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.

###

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

Church of Scientology Opens National Office in Washington, D.C., Landmark

On Wednesday, September 12, national dignitaries joined more than a thousand Scientologists and guests to celebrate the grand opening of the Church of Scientology’s National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C.

Located in the historic Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, the new National Affairs Office stands as the central point from which the Church coordinates its many social and humanitarian initiatives on a national and international level.

The establishment of the National Affairs Office is necessitated by the Church of Scientology’s unprecedented worldwide growth and commensurate demand for Church-sponsored programs. In the past several years, dozens of new Ideal Churches of Scientology (Ideal Orgs) have opened in major cities across the world. In the United States, new Churches now stand in Washington, D.C., New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Seattle, Denver and Phoenix, to name but a few. While internationally, they also now stand in Rome, London, Madrid, Brussels, Berlin, Hamburg, Mexico City, Johannesburg, Melbourne, Moscow and Tel Aviv. Ideal Orgs are designed to both serve the needs of parishioners as well as the community at large, while the National Affairs Office serves to facilitate implementation of the Church-sponsored programs both nationally and internationally.

These programs include a worldwide human rights initiative; equally far-ranging drug education, prevention and rehabilitation programs; a wide-reaching criminal reform program; a global network of literacy and learning centers; a moral education movement restoring the brotherhood of Man; and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers, the world’s largest independent relief force providing emergency response at major disaster sites for more than a decade.

Underscoring the importance of the new National Affairs Office to the Church’s greater social and humanitarian mission, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, led the dedication. In honoring the occasion, he said: “Here is an Office designed to give back to a United States government that steadfastly guaranteed our religious rights—the very freedom that allows us to do what we are doing today. And with that, we extend our reach by invoking what we hold to be the greatest of all rights, the one right which must be invoked if one is to fight for the freedom of others—the right to help. And yes, that’s what we pledge today with the inauguration of this new Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.”

Dignitaries joining in the opening ceremony included Members of U.S. Congress Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX) and Danny Davis (D-IL); as well as Liz Gibson, Senior Program Manager, Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The Honorable Dan Burton spoke to the Church’s signal contributions in the protection of children from psychotropic drugging and preservation of the rights of families: “I applaud you for taking the time to pursue this issue, and for helping make the Child Safety and Medication Act the law of the land. Working together we have been part of a course of correction to safeguard America’s youth while promoting and protecting liberty.”

Acknowledging the Church for its abiding commitment to human rights, the Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, Member of U.S. Congress, said: “I want to thank L. Ron Hubbard for recognizing that courage is not rewarded but it is valued. And to be able to have the wonderment of people coming together and ensuring that people come together for peace. That’s what I see in the Church, that you have come together for peace. I welcome and support that.”

The Honorable Danny Davis thanked the Church for its commitment to improving one of today’s most pressing social problems—criminal reform: “Since 2004, the Church has been part of the broad coalition that has tirelessly worked with us in Congress to get the Second Chance Act passed into law, which is a monumental first step in reforming our criminal justice system nationwide. I am extremely grateful for the work you do to help those individuals who are most in need.”

Ms. Liz Gibson, Senior Program Manager, Federal Emergency Management Agency, highlighted the effectiveness of Church volunteers in all forms of disaster response and community need: “You have consistently come to the aid of major and many minor disasters around the country. You arrive, help, then help some more and stay on after others have gone home. All our work from the policy level down to the local level depends on groups like the Churches of Scientology Disaster Response—these partnerships are and will be in the future the strength of our work here in this country.”

__________________

The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office houses an array of facilities for meetings, conferences, seminars, workshops and events to promote collaboration on solutions to society’s greatest challenges. In particular, its Chestnut Hall is configured to host a wide range of functions, from human rights symposiums and drug education workshops to panel discussions, press conferences and awards ceremonies.

__________________

The Church of Scientology acquired Fraser Mansion in 1994 to serve as home to the Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., now located in expanded quarters on 16^th Street Northwest’s historic Church Row. The mansion, dating from 1890, is a nationally registered historic landmark. Under the Church’s custodianship, the combination Beaux-Arts, Renaissance and Romanesque building has been meticulously restored to its original glory. Fraser Mansion also stands just two blocks from the historic Founding Church of Scientology at 1812 19^th Street NW, established in 1955 by Founder L. Ron Hubbard.

