News

"Applying Neohumanism to the Layers of a School" by Eric Jacobson, Director of the Progressive School of Long Island, NY, USA. Workshop presentation at the Neohumanist Education Seminar, April 15, 2014 in Caracas, Venezuela

In making a better world, it is easier to build correctly from the outset, rather than tear down and rebuild—hence proper education of our young is the surest path towards realizing a brighter future.

We begin with a cosmic ideal, and then we apply it to the local situation. In the application of Neohumanism there will be some variations. Variety is the law of nature. Variations arise due to changes of time, place and person. If I were to go to Peru for this conference, it would be a different place, with different people, and upon my arrival it would also be a different day. Our Neohumanist schools reflect, and should continue reflecting these natural variations. The variations are good and should be encouraged. For example, if I were to open a school in Caracas, it would not look like my school in New York. It would have a different appearance and a new name. There would be different curriculum elements, revised methods, and a new staff, but the spirit behind it would be the same.

"Community Therapy: supportive social networks to promote Life" by Dr. Adalberto Barreto (Brazil), psychiatrist, anthropologist, theologian. Listen to the audio file in English or audio file in Spanish. - Read original Spanish text.

The first Global Conference on Neohumanist Education to be held in Caracas, Venezuela concluded with much inspiration and positive interactions among educators, social activists and project coordinators from South and North America and Europe. It was co-sponsored by the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela and Ananda Marga Gurukula.

"Human Excellence: Seven Keys to Success and Happiness" by Juan Sarmiento, (Philippines-Venezuela) psychologist, lecturer, business consultant, founder of the Will of Excellence Foundation. Watch the video. Listen to the English audio file or audio file in Spanish.

"Economic trends towards the ethical treatment of animals" by Sandra Castillo Castro, UCV, before the Organization of American States (OAS) and member of the Committee of Economic Advisers of AnimaNaturalis International and Luis Verdú Brito, president of the Student’s Center of the School of Economics at the UCV. Listen to the English audio file or audio file in Spanish. - Read the original Spanish presentation.

"Environment, Health and Happiness" by Frank Bracho, former Ambassador of Venezuela to India, ecologist and author, former jurist of the Right Livelihood Award. Listen to the audio file in Spanish. Read the original Spanish presentation.

by Dada Maheshvarananda From an impoverished family, Hugo Chávez joined the army for a chance to play baseball, but soon came to love the service that gave the opportunity for advancement to anyone based on hard work and performance. Disgusted by the corruption, censorship and human rights abuses of the Venezuelan government, the young officer started a secret organization in the military, the Bolivarian Revolutionary Movement-200 (MBR-200), to overthrow the dictatorship. As one of the most popular teachers in the Venezuelan Military Academy, he recruited young officers for ten years. Caught red-handed twice and brought before a tribunal for subversion, Chávez managed to brazenly talk his way out of the charges both times. He was so successful that by the time he led a coup d’état in 1992 to overthrow President Carlos Andrés Pérez, he had 130 officers and nearly 900 soldiers under his command, approximately ten percent of the Venezuelan military.

Though the rebels came within a few meters of capturing Pérez, they failed. The military high command arrested Chávez and ordered him to tell the rest of his men to lay down their arms. Wearing his military uniform and red paratrooper beret, this unknown lieutenant-colonel was put in front of live television cameras for 72 seconds so that he could order all his men to surrender. What he said electrified the nation. Invoking the liberation hero Simón Bolívar, Chávez assumed full responsibility for the failure, which almost no Venezuelan leader had ever done before. Then he said that the objectives of this movement were not achieved "for now". As he went to prison, he had suddenly become a national hero to millions who realized that these soldiers were not hungry for power, rather they were risking their lives to save their country. A group of 62 retired generals ran full-page advertisements in newspapers attacking the government and supporting the coup leaders. In his cell Chávez began receiving hundreds of letters a week from supporters.

A brief (six pages) overview of popular revolts during the past year, given at the Prout Convention, Denmark, July 2013. The author raises useful questions for activists working for socio-political change. Three different types of revolts are examined: