LKPY: Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth

web:www.lkpy.org

About LKPY

LKPY is an international peace organization for young people, launched in June 2007.

LKPY is a non-religious, non-profit, charity organization that focuses on the natural goodness within all of us. It aims to create a space for young people to engage in developing peace for themselves, their communities, and the world as a whole.

LKPY believes that peace starts with individuals developing the basis of their own inner peace – kindness; patience; tolerance; generosity.

LKPY Background

Loving Kindness Peaceful Youth (LKPY) is a youth orientated international organisation founded by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, Spiritual Director of FPMT, who travels the world promoting peace.

	Lama Zopa Rinpoche (Right) aged 28 Auckland, New Zealand 1975 This idea came to me as a result of all the discussion which followed the Columbine shootings. You’ll remember how some years ago in the US, some young students carried guns into their school and killed many of their classmates and teachers. People and politicians discussed for months and months whether to allow guns or whether not to allow guns. I never saw one person on TV talking about compassion. I was very surprised, for if you change the way your mind thinks, if you place focus on generating compassion, then you are far less likely to harm others in the first place. I started thinking of ways in which compassion could be regularly encouraged in young people, and it was then that I visualized LKPY - an organization which focuses on educating both the heart, and the mind, with peaceful ideals. I pictured this organization in many countries, especially those countries with a lot of violence, and understood that with a focus on compassion, we could help young people’s lives grow happier and more peaceful, and assist them in finding true fulfillment through the education of a good heart.
–Lama Zopa Rinpoche, 2004

Since 1999 LKPY has been organically sprouting into an organization. In 2006 five young people, inspired by Lama Zopa’s LKPY concept, gathered together from different sides of Australia to create it into a reality and are now known as the originators of LKPY, (Shyla, Freeman, Poh Lin, Mike, Matt, pictured right).

In early 2007 many more people from all over the world have jumped on board. And on the 8th of June 2007 (to coincide with the Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Dalai Lama’s Australian tour) LKPY launched with an event in Melbourne Australia, then with events held in eight countries all over the world. And that was just the beginning...

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The LKPY Concept

Here at LKPY we believe that peace isn’t just the absence of war... We believe that peace lies naturally within us all and is our primary reason for existence... LKPY is not about protesting wars, demanding weapon restrictions, creating borders and separation, making demands on politicians, going into war zones, or standing in front of tanks...

Its simpler, its starts with you and me... and that’s why it can work!

It’s about focusing on the positives not the negatives, and through cultivating the organic goodness within ourselves we can reduce the space for the weeds to grow. We do this with simple practices of breathing, slowing down, stretching, communicating and taking the time and space to regularly nourish our mind and body... From this space of feeling better and clearer within ourselves we can then best begin to help others...

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The LKPY vision

We believe peace is a constantly growing process: starting through ourselves and then emanating outwards to our families, neighbors and friends, to our community and our environment... We encourage peaceful communication through recognizing our similarities while celebrating our differences, no matter what our beliefs or appearances are. We facilitate this through open discussions, through listening to inspiring people who have done amazing things, through learning about our environment and through volunteering, through getting up and getting out there, for doing what needs to be done to really benefit others.

We all want to make a difference. We all want to be happy. And we all what peace... LKPY just nourishes what is already within you and me!

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LKPY Objectives

Our objectives are to engage in a range of projects, that specifically focus on:

• Peace building
• Education
• Positive dialogue
• Intercultural & interfaith understanding
• Peer-to-peer support
• Non-violent expression
• Environmental awareness
• Community commitment
• Celebration of creativity
• Personal integrity and empowerment
• Mindful living.

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LKPY is for everyone

LKPY is universal, for all people of all cultures, ages, colors, countries and beliefs. We are about organically cultivating people from the inside out. We encourage slowing down, contentment, breathing, volunteering, smiling, creativity, tolerance, moderation, kindness, supporting others and taking the time to nurture not only ourselves, but our community and the world around us.

We are a way of life.

LKPY utilizes the principles and tools of ‘The Foundation for Developing Compassion and Wisdom’, (www.essential-education.org), as well as building on a variety of other resources. We support people of all beliefs and cultures to develop inner peace; we wish to give them the skills and confidence to make a difference in themselves, their community and ultimately - the whole world!

