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We are very happy to invite you to the 9th European AYUDH youth initiative “our world. our vision. our future.”, taking place from 13. - 20. July 2013 at M.A. Center Germany, near Frankfurt.

This year’s initiative invites us to reflect upon our ambitions, dreams and visions - for our own lives and the world as a whole. Interactive talks and workshops will help us to define our personal vision and learn practical steps to reach our goals.

Many distinguished speakers and workshop leaders will facilitate the camp, amongst them: 

Julia Bonk, previously the youngest politician of Germany and member of parliament of the state of Saxony, Germany

Laura Schneider, actress and singer, Germany

Jani Toivola, member of parliament, Finland

Kirty Matabadal, UN-Ambassador for youth, the Netherlands

Kirsi Ranto, singer and songwriter, Finland

Br. Shubamrita, monk and meditation teacher

Bri. Dipamrita, leader of the NGO “embracing the world – France”

A diverse range of workshops will be offered, giving you a chance to express your talents and tap into your power of imagination: Photography, Harp-playing, Horseriding, Dance, Music & Singing, Art-work, Building a Stone-Labyrinth, Buidling a Barefoot-Path for Children, Healthy Nutrition, Conscious Living, Tai Chi, Storytelling and Improv-Theatre

During the camp, you also have the chance to be trained as an “InDeed” coach for sustainability, which will enable you to visit schools in your home country and teach children how to save water, protect biodiversity and grow healthy, organic food.

If you take part in this activity, even when you are back home, you will receive the “youth pass“ - a certificate by the European Union that certifies non-formal learning in the youth field. The “youth pass” is recognized across Europe and can be used in your CV and professional career.

In addition, there will be a video-art contest, creative art-jamming, singing, sports, games, and a big summer festival to conclude the week.

The initiative is co-funded by the “Youth in Action” programme of the European Commission for Education and Culture, which allows us to refund 70% of the travel cost for a limited number of youth coming from:

Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, Ireland, UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria and Denmark. Of course, youth from other countries are welcome as well, however, they need to cover their own travel cost.

If you register before July 1^st the participation fee for the whole week is only 100 Euro (afterwards 120 Euro). Youth who have difficulties paying the fee should please contact their Country Youth Leader.

Youth who still have school during the time of the camp can obtain a letter from us that certifies our initiative as a non-formal learning programme of the European Commission for Education and Culture. With this letter you can ask permission of the school to take leave for the duration of the camp.

The camp is open to youth between the ages of 15 and 30.

People over the age of 30 are welcome as volunteers to support our camp. We still need lots of helping hands. If you are interested, please contact ayudhinternational@gmail.com

Apply now by clicking here - Spaces are limited, so apply fast.

Read here about AYUDH’s youth initiative 2012 “the joy of giving”

An old man, living in the house, told us about his orchards full of appletrees when he was a farmer. And an elderly woman shared her memories of baking cookies with her mum many many years ago. Next to baking cookies and cakes, we had a beautiful afternoon of just hanging out with the elderly people, drinking coffee together, chatting about everything, laughing and smiling, enjoying each others company. We all had a wonderful heartwarming day.

The chief of the carehome said: “You really really don’t realise what you are giving to us by coming here today and doing this!”
Yes, we would love to come back in the future!

A local newspaper was reporting the following:

“Music and solidarity in an old church – To the rhythm of music and solidarity in the service, last Wednesday night, an international youth group ‘Ayudh’, after returning full of enthusiasm from international meeting on the theme “The Joy of Giving” held in Germany joined together with a Milan volunteer group and inaugurated the fourth “Peoples’ festival” at Limbiate. They entertained the large audience present at the meeting with the joy of rap rhythm and traditional Indian tunes.
The festival, organized by the five community churches in Limbiate, re-opened the closed ancient Church in Piazza San Giorgio Solari, after a long period. The video “Embracing the World” and the presentation of Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma) and her international humanitarian organization also added a special atmosphere to the meeting. The organizers were satisfied for the success of the evening and are preparing for the weekend party.”

