Scientology Today

On January 6, 2010, Annalisa Tissoni, President of the Church of Scientology of Milan, and Fiorella and Gaetano Cerchiara, President and Director respectively of the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance of Italy, presented a special gift to the village of Twewaa—a new school.  With the opening of this school, the second sponsored by Italian Scientologists, the children of the village gained an important human right, as stated in Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—”the right to education.”

The Twewaa school opening ceremony included speeches by village Chief Nana Somua Nyampong II, Assembly Member Paul Adarkwah, and Chief Executive of Kwahu South District Assembly, Samuel Asomani.

“We involved the community in every aspect of the planning and construction of the school because it belongs to them,” said Ms. Tissoni.  They also hired local companies and artisans and purchased all raw materials for the construction from local merchants, as well as school supplies, clothes and shoes for the children and classroom furniture.

The project began three years ago when an educator in the Ghana capital city of Accra needed additional funds to complete the construction of a school. He invited Ms. Tissoni and Ms. Cerchiara to Ghana, and when they saw the need, they immediately decided to help.  With funds raised by the Milan Church of Scientology and the Association for Human Rights and Tolerance, the construction of the Untoma Oxford International School was completed, opening in August 2008 with some 300 children enrolled.

When the Untoma Oxford School was completed, Tissoni and Cerchiara visited outlying villages and chose Twewaa as their next project.  With the Twewaa school now opened, they are focusing on their third project, a school in a nearby village in Eastern Ghana, scheduled to open before the end of 2010.

“We have taken on this project because education is a basic human right and a vital component to creating a better world,” said Ms. Tissoni.  “Our Church is very much involved in promoting human rights awareness.  Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard said ‘Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.’ By helping to build these schools, we are enabling the children to create a better future for themselves and their communities.”

To learn more about the human rights initiatives of the Church of Scientology, visit the Scientology website at www.scientology.org.

Fox TV coverage on the disaster relief initiative of the Church of Scientology:

The Church of Scientology has chartered a jet to ferry about 160 doctors, nurses and other volunteers to Haiti on Saturday to help in the earthquake relief efforts.

A small group of volunteers, including a Haitian-American nurse and a Haitian-American construction worker, was meeting Friday night at the Haitian Embassy in Washington for a midnight bus ride to New York City. They were to join the others for that chartered flight out of JFK International Airport. >>

Click here to watch the video

WUSA9 TV reports that more than a dozens volunteers from the Church of Scientology provided help at the Haitian embassy in D.C. today.  Many Haitians lost family members in the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that struck on Tuesday. “We can see these people are in big trouble,” one Scientology Volunteer Minister says. “We are here to help.”

See the full TV clip on WUSA9.com

Slovakian youth march for human rights

Bratislava, Slovakia—The Slovakia chapter of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) celebrated the 61st Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) with the launch of a new web site and a human rights walk from Old Town in Bratislava to Grassalkovich Palace, the residence of the President of Slovakia.   This was part of the “International Walk for Human Rights,” where youth from countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, Barbados, Cameroon, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, Holland, India, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, United Kingdom the United States and Zambia, walked to raise awareness of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The new YHRI Slovakia web site at www.MladezZaLudskePrava.org features 30 public service announcements, one illustrating each of the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration, available for the first time with Slovakian subtitles.  The short films were produced by Youth for Human Rights International in partnership with the Church of Scientology International.

Scientology Churches on six continents called attention to human rights issues on Human Rights Day, with dozens of events including rallies, human rights walks, round tables, concerts and petition drives.  To raise awareness of human rights and bring about much needed reforms, Scientologists are calling for human rights education in all schools as the first prerequisite to guarantee human rights internationally.

Human Rights Day is the anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the UN General Assembly in 1948.  The document was drafted by a committee of scholars and humanitarians chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt to prevent a repeat of the atrocities of World War II. The Preamble to the Declaration proclaimed the UDHR “as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations,” and stated that “every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms.”

Now 61 years later, human rights education is not part of most schools’ curriculums, and human rights violations rival those of the past.  According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, there are an estimated 27 million enslaved today.  Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro reported that an estimated 2 million or more women are trafficked across borders every year.

“Education is vital to guarantee human rights,” said Tracie Morrow, Youth Coordinator for the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International.  “L. Ron Hubbard said, ‘human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream,’ and ensuring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is broadly understood is a vital first step.”

To raise awareness of the UDHR, Scientology volunteers in Munich, Germany helped produce an event featuring educational video presentations on the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration, accompanied by musical performances, and speeches by young activists on the impact of human rights violations on their own and others’ lives.  In Sweden, Scientologists set up a booth on a walking street in the seaport city of Malmö where they collected hundreds of signatures on their petition calling for human rights education. In Florida, Scientologists participated in a walk for human rights and a human rights poetry workshop.

In Russia, the Church of Scientology in partnership with Youth for Human Rights and the Moscow chapter of the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights held a Human Rights Day celebration at the Central House of Journalists in Moscow.  More than a hundred human rights advocates, including representatives of a wide variety of religious groups, the country’s Human Rights Committee, the Moscow Police Department and a former ombudsman of the Russian Federation participated and coordinated their activities for the coming year.

Dozens of other events and petition drives were held across the United States and in Canada, Europe, India, Japan, South Africa and Kenya.

For more information on the human rights initiative of the Church of Scientology, visit the Scientology site at www.scientology.org.

Scientologists work to guarantee human rights for all children

Scientology Churches and their members, from Australia to Zimbabwe and Canada to the Ukraine  celebrate the rights of children by demanding action by private citizens and governments on International Children’s Day. Twenty years ago the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child, yet millions of children still die each year from preventable causes.

Scientologists ask:

·    If the Convention on the Rights of the Child guarantees freedom from want, why do almost 16,000 children die of malnutrition—one child every five seconds?

·    If children have the right to life, why did nearly 10 million children die in 2006 before they reached their fifth birthday?

·    Why did an estimated 2 million children lose at least one parent to AIDS in southern Africa in 2003, a number expected to rise to 18 million in the year 2010?

·    Why have an estimated 20 million children been forced to flee their homes because of conflict and human rights violations?

·    How could 10,000 children be killed or maimed last year by landmines? Why have more than 2 million children died and 6 million been permanently disabled or seriously injured through armed conflicts?

·    How come 300,000 boys and girls under the age of 18 have been pressed into service as child soldiers?

·    And why do one million children suffer from sexual exploitation every year?

Churches of Scientology believe the answer lies with each of us, that only when people know their rights and freedoms will they insist on their enforcement, not only for themselves but for others.

That is why Scientology Churches partner with Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) and United for Human Rights (UHR) in distributing the documentary The Story of Human Rights.

Released in June 2009 The Story of Human Rights is an educational tour de force, making the subject of human rights, its history and ramifications understandable to a very broad audience, used to getting their information as entertainment in this multimedia age.  The film lays the responsibility for implementing human rights where it belongs—with each one of us, to fight for our own rights and the rights of others.

The Story of Human Rights explains that although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly, “…it did not have the force of law.  It was optional. And despite many more documents, conventions, treaties and laws, it is still little more than words on a page.”

The film ends with a hard-hitting appeal to the individual:  “Those who fight today against torture, poverty and discrimination are not giants or superheroes.  They are people—kids, mothers, fathers, teachers—free-thinking individuals who refuse to be silent, who realize that human rights are not a history lesson, they’re not words on a page, they’re not speeches or commercials or PR campaigns.  They are the choices we make every day as human beings.  They are the responsibility we all share, to respect each other, to help each other and to protect those in need.”

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard once wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”  Understanding human rights is the first step in bringing this about.

To sign a petition to mandate human rights education in schools in your country or to watch The Story of Human Rights online, visit www.humanrights.com.   To learn more about the human rights education initiative of the Church of Scientology, visit the Scientology site.

Scientology volunteers in Amsterdam demand full implementation of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Netherlands must live up to its reputation as human rights champion.

Members of the Church of Scientology of Amsterdam participate in petition-signing events throughout the year to educate the community on the importance of full understanding and implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Amsterdam—Scientology volunteers, determined to end blatant disregard for human rights, circulated a petition on the International Day for Tolerance November 16 to demand education on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in all Netherlands schools.  In fact, Scientologists from Australia to Zimbabwe and Canada to Taiwan work in their communities to educate people on human rights and their responsibility for implementing them, not only for themselves, but for others as well.

“Despite The Universal Declaration of Human Rights having been adopted by the U.N. General Assembly more than 60 years ago, human rights are still infringed upon daily in nations the world over,” said Merel Remmerswaal, Public Affairs Officer for the Church of Scientology of Amsterdam, who helped organize the petition-signing event.

Last week, 20 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Nicola Duckworth, Europe and Central Asia Program Director at Amnesty International, expressed her concern that human rights are once again under attack.  “Rights fall victim to the views of states with even the most basic human rights, such as protection from torture, are sacrificed to fight terrorism.”

Ms. Remmerswall, whose Church holds educational programs and human rights petition-signing events throughout the year, deplores human rights violations extant in the world today. “Young women are trafficked from Russia for sexual exploitation, African parents look on as their children die a slow death from starvation, people are tortured for their political beliefs,” she said.  “These and so many other human rights abuses run completely counter to the values enshrined in the 30 articles of the UDHR.”

The petition, circulated by Scientology volunteers in partnership with the Amsterdam chapter of Youth for Human Rights International, calls upon the Dutch government to “make human rights education mandatory in schools and to conduct human rights education campaigns for all.”

The Church of Scientology of Amsterdam volunteers partner with a chapter of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI), which provides booklets, audio-visual materials and other educational materials that broadly raise awareness about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The booklets and series of 30 short films, one for each article of the UDHR, bring this otherwise formidable document into the grasp of young people.

The preamble of the UDHR calls for “education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms.”  It also states, “…it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law.”

These values are held in common by the Church of Scientology whose founder, L. Ron Hubbard, wrote, “Human Rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”

Scientologists from Australia to Zimbabwe and Canada to Taiwan work in their communities to educate people on human rights and their responsibility for implementing them, not only for themselves, but for others as well. For more information on the human rights education initiative of the Church of Scientology visit the Scientology web site.

Scientology volunteers demand effective action to knock out modern slave trade.  Australia is the destination country for victims trafficked from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, says U.S. State Department.

Scientology Volunteers in Sydney circulated a petition at Sydney Town Hall November 16, calling for mandatory human rights education in Australia to eliminate human rights abuses.  One of the worst abuses is the criminal practice of human trafficking in the country. As many as 27 million are enslaved in the world today according to the United Nations, earning perpetrators upwards of $34 billion Australian annually. Some estimate half of those trafficked come from Asia-Pacific and that at least half of all victims are children.

According to the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report for 2009, despite major strides by law enforcement, Australia is the destination country for many of the victims trafficked from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe, particularly the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand.

Members of the Church of Scientology of Sydney held Monday’s petition signing because they believe Australians would never stand for human trafficking and other human rights abuses in their country if they knew of it.

Scientology Churches around the world sponsor the largest non-governmental information campaign the world over, which has made the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known to more than 900,000 people through public service announcements, booklets and petition drives.

For more information about the Church of Scientology human rights initiative visit the Scientology web site at www.scientology.org.

Youth for Human Rights Tampa Bay took on a project that brought the Universal   Declaration of Human Rights home to all who participated, specifically Article 3—The Right to Life.

Tampa, Florida—Sponsored by the Church of Scientology of Tampa, Youth for Human Rights of Tampa Bay helped guarantee a vital human right to an entire camp of refugees in Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of Congo—the Right to Life.  They did this by raising enough money to provide bed nets for some 200 refugees.

Why bed nets? Every year nearly one million people die of malaria—the number one killer of African children. Malaria strikes more than 500 million people each year and kills more than a million. In fact, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention, every 30 seconds someone dies of malaria somewhere in the world.

Mosquitoes are the leading cause of the spread of malaria and inadequate protection from these insects makes refugees in camps the most vulnerable to infection. Insecticide-treated bed nets provided by the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing but Nets campaign protect potential victims from mosquitoes when these insects are most likely to strike, while their victims sleep.  The Nothing But Nets campaign, created in 2006, has raised more than $27 million for bed nets to save children’s lives.

Asking their friends, “Would you save a life for $10?” the Youth for Human Rights volunteers raised enough funds to send nets to the Bukavu refugee camp that will protect more than 200 refugees from contracting this killer disease.

In 1948, the United Nations called upon member countries to cause the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to be “disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories.”  Article 3 of the Universal Declaration is the Right to Life.

Programs such as this which involve young people with real-life examples of human rights are the best form of education, and they teach youth another lesson, as expressed by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “Human Rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”

For more information on Youth for Human Rights, visit their web site at www.youthforhumanrights.org or the Scientology site.

Today, the European Court of Human Rights ruled unanimously in favor of two Scientology religious groups in Russia, finding that they have the right to be registered as religious organizations under Russian law. This decision determines that members of the Church of Scientology of Surgut and the Church of Scientology of Nizhnekamsk have the right to religious freedom and freedom of association pursuant to Articles 9 and 11 of the European Human Rights Convention.

