The Call To Global Healing: A global initiative to implement the URI Purpose
May 31st, 2005 by sfuqua
For the occasion of World Environment Day (June 5th), I asked Dave
Randle to send an update on the status of the Call to Global Healing. While
the Call is rooted in environmental consciousness, you will find that it
has moved well beyond and has led the Utah URI Cooperation Circle into the
heart of conflict in working to provide aid and support to people in
need.
Dr. David W. Randle
May 2005
As many know the URI held its first ever Regional Summit in the Olympic
Village in Salt Lake City.?The event was an official program of the 2002 Salt
Lake Winter Olympic Games.
It was at this event that the vision for the Olympic Peace Pole project
was announced and the first Olympic Peace Pole dedicated as part of the URI
North American Summit.
The Olympic Peace Pole project grew to 168 special Olympic peace poles (2
for every nation at the Olympic Games). It was an exciting time during the
Salt Lake Winter Olympic Games as Bishop William Swing and Rev. Charles Gibbs
provided the initial training to create the Olympic Interfaith Committee and
the Utah URI CC worked with Deborah Moldow and Monica Willard of the U.N. CC
to bring the custom made peace poles to the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
As positive receptivity came from the two interfaith services, and
dedication by the Mayor of Salt Lake of the Olympic poles at City Hall. Once
dedicated the poles were seen by thousands through events such as the Beach
Boys performing to thousands of people interspersed among the peace poles,
many cultural events, and watching the Olympic torch bearer run through the
peace pole path with the Olympic flame. Throughout the project an awareness
developed that URI had much to say to the world. It was clear through these
events that URI had a message to share regarding its purpose of daily
interfaith cooperation, ending religiously motivated violence, and creating
cultures of peace, justice and healing the Earth for all living beings.
So the question raised was how could this good spirit of the Olympic peace
pole project be taken to the first ever URI Global Assembly in Rio de
Janeiro.
The answer was to propose a Global Initiative titled the Call to Global
Healing. After several drafts from members of the Utah URI cc and the U.N.
URI cc as well as input from other URI members around the globe, and the U.N.
Environment Programme (UNEP), a document was completed to present to the
first ever URI Global Assembly.
In August 2002, with 400 plus participants from 37 countries and 50 faith
traditions in attendance the Call to Global Healing was endorsed unanimously
by the URI Global Assembly, commended by Adnan Amin the director of UNEP at
the U.N. Headquarters in NY, and sent to Johannesburg, South Africa as part
of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
The following January Bishop William Swing, founder of the URI, Dr. Noel
Brown and Pierre Quiblier of UNEP, Dr. David Randle and other Utah URI
members, a representative of the U.N. URI, and others from interfaith,
environmental, business, and government organizations met in Snowbird, Utah
to develop an implementation plan for the Call to Global Healing.
Since then the WHALE Center (the 501(c) 3 organization that administers
Utah URI) has served as the administrative organization for the Global
Healing Initiative that has now been joined by over 35 affiliate
organizations, thousands of individuals, and businesses who make
contributions on its Store page.
Dr. David W. Randle and Dr. Noel Brown have served as facilitators for
this initiative as it continues to evolve.
Currently URI members have several ways to participate in the Call to
Global Healing. Some of these opportunities include:
- Learning about Global Healing. The main site includes a
global healing
presentation giving an overview of critical issues related to global
healing and a link to the Call to Global Healing text. - Keeping informed. On the Global
Healing Main site persons can find the latest UNEP press release. UNEP
press releases provide the news on what is happening internationally with
issues related to sustainability. In addition there is a link to new global
healing updates and the monthly Global Healing News letter. - International Dialogue. One of the purposes of URI is to promote daily
interfaith cooperation. On the Global Healing mainsite people have the
opportunity to join the Care2 Global Healing discussion group that now
includes almost 400 people from 45 states and 30 nations who have daily
conversations re: Global Healing. - Global Healing Youth Page. A special site to provide resources and
organizational links for youth wanting to be involved in Global
Healing. - An opportunity to be involved in service projects. Currently URI
members can learn about the Southern Sudan Education project and
opportunities for individuals and URI ccís to help bring education
to Southern Sudan. Plans are now underway to add additional project
opportunities on this site through cooperative URI projects in Malawi,
Uganda, and South Africa. - These are opportunities to promote daily interfaith cooperation and
create cultures of peace, justice and healing the Earth. (Go to Global
Healing mainsite
http://www.globalhealing.net and
click on the Southern Sudan Education Project) - The Global Healing
Community Page is designed for persons to post thoughts, share
information, and offer polls related to global healing issues. By signing
up to be a global healing member persons are also included in e-alerts to
issues related to global healing. - The Global Healing
Partners Page includes links to 35 organizations who are participating
in their own way to bring about Global Healing. In addition persons can
currently see a video on the Millennium Development Campaign and see the
latest conference or program offered by one of the Global Healing
partners.
The Global Healing
Store page was designed with several things in mind. Key features of this
page include:
- Music video of the month offered by artists to share their music
promoting themes of global healing. - Convenient links to the BBC news by each region of the world, a good
way to keep informed on current issues in regions of the world one is
interested in. - Products and Services including unique stores such as The Wild Divine
which offers a biofeedback computer game with the goal of teaching
compassion, the Peace Company and the World Peace Prayer Society Gift shop
offering resources and gifts supporting a culture of peace, Green Mountain
Coffee just rated #2 Corporation out of 1000 for being most socially
responsible, and many more. - Global Healing stores also offer commissions to pay for the
administrative costs for the Global Healing website. A percentage of the
Commissions also go to support URI Global and the URI Africa Development
fund. The idea is that if enough persons utilize the global healing store
for online shopping both better choices in products and services are made
and because administrative costs are paid for 100% of donations to service
projects such as the Southern Sudan Education project go to that project
and not to overhead or website fees. - The Opportunity to Donate to Global Healing is also on the site with
donations strengthening this program and its outreach.
Please visit the Global Healing site and find ways you can support global
healing as a way of participating in the implementation of the URI
purpose.