Link to the article in Italian: AYUDH – FESTA DEI POPOLI articolo

On the second day the youth undertook a cleaning campaign in one of Berlins biggest public parks. Enarmed with brooms, gloves, trash bags and gripping tongs the youth split up into several groups to remove thousands of cigarette buds, plastic items and broken pieces of glass from the grounds of the park. One of the participants remarked: “The reactions of the people in the park were really different. Some people thanked us for our work, one little turkish girl even took a gripping tong and helped us for one hour. At the end she wanted to take home some cleaning material, in order to keep the park clean in the future. Others were really sceptical because they had never seen youngsters doing this kind of work on a voluntary basis – one old lady thought we were searching something really valuable on the ground and when we told her that we were here to collect the trash, she said that we must be criminals, who do this kind of work as a punishment. Learning that we were doing the cleaning out of our free will, she obviously got a shock…”

Even though the youth could not clean up the whole park during this one day, they were happy to at least having cleaned up one part of it, thereby setting an example of selfless service and care for Nature.

The third annual East Coast AYUDH Youth Exchange, held at the M.A. Center in Potomac, MD on August 11^th–12^th, inspired 34 youth from around the United States to come together under the guidance of Br. Dayamrita Chaitanya. This year’s theme, The Joy of Giving, fostered a transformative weekend of discussion, selfless service, creativity and prayer.

At sunrise on the first day, the participants began preparing lunch for a local shelter in Bethesda, MD. Everyone’s personal touch added to the scrumptious meal. Afterwards, a hike along the Potomac River, at the nearby Great Falls Park, gave everyone some time to connect with nature.

During the afternoon’s question and answer session, Br. Dayamrita touched upon a variety of topics from overcoming stage fright to how to deal with adverse circumstances. A central theme also emerged: learning to balance spiritual practices with academic endeavors.

A heart-stirring bhajan session concluded the day. Musical talent filled the room as Sonia Patel sang ‘Every One in the World,’ an English song highlighting Amma’s dream for a peaceful world. Interactive theater games ended the long day on a light-hearted note.

Br. Dayamrita began the next morning’s activities with a thought-provoking discussion about how to deal with everyday social pressures. Participants debated on how to live in the world as members of society, while continuing to hold on to spirituality. Afterwards, Br. Ramanand held an engaging bhajan class. As the group divided into several smaller ones, each composed a paragraph around this year’s theme for AYUDH. What resulted was a melodious, multilingual conglomeration of voices, instruments, and styles centralized around The Joy of Giving.

As a finale to the retreat, everyone traveled to the Potomac Valley Nursing and Wellness Center to perform a collection of songs and dances for the elderly residents. As faces filled with smiles, participants shared their numerous talents. Raju Mishra performed a Bollywood fusion dance. Tom Marino choreographed an AYUDH group song. One resident was inspired to sing the 1934 classic, ‘Blue Moon.’ As some were fighting to hold back their tears, others joyously joined in the celebration.

With goals set and hearts opened, participants packed their bags and say goodbye.  Yet another inspiring AYUDH Youth Exchange had taken place.

The theme of this year was ‘the Joy of Giving.’ The youth focused on how they can use their personal talents and potential for the benefit of society and the environment. Each youth chose one workshop for the duration of the whole week. The workshops were designed to help the participants deepen their understanding of the three main topics of the initiative: ‘Give to Yourself’, ‘Give to Society’ and ‘Give to Nature.’

Workshps

A psychology workshop introduced the ‘Flow’ phenomena, which helps one to be more efficient, happy and relaxed in one’s work.

The singing, dancing and artwork workshops offered the chance to explore and express creative potential. All songs were written and composed by the participants themselves, ranging from Rap to Jazz to folk music. In two acting workshops the youth developed their improvisation & storytelling skills, while also learning about the discipline of acting.

Practical activities and the insight of a great workshop leader introduced the permaculture group to an alternative sustainable way to work with nature.?A body work workshop introduced youth to simple and effective techniques for increased relaxation.

Integrated Amrita Meditation Technique for Youth taught the participants a simple yet effective meditation technique that can help them to be more balanced, focused and creative in their studies, work and personal life.