The Church’s human rights counsel, Bill Walsh, stated:  “The judgment of the European Court of Human Rights today is a great victory for religious freedom in Russia and in all 47 member countries of the Council of Europe. The case is given the highest rating of importance by the Court itself as it effectively kills the repressive 15 Year Rule, denying religious organizations rights until they have existed in the country for 15 years. Moreover, the ruling will have great impact on countries throughout the European Community that have passed similar restrictions to repress religious freedom. So it is not only a victory for religious freedom in Russia, but for religious freedom everywhere in the Council of Europe.”

In 1997, the Russian government passed laws preventing religious organizations from forming legally unless they could prove they had been in existence in their respective state(s) for 15 years.  Such a law obviously discriminates against religions not established in a state for 15 years and has now been ruled as unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights.

In reaching this decision, the Court “established that the applicants were unable to obtain recognition and effective enjoyment of their rights to freedom of religion and association in any organisational form. The first applicant could not obtain registration of the Scientology group as a non-religious legal entity because it was considered to be a religious community by the Russian authorities. The applications for registration as a religious organisation submitted by the first and second applicants as founders of their respective groups… were denied by reference to the insufficient period of the groups’ existence. Finally, the restricted status of a religious group for which they qualified… conveyed no practical or effective benefits to them as such a group was deprived of legal personality, property rights and the legal capacity to protect the interests of its members and was also severely hampered in the fundamental aspects of its religious functions.¨ Accordingly, the Court finds that there has been an interference with the applicants’ rights under Article 9 interpreted in the light of Article 11.”

Along with the recent decision of the Court in favor of the right of the Moscow Church of Scientology to be registered as a religious organization under the Religion law, these cases represent precedent-setting rulings that guarantee the freedom of religion and right of association for Scientologists and people of all faiths throughout the 47 nations that comprise the Council of Europe.

The Court concluded that “In the light of the foregoing considerations, the Court finds that the interference with the applicants’ rights to freedom of religion and association cannot be said to have been “necessary in a democratic society.” There has therefore been a violation of Article 9 of the Convention, interpreted in the light of Article 11.”

The Russian Scientology Church in St. Petersburg also has cases pending in the European Court of Human Rights for similar discriminatory harassment concerning their registration.

The Scientology religion was founded by L. Ron Hubbard. The first church was established in the United States in 1954.  It has grown to more than 8,000 churches, missions and groups and millions of members in 165 nations. The Russian Federation has more than 70 Scientology Churches and missions from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok.

For more information about Scientology, see www.scientology-moscow.ru or www.scientology.org.

Click here for the press release of the European Court of Human Rights

Recognized at the 6th Annual Youth for Human Rights Summit in Geneva last week, race car driver Niki Lanik explains why he promotes human rights to racing enthusiasts.

Austrian-born race car driver Niki Lanik, 22, uses his sport to champion human rights.  Recognized with a Human Rights Advocate Award last week at the 6th Annual Human Rights Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, Lanik has been an advocate since December 2006. It was then he decided to use his high profile as a successful driver to raise awareness about human rights.  Says Lanik,  “Athletes have fans and followers who read about us or see us on TV.  Youngsters see us and musicians and artists as role models.  It’s important to me that I live up to that trust.”

Lanik’s dedication to promoting human rights awareness and education came after meeting Los Angeles-based film director Taron Lexton in London three years ago.  Lexton directed a series of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) which brings the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights to life.  Lexton also created “United,” an award-winning music video about a young boy from the inner city who unites people from around the world to defend the rights of his friends. These films are part of the human rights awareness campaign of Youth for Human Rights International.

“I thought I knew what human rights are, but I really had no idea until I watched the PSAs and read the booklet that goes with them,” says Lanik.  “Human rights education works, and it changes countries and cultures.  I want to see every village, city and state around the world, poor or rich, black or white, with human rights education as part of their educational curriculums.”

Once he got the point he took on the issue with the same energy that made him a double UK Clio Cup Winter Champion in 2006 and 2007 and won him a place three months ago in the FIA GT3 Championship with the six-man Belgium-based Prospeed race team.

Lanik displays the Youth For Human Rights International logo on his race car, gives out booklets and DVDs to fans and sponsors and plays the PSAs at the race track.  “I promote human rights because I strongly believe every kid has the right to education; I believe that slavery should not exist and that everybody should have the same opportunities.  I insist on a fair world where people of all races can unite and work together, live together and have no quarrels and wars.”

With some 18 million people each year seeing the logo on his car when they watch races on TV, Lanik wants them to ask themselves, “What are human rights?” and go to www.youthforhumanrights.org to find out.

“By our insisting that human rights be part of the curriculum for youth in every country on Earth, we can really make a difference,” says Lanik.  He draws his inspiration from these words of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “Human Rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”

For more information, visit Youthfor HumanRights.org.

