th Cross Street,
Dr.Radhakrishna
 Nagar, Vellore- 632006 Tamil Nadu, India. Tel: 0416-
2247546)

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