Advanced Prout training in Portugal

An intensive Prout training course took place in Sintra, Portugal from October 28 to November 1, 2010. More than 45 Margiis from Portugal and Spain attended the four-day program which included an in depth analysis of the five fundamental principles of Prout, a review of the global economic crisis and the euro debacle, and two-days of small group planning. The three groups braistormed: 1) how to educate people about Prout, 2) how to create popular campaigns for the masses with immediate demands, and 3) how to develop practical models of Prout through master units, cooperatives and block-level planning. The PROUTugal Movement presented their successful campaigns during the previous six months and planned exactly what and how they would continue these initiatives during the next year. See www.proutugal.org

Listen to and Read Venezuela Prout Conference Presentations

Dear friends, Namaskar.

We at the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela are just completing 2 months of tedious work to package the presentations made at the recent conference, “Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology” we organized in Caracas in July 2011. We have:
1. Put all the audio recordings on www.youmicro.com
2. Transcribed all the 21 presentations and the question and answer sessions for each of the five panels, and uploaded them on our Spanish web page: www.priven.org.
3. Translated to English all the 21 presentations and five question and answer sessions and uploaded them on our English web page: www.priven.org.
4. We have nearly finished audio recording all the English translations and posting them on www.youmicro.com

THE GOALS OF THE CONFERENCE:
1. To popularize cooperatives, ecology and ethics.
2. To unite some of the best experts on cooperatives, ecology and ethics from Venezuela and other countries.
3. To share their presentations and ideas with the widest possible audience.
4. To share and explain what is the Prout model, which is based on cooperatives, ecology and ethics, and highlight its projects in Venezuela.

Personally, I find a profound depth of ideas and experiences in these talks about the solidarity eEconomy, ecology, community health, indigenous rights, cooperatives, women’s rights, and spiritual wisdom.

Today I am especially happy because the very popular and progressive web site, www.venezuelanalysis.com, posted the talk by Elvy Monzant about cooperatives. Their hardworking staff wrote, "We plan to review the other translations and post in the coming days/weeks."

Whereas about 400 people came to the conference at some point over the three days, many more around the world are now listening to it and reading about it.

In the struggle for Peace and Justice,
Dada Maheshvarananda

Global Prout Conference poster

Amazing speakers at Prout Conference in Caracas July 7-9 2011

"Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology"

Confirmed speakers:
Nora Castañeda, president of Banmujer, the Women's Bank
Claudio Nascimento,(Brazil) Historian, activist, popular educator, author of several essays on self-management and the Solidarity Economy. Cabinet member of President Lula da Silva, member of the National Secretariat for Solidarity Economy of President Dilma Rousseff: "The Solidarity Economy and Self-Management: Principle of People's Power."
Luis Delgado Bello, former National Superintendent of Cooperatives and former project director of UNDP and ILO: “Diagnosis and Perspectives of the Social and Solidarity Economy of Venezuela: Where are we and where are we going?”
Frank Bracho, former Ambassador of Venezuela in India, ecologist and author: "Environment, Health and Happiness."
Prof. Carlos Molina Camacho, former National Superintendent of Cooperatives and Savings Banks, professor of cooperative law at UCV: "Simón Bolívar and Cooperativism."
Camila Piñeiro Harnecker: (Chile-Cuba) researcher and professor at the Center of Studies on the Cuban Economy, University of Havana: "Potentials and Risks of Cooperatives in Socialist Construction."
Lizeth Vargas and Dario Gonzalez, CECOSESOLA - Lara State Central Cooperative: “Building Here and Now the World that We Want.”
Dr. Benito Diaz, Editor of CAYAPA (Venezuelan Journal of Social Economy), Venezuela Board of CIRIEC, Professor at the Universidad de Los Andes - Trujillo: "Innovation in Organizations of the Social Economy."
Leopoldo Cook, former telecommunications chief of PDVSA, author and columnist: "The Awakening of Consciousness: Prout and Socialism, Face-to-face."
Adalberto Barreto, (Brazil) psychiatrist, anthropologist, theologian: "Community Therapy: Social Solidarity Networks for Life."
Jody Wright (Acharya Devanistha) (USA), Prout activist for 35 years, studied under P.R. Sarkar: "Sadvipra: Prout's vision of enlightened leaders."
Víctor "Vyasa" Landa, (Peru) founder of the School of Life, Shanti Yoga Center for Harmony in Bethesda, Maryland, USA: "Aparigraha: A New Economic Paradigm for a Culture of Peace."
Chelo Nogueira, architect, founder of the Turtle Foundation: “Objective Earth.”
Juan Sarmiento, psychologist, lecturer, business consultant, founder of the Will of Excellence Foundation: "The Importance of Ethics in Social Transformation."
Manuel Barroso, author of 10 books, business consultant in planning and strategic management and transformation of organizational cultures and change processes.
Simón Rondón, Coordinator of the ecological movement "Bolívar en Martí": “The Struggle Against Pesticides and the Construction of the Experimental Ecovillage Augusto Cesar Sandino.”
Dada Jinanananda, (Congo-Brazil) Yoga monk: "Spirituality and Social Change."
Didi Ananda Sadhana, (Netherlands-Venezuela) Director, Centro Madre, Barlovento, Venezuela: “The Importance of Cultural Identity to Empower People: The Example of Barlovento.”
Belkys Urbina, Ecologist, Masters in Tecnology Management and Risk Control, and Masters in Industrial Maintenance: “The Planet and Consciousness.”
Sandra Castillo Castro Delegada UCV to the Organization of American States, and member of the Economic Advisory Committee of AnimaNaturalis Internacional, and Luís Verdú Brito president of the Student Center of Economic Faculty of UCV: “Economic Tendencies Towards the Ethical Treatment of Animals.”
Roy Madron, (UK-Brazil) Resarcher, business consultant, Coauthor of Gaian Democracies: Redefining Globalisation and People-Power: “Can Latin America Save the World?”
Maya Shita, General Coordinator of the Warao Tribe, leader of the El Moriche indigenous community: "Living Together in One Single World."

Bringing Prout to the people in Venezuela

Something very different is planned for the Global Prout Convention in Venezuela this July. Baba indicated that our duty is to inform the world about Prout, so that is the goal of this program.

First we are organizing a free public conference July 7, 8 and 9 in a major auditorium in the center of Caracas that seats 650 people. The title is "Building a Solidarity Economy based on Ethics and Ecology," so the focus will be cooperative enterprises, environmental protection and moral leadership. Each morning we host panels with prominent speakers on these different themes. Simultaneous workshops will take place each afternoon with music and theater performances. Approximately 20 speakers are confirmed, and though several are very sympathetic to our cause, we still need a few more good speakers to explain different aspects of Prout.

Unfortunately Venezuela is polarized between supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chávez, and the lack of dialog between the two groups is a tragic loss in the public debate. The opposition generally refuses to accept the positive social achievements of the Bolivarian Revolution, while chavistas generally refuse to admit the seriousness of problems such as corruption and crime. Our conference is not about this political argument, rather it aims to be constructive and positive, so we include speakers of both persuasions.

In the lead-up to the conference, we are also doing a publicity campaign throughout Caracas and some other cities. Prout posters, leaflets, bumper stickers, shopping bags and T-shirts are designed to raise awareness among the public. Interviews with conference speakers that will appear on radio, TV and in newspapers are designed to build momentum and share ideas about Prout.

The day after the public conference, Sunday July 10, is a free day for sightseeing and collective meditation in the botanical garden that Baba visited in 1979.

Then on July 11, 12 and 13 we host an intensive Prout seminar in the Prout Research Institute office for approximately 100 Proutists from Venezuela and overseas. The focus is how to create organizational networks, design appropriate Prout materials and do publicity campaigns in each city and country so that our support base grows. Our aim is practical capacity building and sharing to bring Prout's message to the world.

On July 14 we will visit the successful Master Unit, Centro Madre, and on July 15 the most successful cooperative network in the country.

When Baba visited Venezuela, he said “Prout will be accepted like hotcakes in Latin America.” We are trying to make that happen. We hope you can come.

For further information about the conference, visit: www.priven.org. For those willing to help as volunteers during the conference, we offer a big discount in the price.

The HERMIT!

At the end of November I began intensively rewriting my earlier book, After Capitalism: Prout's Vision for a New World. Since then, I've been a recluse, sitting in front of my computer every day researching, writing and coordinating the translation into Spanish. About 70 percent of the text is new, and the total will be about 30 percent longer than the original. It is both inspiring and tedious. I am graced with a number of wonderful friends who are helping me proofread it and offering both ideas and copy editing. I hope to finish in another month (but I've been saying that since the beginning of December!). However there is not a more beautiful place on earth than the Quinta Prout in Caracas, Venezuela, and working in the vegetable garden is good therapy for me. If anyone is willing to assist me by reading a chapter or two, please send me a personal message.