Peaceful World Foundation

2012-02-22T08:59:00.004-08:00

Peace! Love! The toe-tapping

WORLD MUSIC of

Freddy Clarke’s PEACEFUL WORLD BAND

China! Cuba! Ivory Coast! Vietnam! America!

Here in the Haight-Ashbury

At the Red Vic, of course

Freddy Clarke's Peaceful World Band at the Red Vic Peace Center, Feb. 18, 2012

2012-02-20T21:29:00.003-08:00

"How do we listen and connect deeply with those who are different than us?" This question grew out of the "Occupy Be the Change" meetings held Monday nights at the Red Vic. It was put to the musicians in Freddy Clarke's Wobbly World Band on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2012. After listening to several hours of soaring music from eastern and western traditions, we followed Red Vic's tradition of conversations. The musicians were invited to share their deep commitment to a peaceful world, as many of them have been touched by violence. Nhut had been in the Vietnam War. Fely saw her beloved Ivory Coast fall into civil war after she left. Mingyuan lived in the tension of Taiwan living under the shadow of communist China. Erick experienced near starvation in Cuba when the Soviet Union fell and its pipeline stopped. The answer the musicians came up with to "How do we listen and connect deeply with those who are different than us?"- Create together, without words and with a common goal. Combining sounds and rhythms from six countries, I danced with people from Ireland, Colombia, India, Sweden, China and the U.S.. The parrot, who moved between singing on stage and dancing on the shoulders of excited listeners, expanded the cast of characters. As Freddy says "If we can bring our music together so beautifully, what else could people from all over the world create together?" Two young women from Colombia, who came in because they heard the music from the street, commented that they hadn't found as much positive energy in San Francisco as they had that night at the Red Vic.

Laurie Marshall, Peace Coordinator

The cockatoo, Fely and Freddy

Peaceful World Conversation 2.19.12

2012-02-20T20:28:00.000-08:00

We had an inspiring group come out for our Peaceful World Conversation this Sunday morning. New friends from Sweden, Modesto, Brasil, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco gathered ‘round the table to share thoughts and stories on something they have been working on for peace and how it has been going.

Penny from Modesto shared that she believes her destiny in life is being a caregiver. She has spent her life caring for people and is currently caring for her two daughters, one who has breast cancer, and the other who had it but is now cancer free. Penny said it gives her so much happiness to take care of others and help those in need. Tim from Sweden chimed in explaining how wonderful it must feel for the ones she cares for, to have someone genuinely and compassionately care for their well-being. Penny stays positive by keeping a good sense of humor; even in the hardest of times a sense of humor seems to ease the pain.

Tim is a “life coach” in Sweden. He helps anyone he can stay positive and healthy with great advice.

Tony from Modesto volunteers at an art gallery that has an area totally dedicated to people who have been affected by cancer. This is a positive thing in his life that makes him appreciate every day.

Henrique, from Brazil, is here in SF studying English. When he goes back home in two weeks he will be teaching biology but he is unsure if he will be successful since he is so young. The table had encouraging words for him, “You will be great! Since you are so young and close to their age they will be able to relate to you and they will respect you even more!” As well as assuring him that if he is truly enthusiastic about biology it will be such a gift for him to share that with his students.

Angela from Santa Cruz shared that she loves music! She and her husband performed at a benefit show at the Oakland zoo the night before called “Africa Matters”. She is always happy to share her home when people need a place to stay saying, “Most of us can fit way more people in our homes than who actually lives there!”

Laurie from Marin mentioned how the year of 2012 is a year of positive change with each season having its own dedication. This year we will join the Shiftnetwork's vision of the “Winter of Wellness, Spring of Sustainability, SUMMER OF PEACE, and Autumn of Abundance”. Everyone can be a part of this positive year by spreading the word and sharing what they are doing for wellness, sustainability, peace and abundance.

Peaceful World Conversations are held every Sunday morning at 9am at the Red Victorian Peace Center. The world is invited to join us in these magically inspiring conversations, as well as a conversation any time during the week. I hope to see you soon!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T14:29:00.001-08:00

The Sunday morning conversations these past two weeks have been a bit different than usual, as they fell on a certain December 25 and a certain January 1!