A spectacular flag display performed by youth delegates representing 26 countries opened the 6th Annual International Human Rights Summit in Geneva, Switzerland, home of the United Nations Office of Human Rights.

Attended by human rights advocates, officials, diplomatic corps and NGOs, the three-day Summit was opened by president and founder of Youth for Human Rights International, Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, key organizer of the three-day conference, and co-organizer Mr. Adalbert Nouga of non-governmental organization Village Suisse. Both highlighted the purpose of the Summit aimed at youth representatives: to increase awareness of human rights and the use of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the tool to resolve human rights violations.

The Summit premiered the international release of “The Story of Human Rights,” a striking new short film produced with the support of the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International. The documentary defines in simple terms the subject of human rights. Shuttleworth said the film is “a gift to the millions on all continents, out to the far corners of the world, as was the vision of Eleanor Roosevelt.”  Roosevelt was one of the authors and chief proponents of the 30-article Declaration, spearheading its adoption by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948.

The roster of speakers included ambassadors, academics and religious leaders, pointing to the vital necessity of improving human rights worldwide in the face of statistics such as some 800,000 people trafficked across international borders each year with annual profits as high as $7 billion, and children as young as 13 sold into forced labor, prostitution, pornography, organ removal, or even as child soldiers.

In a moving address, Ms. Allida Black, project director and editor of the Eleanor Roosevelt Papers and Research Professor of History and International Affairs at George Washington University, said that failure to implement the Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be like “spitting on the grave of Martin Luther King, spitting on the grave of Mahatma Gandhi, or betraying Nelson Mandela.”

Ms. Anne Archer, Academy-award-nominated actress and founder of the international Artists for Human Rights, presented the Youth for Human Rights Activist Awards for 2009. Awardees include Georgi Naydenov, director of Help the Needy Foundation, Bulgaria; Petar Grigorov Gramatikov, from Dialogue Center, Bulgaria; Niki Lanik, a champion race driver from the United Kingdom;  and Tony Mathipa, a young human rights activist from South Africa.

The Summit also included a Human Rights Education interactive workshop and  an interreligious service uniting and challenging people of many faiths to pursue peace.

Rukshan Fernando, 17, delegate from Sri Lanka stated: “Youth for Human Rights International is a beacon for hope in a sea of darkness and will be the voice of the future when other voices are lost in the past.”

Ms. Ndioro Ndiaye, Deputy Director General of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) cited Youth for Human Rights’ call for empowerment and responsibility of all people as exemplary of  “Ghandi’s maxim ‘you must be the change you want to see in the world.’ ”

The first Human Rights Summit was held in August 2004 at United Nations Headquarters and UNICEF House in New York City and has alternated with Los Angeles every year since then. In 2005 the Summit was held in Los Angeles; in 2006 in New York again, at United Nations Headquarters; in 2007 at the University of California-Los Angeles, and in 2008, at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

Youth for Human Rights International is a non-profit, secular organization founded in 2001 by educator Mary Shuttleworth to teach human rights to young people. YHRI brings awareness and knowledge of the United Nations Universal Declaration for Human Rights to youth through essay and art contests and by providing materials for students and teaching guides for schools.

Scientology volunteers work with Benin humanitarian group to improve the quality of care for orphans in the City of Djougou

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour, which travels throughout western Africa offering seminars, courses and one-on-one help for people throughout the region, has provided training to orphanage administrators in the city of Djougou, teaching effective solutions to the challenges they face in improving the quality of care in their facilities.

An estimated 340,000 Benin youth are orphans, with no anticipated decrease in the short term.  In the first half of this decade the number of AIDS orphans—children who have lost either one or both parents to AIDS—in Benin more than doubled, from an estimated 23,000 in the year 2000 to some 62,000 in 2005, and the prediction is that this will only continue to escalate. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations Agency for International Development have predicted that by the end of the decade, 20 million children in Africa will lose one or both parents to AIDS.

To effectively address issues related to parentless children, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers partnered with a non-profit group responsible for 28 orphanages in the City of Djougou. The Volunteer Ministers delivered “The Raising of Children” seminar for orphanage administrators, presenting procedures and practices, developed by humanitarian and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, that can be applied to improve the quality of care of children in these institutions.

The orphan care initiative is just one in Benin, an emerging nation whose Gross Domestic Product ranks 159 of 177 nations. The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour offers seminars and workshops free of charge to any non-profit group or government agency on increasing efficiency, improving communication skills and organizing to increase production.

