From Maryann Castellanos:
Hi All,
The Hursa boys and I had a wonderful weekend at the Children’s Insight Workshop. It was held in Los Angeles by EduCare and took place at 2101 Wilshire Blvd, in Santa Monica. The workshop was personally gifted to us by EduCare scholarships and the San Diego MSIA community and friends. Many hundreds of dollars, time and energy were given so that many kids could attend. To all who gave, we are truly grateful.
The boys and I stayed at Prana, MSIA’s headquarters, which deepened our experience and the boys had never seen the new landscaping there. They were in awe. It was beautiful at night, but it was the energy that they said they loved. They could see the contrast between the neighborhood and the seminary. Mike especially said it felt so good!
It warmed my heart to see them using the tools I have grown to love to use myself, such as requesting I escort Mike to do Spiritual Exercises in the “cool room” and both of them walking the labyrinth in prayer to find resolution on things they are working out inside themselves. (Question: Do I go to hockey or scouts on Wednesday nights? Answer, with conviction and joy, I am not ready yet!)
I wasn’t sure if the workshop was going to be “full strength” or not. (Full strength can knock your socks off!) When I walked into the room to drop them off, I choked up. It was full strength all right! Balloons, puppet shows, open hearted assistants with great big smiles! I was so excited. They were in for the full blast of Light.
There were puppets (to talk when kids couldn’t) and videos, processes and sharing circles. They told jokes, they shared talents, and they danced in the Light. It almost didn’t matter what they did. There was a healing field of Light around them and they were stretching and filling themselves with it.
The boys learned so many things about how to manage their lives such as:
How to be a good friend, (be kind, not “buy” friends, listen etc.) And they made some new friends.
How to be true to themselves – particularly within the pressures of a family.
They learned how important it is to manage their workload so they don’t over extend themselves.
They made a special place where they can go in their creative imagination. Wow!
They learned to share love with themselves and others.
They created an ideal of themselves and an affirmation to anchor it.
They did a service project where they went to a convalescent home and made contact with older others.
They were absolutely bubbling over with fun, excitement and unconditioned energy.
When asked what they learned, mostly what was reported was not to judge other people by their looks or what they do, etc. (The facilitators said the kids extrapolated this. It wasn’t a process that was taught.)
After this whole big event, it was quite the experience seeing the boys participating in their own lives differently. Of course I had expectations of their experience. They were met. The boys opened their hearts and found so much loving waiting for them. I didn’t expect the event to be “life changing” although it was. The facilitators told us that it was a seeding process. They would get it in their own time.
I could also see that there where levels of goodness installed and layers of Light and Love. They came home much more in charge of their lives (in the same way I had learned to become more in charge of myself.) And I became more patient with them, knowing that their process was similar to mine. I knew I could relax and know that they were on track. I could see as a parent that their choices could now more and more come from them as they really did begin to take more responsibility.
Ben said he would like to do more. There is a Teen I-A Insight Seminar especially for 11-13 year olds and I hear there are a number of young teens already asking for this seminar to be scheduled in early 2002. If enough of us get involved in supporting it, we may be able to help it happen this next spring. I suggested we get involved. Mike couldn’t understand why there weren’t more people interested in such rich and wonderful experiences. I could only agree.
The San Diego boys have been forming their own friendship group. These boys somehow remind me of the stories I have heard about the old Berkeley crowd from 30 years ago. I wonder if they will be looking at each other in another 30 years and saying, yeah, “Oh you were one of the San Diego crowd from 30 years ago. Yeah, we grew up together.”
These are good times!
From Candy Semigran:
The Children’s Insight Seminar and Teen Insight Seminars in Southern California are offered through the EduCare Foundation. EduCare is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational foundation dedicated to inspiring and empowering young people to become responsible citizens, compassionate leaders, and to live their dreams. In the past 10 months, there have been more youth Insight Seminars in Southern California than in the past 10 years — with two Teen Insight I Awakening Heart Seminars, one Teen Insight II Opening Heart Seminar, and this recent Children’s Insight Seminar.
The next Teen Insight I Awakening Heart Seminar in Santa Monica is scheduled for December 26-29, 2001. There have been requests for a Teen Insight I A (for ages 11-13) to be held in the Spring 2002, and another Teen Insight I, II and a III next summer.
Over half of the children and teens who participate in the youth seminars receive scholarship assistance. We can all support our kids, our friends’ kids, and kids we don’t even know — in benefiting from this magnificent work, by contributing to the youth scholarship fund or by helping to underwrite the programs.
EduCare also offers programs in schools and youth agencies for kids, teachers, and parents, in character and leadership development, peacemaking and conflict resolution, assisting young people in becoming high achievers, promoting healthy relationships at home and in the community and working to prevent destructive social behaviors such as substance abuse and crime.
If you are interested in helping make a difference in children’s lives and want to contribute personally or know of companies that might want to help underwrite this valuable work with kids, you can contact Stu Semigran at the EduCare Foundation, 31225 La Baya Drive, Suite 104, Westlake Village, CA 91362, telephone (818) 735-6600 or e-mail him at stus@adnetsol.com.