But we at the Red Vic have peaceful conversations every day, and in these holiday weeks our guests have really been in the spirit to talk about what good they see in the world and how to help it grow. On Christmas Eve, we had guests from around the world, who were all excited to sit at one of our big, round tables for an impromptu conversation. Guests from Yorkshire, England, Seoul, Korea, Dusseldorf, Germany, and Alberta, Canada met and shared their stories- one woman from Atlanta, Georgia was surprised that she was the only

American in the café! She never would have known if we hadn’t introduced the guests to each other to talk.

On Christmas Day, we celebrated with friends and family from the Haight St community. Staff, and the few guests who came in, enjoyed a delicious home cooked traditional pork and sauerkraut meal made by the our night duty host Donna, and prayers from Dolma, our beloved neighbor and owner of the Tibet Store a few doors down the street.

New Years also brought the love to the Red Vic. Our Bed & Breakfast was completely booked full the night of New Years Eve, in part because of the Furthur concert that was in town that night. With all the Grateful Dead fans staying in the hotel, the history and culture of the sixties was even more present than usual in our Peace Center.

Many of the guests were also peace builders. One young woman has started the first chapter of the National Organization of Women at her college, and she’s only a freshmen! Another woman has been teaching middle school math to underserved students in Georgia for thirty years- and also found the time to run 50 marathons, one in each state!

We made sure to bestow upon her a peace poster, which the founder Sami Sunchild loves to give as gifts of acknowledgement and appreciation.

The poster is here:

https://www.redvic.com/secure/peacearts-scripts/harmony.html

We’re always so inspired by the people we meet here, and pleased that, with our focus on conversation, we know them as more than just customers.

We wish all of our peace community out there a blessed 2012! Make this the year that you give all your heart to making a better world in whatever way you feel most passionately.

Yael Chanoff, Red Vic Host and Tour Guide

A Healing Conversation

2011-12-18T14:20:00.000-08:00

Sometimes you learn about a concept that’s totally new to you, and then all of a sudden you run into it everywhere. My past week at the Red Vic has been that way with perspectives on healing.
First, I met a woman who was in San Francisco for a training on massages in hospice settings. She told me about how healing touch can calm and comfort elderly folks and people with diseases like Alzheimers in a way that even high doses of often expensive medication sometimes can’t. We discussed how it was emotionally taxing work. With some patients, she said, “their relatives miss the person they used to know. They try to force them to remember, which can be difficult. They’re in a different world, and sometimes they don’t want to remember.” With a faint smile, she added, “I try to accept that world. It can be a beautiful thing.”
I quickly realized that this week began “Interview Season” at UCSF Medical Center. At least five aspiring residents have stayed at the Bed and Breakfast this past week, and all of them had interesting stories to tell. One man, who is hoping to be a surgeon, had just returned from living in Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana, working in a hospital there.
But where the energy of healing really came together was at Sunday morning’s Peaceful World Conversation.
One of the conversation participants is a psychotherapist who bears every day the burden of caring for his multiple clients. Another, a care provider who has been intimately involved with helping the healing process of one individual with brain damage for several years. Another young man who had been silent most of the conversation confided that he had been in a caretaking role for his mother for several years, a role that was difficult as “she’s simply not herself anymore.”
Laurie Marshall, our Peace Coordinator here, reminded us that death must be accepted because it is, eventually, inevitable. That it is impossible to avoid, that it is the one natural thing we can all count on happening to us, make it in some ways beautiful. In some ways, the experience brings us together- it’s a strong common thread.
As Laurie says, “caretakers and healers are a part of the Peace Movement. We’re creating a culture of care, instead of our culture of fear.” All these people who came through the Red Vic this week are part of a momentum to build a loving, just and peaceful world.

Last Week's Conversation

2011-12-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

I’ve been working at the Red Victorian for about a month now, and I’m consistently inspired by the conversations that take place here. Every day is a good day for Peaceful World Conversation at the Red Vic, but our official conversations are Sunday morning at 9am. Every Sunday morning, it’s a mystery: will people come today? And yet by 9:05 I always find myself sitting at the big round table in the front of the café with at least seven people. No one is committed or required to come- but the magic of the conversations pull people in week after week, month after month, year after year. We’ve been having these conversations for 30 years now.

Sami Sunchild leads the conversations, and every week there is a slightly different topic or approach. What every week’s conversation has in common is that people get to know each other in unexpected ways. Sami has a knack for creating a space where everyone feels comfortable speaking openly about their visions for the world, what they are doing in their lives, and how they hope to connect their passions with their vision.