__________________

The dedication of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office follows the opening of a series of Ideal Churches of Scientology (Ideal Orgs) in 2012, including the new Center of Scientology in Tel Aviv-Jaffa, August 21; the Churches of Scientology of Los Gatos, California, July 28; Buffalo, New York, June 30; Phoenix, Arizona, June 23; Denver, Colorado, June 16; Stevens Creek in San Jose, California, June 9; Orange County, California, June 2; Greater Cincinnati, February 25; Sacramento, California, January 28; and Hamburg, Germany, January 21.

For a complete list of new Churches of Scientology, visit Scientology.org.

In total, the Scientology religion today comprises more than 10,000 Churches, Missions and affiliated groups, with millions of members in 167 nations.

^{Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. To hate alone is the road to disaster. To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.~~L. Ron Hubbard}, founder of the Scientology religion 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.

###

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

AUSTRALIAN SCIENTOLOGISTS MARK TWO DECADES OF EFFECTIVE DRUG EDUCATION

The Church of Scientology in Australia conducts drug education activities to help the community.

According to the most recent Australia Crime Commission Illicit Drugs Report, clandestine drug laboratory detections in the country have risen by 245 percent in the last decade. The urgency of dealing with the drug problem was brought to the fore last week when Western Australia enacted its new drug policy, described by the media as the nation’s toughest drug laws, designed to target the growing number of drug labs manufacturing methamphetamine and other substances—177 busted last year and 44 found so far in 2012.

For the past two decades, the Church of Scientology has taken a practical and proactive approach to drug abuse, educating youth on the physical and mental effects of drugs. In that time, Australian Scientologists have:

• Distributed 2.5 million drug education booklets and fliers containing factual information about marijuana, Ecstasy, painkillers and other drugs of choice, in markets, fairs and through street events.
• Inspired 300,000 Australian youths to pledge to live drug-free lives.
• Translated drug education materials in Japanese, Indonesian and Korean to make this information available to Australian youth who speak these languages. They have also arranged for the translation of these booklets into Samoan, Tagalog and Malaysian.

To learn more about the drug prevention initiative sponsored by the Church of Scientology or to participate, visit the Scientology website.

###

The Church of Scientology sponsors one of the world’s largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. When young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.

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

ANNOUNCEMENT: International Volunteer Minister Week! 20-27 August 2011

August 20—27, 2011, has been designated International Volunteer Ministers Week in honor of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers whose work has become synonymous with unconditional help.

What happened over the past 10 years

Over the past 10 years, since 9/11/01, the bright yellow t-shirts and tents of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers have become established symbols of hope in times of need.

While no one could have predicted the violence with which the events of 9/11 would rip our culture from its social veneer, Mr. David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology Center and ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, saw clearly that it was time for Scientologists to redouble their efforts to aid Mankind in reversing society’s dwindling spiral that the cataclysm so suddenly and dramatically brought into focus.

A now legendary, internationally-issued Wake-Up Call inspired unprecedented response. On September 11, 2001 there were 6,000 Volunteer Ministers internationally. Today there are more than 350,000 trained in the technology and skills of Scientology Volunteer Ministers.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers program was born in 1976 when Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, noting a tremendous downturn in the level of ethics and morality in society, and a consequent increase in drugs and crime, wrote, “If one does not like the crime, cruelty, injustice and violence of this society, he can do something about it. He can become a VOLUNTEER MINISTER and help civilize it, bring it conscience and kindness and love and freedom from travail by instilling into it trust, decency, honesty and tolerance.”

Throughout the last 35 years, Scientology Volunteer Ministers have provided service in their communities and worldwide, volunteered in cavalcades and Goodwill Tours on five continents, and responded to 187 natural and manmade disasters including:

• Earthquakes in the United States, Japan, Greece, Peru, Chile, Russia, Italy, China, Turkey, El Salvador and Indonesia from 1995 to 2011, with major participation in the South Asian earthquake and tsunami of December 2004, the L’Aquila earthquake of 2009, the Haiti earthquake of 2010 and the Japan earthquake and tsunami of 2011.

• Yearly and seasonal hurricane, cyclone and typhoon relief throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean, Indonesia and Thailand. Some 900 volunteers aided victims of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. Volunteer Ministers also routinely rescue people and property from floods throughout the U.S., Europe, Mexico, Pakistan and India.

• Crisis zones, including displaced persons camps in Chechnya 1997, the 1999 Moscow theater siege, Zimbabwe during civil unrest in 2000, Ground Zero in New York and the Pentagon after 9/11, London after the bombing of 2005, Mumbai in the wake of terrorist attacks in 2006.

