_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1 Billion Rising sends the message that women are worth so much more
One in three women on the planet will be raped or beaten in her lifetime. That is one billion women.
In 2013, one billion women and men shook the earth through dance to end violence against women and girls. This year, on 14 February, 2014 we are calling on women and men everywhere to harness their power and imagination to rise for justice. ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE, will focus the world’s attention on the issue of justice for all survivors of violence, and ending the rampant impunity. V-Day and South African filmmaker Tony Stroebel (One Billion Rising, The Man Prayer, Break The Chain) have come together again with the release of the short film, “Rising.” The film features video from risings around the world on 14 February 2013 and calls up the new campaign for justice.
ONE BILLION RISING FOR JUSTICE is a global call to women survivors of violence and those who love them to gather safely in community outside places where they are entitled to justice - courts, police stations, government offices, colleges, work places, military courts, places of worship, homes. It is a call to survivors to break the silence and release their stories – politically, spiritually, outrageously - through art, dance, marches, ritual, song, spoken word, testimonies and whatever way feels right.
On February 14th, 2014 there will be a worldwide march for justice. Learn more about 1 Billion Rising HERE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
progress(ive)
The CEO of Zappos strips himself of his title by announcing Hola-crazy
If all goes well, by the end of this year Tony Hsieh won’t be the CEO of Zappos. In fact, he’ll just be another employee, without a title. Zappos has been widely recognized for maintaining a thriving community culture within the company through it’s emphasis on positive employee lifestyles. As a bold new experiment in management, the Amazon unit will become the largest company yet to embrace a Holacracy. This is a radical “self-governing” operating system where there are no job titles and no managers. The term Holacracy is derived from the Greek word holon, which means a whole that’s part of a greater whole. Instead of a top-down hierarchy, there’s a flatter “holarchy” that distributes power more evenly. The company will be made up of different circles—there will be around 400 circles at Zappos once the rollout is complete in December 2014—and employees can have any number of roles within those circles. This way, there’s no hiding under titles; radical transparency is the goal. While announcing this shift, Hsieh offered the reference, “Darwin said that it’s not the fastest or strongest that survive. It’s the ones most adaptive to change.”
“We’re classically trained to think of ‘work’ in the traditional paradigm,” says John Bunch, who, along with Alexis Gonzales-Black, is leading the transition to Holacracy at Zappos. “One of the core principles is people taking personal accountability for their work. It’s not leaderless. There are certainly people who hold a bigger scope of purpose for the organization than others. What it does do is distribute leadership into each role. Everybody is expected to lead and be an entrepreneur in their own roles, and Holacracy empowers them to do so.” In its highest-functioning form, he says, the system is “politics-free, quickly evolving to define and operate the purpose of the organization, responding to market and real-world conditions in real time. It’s creating a structure in which people have flexibility to pursue what they’re passionate about.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
elevate in action
The World Bank estimates that achieving primary education for every child would cost only $11B to $15B a year. We spent twice that in the US last year on ice cream, and three times that feeding our pets..
Since our move to Ojai nearly four years ago, we’ve become so fond of our magical little valley that it takes something very special to pull us away. The Unstoppable Gala is an event we never miss! Last year, for the first time Elevate sponsored a table and invited our community to join us. We had a blast and everyone left completely high on inspiration!
Good news- We’re doing it again! Due to the popularity of the event, this time we only have 10 seats available at the Elevate table. They will go fast! Reserve yours now! Come see why people are calling it “The Oscars of Transformation.” Your participation and generosity at the GALA will go towards helping the Unstoppable Foundation to expand their mission and ability to achieve their goal of bringing education to an additional 5,000 children in 2014. Let’s see what we can create together for these children. We look forward to spending a magical evening with you! Please do let your friends and colleagues know about the event. They’ll be glad you did!
Love, Elevate
P.S. (Gala ticket prices go up March 1, 2014)
Saturday, March 15th
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angeles, CA.
Buy your ticket HERE and list ELEVATE as your “Table Captain” when checking out.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
visions we love
When their local grocery store closed, these folks didn’t just stand around. They grabbed an apron and got to work!
The solidarity economy meets human needs through economic activities–like the production and exchange of goods and services–that reinforce values of justice, ecological sustainability, cooperation, and democracy. From credit unions to worker cooperatives, Community Supported Agriculture to time banks, or community land trusts to participatory budgeting, solidarity economy organizations are controlled by community members. Our vision is a vibrant and growing movement to provide greater economic security, improved health, and increased democracy for our communities.
