http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org/monthyupdates.htm
The idea for The Aid for Children Project did not come from one specific
dream, but rather seemed to grow organically, as members of The World
Dreams Peace Bridge watched with horror the effect of advancing U.S. troops
on the children of Iraq.
May Tung, herself a refugee from China when she was a little girl, was the
first to mention the idea of helping the children of Iraq. She suggested
sending not food or water, but therapeutic aids like stuffed toys, crayons
and paper, which could be used to help the children deal with trauma.
It was when we scheduled the first Dream Incubation for Children in early
April that the idea really took hold, when it was discovered that several
people had been dreaming not just for but with the children of Iraq. And
then people began to talk about how, during childhood illness or other
difficulty, some stuffed toy or doll had been a cherished friend or
listener to secrets told to no one else.
At the request of the group, Ilkin Sungu, who lives in Istanbul, went to
the offices there of UNICEF, where she was told that there were already
therapists in place and goods being shipped from Turkey to refugee camps in
Iraq. The director of UNICEF's Istanbul office offered a deep discount on
the types of stuffed toys, crayons, paper and pencils we were looking for
as well as enthusiastic support for the proposed program. Ilkin was
assured that she could personally oversee the shipments, and that even
cards and pictures from dreamers around the world could be sent to the
children. Thus the Aid for Children Project was born. If you would like
to contribute to this project, just send a check to:
Aid for Children
The iMAGE Project
408 Elmhurst Lane
Portsmouth VA 23701
USA
or check the World Dreams Peace Bridge
http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org/index.htm
(Note: The iMAGE Project is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization managed by
World Dreams moderator Jean Campbell. All funds designated for the Aid for
Children Project will go directly to the children. All donations are tax
deductible.)
Along the way to this dream-created communication with the children of
Iraq, another interesting thing developed. First came an e-mail to the
Peace Bridge from Jeremy Seligson's nine-year-old daughter Elloisa (Ellie)
in Korea, and then another from Victoria Quinton's Australian daughter,
Emily, just turned nine. Soon Julian joined in from the United States, and
before we knew it, there were Kids on the Bridge.
The Kids on the Bridge program is still developing. There are plans for a
discussion board on the World Dreams web site, and for dream-related and
peace-related activities for the kids. But most definitely this is a first
in the community of dreamers, a place where kids can have their own space
for discussion and development of projects.
If your own kids are interested in dreams and peace, and might like a place
to explore these with other kids from around the world, send an email to
jeansdream2002@yahoo.com, or watch this space for updates.
The World Dreams Peace Bridge continues to grow. Several new members have
joined the Peace Bridge discussion group in the past month, and there have
been enough Peace Train activities starting around the world that a special
Peace Train discussion list has been created at Yahoogroups specifically
for Peace Train conductors. If you would like to create a Peace Train, you
can join the list by sending an e-mail to:
peacetrainproject-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
And don't forget that Jeremy Seligson, the original Peace Train dreamer,
will be conducting a Dreams and Peace Trains workshop at the upcoming ASD
Conference in Berkeley at the end of June. Jeremy will be assisted by May
Tung and me. Other members of the World Dreams Peace Bridge will also be
in attendance.
The final activity of the month of April that must be mentioned is the
creation of a new word to describe what we do on The World Dreams Peace
Bridge. You can do it too. It's called Da-Fu Mu Dreaming or Dreams of Big
FU, meaning dreams of great blessing. The word, a combination of Japanese
and Chinese, came about when Kathy Turner asked, "What do we call this kind
of focused, long-term, peace dreaming we've been doing?" And a
word-playful discussion ensued. Check out the Da-Fu Mu Dreaming page
at Dafumu - World Dreams Peace Bridge
http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org/dafumu.htm
And when you dream of peace, say Dafumu!
The World Dreams Peace Bridge is a group that uses personal dreams for public world peace. You can find out more about the WDPB at:
http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org
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