The experience of a humanitarian organization in capacity building and the empowerment of rural Haitian communities. with Demeter Russafov – the Executive Director of AMURT-Haiti For more information about this program visit: www.amurthaiti.org or www.desprihaiti.org AMURT-Haiti (the humanitarian and development branch of Ananda Marga) has been responding to natural and man-made disasters in Haiti since 1990. Since 2004 its approach has taken a turn towards increased community empowerment and socio-economic self-determination. Its Self-Help Group (SHG) approach of organizing vulnerable women has resulted in the formation of approximately 5,000 members-strong leadership structure, which manages more than 300,000 USD in self-generated micro-credit and has drastically reduced the rates of gender-based violence, illiteracy, and women’s disenfranchisement. The SHG approach organizes rural communities in a block-level planning system following the principles of the Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT) propounded by Indian philosopher P.R. Sarkar – developing the three pillars (economic, social, and political) of a region in a highly participative bottom-up manner. The methodology is one of several innovations which the organization uses to successfully promote leadership capacities and self-sufficiency, while conserving critical watersheds, restoring mangrove habitats, conserving soil, building integrated water systems, modernizing and organizing whole value chains such as salt production. Its experience provides an interesting outlook into the need for the humanitarian sector to shift gears and turn its focus towards longer-term sustainable economic and leadership initiatives, as well as addressing the immediate short-term needs and constraints of the complex context. Demeter Russafov is the Country Director of AMURT in Haiti. With degrees in Environmental Management from University of North Carolina, Master’s in Education from Endicott College, and a postgraduate degree in Humanitarian Project Management from BioForce Institute in Lyon, France, he has led the expanding programs of the NGO for the past 15 years and continues to be humbled by the resilience with which Haitian communities confront the tremendous challenges of their everyday struggles.

A Prout Alliance Presentation by John Linkhart on July 13 2023. There are many presumptions about the answer to the title question – many of them incorrect and some of them dangerously inaccurate. The presentation will be a quick overview of the evolving science of Emergency Management which is the product of much professional focus and based on an ever-growing body of empirical experience and observation of people and authorities in such situations over many years and in diverse settings. It is important for people to be aware of patterns and actions to be taken or avoided in order to support communities impacted by serious disruptions of normal life. Climate change exacerbates both the severity and frequency of emergency situations – not to mention many other natural and human caused disasters. Not just individuals and families but entire communities and even regions need to know how to best ensure everyone’s access to basic necessities and critical infrastructure with an eye toward building a new and better way of life for everyone that is equitable and sustainable and not just a return to the pre-disaster status quo which is neither desirable nor even possible in many cases. Presenter: The presenter provides a synopsis of essential elements about risk assessment, emergency preparedness, disaster mitigation, response, recovery, rebuilding, and transition based on the evolving state-of-the-art thinking and guidance in emergency management as well as Prout inspired societal transition. The presenter has been involved in a number of long-term projects focused on emergency management in the context of an organized, systematic response to disruption to include the opportunity to transition into a new era for human society. As a member of an advisory group, he has worked with local government on building community resilience and the ability to respond to emergency situations such as the real-world experience with an entire community burning to the ground and the aftermath that followed. He has also assisted with developing and running table top exercises modeling practical disaster response, recovery and transition scenarios to provide a comprehensive and systematic guide for people and communities to use and adapt for their local situations. The question you must ask yourself is whether you and your community are ready to respond to the coming challenges society and this planet are increasingly facing? Attendance at this seminar will help start you on the road to saying Yes! When you register for this event – you will receive the Zoom link in the Registration Confirmation Email and in the reminder announcements in the week prior to the presentation.

Some of the latest scientific research mirrors what the ancient yoga teachings indicate: that there are very good biological reasons for humans to cooperate! We’ll explore how empathy, kindness, compassion, and sense of belonging are connected to our hormones, and what activities we can do to nurture and strengthen these. An ecological and spiritual perspective also enhances this, because if we can develop universal love, we can become a source of inspiration and wisdom for others. We’ll also show how cooperative games can help people experientially discover the power of cooperation. Dada Maheshvarananda is a monk, published author, social activist and the Founder and Director of the Prout Research Institute in Asheville, North Carolina and the Founder and former Director of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela.

Overcoming Casteism & Racism: Moving Towards Universalism and One Human Society free from Exploitation and Dogma with Prakash Laufer. You must have a flaming moral purpose so that greed, oppression and exploitation shrivel before the fire in you. – P. R. Sarkar From the perspective of Prout, Casteism and Racism are critical obstacles that must be overcome in order to build a livable, just, sustainable, and universalistic human society where no-one is left behind. Racism and Casteism – are systems of exploitation, oppression, suppression, and repression. According to PR Sarkar the internal or subjective elements of Racism & Casteism arise from: * Selfishness * Superiority, Inferiority, and Fear complexes * Materialism * Dogma According to PR Sarkar external elements of Racism & Casteism are expressed/experienced as : * Disparities * Inequality * All forms of economic, social and racial injustice. Practical solutions to overcoming all these disparities and injustice flows from: * Using Positive Sentiments: Anti-Exploitation, Revolutionary, Moral, Cultural, Universal & Spiritual * The Principle of Social Equality * Neo-Humanism * Prout (Progressive Utilization Theory) In our time together we will consider these points thru presentation and discussion Prakash Laufer has been a student of Prout and a meditator for over 50 years. He has been passionate about the importance of overcoming casteism and racism from a deeply personal, spiritual and collective perspective since the late 1960s.

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar first shared his thoughts about Prout in the late 1950’s and continued to clarify that comprehensive socio-politico-economic system until his passing in 1990. After reviewing his ideas about the creation of a world government and a world constitution, the program will enable participants to explore how these ideas help in the creation of a PROUT social order. Participants will also be encouraged to develop ideas about how a world government can be implemented. Craig Runde is the author of a book entitled “A Proposal for a World Constitution Based on the Works of Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar” which will be published and available in 2023. He was inspired by Mr. Sarkar to work on this project in 1990. During the 1970’s, Craig was involved in an international effort to obtain justice for Mr. Sarkar who was being persecuted by the Indian Government. Craig has an undergraduate degree in comparative religion and a law degree.

Shawn Berry was a member of a pioneering sustainable furniture manufacturing cooperative named the Woodshanti Cooperative in San Francisco which specialized in building high-quality custom cabinetry, millwork and furniture using responsibly harvested lumber and natural finishes. He now works as a professional consultant for developing worker cooperatives.

According to Prout, housing is one of the fundamental necessities of human life in addition to food, clothing, medical care and education. In US, homelessness is one of the major social issues. On top of that, due to recent pandemic, housing affordability and housing supply has become a major issue. Under the current approach, it will take many years to improve housing supply and thereby improving the affordability. In this presentation, the presenters will highlight the issues related to housing in US and share their experience on addressing them. One of the presenters will present his approach to provide low income housing and the other presenter will share his experience with working on housing for unhoused people.

Tapan Mallik is a management consultant and held a management role in a Fortune 100 corporation. He has been studying housing crisis in the United States and its impact on the community. He also studied different solution approaches applied in different communities. He is currently exploring opportunities to apply his professional experience to address the homelessness issue in the state of Delaware.

Janaka Casper, Chief Executive Officer of Community Housing Partners (CHP), has over 46 years of experience in housing and community development. As CEO, he communicates the organization’s mission, vision, values, and strategic direction. He also develops and maintains stakeholder relationships and funding, represents CHP on national, state, regional, and local boards, and ensures compliance with grantee programs and fiscal management. During his tenure with CHP, the organization’s programs and activities have expanded across seven states in the southeast to include Real Estate Development, Housing Services, and Energy Solutions. CHP has assets of over $500 million, revenue of $87 million, and a portfolio of over 100 multifamily rental communities serving the elderly, formerly homeless, and disabled persons, as well as other individuals and families of low wealth and low income. Mr. Casper has fostered the evolution of CHP’s mission to include a focus on sustainable, environmentally responsible development, resulting in numerous recognitions for the organization and its staff. In recognition of his role as an industry leader, Mr. Casper was invited to participate in the inaugural program of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation and Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government for Achieving Excellence in Community Development. He was also honored with the National NeighborWorks Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, selected by the Virginia Housing Coalition as an Architect of Change, and one of Virginia Housing Coalition’s Top housing leaders in Virginia.