Scientology volunteers also trained nurses at a local clinic to use Scientology Assists, techniques that provide relief and speed recovery from emotional or physical trauma. They also gave a drug education seminar to a local youth group and a workshop to a women’s association on how to resolve conflicts and save marriages.

In addition to seminars in community locations, the volunteer ministers provided small-group training and one-on-one counseling at their big yellow tent, where visitors could select from 19 courses ranging from “Assists for Illnesses and Injuries” to “Tools for the Workplace.” These free courses are also available online at the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website.

Church of Scientology Mission of Redwood City participated in the 71st annual Redwood City Independence Day Parade with a float depicting the human right, Freedom of Expression.

The Church of Scientology Mission of Redwood participated in this year’s Redwood City Independence Day Parade, carrying out the parade’s theme “all things musical” with a float representing the freedom of expression.

The Scientology float sported bright red musical notes and a scrolled-up piano keyboard.  For the entire one and a quarter miles, a team of energetic dancers performed alongside, while other young Scientologists played drums or danced aboard and waived at the thousands of onlookers lining the parade route.

More than 80 groups, clubs and churches participated in the 71st annual Redwood City parade, with bands, floats and equestrian performances.  The parade kicked off a daylong celebration that included a July 4th fun run, a pancake breakfast benefiting the Redwood City Firefighters Association and a battle of the bands.  The celebration culminated with a high aerial fireworks display launched over water from the Port of Redwood City.

The concept of the Scientology float comes from human right number 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  The Church of Scientology Mission of Redwood supports a human rights education group called Youth for Human Rights International, dedicated to providing easy-to-understand human rights education to adults and children so they are able to grasp what fundamental human rights are as aligned with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to effectively combat violations of human rights.

For more information visit the Scientology site.

Scientologist recognized for outstanding contribution to the culture with the Silver Chimera Award for 2009

Scientology Public Affairs Director for the Church of Scientology of Catania, Italy, Ms. Itria Leone, was awarded the 2009 Silver Chimera Award for the impact she has made on the community through her work as coordinator of the Church’s social reform programs.

The 8th annual International Silver Chimera Awards ceremony was organized by dell’Arte Etrusca to raise awareness of social issues and recognize those who have distinguished themselves through contribution that improves the quality of life. With the theme, “Peace in the World,” the ceremony was held this year at the Museo Castello Ursino in Catania, in Sicily.

Ms. Leone, a native of Sicily, has been coordinating the social reform activities of the Church of Scientology of Catania since 2005. At a grassroots level, she has been working to educate children and teenagers on the effects of drugs, to help them make educated choices and avoid the tragedy of addiction. She also coordinates a chapter of Youth for Human Rights International, through which young people learn their rights and help educate their friends and community on the basic rights to which every individual is entitled.

In accepting her award, Ms. Leone acknowledged L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion, for inspiring her to dedicate her life to helping others.

Other recipients of this year’s Silver Chimera Award were: in literature, Dr Sandro Distefano; in medicine, Dr. Ennio Roman; in civil service Dr. Domenico Pinzello, chief representative of the Minister of Interior for the province of Catania, for his many years of effectively combating organized crime, professor Giuseppe Adernò, who has distinguished himself an entrepreneur and cultural leader and Concetta Bufardeci, who has carried on a centuries-long family tradition of representing the country of Spain to Sicily.

Scientology church seeks to maximize the most important resource we have – our children.

The Church of Scientology of Tokyo participated in the “Eco Life Fair 2009″ – an annual expo produced by the Environment Ministry with the theme “earth environment.”

Scientology was among more than 50 participant organizations, which included NPOs (non-political organizations), NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and businesses, which share the ministry’s purpose to care for our natural resources and take responsibility for the future.

With the belief that our most important resources are our youth, the Church of Scientology of Tokyo manned a booth at the fair to let young people know the truth about drugs. Using a series of award-winning 30 to 60 second videos that created immediate impact on those visiting their booth, awakening them to some of the most controversial aspects of drug abuse.

One local assembly member who visited the booth told the Scientologists, “This is a great activity. I agree with what you are doing. This is needed in Japan. I hope you succeed.”

A young teacher, only recently graduated from school himself, told the volunteers, “It is really necessary to improve people’s awareness about drugs through education.” He was so impressed with the quality of the drug education materials, he left telling the Scientologists he was going to see the principal of his school to get him to adopt the campaign.

A teacher who works at a girls’ school confided to the Scientologists that drugs are in very wide use among the children at his school. He asked the volunteers to come lecture his students on the dangers of drugs.

