How to bridge the gap of communication with anyone:

From the outside it may look like I have things together, but most of the time I really have no idea what is going on. Just like everyone else I am in the middle of the wonderful unfolding called life. Some days I feel cheerful and optimistic, other days I am overwhelmed by the day to day things that must be attended to and unexpected events like death of a loved one.  In fact, I’m sending out a big rainbow of love this week for my dear Sofie who crossed over to whatever is on the other side of death and I’m taking plenty of time to feel sad too.  I could not see this death coming and yet I am here in the middle of the experience. The news has created a great opportunity as well, the opportunity to connect deeply with others who are also feeling impacted by Sofie’s abrupt death.

When I visit far off lands like Kenya or the Pine Ridge Reservation, I am reminded about what really matters… Connecting and communicating with others. The time in these places is slower and the people actually have time to deeply connect with each other. It doesn’t matter who I visit or where they live, there are several steps I always take in order to connect with others:

Trust: I must 1st build trust. I often do this by being vulnerable and beginning with what is human, suffering. When I open my heart to others and share my own suffering first, suddenly I appear human to them and they can often understand some aspect of my experience.

Train: I allow myself to be trained before I begin training. This step can spin out of control in a harmful way if I see myself as above or better than the people I am connecting with. It is most important to first allow myself to be trained or taught about what the people need or want most. After they have trained me on what life is like and where they want to go, then I can pull from my own experience and offer some useful tools. Above all else, I always remind myself that it is only out of my own experience that I can teach anything at all.

Transform: I allow transformation to occur. It is a process. In this step I must allow myself to be transformed and from that space others gain the opportunity to transform themselves as well. Just like the name of this blog! Change yourself, change the world. Following these three key communication tools I have been able to open doors with rich entrepreneurs, homeless alcoholics, gang members, and children and adults of all kinds.

Trust, Train, Transform is good to remember when seeking a deep communication with others: Build trust, allow yourself to be trained, and transform yourself first.

Aja

2010 Recap by Aja Duniven, Executive Director

As 2010 closes and I gaze back over the last year, I am delighted as I examine the progress that was made. One extraordinary aspect about Global Peace Train and it’s cast of human and toy characters is that it unfolds through a collective story. For example, everyone who hops aboard for a tour, a trip or a laugh contributes a unique and necessary piece of the puzzle through their play. Each of the dolls allows participants to channel inner wisdom and contribute creativity and playfulness to each dolls story. I want to invite you all to explore the Global Peace Train and find your unique seat.  It could be anything.  A look from the window, a journey to a foreign land, a lesson in your local community, a tear, or a good old laugh!

And a quick capture of what we experienced on the 2010 tour…

South East Asia: Early this year, we Partnered with Loesje Jacob and practitioners of a form of energy medicine called Body Talk, and I joined them in a trip to Indonesia and Malaysia. In Indonesia, we worked with a team of youth and 8 different orphanages. We learned about Body Talk together, and taught the orphans the Body Talk techniques. Those volunteers who participated in the journey experienced profound and transformative healing, perhaps even more then the orphans! While we were there, a film crew shot a documentary about the Body Talk journey, and I was delighted at an invitation to share my transformative work with the Global Peace Train toys.  I presented exercises to the youth on film, exploring healing and transformation with the stuffed animals they brought on the trip. We were honored by the opportunity to work with these youth in groups; it was a real and tangible test of the Global Peace Train method in a group setting. The outcome was a deep appreciation for the healing power of play and the narrative transformations that come from collective imagination. Click here to learn more.

Children in Indonesia

After Indonesia we traveled into the jungle of Malaysia and met with the Orang Asli (Tribal Peoples) of that region. We participated in their sacred ceremony, learned about how the ancient traditions merge with current culture, and explored technology that created sustainable living.

By day we explored the small village. Here, people grew their own food, used solar panels for electricity and shared hard work while enjoying the simple life. We were embedded deep in a valley, the village was composed of houses on stilts, with home gardens everywhere and chickens and children running around playfully. We lived in a separate bamboo village built especially for us with nine huts, equipped with bare amenities.

By night we were lead by guides carrying tall bamboo torches into a long hut where the sacred ceremonies took place.  We had freshly woven crowns and medicine bundles that were made that day with sacred herbs cut from the jungle.  We danced in the pitch black to the echoes of crude bamboo instruments banging an unworldly song. There were harmonies sung in a different language, it was magical. I felt like I was being connected to something I had long forgotten. Although I was in the middle of nowhere, I felt more connected to our universal humanity then I ever had.

