Prema Youth Service

We cleaned up the forest by removing wood logs with the International Prema Youth Service team.

We cordially invite you this 21st, 22nd and 25th February to the 2009 International Youth Conference at Sri Premananda Ashram, India. Together we will celebrate the development of Prema Youth Service, Premananda Youth and Ban'Yan Shop.

Please find the full invitation in attachment.

Please find the newsletter in attached pdf

First PrYS World Tour has started...
Sofie and Marieke are promoting Prema Youth Service in schools, in youth groups, in the streets, in other organisations or in families or group of friends!! Below you can see where they are. You can contact them through the contact form here.

Between 12 and 19 November they were in Belgium
Between 20 and 25 November they were in the Netherlands
In the next newsletter you will read what they did.
They have just been in Germany - 26 and 27 November
From 28 November until 2 December they are in Switserland.
From 3 to 9 December, they are in Italy.
From 12 to 27 December, they are in France
The weekend of 15 - 16 December, they are in Spain.
After France, they will go to UK, Poland, US (New York) and Canada.

We will try to post reports of their activities online, so please visit again soon. If you are interested in meeting Sofie and Marieke or like to help promoting Prema Youth Service, please contact them through the contact form.

A service a day and your smile will stay

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 39.5 million people living with HIV, including 2.3 million children. During 2006 some 4.3 million people became newly infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV do so before they are 25 and are killed by AIDS before they are 35.

Around 95% of people with HIV/AIDS live in developing nations. But HIV today is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world.

Started on 1st December 1988, World AIDS Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.

Source: Avert

A walk for a world without poverty started at the Muruga temple in Viralimalai on OCT 17 (2007). Prema Youth Service India, the eldest children of Premananda High School and a class group of around forty boys of the school in Viralimalai took part in this action. In total there were about 200 participants for this walk. While walking all were either singing a song (see text later) or shouting "Vel Vel! Youth Vel" , "Jai Prema Shanti" and "Stop poverty, start sharing". The previous day, the teacher of history and geography together with two members of Prema Youth Service India had discussed with the eldest children (13 to 17 years) of Premananda High School about the extreme poverty in Africa, spiritual poverty, the rich cultural heritage of India, the purpose of life and the gift being born as a human being.
It was a very interesting discussion. Furthermore, the teacher explained the children the Millennium Development Goals. After this discussion the children brainstormed about sayings and made boards writing these sayings in big letters. They made both English and Tamil boards. On OCT 17, while walking for a world without poverty, people in Viralimalai could read the boards and hear the song composed by one of the Indian Prema Youth Service members: "From Africa to America; From the Himalayas to the Desert; Brother and Sister, share all resources; Let us be true children of this earth."

October 17th is the International day to eradicate poverty. All Prema Youth Service members could ask in their school, sport club or wherever to celebrate this day. Maybe they can even organise a sponsor run or whatever
to raise some funds for a project to support needy and destitute people!!

We started at 6.30 pm, blowing balloons with our helium pomp. We were 7 and had around 110 balloons. While walking with our Youth Service T-shirt and white balloons we caught attention. We explained about Peace One Day and distributed Prema Youth Service leaflets. People reacted very enthusiastic and all wanted to write a message for peace! Some said it reminded them of their youth, some were really reflecting on what to write on that paper. Some also said that they admired us doing this for free. After more than 2 hours walking around and talking to people, the balloons were finished. Then we all were hungry and ate some Belgian Fries!

We all returned home happily with the feeling that we spread some peace as Prema Youth Service youngsters!

Prema Youth Service India and the Sri Premananda High School chanted the Sanskrit Peace Mantra "Lokah Samastah Sukino Bhavantu" (May all the beings in all te worlds be happy) 21 times, went in a procession to spell the word Peace One Day and prayed for both outer peace in the world as for all human beings to find peace inside. They did this on 20th September as they have holiday on 21st and all children will go to their villages. All children are so overwhelmed of the peace one day that many promised to shout, dance, sing , draw peace in their villages. To be continued.

In peace
PrYS India and Sri Premananda High School