Motivational Talks

Each day a renowned speaker inspired the youth with motivational talks, using examples from their own lives. The speakers included Kirsi Ranto, pop-singer from Finland, Krisztina Peremartoni, who was the lead actress of the Hungarian National Theatre for 25 years, who talked to the participants of how singing and acting can also be used to help society and stressed on how much a refined character is important in remaining successful. Kirty Matabadal, UN Ambassador for Youth from the Netherlands shared her aspirations, tasks and responsibilities as UN ambassador with the youth.

The camp also had a very special visit from world-renowned German artist Rebecca Horn. Accompanied by Hayden Chisholm, a musician and composer from New Zealand, the evening began with the screening of the film made by her, titled ‘Moon Mirror Journey’. The youngsters experienced the palpable atmosphere created by each piece, including ‘Jungle of Light’, the installation dedicated to Amma. In her speech, Rebecca Horn encouraged the youth to go back to their roots, value their cultural heritage and spread their love in society.

The talks by Br. Shubamrita on ‘Giving to Society’ and Bri. Dipamrita on ‘Giving to Nature’ highlighted on how everybody has the potential to create change in the world and in the restoring harmony between human beings and nature – in big and small ways.

Walk for Education

On the third day of the camp the youth took part in a charity walk ‘Walk for Education’ in the picturesque city of Michelstadt.

Back home, each participant had worked for raising awareness and funds for the walk, directed towards helping ‘Embracing the World’ in their educational projects for children http://www.embracingtheworld.org/what-we-do/education-for-everyone/. To support the youth in their cause and inform the public, the local bank “Volksbank Odenwald” hosted a one month video and photo exhibition about the educational initiatives of “Embracing the World”.

Along the way, the youth visited an old age home and spent a few hours with the residents there. Some young people visited room-bound elderly people and distributed some gifts hand-made by the participants. The Portuguese group played and sang for the elderly people in their rooms. Afterwards, Spanish TV comedian Antonio Jose Garcia del Valle entertained the residents and youth with a medley of popular songs and skits, bringing both tears and laughter to everyone’s face.

Dil Se De

On the penultimate day afternoon, the youngsters shared the ‘Joy of Giving’ through a multi-cultural youth street theatre performance. All topics explored during the week like benefits of meditation, protecting Mother Nature, conserving water and energy, relaxation techniques, etc, were translated into music, dance and drama. The performance culminated in a 200 strong dance troupe to this year’s theme song ‘Dil Se De’. Passers-by were impressed by the young people’s talents and sincere concern for environmental and social issues.

Candle Ceremony

Artist Gabriele von Lutzau visited the M.A. Center to inaugurate a cast of the peace dove carved during the previous year. Each participant joined in the universal peace prayer ‘Om Lokah Samastah Sukhino Bhavantu’ and carried a candle to the nearby lake and gently placed it on the waters. It was a beautiful sight to see the 200 lighted candles, floating on the surface of water, with the atmosphere reverberating with the chants for world peace. The serene atmosphere created by the candle ceremony continued into a special exclusive concert with Kirsi Ranto and Antonio Jose Garcia del Valle. Other AYUDH participants shared their musical talents and an overwhelming feeling of pure joy was experienced by all.

On the final day Mr. Willi Kredel, the Mayor of Brombachtal, thanked the youth for travelling to the local region and mentioned how inspired he is by all that AYUDH does.

Implementation

Throughout the week, the youth had drafted follow-up ‘Joy of Giving’ projects for implementation in their home countries. Each young person left for home with their hearts filled with happiness, gratitude and enthusiasm to continue ‘Giving,’ which is such an important part of Amma’s life and teachings.

Videos:

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Dil Se De

Street Performance at the video portal of the south German Echo newspaper

Photos:

Dil Se De

Media Reports (German):

Inauguration of Exhibition in Volksbank Odenwald

Rebecca Horn at M.A. Center Germany

‘Walk for Education’

Street Performance in Darmstadt

“The Joy of Giving”

Through talks and workshops the youth will explore and develop their own talents and capacities, in order to contribute to society and environmental protection.