• In Australian bush fires, Southern California brushfires and at the site of the massive 2009 fire on Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa.

This year Volunteer Minister across 185 nations will honor this year's celebration with events, seminars and tours. Regular updates will be posted on http://blog.volunteerministers.org

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

Working in the shelters in Northern Japan

Today the Scientology Volunteer Ministers were asked to expand their activities in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture (see below). With almost 6,000 reported dead and 6,675 people still missing

the region of Miyagi is leading the list of severely affected areas.

More than 200 additional Volunteer Ministers are preparing to leave for Japan to fulfill the demand for help. However more logistical support is needed and there are many more shelter where we can serve.

Please support the activities on the ground by doing the following:

1. Keep yourself briefed by regularly reading this blog.
2. If you can volunteer in Japan (at least for one month) please download and fill out our application form and email it to us.
3. If you can't leave for Japan right now, please donate to the IAS. Your help will be very much appreciated.
4. At this time only very specific material donations are needed. Please contact us at disasterresponse@volunteerministers.org if you have any questions.

Letter from Onagawa Town Disaster HQ/translation:

24 March 2011

TO: International Scientology Volunteer Disaster Relief

Thank you for the work the Scientology Volunteer Disaster Relief Team is doing at the shelters in Onagawa Town.

I have heard many disaster victims say they feel good, relaxed, relieved from body pain, and healed from the trauma of this disaster after this group delivered the technology called "Assists" developed by L. Ron Hubbard.

The disaster victims were relieved of mental and physical pain and restored to positive thinking, which is the first step for recovery of this town.

I would like others to support this group in creating relief for disaster victims.

Please arrange for this group to work in all areas. We request relief and support actions from this group for Onagawa Town and other cities, towns and villages of this region. This is a very reliable group and they work hard to bring relief in the shelters.

Therefore, I hope that many cities, towns and villages will support them in expanding their activities.

Onagawa Town Disaster HQ
Head of HQ

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

Trauma specialists provide stress relief in Christchurch

Thu, 03 Mar 2011 1:44p.m.

Along with medical staff and psychologists on the ground in Christchurch, trauma specialists have also arrived to provide stress relief.

Gary Bromwell of the Scientology International Disaster Relief Group is a trauma stress specialist who says he helps victims “come out of the trauma and back into the present so they can rebuild their lives and move on”.

Mr Bromwell uses a variety of techniques including massage.

Watch Mike McRoberts’ interview with Gary Bromwell.

3 News

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

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Provide Aid World Over in the Wake Of Disaster in 2010

Over the course of the past twelve months, hundreds of thousands trained in the skills of the Scientology Volunteer Minister reached out and helped others in times of disaster. Their actions embodied the words of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard: “A Volunteer Minister does not shut his eyes to the pain, evil and injustice of existence. Rather, he is trained to handle these things and help others achieve relief from them and new personal strength as well.”>>

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

A Scientologist's View of Life

A Scientologist's View of Life

Just found this new Scientology blog in the Google blog results. I loved this quote by Denice Duff:

"I feel it’s important to refrain from needless criticism. As a photographer I see people actually become more beautiful just by complimenting them. And criticism does the same—in reverse!"

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

About the Church of Scientology

About the Church of Scientology

The article on ReligiousTolerance.org about Scientology is pretty decent and accurate.

L. Ron Hubbard - Artist

Scientology Volunteer Minister tells of Haiti Disaster Response

Photo: Karen Farrell (c)2010

Scientology Volunteer Minister Karen Farrell, who is also a midwife, delivered six babies in while serving with the Scientology Disaster Response Team in Haiti.Photo: Gracia Bennish (c)2010

Photo: Gracia Bennish (c)2010

Karen Farrell is a midwife and a Scientology Volunteer Minister who lives in New England. When she heard about the Haiti earthquake on January 12, her first thought was that she needed to help. Four days later she was in Port-au-Prince with the medical and disaster relief team of doctors and nurses from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad, paramedics and Volunteer Ministers who boarded a flight in New York on January 16, chartered by the Church of Scientology to take medical personnel and supplies to Haiti.

Karen was assigned to General Hospital, where the facilities were woefully inadequate for the doctors and nurses working desperately to do something for the worst of the enormous numbers of earthquake victims. Overwhelmed with casualties, the medical staff could scarcely tend to women having babies.