Scientology churches around the world have been involved in drug education and prevention activities for more than two decades. The videos and drug education pamphlets they use are distributed by The Foundation for a Drug-Free World, a secular, nonprofit organization that empowers youth and adults with factual information about drugs so they can make informed decisions to be drug-free.

The Foundation was established in October 2006 to meet the growing demand for the Say No to Drugs, Say Yes to Life drug education materials, which were developed and refined through the drug prevention activities conducted by members of Scientology churches in collaboration with the interfaith community, volunteer organizations, education institutions and government agencies.

Scientology churches urge young and old to help save lives on United Nations International Day against Drugs Abuse and Trafficking

The Church of Scientology International is directing its churches and missions in 165 countries to join forces with the United Nations on June 26th in raising awareness on drug abuse. The International Day against Drug Abuse and Trafficking is based on U.N. General Assembly resolution 42/112 passed in 1987 to strengthen action and cooperation in eliminating drug abuse.

Scientology officials are asking members, neighbors, youth groups, officials and community organizations to first educate themselves about drugs and then pass it on. Through its community anti-drug outreach program, the Church developed pocket-sized youth friendly educational booklets on commonly abused drugs, which have been published by Foundation for a Drug-Free World since 2006. With the help of Church volunteers and community alliances, millions of the booklets have been distributed since 1995.

“Ask any drug addict and he will tell you he never planned to become addicted and if had he really understood the consequences of drug abuse, he would never have tried drugs in the first place,” said Rev. Bob Adams Vice President of the Church of Scientology International.

Community action against drug abuse is also positive gain for civic leaders struggling with dwindling budgets for drug prevention programs. Once common drug prevention services from the DEA, FBI and even law enforcement programs like DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) are being shaved and in many areas cut entirely.

Staggering figures of disease and death from drug use have been around for years, but the specific harm to individuals, families and society in terms of crime, health costs and productivity losses are harder to find. According to the the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime, teens and young adults are particularly at risk, with drug use more than twice as high as that among the general population. The UNODC says that peer pressure to experiment and the fact that people taking drugs tend to be either misinformed or insufficiently aware of the health risks involved.

“Our community drug-education program has been in very heavy demand since its inception,” said Rev. Adams. “Widespread drug education is the most effective weapon in the war on drugs and doing it is saving lives.”

To obtain free drug education booklets contact your nearest Church of Scientology or write to info@drugfreeworld.org.

Scientologist Brings Message of Human Rights to the World

For eight weeks, members of Youth for Human Rights International carried out the Sixth Annual Human Rights World Tour, led by Scientologist and International Association of Scientologist Freedom Medal Winner, educator Mary Shuttleworth. The Scientology Press Office interviewed Mary on what inspired her to undertake this project and what results were accomplished.

Scientology Today: You are not only the President of Youth for Human Rights, you also founded it in 2001. Why did you decide to do this?

Mary: As a young girl growing up in apartheid South Africa I saw firsthand the devastating effects of discrimination and the lack of the most basic human rights. Traveling abroad I realized that discrimination and slave-like conditions could be found far beyond the borders of my country. Children who do not know that they have human rights are vulnerable. As an educator I knew that teaching learners about human rights would be the first step for them to defend and protect not only their rights but also those of their peers.

Scientology Today: In less than a decade you have turned this idea into an international organization — Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI). What are you most proud of having accomplished?

Mary: Taking the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), an excellent but scholarly document, and depicting those rights in simple literature and videos so that anyone can quickly learn and teach the 30 articles enshrined in that document. We have brought the UDHR, a document for the people, to the people.

Scientology Today: You have just completed the 6th annual Youth for Human Rights World tour. In less than two months, you visited twelve countries. Why did you decide to do human rights world tours?

Mary: Human rights cannot be taught at people-it has to be with people. Because those rights need to relate to the people where they live, study, work and dream.

Nothing replaces meeting people and interacting with them where they live.By traveling to different countries I can see the issues people face and the outstanding efforts individuals are making to improve conditions. One face-to-face meeting accomplishes more than months of e-mails, phone calls or faxes.

This year our World Tour started in the US and wound its way through twelve countries: From Mexico to Barbados, Colombia and Argentina in the Americas, on to the Pacific and Australia and Timor-Leste (East Timor). From there we went to Jordon in the Middle East and Russia and Switzerland, and finally to Africa with Uganda and South Africa. Within the space of a couple of months, with the help of dedicated volunteers around the world, we spoke with hundreds of leaders, met thousands of students and reached millions through the media resulting in exponential expansion of global knowledge about human rights.

Scientology Today: What stands out about this year’s tour?

