Church of Scientology Sponsored Group in Markham, Canada Fights Drugs

A Scientology-sponsored drug education group called the Drug-Free Marshals rallied community and civic leaders to take a stand against drug abuse and addiction.

A Scientology-sponsored youth group rallied local community and civic leaders to back drug education and prevention in commemoration of last week’s United Nations International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

The campaign message this year, from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), was “Do drugs control your life? Your life. Your community. No place for drugs.” The slogan conveys the concept that drugs concern everyone as their use harms individuals, families and society at large.

The Drug-Free Marshals is an international grass-roots drug education and prevention program.  The Church of Scientology of Toronto sponsors a chapter, membership of which is open to all children who want to be drug-free.

To get across the UN’s anti-drug message, the youngsters worked with local officials who are committed to handling the drug problem in their area.

They contacted the Markham Town Council, which unanimously proclaimed June 26^th as the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in the Town of Markham. The Mayor presented the Drug-Free Marshals with the proclamation at the Taste of Asia Festival, where Drug-Free Marshal, Sophie Pateropoulos, led all those attending in a pledge to be drug-free.

Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “Save the child and you save the nation,” and the Church of Scientology of Toronto, committed to saving kids from the tragedy of drug abuse and addiction, has been active in drug education and prevention for more than 2 decades.

For more information on what the Church of Scientology is doing to counter drug-abuse and promote drug-free living visit the web site of the Church of Scientology of Toronto or the Scientology video channel.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Address Slum Conditions

Scientology Volunteer Ministers, Nick and Erin, traveled to Kolkata, India in an effort to make a difference.

Every year, 26 million children reach school age in India. With this, the problem of education in a severely overcrowded school system becomes even more unmanageable. Despite increased school enrollment, some estimate that as many as 50% of India’s children do not attend school. That’s more than 150 million kids.

Time to bring out the Volunteer Ministers! As Church of Scientology leader, David Miscavige, described the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program: “The final word, as regards our front-line work bringing our help wherever and whenever needed is our corps of Scientology Volunteer Ministers — on call, 24 hours a day in scores of nations.”

“Slumdog Millionaire opened our eyes to the horrible conditions in India. We decided to go there and volunteer in the slums and we funded it ourselves,” said Erin.

“We thought if we could bring help there to some of the children who had no formal education and no real hope in life, at least that would be doing something about it,” said Nick.

While in India, Nick and Erin documented their work in the slums to communicate an accurate view of living conditions in India. “We wanted to let people back home know what it’s REALLY like living here, and through raising awareness get more help to the people here, especially the children,” reflected Nick.

These two young Scientology Volunteer Ministers helped teach English and mathematics to the slum children. They used study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard to helping the kids improve their learning.

“Mr. Hubbard discovered that the first barrier to study is not having the real thing there that you are studying about. The real things or the object that you study are called mass,” said Erin “So, for example, we made sure the kids had things they could actually count with, 5 little wooden blocks lets say that represented the number 5, so they didn’t have to do it all in their heads. They liked that!”

“Conditions here are the worst of the worst,” they wrote to their friends. “It’s been just a continual amazement to both of us that there have been such magical moments, and bright smiling faces in amongst everything else. With all that’s going on in the world it can be very easy to get wrapped up in one’s own problems,” they continued. “The truth is that there are so many people in need of help and with far worse conditions than most can possible imagine. We decided to turn our efforts toward others for a few months and make a difference.”

For more information on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program visit their web site at www.volunteerministers.org or the Scientology Video Channel.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa

Interview with Bright Freeman, leader of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa

The leader of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour In Central and West Africa is Bright Freeman, a native of Ghana, who found Scientology when studying at the University of Cape Town.

“I searched for many years to find a solution for my people,” said Mr. Freeman. “I was born and raised in Ghana, and while that country is in pretty good shape, it is surrounded by countries plagued with hopelessness, fear and poverty”.

In 2003, in his search for answers, Mr. Freeman traveled from Ghana to the University of Cape Town, where he embarked on a study of political diplomacy, his third university degree. He chose this field to find answers for his country and Africa.

“I had tried helping my people through education as a teacher, and I had helped people as a pastor and through various human rights programs. I had tried many avenues, but in all my travels and studies, I found no answers that truly changed the condition of my people.”

It was in Cape Town that Mr. Freeman was introduced to Dianetics and Scientology by a local Scientologist.

“Africa is steeped in centuries of superstition and suppression. When I learned the study technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard and I read the Dianetics book I knew I had found the answer. I knew this would lift the darkness in Africa, a darkness that has come from ignorance. Now I am bringing the light of understanding to my people.

