Bruce, how does the Peace Education Program fit within Ivory’s Rock activities?
“Ivory's Rock was envisaged as a Learning Centre from the beginning, and as support for the Peace Education Program forms an integral part of the Ivory's Rock Foundation's Charter, it naturally follows that regular PEP sessions should be available onsite at Ivory's Rock itself.
It also follows that the Peace Education Program, along with onsite facilities, should be an integral part of the services offered to community organizations.
The PEP sessions held recently, demonstrated the value of actual attendance, rather than just receiving information about PEP from other sources. Many expressed being surprised, informed and inspired, especially by listening to Prem's message in a focussed and thematic way.”
Jenny, why do you volunteer in the Peace Education Program?”
“I was excited when approached to facilitate a session of the Peace Education Program at Ivory’s Rock. I had completed a weekend Facilitator’s training over a year ago and more recently one on one tuition.
l launched into facilitating the session. There was something special about being involved in an educational program about peace.
The session found its own measure and flow. The participants engaged with the material. There were pauses and silences, and then the room was filled with a hum of voices as participants shared their reflections and thoughts with the person sitting next to them.
Participants seemed to personally benefit from attending and participating in this process.
Would I be involved with this program again…? You bet.”
Kitty, what is the value of participating in a PEP even though you have been familiar with Prem’s work for many years?
“I was invited to facilitate two of the sessions at the conference hall. About twenty-five people attended. Many of the attendees have been familiar with Prem’s work, and several people were attending for the first time. One person had attended a PEP in Toowoomba and has become interested in facilitating the program in his organisation.
Several facilitation styles were used. It was exciting to see how this program enables participants to embrace and engage in this fresh approach to listening to and understanding the material presented.
After watching the video clips, we took part in exercises and reflections. Some participants remarked that this will help them to establish ways they could incorporate the learnt wisdom into their daily lives. We moved from "passive to active listening.”
Thank you Kitty, Bruce and Jenny for your participation and observations and to Margaret for organising the program.