John Linkhart, recently relocated from San Antonio TX where he was very active for decades as a volunteer serving on multiple Boards and Committees, to Eugene OR after retiring from a long professional career in healthcare business management. He discovered that Eugene has the highest per capita rate of unhoused people in the United States. As a result, he – along with other local action oriented Proutists engaged in a number of ambitious efforts to address the crises at all price points within the local acute housing shortage. He will briefly share the lessons learned from those efforts, both positive and negative.

Presented August 11th, 2022.

According to prisonstudies.org, the world prison population has grown by almost 20% since the year 2000. The female prison population has increased by 50% in the same period, compared with an 18% increase globally for men. The U.S. locks up more people than any other country in the world. Yet, a 2015 study from the Brennan Center for Justice shows that prison played no role in plummeting crime rates over the past thirteen years. “By herding together edgy individuals against their will and enacting daily rituals of subjection,” historian Robert Perkinson notes, “even the best prisons tend to foster more conflict than cooperation.” A Neo-humanist outlook encourages us to recognize the potential in each person, and strive to create a social and economic system that allows for and encourages this expression of potential and growth. In the prison context, that might mean creating an environment and offering programming that not only reverses the sense of hopelessness that most people in prison feel, but also exploring alternatives to incarceration. In the larger picture, it would mean creating an economy that leaves no one behind, an economy that offers alternatives to participating in criminal activity. Andy Douglas volunteered in a medium security prison in Iowa for seven years. His book “Redemption Songs: A Year in the Life of a Community Prison Choir” relays the narrative of this experience, and also explores alternatives to the prevalent ‘warehousing’ mode of dealing with the incarcerated, looking at how the arts and education offer chances for moving forward in life for many incarcerated people. He recently wrote a lengthy article entitled “Toward a Proutist Policy on Criminal Justice.”.

Raksha grew up in India but moved to the US to further her education in Computer Science. Since earning degrees in the field she now works in Oregon as a professional software engineer. She also works as a volunteer with the Prout Alliance Materials Team as well as with the Proutist Universal Social Media Team. Being acutely aware of the social, economic, political, and environmental issues in both India and the US, Raksha strongly believes systems change is essential for the all- around elevation of humanity and regeneration of the planet. Inspired by the teachings of P.R. Sarkar, she understands that building a strong presence for Prout on the internet is an important way to contribute to creating the socio-economic awareness needed for change. She recognizes that we are living in the midst of an Information Revolution spearheaded by the internet, and social media platforms – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc. So how can people use and leverage social media to ensure Prout reaches every person on the planet. 

Presented April 12th, 2022.

The U.S. spends about twice what other industrialized countries spend per person on health care, but still leaves millions without access to care, and does not provide better outcomes for those lucky enough to be insured. It is a situation the shocks the conscience, especially for advocates of Prout, which views access to health care as a fundamental human right. This presentation will examine what is wrong with the crazy U.S. healthcare system, as it looks to Prout for insights into solutions. Mark Friedman is an economist and long-time activist on health justice issues. He serves on the Board of Directors of Health Care for All Minnesota. Resources: Reid, T. R. The Healing of America, A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care. New York: Penguin Group, 2010. Healthcare-Now https://www.healthcare-now.org/# Physicians for a National Health Program (PNHP) https://pnhp.org/ Health Care for All Minnesota https://www.hca-mn.org/ Presented May 12th, 2022.

In this presentation Prakash, a student of Prout for nearly 50 years, will share how to use the Electronic Edition of the Works of PR Sarkar (1921-1990), the founder of Prout philosophy, for research over the breath and depth of PR Sarkar’s works.