“The difference with this program is that we bring real solutions. I’ve spoken to diplomats who command nations, and they have personal difficulties they can’t resolve–how to raise their children so they will do well in life and continue to respect their parents, how to address marital difficulties. I have spoken to men who live in poverty, and they too have the same difficulties. No matter their station in life, people have no solutions, and with the technology developed by L. Ron Hubbard they see the difference.

“They have seen many people come and go. Some have been motivated by an effort to control and suppress, offering false hope and help. Some have been motivated by kindness, but they lacked any effective technology. But the technology of L. Ron Hubbard works, and they see it right away. We are not preaching to them, we are empowering them. This is how we will change Africa forever. Finally the African people will be able to choose their own destiny and create their own future.

“This will end the suppression and despair. I’ve seen it for myself. We’re not telling people they must belong to some new society, or rally to some idea, we restore their self-respect and give them the tools to live a better life. The technology of L. Ron Hubbard is changing Africa, and I am proud to be part of that”

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers Goodwill Tour of Central and Western Africa is a humanitarian endeavor made possible by the support of Scientologists from around the world.

For more information the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site

News from the Scientology Volunteer Ministers African Goodwill Tour

Scientology Volunteer Ministers bring their help anywhere and everywhere.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers African Goodwill Tour brings help to the most far-flung regions of Africa. With a bright yellow van, a large yellow tent, and volunteers who care, it travels to towns and villages, no matter how remote.

Zambia, a country just larger than the State of Texas, is a land of beauty, famous for Victoria Falls and its spectacular wildlife preserves. However, it is also a land where the life expectancy is less than 50 years, one in seven adult Zambians live with HIV, and millions subsist below the poverty threshold of $1 a day.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers were entrusted with a mission, as stated by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion. Each volunteer “helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.” Mr. Hubbard continued, “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.”

The volunteers accomplish this purpose through courses, seminars and individualized assistance, based on the Scientology Handbook, which provides tools to help people confront and overcome the problems they encounter at work, at home and in their dealings with others.

Recent testimonials from some of those helped by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers African Goodwill Tour show the value of the work the volunteers are doing.

“I have attained the ability to think logically, and discover the causes of situations good and bad,” wrote one recent course graduate.

“It is my great honor to take this opportunity to thank all the Volunteer Ministers for what they are doing,” was the message from a man who completed a course in communication. “In this course,” he went on to say. “I have learned that there is no life without communication and that nothing can be done without communication. Therefore communication is life. I am ready to apply to this in my day-to-day life. The Volunteer Ministers are doing a great job. I urge them to continue.”
Yet another student wrote, “I have really learned the importance of respecting other people. May God bless our nation as it strives to develop.”

For more information visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site or the Scientology Video Channel.

Scientology Volunteer Ministers of West Bengal Join in the Relief Effort for Cyclone Alia

Scientology volunteers help officials cope with Cyclone Alia, which left millions stranded in India and Bangladesh.

West Bengal, India—A team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers has spent the past week helping the people of West Bengal recover from Cyclone Alia.

The Scientology volunteers have been assisting government agencies along with other private relief organizations, first in the search and rescue operation, and in providing needed supplies to those who are stranded.

Alia is responsible for the deaths of at least 200 in Bangladesh and India.  The storm stuck on May 25th, two weeks before the expected start of the monsoon season.  More than a million were marooned, left homeless, or crowded into government-run shelters, schools or makeshift camps without adequate supplies or sanitation.

In Bangladesh the storm inundated vast stretches of rice paddies and cropland with salty seawater.  It submerged the entire coastal island of Nijhum Dwip, leaving its 25,000 residents homeless. In India, when Alia hit Kolkata, it snapped power lines, downed trees and tore the roofs off buildings.

The West Bengal Scientology Volunteer Ministers are seasoned disaster relief specialists who have helped most recently with emergency response after the Bihar floods and the Mumbai terror attacks.  In addition to caring for the physical needs of those affected by the cyclone, these volunteers are trained to provide Scientology Assists, simple techniques developed by Scientology founder, L. Ron Hubbard, that speed recovery from the effects of a disaster by helping people overcome the emotional and spiritual aspects of trauma.

For more information visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site or the Scientology Video Channel.

Scientology Celebrity Centre of Nashville Joins the Great American Cleanup

Nashville—Last Thursday members of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre of Nashville got down and dirty downtown to clean up the banks of the historic Cumberland River.

The state spends 11 million dollars of taxpayer money annually picking up trash Tennessee litterbugs leave behind.  Members of the Church of Scientology Celebrity Centre joined thousands of other Music City volunteers to do something effective and upgrade the image of their city.

“We think it is very important to join community efforts to make sure Nashville is a nice place to live,” said Julie Forney, spokesperson for the Scientology Celebrity Centre.  “L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion, emphasized the importance of safeguarding and improving the environment.  Scientologists take this to heart and we are proud to be part of this program.”

This year Nashville is one of three cities chosen to showcase the Keep America Beautiful project, a volunteer-based community action and education organization whose mission is to engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments. More than 1.5 million Tennessee volunteers participated in Keep America Beautiful’s Great American Cleanup last year, making the program one of the largest community activities in the state.

Thai Research Nurse Completes Scientology Volunteer Minister Training at the Church of Scientology of New York

It is not unusual for the Church of Scientology of New York to train new Scientology Volunteer Ministers. But one of last week’s graduates was special—Dr. Channakan Boonnuch, a research nurse at the Siriraj Hospital of Thailand, the largest public hospital in that southeast Asian country.

Dr. Boonnuch was introduced to the Volunteer Ministers program last year at a seminar conducted by a Scientology Volunteer Ministers team from the Church of Scientology Mission of Bangkok.  The Mission’s volunteers gained first-hand knowledge of the value of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program when they helped the people of their country recover from the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami.

L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the Scientology religion and the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program, developed Scientology “Assists,” which address the mental and spiritual aspects of a person’s physical difficulties.

In her speech at the graduation ceremony in New York, Dr. Boonnuch spoke of her experience at a disaster site last year, which taught her how gratifying it was to help people with this Assist technology.  She later prepared a medical paper on how to perform Scientology Assists and how using them enabled her to relieve trauma and suffering quickly and effectively.  She was amazed that people who came to her crushed and despondent left smiling only minutes later.

“Using your techniques, I was able to help people who were suffering from pain and trauma, and make them smile,” said Dr. Boonnuch.    “I have seen the effectiveness of these methods, and now I intend to speak about them in international journals and conferences.”

Dr. Boonnuch was so impressed with the Scientology technology she learned that she came to New York to undertake formal Volunteer Minister’s training, which she has now completed.

The Reverend John Carmichael, of the Church of Scientology of New York, presented Dr. Boonnuch with her Scientology Volunteer Ministers Assist Technology certificate and a bouquet of flowers.  He also surprised her with a special jacket bearing the insignia of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers program to acknowledge how she exemplifies the qualities of such a volunteer, as stated by L. Ron Hubbard: “A Volunteer Minister is a person who helps his fellow man on a volunteer basis by restoring purpose, truth and spiritual values to the lives of others.”

Church of Scientology Distributes Drug Abuse and Addiction Facts Internationally

Los Angeles, California — April 26, 2009 — Members, friends and allies of Scientologists and Church of Scientology missions and churches in countries around the world are carrying out an all-out international effort this month to do something effective about drug abuse and addiction in their communities.

Treating April as “Drug Information Month,” volunteers distribute copies of 13 separate drug education booklets, which give simple and direct facts about drugs. These free booklets cover the effects of drugs such as marijuana, alcohol, prescription drugs, cocaine, heroine, crystal meth, crack, painkillers, LSD, Ecstasy, and Ritalin (known as “kiddie cocaine”), and show how these substances destroy a person’s health, creativity, family and relationships.

Scientologists distributed over 3,000 drug facts booklets in Hamburg, Germany, and thousands more in Berlin and Dusseldorf. Volunteers in Cagliari, Italy helped several hundred people learn the truth about drugs, many of whom asked for more booklets to pass on to their friends.

Teams in Marseilles, Angers, Clermont, Bordeaux, Nice and Lyon, France passed out more than 10,000 booklets.  In Paris, volunteers went right to the most notorious neighborhoods in the city, passing out booklets to at-risk teenagers and youth while local police quietly stood by to guard against retaliation from drug dealers.

“Our booklets were in such high demand,” said one of the volunteers. “We had teachers coming up to us to ask for copies for their students, two medical doctors wanted them for their waiting rooms and a professor liked them so much he grabbed some booklets and joined us.”

In Amsterdam, where the sale of so-called “soft drugs” is legal and “coffee shop” is a code name for a hash bar, volunteers passed out over 500 drug education booklets.  In Auckland, New Zealand volunteers handed out some 1,200 copies at a marketplace.

Countless lives are lost to drugs. Newspapers and TV news shows spotlight the famous artists who die from drug overdose, but most people have experienced personally the loss of a friend or family member through drug abuse.  Many of those who resort to selling sex are supporting their habits. Our prisons are full of men and women who are there because they dealt drugs or are drug addicts who committed crimes to support their habits. Governments, nonprofit organizations and private individuals spend billions every year in an attempt to combat this tragedy.

Scientologists and Scientology churches, missions and groups partner with people from all faiths, professions and walks of life to do something effective to counter drug abuse.   For more information visit the Scientology video channel at www.scientology.org or www.youtube.com/ChurchofScientology

Scientology: What is the Purification Rundown?

From the Church of Scientology: The Purification Rundown is a carefully designed combination of exercise, vitamins, nutrition and sauna use which dislodges drug residues and other toxins from the fatty tissues so that these substances can then be eliminated from the body. While the Purification Rundown rids one of the biochemical residues that reactivate past drug experience, it is but the first step to a full resolution to the spiritual devastation caused by drug, medicine and alcohol abuse. Ours is a chemical-oriented society. Virtually everyone is subjected daily to the intake of food preservatives, pesticides, atmospheric poisons and the like. Add to this the wide assortment of medical and street drugs consumed in our society and the magnitude of the problem becomes obvious. The Purification Rundown is a tightly supervised regimen of exercise, sauna, nutrition and a properly ordered schedule which includes sufficient rest. All of this together results in the elimination of drug residues and other toxins from the body’s fatty tissues. The Purification Rundown is a major breakthrough by L. Ron Hubbard that has enabled hundreds of thousands to be freed from the harmful effects of drugs and toxins. In 1977, Mr. Hubbard’s research revealed that LSD stays in the system for years after a person has taken it, lodging in the fatty tissues of the body. Months or even years later, a person can go on a “trip” as LSD residue move out of the fat. Subsequent research revealed that not only LSD but a long list of other street drugs, as well as chemical poisons, toxic substances and medical drugs, can all become lodged in the body’s fatty tissues of the body and cause a person to re-experience their effects. This phenomenon has since been confirmed in numerous independent medical studies.

Church of Scientology of Milano and Youth for Human Rights Sponsor New School in Ghana

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is very clear — education is a basic human right. Yet an education was only a dream to some 300 elementary school children in Acra, Ghana. Now, thanks to the work of the people of Milano, Italy, spearheaded by the Church of Scientology of Milano and the Milano chapter of Youth for Human Rights International (YHRI), this dream has become a fact. They are now attending classes at the UNTOMA Oxford International School in Acra.

The ribbon cutting ceremony, signalling the opening of the UNTOMA Oxford International School in Acra, Ghana. Officials from the Church of Scientology of Milano travelled to Ghana to take part in this special ceremony.

This story began when members of the Church of Scientology of Milano decided to take the message of human rights to heart. Sponsor of the Milano chapter of Youth for Human Rights International, the Church was already dedicated to human rights education. YHRI educates youth on the subject of human rights using a music video called UNITED, which tells the story of a young boy from an American inner city who unites children from around the world to fight for the human rights of his friends.

It was through their human rights education events that these Italian Scientologists learned about a man who had a dream of helping children in his native Ghana. He had a very small school that was sorely lacking in facilities and space to help the children in his area. His dream was to create a place where poor children could get an excellent education and join the job market with the skills they would need to survive. The Scientologists took on this project and raised the funds to create this new school. Working with other churches and groups in their city they organized fundraising activities including charity concerts, where many different artists contributed their talents, performing for free to raise fund for the school.

Children performed traditional dances to celebrate this special day.

The owner of the school went to Italy to meet these volunteers. While there, he visited with local government officials and agencies which, in turn, joined in the cause.

Throughout the project, the music video was the watchword—”UNITED.” People from different cultures, countries, religions and ways of life—artists, politicians and business people—united to help make this project succeed.

The donations raised by the Church of Scientology of Milano, Youth for Human Rights and the other groups that joined in this project has paid not only for the renovations of the new school, but also has provided chairs and tables, blackboards and equipment for the children including exercise books and pens.

Some of the 300 children attending the UNTOMA Oxford International School of Acra. Most of these children would not have had access to education, a right guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, if this school had not been opened.

L. Ron Hubbard wrote that “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.” The groups that worked together to make this school in Acra a fact have proven that by being united, people can make dreams come true.