Mary: It was an inspiration to see how much support there is for human rights, and how many public-spirited leaders and dedicated individuals are adopting our program. United Nations officials, heads of state, ministers of education and so many other political and community leaders took it on themselves to teach human rights to the next generation as soon as they realized how easy it is to do so.

We learned the most profound lessons from the many wonderful people working hard to improve conditions with incredibly limited resources and under the poorest and most devastating conditions.

Scientology Today: What kind of impact is your campaign having on the world today?

Mary: When we started nine years ago, few people had even heard of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Even high-level officials whom I interviewed did not know what their human rights were.

Today millions of people are learning about human rights through community groups, religious groups, schools and the media. Thousands of groups have incorporated the YHRI materials into their own programs.

We are making “Human Rights” buzz words!

Scientology Today: You are a Scientologist — what does this have to do with why you chose human rights as the project you wanted to create and support?

Mary: What I believe is beautifully expressed in The Creed of the Church of Scientology, which states that “Man is basically good; That he is seeking to survive; That his survival depends upon himself and upon his fellows and his attainment of brotherhood with the universe.”

I have witnessed extreme poverty and I have met children who are raising their brothers and sisters after their parents, families and even societies turned their backs on them. I have seen children dying of preventable diseases.

I have seen the effects of widespread illiteracy in the information age and I have listened to scholars discussing human rights with cold disconnect from the harsh realities faced by so many millions.

So I was inspired by L. Ron Hubbard who wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”Scientology Today: Is there something that stands out about this year’s tour?

Mary: I was so impressed with the grassroots level work of local YHRI teams. Watching them in action in their own communities was amazing. During one of our meetings with top officials I listened to one of the YHRI youth leaders discussing human rights. He talked about the issues and the vital role that informed youth can play to help officials handle their local problems. That country has a majority youth population -more youth than adults. I watched the profound impact he created with his insight into the situations at hand and his clear explanation of solutions that can be brought about by teaching human rights to the youth. I was so incredibly proud!

Scientology Today: Where do you plan to go from here?

Mary: We are planning our sixth annual YHRI International Summit to bring together youth from around the world to discuss human rights issues and the important role of human rights education in raising the quality of life for young and old alike. And we are already planning the YHRI World Tour 2010. The exact route is not yet set but the countries are lining up with outreach and meetings that promise, once again, to expand YHRI exponentially!

Scientology Today: Do you have a message for people reading this interview?

Mary: It’s easy to teach Human Rights. Tell your friends, your family and your neighbors. Inspire them to teach Human Rights. As a non-profit organization we need the help of likeminded people, groups and organizations to help reach people in all corners of the world so that everyone has the opportunity to learn about the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and our human rights.

Children at the starting line of the third annual Human Rights Walkathon in St. Petersburg.

Tampa Bay, March 7, 2009—More than a thousand people from all over the Tampa Bay area participated in the Third Annual Human Rights Walkathon at North Straub Park in St. Petersburg on March 7, 2009, supported by the Mayors of St. Petersburg, Tampa and Clearwater and officially co-sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg.  All three mayors issued proclamations officially announcing March 7, 2009, as Human Rights Walkathon Day.

“I am pleased with the diversity of the groups who joined to raise awareness of human rights—those rights we all have simply because we are human,” said Linda Drazkowski, founder of the Human Rights Group and the Walkathon. Co-sponsors also included the Tampa Tribune, Youth for Human Rights, Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking, Tampa Bay Academy of Hope, and Community Tampa Bay.

Several other groups also lent their support to the Walkathon including Great Explorations Children’s Museum, Jamba Juice, Best Buy Pride Group, Citizens Commission on Human Rights Florida, Foundation for a Drug-Free World, Community Learning Center, Animal Rights Group, Artists in Action International, Delphi Academy, and Amerisure. The United Nations officially lent its logo to the Human Rights Walkathon website, demonstrating its support for the group.

Hundreds of walkers circled Straub Park, earning a rubber band for their wrists each time they completed a lap. At the post-walk event, Ms. Drazkowski was joined by speakers including James Evans, Founder of Tampa Bay Academy of Hope; Giselle Rodriguez from Florida Coalition Against Human Trafficking; Stacie Blake, Executive Director of Community Tampa Bay; and Mary Shuttleworth, Founder of Youth for Human Rights International. The crowds enjoyed entertainment from the Dundu Dole African Ballet and Drummers, the Alumni Singers and the Empyreal Chinese Acrobats.

For more information:

e-mail: info@HumanRightsWalkAThon.org

phone: (727) 657-7026