To learn more about the NYC Solidarity Projects click HERE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
video of the week
What if I told you that the most important human experience ever was…
Psychologist Nicholas Humphrey has proposed that our ability to awe was biologically selected for by evolution because it imbues our lives with sense of cosmic significance that has resulted in a species that works harder not just to survive but to flourish and thrive. Jason Silva passionately narrates this video about our life’s purpose – to experience, and more importantly, cherish life. If this is the first time you have seen one of his videos, beware, his youtube channel has a fantastic ability to consume hours out of your day with mind-blowing perspectives, and heartfelt inspiration!
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
elevate recommends
Meditation has the power to transform people, just ask these prison inmates
In the harsh environment of a Rhode Island men’s prison, a group of fifty inmates are transforming their lives through the practice of meditation. Path of Freedom follows former inmate Fleet Maull as he visits prison to share his strategies for surviving on the inside. The film offers a rare glimpse into the inner lives of men reaching for forgiveness, inner peace and freedom behind bars.
To learn more about Fleet and the work of the Prison Mindfulness Institute click HERE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
community spotlight
The Truth Behind Every Great Relationship
The experience of growing with your beloved is unparalleled. Nadia and I are grateful to be in love and never take it for granted. We are aware that our relationship is rare, in that we’ve never had a single fight and we’ve never spoken a mean word to each other. We are best friends above all . We wish this experience for everyone! Nothing inspires us more than to share our experience and secrets to help others align with love. That’s why we’re honored to be featured in Sky Blossom’s awesome new book, Best Thing Ever. Sky has done a masterful job at creating an easy to read, step by step guide to true love. We hope you enjoy it! - Mikki Willis, founder Elevate
To order your copy of Best Thing Ever click HERE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
featured campaign
Bringing Flow and Circus Arts to Children in India
Sometimes in life we are blessed enough to leave our comfort zone and adventure into the unknown; in the film “Stuck in Kathmandu” a young american traveler (Briana Kai) sets out on a journey to bring her grandfather’s ashes to the magical Valley of Flowers in India. Along the way she gets stranded in Kathmandu, Nepal. The hault in her journey allows her to deepen the exploration of Nepalese culture, and find hidden treasures of truth with in her own being reflected the beauty of the people, the land, and the ancient wisdom of Nepal’s most sacred sites. One of the most profound moments in the film, is the time spent with the NAG school, and the incredible spirits of the Nepali children. The NAG, Nawa Asha Griha, Home of New Hopes, is a home for street children, where kids from the poorest conditions can find a home, a nourishing meal, an education, and a chance at a brighter future. Founded twenty years ago by Nicole Thakuri-Wick, starting with six kids in her living room, now accomodating and supporting over 500 children.
This trip inspired Brianna and Tammy to return to India with the vision of sharing the joy of performance and flow. With your help, I will bring the dream of creative physical expression to children on the streets, schools, and orphanages of India while traveling from Goa to Rishikesh studying Yoga and meditation. Your contribution creates children’s laughter. You support kids shifting their bodies through space as they learn to express themselves through movement with toys such as Hulu-hoops, poi, juggling equipment and other circus props. Your funds teach children how to interact with the world through joyous physicality, dance, and circus arts.
Please check out the film from Brianna’s last trip HERE
You can support this beautiful project HERE
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
featured event
Conscious Life Expo 2014 Comes to Los Angeles This Weekend!
We are bringing together a fantastic, eclectic community of speakers, exhibitors, musicians, filmmakers, authors, artists and visionaries for a 4 day gathering of collective consciousness to explore evolutionary transformations in health, science, spirituality and healthy lifestyles. Live Music, Latino Program, Healthy Foods, 3 Exhibit Halls, the Conscious Life Film Festival and debuting the brand new Permaculture Zones.
Marianne Williamson for Congress
Special event with Marianne - Saturday, Feb. 8 – 6:16pm - 6:45pm Newport C
Concert with Rickie Byars Beckwith
Saturday, Feb. 8 – 8:30pm - 10:00pm in the Bel Air Room.
Panels Include:
Ancient Aliens – UFO Disclosure– Advanced Experiential Healing,- GeoEngineering
and the George Noory Panel on Cosmic Science with David Wilcock, Dannion Brinkley, Gregg Braden, and Lynne McTaggart
We invite you to participate in the conscious co-creation of our future! Click HERE to purchase tickets to the expo.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________