People from around the world find similarities in their work. A few weeks ago, elementary school teachers from New Zealand, North Carolina, and Napa County were present, and they all exchanged ideas about fostering community and teaching peace in the classroom. I saw two young men travelling for the first time, looking for something different outside of their small town in Missouri, connect with seasoned travelers and get that much closer to finding the people working on creating the world they wanted to see.

Last week, a woman named Kathy, one of the many guests at the Bed and Breakfast who is associated with a patient receiving care at the nearby UCSF Medical Center, was a part of the conversation. Kathy told a story of great tragedy, spanning the past few years in her life, from her husband’s sudden death to her step-father and father’s death. Her life took a 180 degree turn as she left her career of several decades as a nurse for Connecticut Poison Control Center to care for her family members. She was in San Francisco with her aunt, who had just been diagnosed with cancer and giving six months to live, a patient at UCSF.

Like many guests who come through, Kathy found that the community conversation was a much needed supportive space, outlet, and oasis from the difficulties of day-to-day life.

Kathy told us that she had bought one of Sami’s posters- Choosing- for her Aunt’s room, and that it had been significant for her. She said the nurses liked it as well, so she bought a second one for their office.

Here’s the choosing poster.

The mission of the Peaceful World Foundation is:

"To promote all kinds of peace in the world by giving my art to awaken and to fuel the personal responsibilities of those whose lives I touch."

We encourage everyone to host their own peaceful world conversations, anywhere in the world they might be! You can find information on how to do that here and here.

Share your projects for the Summer of Peace, 2012 to create the Summer of Solutions

2011-09-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Please let us know what you're doing for the Summer of Peace, so we can spread the word and support each other.

Exciting Events at the Red Vic

2011-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

Tuesday Nights from 6:00 - 7:30 pm
Summer of Peace, 2012 Brainstorming
Join us for Dinner

Friday, September 27th, 2012 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Improvising Peace with Hallie McLongue

Sundays at 9:00 am
Peaceful World Conversations with Sami Sunchild

Another Wonderful Conversation! 1.31.2011

2011-02-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

Sami was joined at the table by six individuals and four of them are teachers! Sunday after Sunday it is amazing how often backgrounds intertwine amongst our guests. One, from Berlin had started by saying “From my experience being a teacher.” Then a lady from Pacifica, CA followed by saying: “I am also a teacher, and…” And then a third said: “Believe it or not I am a teacher as well!” Then the fourth had to admit that she’s in the club too. The smiles around the table over the common grounds surfacing were a pleasant beginning to the Peaceful World Conversation.

Sami introduced the topic: What projects or events have any of your worked on, put your heart into, believed in, and either succeeded or had it stripped away from you in failure?

Sami spoke over a recent event she planned and planned for and felt that it did not conclude successfully. She works all day, 7 days a week because her work is her life and continuing her legacy to work for a better world is her dream. Failure may occur but she has always overcome and never has missed a Sunday conversation to further peace among strangers of different cultures and beliefs.

The teachers around the table chimed in with their optimism from experience. They see so many students come and go and it can be unclear to them what impact, if any, they had upon them. One was in New York and she got lunch with one of her past students to catch up. She was unsure of the student’s perception of her class and how much he got out of it compared to others. To her surprise, he commended her for preparing him for college very effectively. It made her day. But until then she may not have known.

Sometimes we work so hard for results we lose touch with our patience to see them. But if we put our heart into it, we listen, and we communicate, the work will pay off sometime down the line. We may never receive recognition for our dedication to offer support for those around us, but if you believe in what you’re doing and you put others ahead of your individual needs, you are doing your part. Thank you teachers and our other lovely guests around the table.

Come join us for our next conversation this Sunday the 6th at 9am hosted by Sami Sunchild at the Red Victorian Peace Center at 1665 Haight street at Cole.
Peace.

Another Wonderful Conversation! Jan. 16, 2011

2011-01-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

What a busy Sunday morning in the Peace Center! The sun came out and the crowds showed up for morning coffee and breakfast.

Sami withstood the fog across the Golden Gate Bridge and arrived to host another memorable Peaceful World Conversation. One couple patiently awaited her at the conversation table. They were planning their trip from Chico, CA around the opportunity to meet her on Sunday. Our third guest was from Colorado and our later arrival was a young gentleman from Daly City, CA.

