CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL CO-SPONSORS 9TH ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS YOUTH SUMMIT

The Human Rights Office of the Church of Scientology International co-sponsored the annual human rights summit of Youth for Human Rights International, providing youth the opportunity to assume their roles as human rights leaders of tomorrow.

Brussels—The Human Rights Office of the Church of Scientology International co-sponsored the 9th Annual International Human Rights Summit September 7–9, 2012, at the International Auditorium in the heart of Brussels.

Co-organized by Youth for Human Rights International, Youth for Human Rights Belgium and the Human Rights Office of the Church of Scientology International, the summit was attended by youth delegates from 30 countries.

Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified in 1948, human rights remains an urgent issue in the world today. According to the United Nations World Food Program, under-nutrition contributes to five million deaths of children under five in developing countries each year. UNICEF estimates 150 million children ages 5-14 in developing countries are engaged in child labor. The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates 2.4 million people were victims of human trafficking in the decade from 1995-2005.

Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI) was founded on the principle of increasing awareness of human rights through education as the first step toward accomplishing meaningful human rights reforms, and educational ideals and programs were emphasized in the three-day summit. YHRI also raises awareness through distribution of human rights education materials, and human rights world tours.

In recent years, the summit has been held at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. This year’s summit was held in Brussels, the official seat of the European Commission, Council of the European Union, European Council, and one of the two seats of the European Parliament.

Delegates were selected from some 1,000 applicants based on their record of contribution to the cause of human rights, and the three day event afforded many opportunities to expand the scope of their work. Youth delegates met and networked with their counterparts from other countries and with adult leaders in human rights. They honed skills necessary to accomplish their purposes, including communication, organization and public speaking, and they planned their activities for the coming year.

A highlight of the summit was the presentation of four “Human Rights Hero” awards. Recipients of this year’s awards are:

• Ashan Pushpakumara Perera, youth delegate from Sri Lanka and founder of a youth organization which provides opportunities to talented youth in the field of the arts. His work has included motivational workshops in colleges, the organizing of the highly successful “Human Rights Walk” in Sri Lanka on UN Human Rights Day in 2011, and establishment of “The Smile Project” to raise the quality of education through distribution of books to rural schools.
• Ruslan Khusainov, youth delegate from Russia, is active in human rights education throughout the year. His Youth for Human Rights chapter in St. Petersburg, Russia, is one of the largest and most active in the world. He sees that human rights information distribution events take place nearly every day of the year. He participated in the organizing of the Marathon for Peace and Human Rights 2012, an entire month of daily human rights conferences, symposia and street events throughout Russia, Belarus and the Ukraine, to promote the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Alberto Vásquez accepted an award on behalf of Youth for Human Rights Ecuador. This chapter has reached more than 100,000 students in Ecuador schools with human rights education in the past three years, has held workshops for teachers and executives of the country’s educational institutions, organized student human rights clubs around the country, and seen to the airing of the Youth for Human Rights informational videos on 58 TV channels reaching an estimated 4 million people with information about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• Bishop Dr. Chidiebere Anelechi Ogbu founded Impact Africa Network to improve the lives of African communities and uphold Christian literature and values. Impact Africa Network is an association of gospel ministers of African descent in Africa and the Diaspora. Through this network he reached ministers of the gospel in Nigeria, throughout Africa and around the globe to provide human rights education.

The three-day summit also included human rights education workshops and an interfaith conference. Dr. Mary Shuttleworth, Founder and President of Youth for Human Rights International and recipient of the International Association of Scientologists Freedom Medal in 2007, was master of ceremonies. The summit was co-sponsored by Youth for Human Rights International, Youth for Human Rights Belgium, Youth for Human Rights Switzerland, the Human Rights Department of the Church of Scientology International, Village Suisse ONG, the Ariel Foundation International, and Grain de Sable ASBL.

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The Creed of the Church of Scientology, written by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1954, begins with the statement of belief that “all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights.” For more than 50 years, Scientologists have championed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today, the Church of Scientology sponsors the largest international human rights non-governmental information campaign to make the Universal Declaration of Human Rights known the world over.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Meet a Scientologist - Yulia Gould's Path to Freedom

Yulia Gould spans the landscape of arts, professions and interests. A Clearwater, Florida-based graphic artist, professional interpreter, public relations officer and events coordinator, she is also a certified scuba diver who loves skiing, skydiving and traveling the world. And although raised in the Soviet Union where the only “religion” was atheism, she has been a Scientologist since she was 14.

