Badakhshan province, Afghanistan
| The Art of Living launches "Violence-Free Society" campaign in Latin America In view of the alarming increase of violence that Argentina is facing at schools, on the streets, in sports, fields as well as families, the Latin American branch of The Art of Living Foundation launched a campaign throughout Argentina and all of the Latin countries to revert the problem. Led by Beatriz V. Goyoaga, director for Latin America, the campaign involves schools, teachers, businessmen, universities as well as the national, provincial and municipal governments. The project, which involves sponsors and hundreds of volunteers include providing tools in neighborhoods, slums, villages, drug rehabilitation places, where the social fiber has been harmed and where the violence is at its highest level in the country. It also includes mass meetings at schools and universities or companies being oriented to people of all ages and social level. Also meditations, parties and peace parades are organized. The idea of the proposal is to promote awareness and make citizens aware of responsibility we all have for the societies we live in. The idea is that people become aware that we are all responsible for the society that we have and that we should not wait for the police, the government, the head of school, or the business manager to change things but rather each person should come out and take responsibility and act according to its own possibilities. "The responsibility is taken not given! " says Goyoaga. "I was shocked by the news that a group of 6 students threw the headmaster of a school out the a third floor window because she caught them consuming drugs...they threw her out the window of the third floor straight away. In Rosario de la Frontera about 15 teenagers under 16 have committed suicide. Comodoro Rivadavia is known as the most dangerous city in the Argentina…violence is gaining prestige. It's high time for the peaceful ones to make a little more noise.I started a few months ago in Ushuaia and I will not stop until I covered the entire Argentina!" says Beatriz. The last two weeks was the turn of Tucumán, Comodoro Rivadavia, Salta and before it was Río Negro, Córdoba, Rosario, Santa Fe, etc. "During these visits I have been received by governors, mayors, members of local councils and companies”, she added. In Tucumán, Firmat (Santa Fé) and Asunción (Paraguay) I was awarded as “Distinguished Citizen”, and in every city the project has been declared of interest of the Province or the City. It's being a crusade of many and it includes Santiago de Chile, México, Colombia, Perú, etc. Next weeks it will be Corrientes, Misiones and Formosa. There is a lot to do, but those interested in reducing violence are more and more each day. In Colombia we have started working with the FARC and the victims of war and in Mexico more than 12,000 prisoners in high-security prisons participated. In Argentina Goyoaga presented the project to the President through the Secretary General of the Presidency, Dr Parrilli. |
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 With National Senator representing Tucumán city - Argentina |
 Declared "Distinguished citizen" by the mayor of Firmat - Santa Fé - Argentina |
 Declared "Distinguished citizen" and "Municipal interest program" by the mayor of Asunción - Paraguay |
 Launching the Santiago free of violence program with the Mayor and the press |
 With the mayor of Rada Tilli - Chubut - Argentina |
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