Press Release: The First Program at the Queen of All Saints School, Nov 2010

SAVE Your Change TO SAVE THE WORLD

The First Program at the Queen of All Saints School, November 2010

Press Release

The program, “Save Your Change to Save the World” is one of the newest initiatives of Dr. Kalayjian, President of the Association for Trauma Outreach & Prevention (ATOP) of Meaningfulworld. It began with a presentation at the Queen of All Saints School located on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. Although the actual program took place on 12 November 2010, the seeds of collaboration were sewn several weeks before that; when Dr. Kalayjian contacted Ms. Attanissi, the Principal of the School, and together they agreed upon the program details that best suited the needs of the children.

The goal of this program was multifaceted: 1. To raise consciousness in the children regarding the plight of other children around the world, 2. To inform the children about world affairs, 3. To allow the children to contribute in a small way – bringing their change to help others – while sowing the seeds of sharing and assisting those who are disadvantaged, 4. To teach them the principles of healing, overcoming trauma, Emotional Quotient (EQ) and Spiritual Quotient (SQ), 5. To help them discharge their own negative feelings and traumatic experiences, 6. To help them cultivate the ability of learning a positive lesson and focusing on what the positive lessons were, 7. To cultivate in them a sense of gratitude for the opportunities they share, and 8. To helping them reach a physical release by using stretches for energetic balance.

At the meeting on November 12, 2010, Dr. Kalayjian met with Ms. Attanissi, as well as class President Ms. Summer who collected all the “change” from the children. Then together, they went to the auditorium where over 100 children had gathered quietly, led by their home room teachers. The group of students were well dressed, well behaved and eager to learn.

Dr. Kalayjian showed a film of the recent Meaningfulworld Humanitarian Outreach in Sierra Leone, depicting the challenges of rehabilitation after a decade of war, destruction and trauma. The students watched with curiosity, emotionality and extreme attention. During the film, Dr. Kalayjian described in detail the impact of a large scale trauma such as a war, the signs of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and gave a definition of trauma, while also having the children think about what kind of traumas have they might have experienced in their lives. Also shared was information on how to express one’s feelings, the importance of discharging ones feelings for catharsis, and how to learn a lesson and move on from victimhood.

“This was an amazing experience and it brought tears of joy into my eyes as children, inspired and emotional, came to me saying that they wanted to do the same thing that we are doing in ATOP of Meaningfulworld; they wanted to make a difference in other people’s lives. Their commitment to serve and make a difference for other children is indeed inspiring to witness,” said Dr. Kalayjian who was herself moved with deep emotions of gratitude.

Together the students raised $150, which was given to ATOP of Meaningfulworld to be used in their next outreach project. However, the impact of the program on the schoolchildren was invaluable. Dr. Kalayjian gave a gift to Class President Summer as she led the project and motivated her classmates to bring their “change” to change the world’s children.

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SAVE YOUR CHANGE TO CHANGE THE WORLD
YOUR SUPPORT IS URGENTLY NEEDED TO HELP CHILDREN AROUND THE WORLD!!!

Many children around the world lack the comforts that you have here in the US. Most of them have to walk 45 minutes along difficult roads to go to school. Many children in Africa, Latin America, and Asia cannot even go to school; because they have to help their parents cook, bring water from a lake, or work on the family farm.
Your help is urgently needed. A small change can change the world. Your kind and positive thoughts, your letters of support, your prayers, and your financial assistance can make a difference in the lives of these children. In the photos below, you can see the children in Haiti struggling under tents as their schools were all demolished. In Kenya some children are without shoes. When we visited them we saw that they had no water to drink and no food to eat. Almost all of them had to live under small tents, with poor protection from cold and rain. Many children came to our art and play therapy tent with their clothes still wet from the previous day.

The student who collects the most change will get a gift.
We will come to meet with you and show you our film.  Please tell your parents, neighbors, friends, and relatives to support you making a difference to the children of the world.

www.Meaningfulworld.com   135 Cedar Street, Cliffside Park, NJ 07010, DrKalayjian@meaningfulworld.com

Good intentions are no longer enough. I wanted to support humanity in my own way. Meaningful World was a natural way for me to help the victims of tsunami.

So many systems have failed us and as we transition from failed models, attitudes and behaviors that are polarizing, destructive and failing all around us I could not just sit back, be overwhelmed and do nothing… I am doing something with Meaningful World.

Meaningful World cultivates well-being, relatedness, a deep awareness and understanding how to elevate some of the world's suffering. Our choices impact all living systems and I choose to be an agent of good.