From: deveesree
Date: Sun, 27 Dec 2009 05:26:49 -0800 (PST)
Subject: Fwd: PROUT STUDENT MOVEMENTS
To: discussonprout@googlegroups.com
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: "Dharmadeva" <s062...@student.uq.edu.au>
Date: Sep 4 1999, 11:00 pm
Subject: PROUT STUDENT MOVEMENTS
To: alt.activism.student, alt.education.student.government,
alt.students.nontraditional, soc.culture.brazil
PROUTSTUDENT MOVEMENTS
***************************************
[Editor's Note: The following information provide updates
on activities in the United States and Brazil to organize
students forProut]
UNITED STATES
Universal Proutist Student Organization (UPSF): Students
as Leaders
The robust nature of educated youth can be either a
blessing or a curse, propelling society towards or away from
a progressive society and a healthy home planet. It depends
on the leaders and upon the ideas guiding the leaders.
In either case, society moves at great speed when student
movements take up causes. History has shown great advances
when the revolutionary zeal of students moves them to struggle
for the sublime causes of human and economic rights, basic
human needs, environmental and social justice, and other
controversial issues.
Shrii Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar inspired a student movement and
an infrastructure of student organizations called Universal
Proutist Student Federation (UPSF). As a visionary and social
activist, Shrii Sarkar infused progressive and spiritual values
into the lives of educated youth in order to give healthy
direction to their dynamic and revolutionary propensities.
As many of you are aware, Mr. Sarkar dedicated his life to
the upliftment of society through dozens of programs, activities
and organizations. It is not surprising that UPSF was one of
the first movements he helped to initiate. In fact, he started
UPSF years before he introduced the philosophy ofPROUT,
the Progressive Utilization Theory that forms the ideological
basis of UPSF and the other Proutist organizations. He
did this in order to work practically with capable young
people so as to inspire and create leaders among students
and youth.
Sarkar envisioned that the UPSF organizational student
movement, armed withPROUTtheory, would transform human
society and the planet from a suffering state to that of
a balanced and prosperous one. Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar was
both a spiritual leader and a social leader. He comprehended
the multitude of needs each person must satisfy in order to
be whole, healthy and a productive asset to society.PROUTis
intended to bring balance, health, and a progressive dynamic
quality to individuals, institutions and culture in society.
In order to accomplish this, volunteers are needed
to do the concrete work -- to train leaders, to develop
strategic movements and to serve the suffering humanity. This
is why Mr. Sarkar gave first importance to inspiring students
and youth and why he created UPSF as the firstPROUTorganization.
PROUTSTUDY CIRCLES
The first activity of aPROUTstudent movement is to form a
university or school forum for students to come together.
It is the format of a club that gives students the opportunity
to gather, to share interests, have fun, to learn and to
serve both the student and broader communities. Here in North
America, UPSF has adopted the name ofPROUTStudy Circles for
this club. The name is consistent with the UPSF Study
Circles elsewhere. The "circle" description also fits with
the image of a gathering of those with a common goal or nucleus.
In the USA, there is a "study circle" movement as an
alternative education form, of whichPROUTStudy Circles are a part.
Members ofPROUTStudy Circles (PSCs) are students attending
universities colleges and other schools. The PSC's are set
up as clubs officially recognized by the school's student
government with a constitution, officers, faculty advisor and
the like. Integral to the format is the faculty advisor(s)
and Proutist mentor(s) from which students can rely on advice,
leadership, ideological training, a sense of continuity, and
the association to other UPSF and Proutist strategic work
nationally and worldwide.
The scope ofPROUTStudy Circle activity is quite broad.
It depends on the members of the unit in each school. The
range of activities can include events like skate boarding,
hacky sack, a bike tour, or a Saturday tournament. Informal
or low-key social events are also important for building
relationships between students. As the PSC matures, social
action projects, study sessions, social service and other
activities can be conducted. There is not one model that a
PSC has to follow. The club itself can determine the best way
to form, to norm, storm and perform.
ISSUES
There are many pressing issues facing students and society
today. Proutist students can choose from those they see as
either "in their backyard" or most troublesome and therefore
the priority of the day. Such issues might include: the
increasing cost of education and tuition, economic exploitation,
racial hatred, environmental devastation, pornography. This
is a short list.
PROUTStudy Circle members may be inclined to contest student
government elections from a Proutist platform. Individual
circles may wish to coordinate activities with otherPROUT
Study Circles and build national or international movements to
more effectively address particular issues or needs. As
well,PROUTStudy circles will gain and give more value to a particular
struggle by networking with sympathetic and service-minded
groups and individuals. ThePROUTapproach is: "Know
the area, make a plan and serve the people."
SUPPORT
To support the Proutists who step forward and show interest,
we are developing a number of services and materials in the
coming months. These include:
* An internet mailing list for Proutist student organizers in
North America;
* Workshops for training the organizers;
* A student organizer's manual;
* A resource bank of materials to support the organizers and
the PSC's;
* An annual UPSF meeting;
* Visiting UPSF representatives to your community;
* Not-for-profit legal status for qualified clubs;
* Communications with UPSF and Proutists worldwide.
As the study circles action increases, we will better be able
to support the structure.
ONGOING COMMUNICATIONS
If you wish to be on the UPSF andPROUTStudy Circle mailing
lists please let us know. The email list will be the
primary means of regular communications. If you do not or
will not have access to the Internet, we will keep you
informed through our newsletter, Moving Together. Contact
us by email at stude...@prout.org or at the Sectorial Office
at 1-202-829-2278. We are eager to work with you.
We are also happy to have your input and comments on our
program and materials.
BRAZIL
PROUTweekend training seminars have been held in various cities
of Brazil: Juiz de Fora Master Unit (twice), Curitiba and
Teresopolis. These programs incorporate lectures aboutPROUT
and discussion about the crisis in Brazil. Each participant receives
a different one-page text from the Study Guide and later gives a short
public speech to the group on that topic. At the end there is an
evaluation session with planning for futurePROUTwork. The
average attendance in each seminar has been 20.
PROUTlectures have been held in the following universities:
Universidade Federal do Parana' in Curitiba: 35 attended;
Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Parana' in Cascavel: 100
attended; Universidade Nilton Paiva in Belo Horizonte: 170
attended the first time and 200 the second time.
The "Tribuna de Minas" newspaper published a half page article
about Neo-Humanist Ethics andPROUT. Valdeci Bitencourt in
Curitiba, Brazil submitted five articles onPROUTthat were
published in different issues of a small daily newspaper,
"A Folha da Imprensa". This paper is directly aimed at
politicians in the southern state of Parana' and
has a circulation of a few thousand.
When the last article about the five basic principles ofPROUT
was printed, one very influential deputado federal, a member
of the national parliament, phoned the editor from the capital
Brasilia. He demanded to know who is this unknown writer
Valdeci Bitencourt. He further complained about the articles
and threatened to withdraw all financial support for the paper
if the editor ever again prints any article aboutPROUT.
The editor informed Valdeci Bitencourt and apologized but said
that the survival of his newspaper depended on these financial
sources.
----
"The main characteristic ofPROUT-based socioeconomic movements is that
they
aim to guarantee the comprehensive, multifarious liberation of
humanity."
P R Sarkarhttp://www.prout.orgHome of the Progressive Utilization
Theoryhttp://www.globaltimes.netHome of Global Times magazine
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