Sami mentioned to our guests the Peaceful World Foundation is looking for a Manging Co-Director to carry its mission on to its legacy. She would like to see workshops occuring between professionals who have dedicated their lives to their work for peace and those who are inpired to follow their own dreams. There could be a small group seated around a table learning about micro-finance. Another table could bring together folks discussing the importance of dialogue and deliberation. The space would turn into a beehive of activism and exhange.

The couple from Chico had incredibly valuable insight. They introduced to us the Chico Peace and Justice Center. The conversation was already flowing when Sami guided us toward its start. Sami asked each of us what projects we are currently working on to make the world a better place. Lance, the fellow from Chico, began with his. He expressed his recent personal challenge to be vegetarian. Four reasons he gave us: 1. humans'superiority complex over animals 2. ethics of food systems today 3. health concerns 4.energy costs of livestock production. He has been challenged. Lance will go to dinner parties and try and humbly ask for a vegetarian dish. He has missed the taste of meat. However, his passion to improve his livelihood for the sake of himself, animals, and our planet overcomes. Accompanied by Lance, Andrea talked about her work as a therapist for abused women. She is constantly challenged at her work but the success stories she has been graced to be a part of has motivated her that there is hope. Each person has the potential to change no matter their history or perception given to them by society. We can all lend an ear to those who must vent. Our third guest was from Colorado. She has done medical work abroad and has traveled extensively through Southeast Asia. She now works with an outdoor treatment organization. She loves the outdoors and believes natural landscapes can help people self-reflect on their lives and choices. Our guest who arrived later was interested in learning more about Zen meditation. He is more knowledgeable of Zen rather than Western adopted meditation but admitted that their can be many benefits of familiarizing with the latter. His tone was humble and collected. He stuck around later to check out the Peace Center and our Listening Corner. Andy spoke about his idea of creating a permaculture farm abroad and allowing it to serve as a cooperative for the local community. He reflected back to his time working on a farm in Costa Rica and being disenchanted by the troubling relationship between the locals and the North American farm owners.

Sami discussed her current project. She will create a Living Peace Museum that will continue after she leaves. It will be a place of community and of refuge for those seeking self-reflection and inspiration. People will be able to come in from the world; its consumption, its wars, its disease, and destruction of its planet - and feel that they have arrived. Arrived at a place that welcomes them, from any walk of life, any color, any language, and any history, and be home. Tours will be led from the stairs of the Red Victorian and through the imaginitive guestrooms. Guests will reflect through calligraphic art and the creative interior design of Sami Sunchild. They will learn of the history of the building and its reflection on the historical influence of Haight Ashbury. This is her dream. And if you know Sami Sunchild, pursuing her dreams is her life's work.

Comment. Share. Ask. We invite all of you.

Another Wonderful Conversation! Jan. 9, 2011

2011-01-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

We shared another inspiring conversation on Sunday with guests from Atlanta, a local San Franciscan, and a mother and daughter who joined us toward the end. Sami Sunchild was again the host and recognized the importance of intimacy when hosting smaller groups in conversation.

The conversation was already flowing before anybody could write a nametag. In fact, the flow continued so nicely, nametags stayed in the box.

After jumping into introductions and allowing all to describe for others their home and what they see out their window, Sami reminded us we’re the richest people on Earth for having a roof over our head and a country we are given citizenship to. Others unfortunately are not so lucky.

The couple from Atlanta has two young kids at home and they played a role in the insight brought forth by Bob. He enlightened us with the challenge he has placed upon himself to be a strong role model for his children. Bob asked: How do we strive to be a positive influence and educator for our children but still motivate them to decide upon themselves what they believe.
He revealed how he is constantly checking his behavior in hope to lead by example rather than instruct his children what he himself believes is right.

His wife, Julie, is a dietician and believes in the power of healthy organic diets to help us with our health and wellbeing. This sparked interest from the new couple from across the table. Joy and her daughter spoke on how important they feel it has been in their family to be raised on a healthy diet. The daughter took pride in how she has led by example for her friends who have decided to go vegetarian by seeing her do it. These individuals reminded us that our body is our temple. What we choose to consume becomes the ingredients of our being.