The confluence of the very ancient and modern was striking. We learned how one people take ancient traditions and merge them with modern technology for the happiness of the people. Also striking was the lack of centralized monetary systems; they don’t depend on these as we do everywhere else. This wraps up our journey with Body Talk International.

Salt Lake City, Utah:Shortly after the trip to South East Asia we lead a project with the homeless in Salt Lake City.  This was a real test of our Global Peace Train journeys; we were six volunteers embodying our vision of alleviating poverty through play with the homeless community. We dressed in costume representing any character we chose: the average American, the media, corporate America, a crazy man, and someone’s child. We then explored with video, traditional photography, and imaginative play, what insight we could discover within the rolls. What we discovered was that homelessness affects everyone. Within the media people everywhere were facing foreclosures. It was not just the obvious homeless person on the street.

John (right) Hollywood (left)

We then took a journey with the homeless population in order to explore the essence of homelessness. The homeless men that we were working with taught us how to fly signs, how to panhandle, what wording to use, where the best places were to beg for money, and the skills required to be homeless. They shared intimate stories and gave us a sense of being thoroughly conquered and giving up on life. While the homeless were left despondent, our volunteer’s eyes were opened. Monica Eliee Henrie, one of our volunteers, mentions: “Spending the day with the homeless opened up a whole new perspective on life for me…I was able to step out of my comfort zone and…was really taught to love unconditionally…We’re all in this together.”

Monica Henrie

According to the testimonials and feedback, we found that the point is to awaken a passion and consciousness in the volunteers to open their eyes and take action. As a result Global Peace Train began to explore how to create a vehicle, a train, which could actually change the world and use the natural talents and passions of anyone to make it happen.  When people ask how they can help, instead of handing off the boring office work, we ask the questions: “What do you love to do the most?  Where would you like to adventure and who would you like to meet that is suffering? How can the Global Peace Train help you take that journey?”

Fundraising: When spring came my investments ran out and the fundraising efforts began. Since, we have raised close to $3000 for the Miracles with Microloan’s Project in Kenya and   $25,000 for the Star Quilt project on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

Programs: The microfinance program in Kenya delivers small loans and education to women in the slums so they can start small businesses.  We have hired on Karen Sugar who runs the Women’s Global Empowerment Fund www.wgefund.org, started designing the systems for the program, and put in all the paperwork for a local NGO in Kenya we are calling PACHO which means “Home”. We are aiming to raise the next $15,000 in order to finish the preliminary organizational work, training, and actually distribute the loans by this spring. This project still strongly needs funding to help lift women from Kenya out of poverty and our goal is to make it manifest in 2011.

The mission of the Lakota project is to empower the native women to build an economy and share their tradition. By designing an e-commerce website and teaching them skills in business, they learn how to bring their beautiful quilts to market with integrity, play, and passion. We are proud to announce that we have received our first shipment of these sacred quilts, driven personally by the native artist Germaine Moves Camp, from South Dakota.

Germaine Moves Camp

Also a moving force on this project is a Medicine Man named Sam Moves Camp. His grandfather worked alongside the famous warrior Crazy Horse in the late 1800′s.  I am excited to take another trip to the Reservation soon to sit down with him and receive a greater teaching on the ancient meaning of the star quilts.  It is our intention to create a sacred experience for those who purchase these quilts.  Participating in this commerce is a way to learn about the Native Lakota tradition and feel connected to the sacred human experience.  Our mission is to create these same qualities in all of our projects.

In 2010 Global Peace Train also began to work with the Gang Members in Denver.  We began using GBaby to explore the viewpoints of those within gangs, those who have fully transitioned out of gangs as well as kids, entrepreneurs, students and people of all ages. We used GBaby as a tool to uncover participant’s inner wisdom and build a collective story from their real lives and imaginations.

We have begun to create a bridge that allows both sides of the gang phenomenon to break apart stereotypes and open up lines of communication.  In 2011 we are looking forward to furthering the production of the GBaby Album and Music Video in order to further establish the brand and bring forth programming for the gang members who are ready to get off the streets. We intend to do this by opening up job opportunities for the youth that align with their passions and talents.

Juan

We also explored the practicality of these tools when we partnered with the World View Project at Naropa University, and The Prodigal Son to uncover the world views of transitioned gang members. Our preliminary findings indicate that opportunities for action and taking new roles in life are vital for the transition out of gangs.

India

Angel Capital Summit: To top off the years achievements we were hand selected as one of three non profits to present at the Angel Capital Summit in Denver. I worked with a team of more than 10 different consultants to get the investor presentation right, and the presentation ran smoothly.  Of especial help was LaRiesse Dimmick, the Chief Business Strategist for Trendant Consulting http://www.trendant.comwho flew in for the summit from Salt Lake City, Utah.

Having a Chief Business Strategist to put all the actual systems together and make the machine run as a whole is very important for a creative Executive Director like me. In order to achieve our long term goals, we anticipate a long consulting relationship with LaRiesse and Trendant Consulting and are so excited to have them onboard the Global Peace Train.

This has been an inspiring, challenging, and growth-promoting year for Global Peace Train. Thank you all who have donated your heart, soul, time, and money to our projects! We are still growing, and need donations more than ever to continue the growth and development of all our activities. The transformation that happens occurs through the kindnesses of our donors and volunteers, so please continue to donate if you already do so, and begin donating time or money if you have not.

In closing, I would like to extend another warm invitation to you to explore your own passions and see what seat might be available on the Global Peace Train for you.  Whether it be a board position, volunteer, paid or short visit we look forward to taking the journey with you!  In addition we currently have a Global Peace Train Journey that we are looking to continue… if you happen to be traveling to Costa Rica anytime soon and would be interested in an adventure please let me know.

Warm Regards,

Aja Duniven

Engineer of Serendipity

aja@globalpeacetrain.com

Orphans in Sori

I found myself at Karen Zwickert’s Children’s Home, an orphanage pristinely located on the banks of Lake Victoria. A lovely community of staff and a small group of children welcomed me. There were about 15 children living at the home that was built to house 160.  The beauty of the land, friendliness and dedication of the staff and the warmth of the children impressed me.I spent hours discussing the current business model for the home with Bob Okeyo, the director of the home.  He was a local teacher who Karen Zwickert had picked to be the manager of the orphanage. She was inspired to build the home after seeing the conditions in which the local orphans were living.  They were pressed into a small room of a nearby hospital, several children to each tiny twin-sized bed.As I understand it, Karen raised the capital for the project through the non-profit organization based in Oregon called African Band Aid and she sold her own house in order to generate money to build the Sori orphanage.  She saw her dream realized. The orphanage at one time housed 150 children, however, dependent upon donations from America for basic operational costs, when donations from African Band Aid were greatly reduced due to the economic crisis, the project lost steam and the operation began shrinking.  The staff stayed on in hopes of finding new funding sources. Many children left for the summer months. Food began to run low and Bob was left with full responsibility for the operation of the home. I have great respect for Karen Zwickert for following her vision through to completion and feel dismayed that a stronger business model was not established sooner.  African Band Aid did exactly what the name suggests, put a temporary band-aid on the wound in Sori. There are more and more children orphaned everyday due to the AIDS epidemic- the cause of the wound is still present and can be seen throughout Kenya and, no doubt, the rest of Africa. I was moved by the story and knew I must act to help the situation. I spent 5 days brainstorming solutions and was delighted to discover that Bob had already started the work that we were discussing.  His plans included a micro business of growing and selling watermelons to sustain the orphanage financially, a secondary school to educate the children beyond the “free” primary education (similar to K-8th grade), and a community outreach center to provide education and resources to the wider community. As I dug deeper I was shocked to discover how little money was spent building the orphanage, the purchase price of the land and the operating costs.  Two acres of land had already been purchased for the school and there was another piece of land that had been negotiated which was closer to the water, bigger and which only cost approximately $2000 US for 2 acres.  The whole orphanage was built with around $160,000 US including kitchen, dorms, dining room and offices.  Plans for the school were around the same.  Operational costs for a full staff, food, school, and health care for the orphanage came to around $4000 US per month. Bob, Leah and I drafted a list of priorities. Emergency care was the first need- money for food and salaries to keep the operation afloat. The watermelon business next, the sustaining of the orphanage with its own year-round food production for the kids and staff, and then the building of the school. My work continues to rewardme with moments that hang colorfully on the wall of time. One boy named Amaziah* again confirmed the reason I am doing the work that I am. One night after the sun went down and darkness filled in the gaps, I had my first visit with the children.  They sang beautiful songs for me by the oil lamps’ light, as there is no electricity at the orphanage. Amaziah was the youngest and very angry.  His face was dark and fresh, there was a playful bird behind his anger and I was interested to see if he would let it fly. He didn’t speak English and refused to even look up when I was asking all the children about their lives. The children stood in a tidy chorus line singing songs that bounced off the walls of the empty dining room.  Amaziah sat in a chair apart from the others closed up and looking down at the ground.  I couldn’t help but stare at him, I could see who he really was hiding behind the anger.  When he looked up and noticed that I was seeing him he would look away.  Finally, by the 5th glance his face broke and he quickly moved his hand to cover his creeping smile.  He struggled to keep it hidden from me for the next 15 seconds as our eyes connected.  Then I left for the evening. The next day Amazaih was again on the periphery of the group.  I pulled out “Otto Dotto”** (one of Global Peace Train’s toys) and the other “peripheral beings”(stuffed animals and dolls). He lit up when I handed him the toy.  He carried it around in awe and I could see his happiness again bubbling up. His smile was bright and shining and he finally stepped off the periphery and into the moment where all the other children delighted in play. The last time I saw Amazaih he stood alone in a doorway watching as our car pulled out, no smile, only a look of longing on his face.  I waved as my heart spilled out across the red dirt road.