LKPY places a focus on young people as in being the ‘next generation’ they are therefore in a prime position to create new concepts of peace. Added to this, young people like to ‘think out of the square’, think ‘big’, and LKPY projects aims to nurture that unique quality within all young people and support their expression of it, so that they can make a difference.

So what’s a young person? Well, age is another boundary we are trying not to subscribe to, so by ‘young’ we mean ‘young minds’ - we want people who think big, with the energy, the enthusiasm and the courage to make a difference. We want everyone to be involved!

LKPY recognizes that global peace starts with the individual, then through others recognizing this positive change, it will slowly have an impact on the larger community. Ultimately LKPY aims to help create a peaceful world.

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LKPY Projects

LKPY exists through a number of projects that allow people to get involved in a variety of ways. These are the key projects of LKPY:

HABIT!
The HABIT! Project is the heart project of LKPY. HABITS are regular gatherings held at café’s or other chilled out venues. These is tea time for the soul... a chance to catch up with like minded people, slow down, change your thinking, workshop the way the world works, learn, listen, collaborate, and be passionate about making a difference.
LKPY has developed a HABIT! Co-coordinators Booklet, which is available for anyone interested in setting up a HABIT in their own hometown. The HABIT! community have their own online social network, www.habitcommunity.ning.com

Peace Grant
The LKPY Peace Grant aims to support a project each year that is initiated by a young person or a group of young people. The project is aimed at achieving outcomes focused on peace: celebrating diversity, connecting with others, building community, resolving conflict, offering help, encouraging expression and developing talents.
Grants are awarded on United Nations International Peace Day (21st September) at an event that is growing in size and profile each year.

Talking Peace
Talking Peace is about initiating positive dialogue. Through films, forums and workshops Talking Peace celebrates diversity and broadens understanding by delving into cross-cultural and interfaith dialogues that investigate both our similarities and differences.
LKPY Talking Peace Project has produced our first short film that has already reached an audience of over 20,000 and is available to purchase from our website.

Acts: deliberate acts of kindness
Acts of kindness occur everyday. This is about consciously promoting and celebrating acts of kindness, big and small. 1000’s of Acts of Kindness postcards have been distributed throughout the world and have been translated into 8 languages, asking people to commit to, carry out and tell us about their Deliberate Act of Kindness. LKPY is has also started a Day of Kindness, which is held at the beginning of April annually.

POP: Pieces of Peace
This project encourages self-expression around themes of peace. People send LKPY pieces of art of any medium that represents their interpretation or response to peace. Surf label, Mambo’s freelance illustrator Paul McNeil has been was our first contributors with his ‘Its Cool to be Kind’ illustration.
LKPY aims to get a collection of POP works together, create a book and exhibition that will travel around the globe.

Peace Class
This project is aimed at providing teachers, community groups and youth workers with the courses, training, lesson plans and resource manual required to deliver a variety of class or workshop exploring themes of kindness, patients, tolerance and generosity. In developing the materials for Peace Class are inviting young people world wide to share with us their ideas about and experiences of peace.

Stand Up
The Stand up project was initiated in response to the 2008 uprising in Tibet. This project is simply about encouraged the internationally community to stand up and show their support, in a strictly on violent manner, for a country or culture experiencing oppression. The catch phrase for this project is:


Peace begins with just one person. Promote justice through non-violence

The current country LKPY is focusing on is Tibet and through the website www.stantupfortibet.org, they are collecting images of peoples support, developed a clothing range www.cafepress.com/standupfortibet and has become a central point and resource for information and links.

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How you can get involved with LKPY
It doesn’t matter where you live, how much time you have, or even how old you are...there are lots of ways to get involved, here are some ideas...

• Check out our website and join our e-newsletter
• Become a part of one of our projects
• Volunteer with us: all skills, all locations, all ages
• Let us know about any grants or funding opportunities
• Spread the word, tell others about us
• Make a donation or hold an event to help support our activities
• Send us your ideas, your thoughts, your inspirations...

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They say a waterfall starts with
just one drop of water
LKPY says peace starts from
just one person

How to contact LKPY
LKPY loves…. new ideas, advice, interesting stories, volunteers, new thoughts for LKPY projects, love letters, pictures, donations, your input!

email:	info@lkpy.org
post:	PO Box 551, Unley SA 5061, AUSTRALIA
telephone:	+61 450 225 258
fax:	+61 8 8125 5868
facebook:	LKPY world
myspace:	LKPY
web:	www.lkpy.org