The local resident told us she has heard of the Sunday Breakfast Conversations before but has never had an opportunity until now to attend. She was already interacting with the guests of the café when the conversation commenced. How do we tie together all of the meaningful organizations and alternative practices together into a directory for local residents? How do we know where the small urban gardens are popping up? Where can we find the soup kitchens near us? How can we be informed of enlightening activities occurring around the city like Peaceful World Conversations? After Andy told her about the Haight Ashbury Food Program right around the corner, they both continued to discuss the importance of having a directory of peace-minded initiatives for San Francisco locals.

Can you find parallels between the discussions? Can you guess the original topic? Please comment and share your ideas . . .

A Partnership We're Proud Of

2011-01-03T15:37:00.000-08:00

Greetings all,

Happy New Year! May the new year bring you peace and harmony. Just wanted to share some news with you regarding a recent partnership that we have been following.

Have you heard of CXC (Center for Transformative Change) and YES! (Youth Experiencing Success). They are two great organizations that have recently decided to unify their skills and services into a partnership.

YES! through its "jams" provides spaces for its young leaders to gather, brainstorm, and work together toward implementing their ideas. Having worked in over 65 countries, they have successfully recognized and supported exceptional young thinkers from around the world. By setting up ongoing support networks and providing resources and communications for its young entrepreneurs, YES! hopes to help many young bright-minded individuals develop their ideas into world-changing initiatives.

CXC works to change the way change is done. It seeks change that is everlasting, sustainable, and true. Change that is true comes from change that occurred within the change agent. With new developments in communication, social media blogging, advertising, etc. some people are challenged to feel connected with current social movements. CXC seeks to find the bridges to connect humans, from any walk of life, with the change humans desire.

WOW! The Peaceful World Foundation would love to collaborate with the two organizations and build upon our interconnectedness. We can start with our agreement: A more just, equitable and sustainable society is possible.

Visit them at:
CXC: http://transformativechange.org/
YES!: http://www.yesworld.org/

Please comment with your thoughts . . .

Another Wonderful Conversation!

2010-12-27T13:48:00.000-08:00

Another memorable encounter at the Conversation table!

Sami hosted a wonderful conversation Sunday – North Americans and Canadians, it turned out.

Ian had already built a relationship with our Peace café staff and they knew his breakfast order without his having to ask. Ian is a computer tech professor and he is deeply interested in changes in learning patterns he is observing in the new generations of students:

Memorizing answers to pass classes is becoming more popular than being engaged in the learning skills themselves. He also notes students multi-tasking more, without ever focusing on specific learning tasks well done. Laptops are out, newspapers are on the knees, ear buds are playing music, doodles are being drawn, eyes are set on other classmates, the list goes on…

Ian hopes that interest can focus on the learning, not just the answers.

Jan contributed enormously to our thinking; she is a midwife, having assisted over a thousand births. “What makes it all worth while” she says, “is that she always brings someone else along." It is their learning right in the middle of real life that is always meaningful for them. This stimulated Sami to remark that this may be the best mode of learning in most disciplines.

Matt is developing cabanas for travelers who are interested in the outdoors, meditation, yoga, and supporting eco-friendly accommodations. He plans on utilizing solar energy. He will also be building a sweat hut, as he learned about in his extensive travels, intended for physical and spiritual cleansing. Stay tuned for us to feature the progress of his project for all to see.

He thanked Sami for her inspiration to follow her dream and interacting with other peaceful individuals.

We’d love to receive your comments, all who participated in the conversation this morning, December 26. 2010.

Please join us for our Peaceful World Conversations and see and hear for yourself what strangers can bring to the table in light of peace...

Peaceful World Conversations Club

2010-12-16T22:59:00.000-08:00

Local hosts bringing together Conversations with travelers in the gateway cities of the world.

Aiding travelers and their local hosts in co-creating a coherent structure that can take the lead in modeling Peace in the 21st century

Co-creating a new structural network for travelers that can take the lead in modeling Peace in the 21st century

Our objective is to have thousands of members building a dynamic global network of conversations with entrepreneurs and existing organizations, institutions and systems.

Guests Sitting at the Conversation Table

Entrepreneurs and travelers networking with existing organizations, institutions systems in developing an interdependent conversation network that comprehends our personal differences, similarities and positive possibilities in the world.

Addressing the joyful concern of knowing each other around the world.

The author’s intent is to outline the larger purposes of Peaceful World Conversation Club and focus on effective venues and leadership that may develop from the initiatives of travelers.

Please feel free to respond with your assessments and thinking.