Journey to Sori

I have spent the last 5 days at The Karen Zwickert Children’s Home in Sori Kenya. The road leading here was dusty, without road signs. The dust billowed behind us in a giant cloud as we attempted to outrun it in an old beat up teal colored Toyota car. The road was in bad shape, as are most roads I’ve been on in Kenya. Our driver swerved back and forth trying to avoid the potholes. I could hear the grinding of the rocks on the undercarriage as we swerved down the rural road. Lehlia’s stomach finally reacted and we pulled over for her to throw up repeatedly. We passed through small towns consisting of rundown buildings, scooters, goats, chickens, cows and children in clothes that were caked with dirt and hanging in threads from their bodies. I couldn’t help but wonder why they were wearing the rags at all.Groups of people were sitting outside cooking on tiny coal fires, washing clothes in small tubs or walking to and from the outdoor market to fetch water or gather wood. I was surprised by the number of people sitting around. Many of them were groups of men. Groups of children around age 7, some as young as age 4, held babies who sat in the dirt without adult supervision. How different the world is here!People in Kenya appeared to have much less to do than we do in America, and yet everything here is more challenging. Doing the laundry takes all afternoon scrubbing clothes in plastic tubs. Despite the time spent it seems to be more effective. When Lehlia taught me how to do the wash the clothes appeared much cleaner from the hand scrubbing than back home. We save time in America by putting our clothes in a machine but then we have to add strong chemicals like bleach to make them come as clean as we would like. Faster, but at what cost? Technology is helping us speed up and cover more distance in less time but has it made us happier? Even the poorest children in Kenya seem to have a joy that is often not apparent in the children in the West. Materialism and the ongoing desire for “more” preoccupies even their young minds. It seems every car or van Leah and I enter breaks down. Sure enough the car we hired for the afternoon began to sputter and die. This was the third such vehicle we had hired in the last couple of days. The driver struggled up and down the small hills as we anticipated the final breakdown of the car. As we sputtered through another town I realized we must be close to our final destination when we took a turn off the main road and headed towards lake Victoria, the biggest freshwater lake in the world. It is a simple blue that stretches out like an ocean. Two men were following the car as we came to a stop for the guard to open the gate to the Children’s home. The car seemed to have one last breath as it struggled to roll past the gate and onto the lawn of our home for the next couple of days. We just barely made it, door to door. As I got out of the car I was stunned by the view. The property was lakeside and just 100 steps away was a stunning black sand beach with a group of naked men and boys bathing. They covered themselves head to toe in white suds and then went diving into the lake for a refreshing rinse. My head was swimming with thoughts. ” How freeing to be naked. How wonderful to bathe in the lake. What kind of soap are they using? That can’t be good for the lake and fish. Do they know that? Would biodegradable soap be less harmful?” My adventures with Leah and her family had lead me to the door of Global Peace Train’s mission. “We develop resources for those in need and have fun doing so”. I was then ready to prep the camera and record the story happening there in hopes of unravelling a system that could help the orphanage overcome dependence on outside donations from America to survive. ~Aja~

The third clue: Let go and trust the process.