“I have walked a long way from being born and raised an atheist to finding my spiritual side through Scientology,” she says. “Realizing that I am not just an ‘animal’ as I was taught in school gave me a different level of responsibility for my actions. It matters what we do with our lives. I want to make the world a better place through my art and work.”

From a background where freedom and basic human rights were not available, Gould doesn’t take these rights for granted. One of her passions is promoting religious and cultural diversity, a goal she pursues by volunteering in groups that promote religious tolerance. And she is particularly proud that her painting “The Awakening” is part of the collection of the founder of the “Pave the Way Foundation,” a nonsectarian public foundation that identifies and eliminates obstacles between faiths.

“As a professional and an artist I really appreciate freedom of speech and expression,” she says. “I am very gratified that I belong to a church that sponsors an international human rights campaign.”

Yulia became involved in Scientology in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union.

“Both of my parents are MDs,” she says. “They knew that there was more to life than what is normally taught in school. They were searching for the answers. We saw a TV show featuring Dianetics and they became really interested, as it showed the way to help people alleviate psychosomatic illnesses where traditional medical approaches are not enough.”

Gould and her parents enrolled in a Dianetics seminar in Moscow.

“It answered all my question about human behavior—why people sometimes act in a way that seems to have no explanation. I realized here was something that could change my life and the lives of others for the better,” she says.

The entire family continued to study and practice Scientology and Dianetics and it made an enormous difference in Gould’s life.

“I used to be very shy. I was reluctant to speak up,” she says. “Now I really enjoy communication and working with people. Scientology has really helped me get my message across confidently and professionally, whether in interpreting, art or personal relationships. Through Scientology, life has become much easier to understand. If I have an issue or a problem in some area, I know that there is some aspect of Scientology technology that I can learn and use to make things better for myself and others.”

To meet Scientologists from all walks of life, view more than 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos on www.Scientology.org.

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The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total more than 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, with videos now viewed more than 8.1 million times.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

THE SKY IS NO LIMIT FOR PILOT LARS NAJBJERG

Whether piloting passenger jets, flying aerobatics competitions or taking part in military defense exercises on behalf of NATO, Lars Najbjerg doesn’t just participate, he excels. His video is one of 200 “Meet a Scientologist” videos available on the Scientology website atwww.Scientology.org

When assembling model airplanes at age five, Lars Najbjerg was not just playing—he was preparing for his career.

Growing up in the shadow of the Soviet Union in the height of the Cold War, when he was 18 Najbjerg applied to train as a NATO fighter pilot.

“I knew there was more to being a good pilot that physical ability—there was a psychological factor as well,” he says. “Studying everything I could find on the subject, I read Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health and I knew I had found something workable. The book changed my whole attitude.”

Of hundreds of applicants, Najbjerg was one of the five accepted. He completed NATO flight school training at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas in 1986.

"I've always wanted to test myself—to push myself to the limit,” he says. “As a fighter pilot you learn early on it’s not the airplane that determines your success, it is how well you can cope mentally. Sure, it’s physically demanding to be subjected to pressure nine times stronger than gravity. But the psychological factors are even more important.”

Najbjerg progressed in Scientology, achieving the State of Clear in 1991—a state in which one no longer has his own reactive mind, the hidden source of irrational behavior, unreasonable fears, upsets and insecurities. He describes how the ability he gained made the difference.

"I was testing the spin characteristics of a two-seat aerobatic aircraft. Spinning is a maneuver where the plane is flown out of control, rotating in small circles towards the ground,” he says. “Suddenly, the engine stopped. Instead of reacting with sweaty palms and panic, I analyzed what went wrong and got the engine going. Then I tried the maneuver again. Once more the engine stopped. After several attempts I was able to adjust the engine to correct the problem. I would never have been calm enough to troubleshoot the engine, before I went Clear.”

While he views military defense against the threat of aggression as necessary, he believes that freedom depends on far more fundamental factors.

“War is a social insanity that grows out of ignorance and intolerance,” he says. “It is a terrible solution for lack of one that is more humane. The real challenge is to create a world where we can live together in peace.”

To that end, Najbjerg, 44, devotes his efforts to humanitarian volunteer work. He is chairman of the Humanitarian Association of Denmark, and an active supporter of the Say No To Drugs campaign.

Najbjerg, wife Lisbet, and their five-year-old son Noah live in the town of Them in the Silkeborg municipality on the Jutland peninsula in Denmark. Lisbet, a dentist, also holds a staff position at the Church of Scientology Mission of Silkeborg.

View the Lars Najbjerg video at Scientology.org.

A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion