Thursday, June 2, 2016

Earth Citizen Momentum!

Health > CGI Healthy Event By CGI Holistic Wellness Centre

Earth Citizen Momentum!
Power Brain Potential Conference & 6th Annual NJ/NY Earth Citizen Festival

May was truly a celebratory month for the Earth Citizen Movement. New York and New Jersey kicked off the spring with two unforgettable, fun-filled fundraisers for Earth Citizens Organization (ECO): the Power Brain Potential Workshop & Conference on May 7th and the 6th Annual NJ/NY Earth Citizen Walk on May 15th.

-Power Brain Potential-


The Power Brain Potential event was a conference and series of interactive workshops designed to introduce educators, parents, and community leaders to the Brain Education (BE) program. Brain Education is an innovative educational program designed to develop the full potential of the human brain through physical, emotional, and cognitive wellness. The Forest Hills (Queens) elementary school, Public School 144, hosted Power Brain Potential in honor of the significant benefits they have seen throughout the community since integrating BE into their curriculum.


10 innovative workshops available before the conference drew people from all over the East Coast – from Boston and the Tri-State Area all the way down to Washington, D.C.

Each workshop was conducted in a real classroom led by experienced Brain Education Trainers including Dave Beal, the Director of Power Brain Education, himself. They showcased BE in action through demonstrations of effective techniques for student engagement, mind-body exercises for enhancing focus, confidence, and creativity, character development for mindful leadership, and more. Over the course of the morning, workshop staff guided attendees between 3 of these 10 workshops before joining the ultimate conference. All were a smash hit! Participants’ smiles could have lit up the sky on a dark night. One young mother from Queens even exclaimed “I look different than this morning, don’t I? I feel so much better.”

After the workshops, and an awesome dance performance by School 144 power brain kids, the Key note speakers took to the stage.

Superintendent Elisa Alvarez of District 7 (Bronx) gave a passionate speech about the success of a recent PBE pilot program held in her middle schools for 180 at-risk students. 8 weekly 45-minute BE sessions and 2 full-day leadership programs resulted in an increase from 40 to 90% (50% increase!) in pro-social behaviors and up to a 75% decrease in clinically significant emotional symptoms, conduct problems, hyperactivity, and peer problems. Carmen Farina (NYC Chancellor of Public Education) was so impressed by the results that she has extended funding to all 1,800 schools in New York City to utilize BE in their schools!

Next, founder Ilchi Lee spoke from the heart about the birth of Brain Education through his own struggles as a child and young man within the Korean education system. He wove a vibrant tale of transformation over the years from a personal set of tools to a diverse set of programs and fields of study across the globe. Ilchi Lee created the Earth Citizen Movement over 35 years ago to optimize character education throughout the world: to promote physical health, emotional sensibility, and natural intelligence for sustainable global citizenship and responsibility. Ilchi Lee’s pride in Power Brain Education’s role in the Earth Citizen Movement could not have been more palpable. He danced with the audience, demonstrating a fun new Power Brain technique for natural healing! The crowd was floored.

Dave Beal, who heads the Power Brain Education program in the US, wrapped up the conference with a moving interactive presentation on the growth of PBE over the last decade. He led conference attendees through qualitative and quantitative research conducted in schools with Power Brain programs such as PS 001X and PS 32Q in New York City as well as a charter school in Chandler AZ. Graduates of the Brain Education Leadership (BEL) program proudly participated as assistants as Dave led the audience in power brain partner stretching and other BE activities. Lastly, he gave the call for educators, parents, and community leaders in the audience to join the Earth Citizen Movement and get involved with Power Brain Education in their schools, homes, and communities.

Check out more info about PBE at http://www.powerbraineducation.com/ and follow them on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/powerbraineducation/?fref=ts


-6th Annual NJ/NY Earth Citizen Festival & Walk-


Body and Brain Yoga and Tai Chi of NY and NJ (CGI Holistic Fitness & Spa in Closter NJ, New City/ Westchester/Stony Point Body and Brain Yoga Centers) also showed their Earth Citizen game with the 6th Annual Earth Citizen Festival & Walk on May 15th at Rockland Lake State Park.

The NJ/NY fundraiser for Earth Citizens Organization (ECO) raised over $10k with over 200 attendees from all over Rockland/Bergen Counties and New York City, donations from local businesses, and personal donations from community members and Body and Brainer members alike.

The festivities from 11am through 3pm included speeches, food, children’s activities, myriad vendors, a Chun Bu Shin Gong (Korean moving meditation) performance, live music from talented musicians such as the Eugene Tyler Band and Sarah Lawrence College theatre, Korean Pop dancing, raffle prizes, and a live demonstration from the Power Brain Education team.

The theme of 2016’s ECO event was “Be the Change” from Mahatma Gandhi’s powerful quote “Be the change you want to see in the world.” ECO’s goal is to create a network of 100 million Earth Citizens committed to being that change by the year 2020.


Tao Master Healer and Director of Wellness, Michelle Moon, opened the Festival with Ilchi Lee’s Prayer of Peace – a call for the creation of a harmonious world. The compassionate, joyful Earth Citizen spirit kept the event lively and vibrant, unheeding of the unseasonably windy and cold day. Partner stretching and mind-body games during breaks in performances kept people’s bodies warm while the happy family environment lit a fire in the hearts of staff and Walkers alike.

Blankets were shared among strangers. People from all walks of life danced together with the “Earth” in their hands *Earth colored balloons were given out at registration along with beautiful ECO t-shirts. All in all it was a glorious celebration of coming together in peace and harmony regardless of age, gender, and nationality. The Festival ended with the traditional walk around Rockland Lake. What a wonderful event!

Become an Earth Citizen and explore the Earth Citizen Movement by visiting https://earthcitizens.org/

Join us next year for the 7th Annual Earth Citizen Festival! Can’t wait to see you J


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