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Invincibility for Europe through Consciousness-Based Education: Dr Ashley Deans presents highlights of his tour - Part I Dr Ashley Deans, Director of Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, USA, visited nine nations in Europe and one in the Middle East in recent months to present Maharishi’s Consciousness-Based Education: Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria, Poland, Turkey, Israel, Switzerland, England, Wales, and Scotland. Everywhere he goes, Dr Deans speaks on the uniqueness of this approach which brings to light the missing element at the basis of education—the field of Pure Consciousness—to awaken the total functioning of the brain, thereby enabling every student to unfold his full creative potential. As a result of the tour, schools in seven of these ten countries are undertaking programmes in Consciousness-Based Education, and Dr Deans anticipates that through them, there will be a rapid rise to invincibility for their whole nation in the coming year. Summarizing the highlights of his tour, Dr Deans described the very warm and enthusiastic response he received everywhere for the knowledge of Consciousness-Based Education, saying that, 'It is only a matter of providing the information; so many had not previously heard about this knowledge, but when they hear about it, they want to have it for their schools'. Ukraine After a successful presentation in the capital city of Kiev, Dr Deans journeyed five hours west to Chernobyl, where approximately five hundred people attended his talk at an educational institute. Of these, four hundred completed forms indicating they would like to learn Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation. Other Ukrainian cities also hosted presentations, and Dr Deans described 'packed lecture halls' with very warm responses from teachers and principals who proclaimed that they were extremely eager to have the programmes implemented in their schools. Armenia From Ukraine, Dr Dean flew to Armenia where he met with the principal of one of the most prestigious schools in the country. Halfway through the presentation, the principal said, 'I know all the benefits, I learned to meditate some years ago.' At another school meeting attended by teachers and parents, the principal led a standing ovation at the end of the presentation. The national radio station broadcast a half-hour show about Consciousness-Based Education which received a very positive response throughout Armenia. Dr Deans expressed his optimism that Armenia would rise to invincibility very soon. With its relatively small population of 3.5 million, even one large school where students learn Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation could be enough to bring coherence to the whole country. Bulgaria Travelling on to Bulgaria, Dr Deans presented Consciousness-Based Education in the beautiful capital, Sofia, where a conference had been organized at a very prestigious hotel in the city centre. Attending dignitaries and educators were surprised and delighted to learn that, through this simple and natural approach, it would be possible to create invincibility for their entire nation. Dr Deans also gave a fifteen-minute presentation on the most popular morning television programme. Dr Deans related a very interesting anecdote about a school he visited one hour from Sofia, where the teachers had been on strike for a month. The strike had naturally caused a great deal of stress to both teachers and students, who were worried about how they could finish their school year. The principal had invited his teachers to come back during the strike to hear the presentation. Dr Deans described a somewhat sombre mood among the teachers at the beginning of his talk, but by the end the atmosphere was completely transformed with the teachers smiling and laughing. The principal was very enthusiastic to introduce Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Programme to this school as soon as the teachers returned from the strike. A principal of a nearby language school also expressed great interest in a programme for his school. Poland Conferences and meetings with leading educators and government officials in Poland inspired a great deal of interest in implementing Consciousness-Based Education in schools around the country. Audiences were inspired to hear that besides offering this programme to existing schools and colleges, the Global Country of World Peace would be constructing its own Invincibility Schools in Poland. Turkey The National Director of the Global Country of World Peace in Turkey organized a successful press conference which led to a positive full-page article in the nation's largest newspaper. Many presentations were given in the two largest cities, Istanbul and the capital, Ankara. During one of the conferences attended by 16 high school principals, the principal of a school of 6,000 students voiced his intention to introduce Consciousness-Based Education. In Izmir, on Turkey's west coast, Dr Deans' very inspiring talks with educators resulted in a full-page newspaper article which included extensive coverage on many aspects of Maharishi's programmes. Part II of this article will feature highlights of Dr Deans' presentations in Israel, Italy, Switzerland, England, Scotland, and Wales.
Copyright © 2007 Global Good News(sm) Service
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