Imagine if your child’s nightly lullaby were the staccato of machine gun fire or that their playground was littered with limb-rendering landmines.
This is the reality for many children caught up in war-torn areas around the globe.
Amala Foundation’s One Village Project is an effort to create a “global” village, uniting youth (13 to 18) in the U.S. with local youth in locations around the world. They promote cultural awareness by developing a youth community established on equality, peace, and honesty, and encouraging service to others.
Youth develop skills in communication and conflict-resolution while discovering numerous methods to be of service to the world. In fostering a global community, 16.5 million youth in the U.S. participate as a part of immigrant and refugee families, often fleeing poverty and the persecution of brutal civil wars or religious intolerance. According to a 2008 survey by the Anne E. Casey Foundation, 49 percent of these youth are living below the poverty level.
Vanessa Stone is a member of the Amala Foundation and a volunteer at San Quentin. “In my day to day life I feel blessed. I feel fulfilled in my heart. I feel unity and the presence of God here. People who’ve come together who normally wouldn’t,” she said. “I was 24 [when] it really started with a group of people who tried to deepen spirituality. I thought it would be great to have an assignment [with] a group of spiritual people.”
One Village’s unique model of leadership is based upon “love, respect, honesty and community.” The youth learn to discover themselves through the eyes of “equality and acceptance,” cultivating unity in diversity.
The Amala Foundation hosts an eight-day Global Youth Peace Summit conference inviting youth from around the globe to unite as “peace leaders” for the world community. The youth emerge from the summit as “Peace Leaders” inspired to serve in the world and in their local communities.
The One Village Project works include helping the elderly, the homeless and young children. Amala collaborates with advocacy agencies to provide refugee and immigrant youth with opportunities to take part in a program of international and local youth united by a mission of healing and peace.
Amala seeks sponsors from among local businesses and individuals. Their goal is to ensure that youths from every socio-economic, cultural and religious background have an equal opportunity to become peace leaders.
“I experienced a lot of suffering in my youth. I felt like a victim, like, ‘Why me?’ My inner voice suddenly changed and I experienced a shift when I realized that I had to lead a life of service. The personal experiences in my life of service have taken me all over the world, from rural African villages to here at San Quentin. I’ve worked where most others wouldn’t want to go,” said Vanessa Stone
The San Quentin activity group, Champion for the Children, has partnered with the Amala Foundation to give youth an opportunity to heal from the wounds of war and violence. Champions for Children organized a walk-a-thon on May 15 to raise money for youth to attend the summit. They were able to bring up 100 people from the outside to walk with 300 inmates for the weekend event. The program began with a day long retreat with Vanessa Stone on May 14.
Gino, a 53-year-old member, stated. “This is an opportunity for us to get out of ourselves and focus on the needs of others. I get the chance to work with my brothers in blue and become one in heart and mind with them to serve as one…”