Today we reinforced the boat we made yesterday to ensure that it would sail as far as it wanted.  I asked each of Leah’s children if the doll had a name and her youngest, Bruce, said it was Aja.  In that moment I knew it was true.  I had done some work with the doll on video 5 months ago before I knew I would be visiting Kenya.  The doll told me that she wanted to float on a river in Africa on a boat.  That was her aspiration.  I revisited the video this evening and was surprised by what I found there.  She embodies the part of me that is always trying to make others happy.  She is the one that is looking for external approval.  I realized that fulfilling her dream of sailing on a river in Africa was the only thing that could set her free.  I had to release her and let her find her identity alone somewhere downstream.  I can see that if she returns to Leah’s family or to me she will need new clothes that express who she really is.  Perhaps she is a redheaded African! The children and I wrote a note for whoever might find the doll downstream with Leah’s contact information. We put some lolly-pops and the note into a tiny pink doll-size backpack and carried the video equipment, toys, homemade boat and redheaded doll with her new pink backpack to the riverbank in town.Leah was the protector and the children were there to play.  We filmed the journey to the river’s edge and were met by an angry man doing some washing.  Leah called her husband who sent for some security for us. Within minutes three strong men were by our side.  The colors were a blur. I was frightened by the man who was raging about the filming. I put the camera away and as soon as I pulled the doll out of the bag I felt a wave of relief.  It might sound crazy but it was as if the doll has magical powers.  I suppose it is as true as you want it to be.  If we believe it then it is as real as any other belief that we carry.  There were children everywhere, some swam from across the river to meet us and see what we were up to.  The belligerent man was caught in a dark mind-cloud. Leah was holding the space and the children were fascinated by the doll in the boat. My work in this world became clearer today.  It is strange to say that I envision sending “peripheral beings” (stuffed animals) into the world to change people’s lives, but it is true.  I didn’t want to let the doll go but I knew she had to take the journey alone. If she wanted to return she would of her own accord. We filmed her as she took her seat on the boat and I walked her into the water to catch a current.  The children and I waved goodbye as she floated downstream.  We chased her for a while and welcomed her back to shore as the boat got caught in an eddy. Two children from the other side of the river swam to meet us.  They pulled her out into the current again and we all waved goodbye as she was finally left alone to travel in the stream of life.~Aja~

The second clue: Listen to your inner voice.

August 17th, 2009 – I am embarking on the second Global Peace Train journey with a strange ache in my chest. It is a deep yearning, a calling, for doing more of the work I discovered on the first Global Peace Train journey to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in June of this year. Partnering with the L.I.F.E. organization (see video from Buenos Aires on http://www.globalpeacetrain.com/past) strengthened my devotion to help others in need. Every day I yearn to work with people who live below the poverty line. It might sound strange but I feel extremely alive when I am in difficult places with people who want to evolve.While I was in Buenos Aires at the L.I.F.E. facility in June, there was one young boy who touched my heart deeply. He was quiet and outcast by the other children. Perhaps it was because he was blind in one eye. He was curious about the “peripheral beings” (stuffed animals) that we had brought into the slums where he lived. It was growing dark and as our time to leave grew closer, he finally came up to me. I offered him my favorite white teddy bear and asked him if he wanted to give it a hug. His face lit up and he wrapped his arms around the bear.He was so happy! I asked him to toss me the bear and we began to play catch. As it flew through the air and the boy’s joy bubbled over into the room. I had never seen a child burst open with such happiness over a teddy! Night closed in and it was time for our departure. The child gave the bear one last squeeze and I walked out of the slums and into a new life of service.That night I wept. I was not sad, but moved to tears, that we were able to uplift a child in this simple way. I could see the boy’s face whose name I had not caught. It did not matter that we would not see each other again. A teddy bear had brought us together and I was left with the best gift I had ever received. Words cannot begin to explain the love that stirred in my chest that night. And so the seed that had been planted for Global Peace Train was nourished. My urge to play in places where the lightness of being hides in the shadows was uncovered that night and the aching desire inside of me to bring joy to others was revealed.I am currently en route to Kenya, Africa for the International Grassroots Women’s Peace Conference. The purpose of Global Peace Train’s first destination to Kenya is two fold. We will be filming stories of the women who are leaders of communities there. We will be exploring what is working and what isn’t, as well as what is actually needed to uplift those in extreme poverty. We will also begin to build a family of people around the world who are working to bring peace to their communities and are committed to creating enlightened societies. The journey to Kenya is also intended to explore the nature of the Global Peace Train and what we can further offer to the world.  Our purpose is to develop resources for those in need and have fun doing so.  I will be posting the gems of videos I collect as the trip continues and will send it out with this blog.  Stay tuned for more tales as the adventure unfolds. ~Aja~