Renowned speakers and workshop leaders will facilitate the camp, amongst them: Jani Toivola, member of parliament, Finland; Kirsi Ranto, pop-singer, Finland; Kirty Matabadal, youth ambassador to the UN, Netherlands; Br. Shubamrita, monk and meditation teacher, India; Bri. Dipamrita, leader of the NGO “embracing the world – france”, France; Krisztina Peremartoni, actress and coach, USA/Hungary; Antonio Jose Garcia del Valle, TV-comedian, Spain.

During a public street performance in Darmstadt on July 20^th the participants will present the results of the camp through acting, music, dance and installations, thereby inspiring the passers-by to experience the ‘Joy of Giving’ themselves.

Through a charity walk in the town Michelstadt on July 18^th, participants will raise donations for the education of underpriviledged youth in India and visit the residents of a care home for elderly people.

Apart from this there will be a bonfire and picknick in nature, sports, singing and much more.

The five months after the camp will be dedicated to spreading the results of the camp and implementing at least one small “Joy of Giving” project in each participating county.

“The Joy of Giving” is under the patronage of Dietrich Kübler, district administrator of the Odenwald region. It is co-sponsored by the “youth in action” programme of the European Commission for Education and Culture.

A limited number of participants from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland and UK can receive a 70% refund of their travel cost. Of course youth from other countries are welcome as well, however, they need to cover their own travel cost.

If you apply before July 1^st the participation fee for the whole week is only 100 Euro (afterwards 120 Euro). Youth who have difficulties paying the fee should please contact their Country Youth Leader.

Youth who still have school during the time of the camp can obtain a letter from us that certifies our initiative as a non-formal learning programme of the Europan Commission for Education and Culture. With this letter you can ask the schools permission to take leave from school for the duration of the camp.

People over the age of 30 are welcome as volunteers to support our camp. We still need lots of helping hands. If you are interested, please contact ayudhinternational@gmail.com

>> Apply now – click here << 

For further information, please write to your Country Youth Leader:

Germany: Angelika.ries95@gmx.de

Denmark: Ayudh.andreas@gmail.com

Austria: naveena@devcon.cc

Switzerland: info.switzerland@ayudh.eu

Finland: mar.i@hotmail.com

France: South: sne_108@yahoo.fr | North: morgane-bourles@hotmail.fr

Spain: Hectorchi87@gmail.com | victor_manz@hotmail.com

Portugal: ayudh.portugal@gmail.com

UK: info.uk@ayudh.eu

Ireland: info.ireland@ayudh.eu

Belgium: info.belgique@ayudh.eu

Netherlands: ayudhnederland@gmail.com

Italy: info.italy@ayudh.eu

Slovenia: info.slovenia@ayudh.eu

All other countries: ayudhinternational@gmail.com

Looking forward to see you soon at the camp!

The Gangotri region of the Himalayas is home to one of the largest glacier systems in the world.  The Gangotri Glacier is the source of the Ganges River which supplies water to over 400 million people in South Asia.  This life-giving glacier is in danger.

NASA images show the Gangotri glacier has retreated at an alarming rate of 850 meters in the last 25 years.  Global warming and changes in local climate are thought to be major causes for the accelerated loss of the Himalayan glaciers.

Prior unrestricted access to the Gangotri area by pilgrims and tourists has deforested the alpine highlands.  Deforestation has caused changes in the local climate reducing snowfall in the region.   The Indian Government has restricted the number of tourists and pilgrims in the area, but the environmental damage remains.  Dr. Harshvanti Bisht of the Himalayan Association for Development and Research Initiatives (HADRI) is attempting to reverse the environmental damage and slow the retreat of the Gangotri glacier by reforesting the Alpine highlands.  There is much work to do and the time to act is now.
Come join us in our WALK TO SAVE GANGOTRI

Date:  Saturday, May 26, 2012
Time:  Check-in at 9:00 am Walk begins at 9:30 am

Location:  The C&O Canal National Park in Potomac, Maryland.

Parking is available in the Park for a fee of $5.00 per vehicle

The 4 mile walk will take place on the C&O Canal towpath and begins and ends at the Great Falls Tavern Visitors Center.
All participants must pre-register here

No registration is allowed in the national park.

All proceeds go to HADRI (Himalayan Association for Development and Research Initiatives) for SAVE GANGOTRI.