The Norwegian Red Cross had set up a small makeshift obstetric and surgical unit and welcomed the midwife and doctors newly arrived from America.

Karen and a Haitian-American obstetrician from the Association of Haitian Physicians Abroad who arrived on the same flight set up a rudimentary labor and delivery room that Karen described as "archaic" and started moving women in.

After a 12-hour shift, exhausted obstetrics staff started leaving for the night. With no doctor on duty, Karen decided to stay. A fortunate decision. Karen delivered two babies that night.

The first baby was a girl whose mother named her "My Love." The second was born to a 16-year-old first-time mother. Alone, without her family or the father, the young mother was exhausted and terrified. "I held her in my arms for a long time, rocking her," said Karen. "After eight hours, we were finally able to move her to a room with power (yes, we were in the dark all that time). I had to show her how to push and get her to understand me." With the help of a translator, she told the woman, "Be strong and deliver this baby now!"

On another night, six women were in labor, two of them difficult cases. Karen could only hope their babies would hold off until the obstetrics staff came back on duty. Then, as morning dawned, another earthquake struck. Panic swept through the hospital. Some patients, forgetting their limbs had been amputated, tried to stand up and run out. Others who were far too sick to move struggled to get out of bed and out of the building.

"People were screaming and the whole building was shaking," said Karen. The labor room and all the obstetrics patients were in the basement, and Karen knew that if the building collapsed they would all be trapped.

She scrambled with medical students and military personnel to evacuate the patients from the basement and the wards, carrying them outside and placing them on the ground away from the unstable hospital building.

The move was too much for some. A young man died when his oxygen tank was disconnected so he could be moved. The nurse with him went into shock and was unable to function. Karen quickly applied her Volunteer Minister Disaster Response training that orients a person to their immediate surroundings, and the nurse soon snapped out of her shock and said, "OK, we have a lot of work to do," and got back to work moving patients to safety.

Amid the death and destruction, one of the pregnant women started giving birth. Haitian women near the mother-to-be began to sing. When the baby appeared, a doctor shouted, "A baby has been born! There is hope in the world."

Karen was still hoping the two difficult cases would hold off until an obstetrician came back on duty. Just as one woman was about to give birth, her labor slowed and the obstetrician arrived in time and delivered the baby by Caesarian section.

Karen also helped non-obstetrics patients. Many had no family because they were killed or separated in the earthquake, so Karen comforted them.

"Though I don't speak Creole, I could still sit with them and simply listen to them talk. I couldn't understand their words, but I wanted them to know they were not alone.

"One gentleman had so much fear in his eyes. I put my hand on his shoulder and in French I said 'calm.' I just wanted him to know that someone was there. He talked and talked and I nodded my head. I understood enough to know that he was in a lot of pain and was terrified. He thought he was dying, and he was. I got a cold cloth and wiped his face and the back of his neck.

"Everything was in disarray, including the area where the medicine was kept, and the doctors were spending their precious time picking though the medicine trying to find the one the man needed. I told them I would look for it so they could keep treating patients. I finally found it and they gave it to him and he recovered. He made it."

Karen returned home to Boston after a week, to go back to her job. In one week in Haiti she delivered six babies with her own hands and helped with another. She says the experience changed her, and she will never be the same.

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

12th Annual L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards Honor Outstanding Canadians

Toronto,Canada—The Church of Scientology of Canada recently hosted the 12th annual L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards honoring six exceptional Canadians for service to the community. More than two hundred guests attended including local and federal officials, police officers, and religious and community leaders. The awards were presented to:

Dr. Ken and Ms. Emily Ng, Chairman and President of the Federation of Chinese Canadians in Markham (FCCM), for providing services to those newly in the country and uniting the Asian community in cooperative social programs.

Ms. Melanie Dickson-Smith, Coordinator of the Church of Scientology’s Drug-Free Marshals program and Civilian Co-Chair of the Toronto Police Services 52 Division Community Police Liaison Committee, for 10 years of community service educating youth on the harmful effects of drugs.

Mr. Zul Kassamali, Vice President of the Association of Progressive Muslims of Canada and President of the Toronto Area Interfaith Council, for fighting intolerance and promoting better conditions for the elderly.

A Lifetime Achievement award was presented posthumously to Mr. Kamil Sadiq, Founder of the Canadian Federation of Intercultural Friendship. Ms. Shamim Sadiq accepted the award honoring her husband’s work to bridge ethnic, racial and religious differences. In 2002, Sadiq received the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal, awarded to Canadians for significant contribution to their fellow citizens.

Also receiving the L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Award for Lifetime Achievement was York Regional Police Chief Armand La Barge who began his career with York Regional Police in 1973 and has held the position of Chief of Police since December 2002. Crime rates have declined throughout his tenure as Police Chief and York Region has one of the lowest crime rates in North America. In accepting his award, La Barge said, “we have worked very hard to transform the concept of community policing in York Region from one of an officer walking the beat to one in which the community helps shape and assist police in delivering effective community safety, crime prevention and law enforcement programs.”

The L. Ron Hubbard Humanitarian Awards originated in 1999 to honor individuals whose humanitarian achievements make a difference in society. For more information on L. Ron Hubbard visit www.lronhubbard.org.

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

Video on the Life of L. Ron Hubbard

This video, which can also be watched on line on the Scientology web site, gives a brief overview of the life of Scientology Founder, L. Ron Hubbard.
A being is only as valuable as he can serve others.~~~ L. Ron Hubbard; founder of the Scientology religion

Keeping Kids Off Drugs

There are great videos on the Scientology web site you can show your kids to keep them off drugs.



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

Volunteer Ministers Helping Haiti Orphans

More than a hundred Scientology Volunteers are in Haiti working with the Scientology Disaster Relief Force. Hard work, but can you imagine anything more rewarding?

The Scientology Today gives regular updates on Haiti news and so does the Scientology Volunteer Ministers blog.


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

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Helping Haiti Orphans

Before the earthquake there were estimates of over 300,000 orphans in Haiti. There is no way to accurately estimate how many there are now, but it is a tremendous social problem.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers visit orphanages, bringing food and supplies. Every VM who does so comes back with the same impression--the children of Haiti are amazing. Despite what they have been through they are so resilient, so open and so spiritual. They deserve all possible help.

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

Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Haiti - What Medical Professionals Have to Say

Since 17 January 2010 Scientology Volunteer Ministers are helping the Haitian population in every way needed. More than two months after the disaster there are still more than 100 Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Haiti, arranging logistics and supplies while helping to build shelters and improving living conditions. Their contribution has been received well by medical professionals and other aid workers.



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

Scientology Volunteers Attack Drug Abuse in Sydney

Scientology youth attack drug abuse at 26th annual Glebe Street Fair.

Members of the Church of Scientology of Sydney, Australia, who belong to the Drug-Free Ambassadors were out in force Sunday, November 15, distributing thousands of fliers at the 26th annual Glebe Street Fair. Their purpose: to inform kids about drug abuse and the truth about drugs so they make informed decisions to stay drug free.

Concerned about a new drug called Mephedrone, or “MM-Cat,” that Sydney students and club goers buy over the Internet, the Drug-Free Ambassadors spent the day talking to kids and teens, swearing them in as Drug-Free Ambassadors. New Drug-Free Ambassadors take a pledge to be drug free and to help their family and friends do the same.

“The drug-free message is really important to get out in times like these,” said Drug-Free Ambassadors spokesperson Cyrus Brooks. “People are bombarded with bad news in the media and they look for escape, especially young people. Unfortunately there is a lot of false propaganda around that drugs and alcohol provide that escape. We need to attack these lies as it’s just not true.”

Brooks and his Drug-Free Ambassador team inform youth of the short-term effects of drugs such as Mephedrone and Ecstasy, which include paranoia and depression, and that users risk even more serious long-term effects such as kidney failure and cardiovascular collapse.

Cocaine, another popular “party drug,” has similar effects but can also cause tactile hallucination, with some kids talking about having the sensation of bugs burrowing into their skin. This drug can also cause reproductive damage and infertility. “Drugs like these ruin lives,” says Brooks. “The best solution is to not get caught in the drug trap in the first place.”

At the Glebe Street Fair the Drug-Free Ambassadors distributed a brochure explaining what drugs are, how they destroy creativity and why drugs don’t actually bring happiness, but quite the opposite. Dixon Restaurant in Chinatown and the Church of Scientology of Australia funded the printing of the brochure, which is being translated into Chinese and Korean to get the word out to Sydney’s Asian population too.

Drug-Free Ambassadors, founded by the Church of Scientology in 1993, helps communities all over Australia fight the scourge of drugs. For more information on the Drug-Free Ambassadors of Sydney visit their web site at www.drugfreeambassadors.com.au.

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

For Tom Cruise... Not Even the Sky is the Limit with Study Technology

Actor-producer Tom Cruise told the audience that Applied Scholastics holds the key to understanding and applying what one reads and studies. His goal as international ambassador for L. Ron Hubbard’s Study Technology: making it available to all who reach for it.

What better time to learn how to be a pilot than in preparation for ‘Top Gun,’” he told more than 2,500 educators and guests gathered at the opening of Applied Scholastics’ new international teacher training facility near Saint Louis. “So one day I went to have a lesson and after one day I gave it up — I couldn’t do it.”

There was just one problem, he admitted: he could not understand what he was reading in his training manual — and to make matters worse, a decade earlier he had been convinced of a label he found impossible to shake at the time. “I had been diagnosed with a false label — dyslexia,” he said. “With that I had been told I had a ‘learning disorder.’”

Thus, his immediate reaction to failure as a pilot student was, “’I’m dyslexic — damn!’ I’ve got to figure this out.”

He tried everything to unsnarl his study troubles — “different tutor groups, different speed reading courses, I hired people to come in and read with me.”

Then, the breakthrough:

“Shortly after that I discovered ‘the study technology,’” he said, referring to discoveries by author and humanitarian L. Ron Hubbard that teach people, young or old, how to learn anything.

Today, the producer and star of The Last Samurai, says he hasn’t seen his learning difficulties since he began using Mr. Hubbard’s revolutionary study technology.

“Now, I am a licensed pilot — twin engine, instrument rated, which means I can fly through any weather by flight instrument alone; commercial rated, which means I can carry passengers as a profession if I so desire; and just for fun, I’m a highly trained aerobatic pilot.

“I am a film producer, I have my own film company, I own and run three companies and I continue to act in movies in addition to all that. And I learn every single day,” he stressed. “I use this technology each and every day in my life, at my work, with my children, in every area of life. Because of what study technology did for me, I started helping others.”

Mr. Cruise has done so as a founding board member of the Hollywood Education and Literacy Project (HELP), a highly-effective community-based learning program utilizing the study technology to open the doors of learning to thousands. This year, he was recognized by the National Mentoring Partnership with its Excellence in Mentoring Award.

(More from Freedom Magazine)

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

Building for the Future of the Scientology Religion

Mr. Miscavige is the Driving Force of a Movement Now Spanning This World With Ideal Churches of Scientology.

To exactly that end, he sets the direction for the acquisition, design and planning of new Churches—quite literally from inception to ribbon cutting. In consequence, the horizons of Scientology are filled with scores of new Churches in the making for 2009 and beyond.

Just since the launch of the Ideal Churches program five years ago, 70 new buildings have been acquired in major population centers around the world. Church premises have increased from 5.6 million square feet in 2004 to over 11 million in 2009, with half a million square feet of renovations completed in 2009.

Meanwhile, another half-million square feet are under construction in Brussels, Rome, Tel Aviv, Quebec, Mexico City, Las Vegas and Washington, DC. These are the Ideal Churches of Scientology and they are designed to present the wisdom of Scientology to many millions planetwide.

NEW IDEAL ORG BUILDINGS

Shown here is just a sampling of newly acquired Church buildings, while the listing below includes all new properties now in planning or construction stage to open within the next 12 months.

UNITED STATES

Albuquerque, New Mexico
Atlanta, Georgia
Battle Creek, Michigan
Boston, Massachusetts
Chicago, Illinois
Cincinnati, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Detroit, Michigan
Harlem, New York
Inglewood, California
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
New Haven, Connecticut
Orange County, California
Pasadena, California
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
San Diego, California
San Fernando Valley, California
St. Louis, Missouri
Seattle, Washington
Twin Cities, Minnesota
Washington, DC

CANADA

Kitchener, Ontario
Montreal, Quebec
Quebec City, Quebec
Winnipeg, Manitoba

LATIN AMERICA

Bogotá, Colombia
Caracas, Venezuela
Valencia, Venezuela
Las Lomas, Mexico
Mexico City, DF

EUROPE

Brussels, Belgium
Budapest, Hungary
Copenhagen, Denmark
Milan, Italy
Padova, Italy
Pordenone, Italy
Rome, Italy
Tel Aviv, Israel
Torino, Italy
Verona, Italy

AFRICA

Cape Town, South Africa
Durban, South Africa
Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Pretoria, South Africa
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Harare, Zimbabwe

AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND/ASIA

Auckland, New Zealand
Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Melbourne, Australia

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