Presentation to Lic. Livia Reyes Ramirez Monday January 5, 1998
Movimento Cubano por la paz y la soberania de los Pueblos

Two days after I booked my flight to Cuba, the Founder of the IAEWP Dr. Charles Mercieca wrote me on the internet as follows: " I wish to urge that when you go to Cuba that you make sure to appoint a good IAEWP National Chancellor of Cuba. Ask him/her to begin a National Chapter consisting of at least thirteen persons." You may say that is why I am here although there is more to my visit than that..

Last week I visited with Lic. Livia Reyes, and she has invited me here to-day to talk with you and to tell you about our programs, and explore with you the possibilities that could come from our working together.

Before I continue and as part of my presentation I would like to demonstrate three teaching techniques. One: If you find that I am talking to much, or you would like to have a word or question, this gesture will work. Try it and you will see.

The second, and more important is the idea that we breathe together. So let us do this. It s purpose is to focus our attention and intention on why we are here today. (exercise).

Thirdly, I would like to introduce the idea of mind mapping to you. Using a piece of paper, note ideas that I introduce that you feel might be important to you. Place them on a page in any way that you like but try and put similar ideas near similar ideas. Also note ideas you may like to recall later. Here is a sample of my first draft. Here is the revised edition after I have had an opportunity to overview. Try as we go, remembering that there is not right or wrong, just what works for you. You may be as artistic as you like in this process. You may place the words in any place on the page, but do so as you consider the importance that I give it in my presentation.

I would like to talk with you about many things, but the foremost in my mind is our current project that I hope you take on as a challenge - our world citizenship challenge.

Let me tell you a little about it.

Three years ago I presented a paper in Russia at our Eighth World Peace Congress on the importance of world citizenship and global education. This was well received both in our small organization, and as well in the larger community as we sense that this is the necessary direction for education in the future. Last year in Split Croatia, at another International IAEWP conference co-hosted with the Red Cross Society of Croatia, we presented an idea that will assist in the delivery of this educational program, through the mayors offices in countries through out the world. It is called the International Peace City 2000 Project and the details are available on the Internet.. The basic idea is that we are asking mayors to accept the challenge from other cities as to the formal registration of world citizens and to bring peace education into the classrooms. We are in our beginning stages of this program.

As we looked at how to most effectively do this large task we found it necessary to utilize the internet as a distribution tool for information and ideas. Hopefully we have not made too many bad decisions in this regard.

We had hoped to link our program with the UNICEF Child Friendly Cities project. It seemed to make sense. I attended the most recent UNICEF Executive Board meeting in New York (June) and presented my ideas to the Program director and to the President. I found this organization, as I have found the other UN educational organizations, more interested in their government’s private agendas, than doing any work of real substance.

I say this to you, not to alarm you, but more with intention to not mislead you when you see our organizations credentials: that of having consultative status at the various agencies. While this may seem important, for me it is more of an illusion than reality. On the other hand I am very proud of my UN badge that enables me to speak on the floor of the UN representing our organization.

In attending this conference, I must say to you I was astounded and upset to learn that the budget for UNICEF was $1 Billion. To me this was an insult to me as a human being, and to every human being on this planet. It was there and then that I decided to raise $100 billion dollars for the children of the world. Surely this is an impossible task: everyone says so. But on the first day of our program, September 16th was the launch day, we raised $1billion dollars. We have another 888 days to go and I am way ahead of schedule

SO what would we like our friends in Cuba to do? I cannot say to you that I have had a lot of time to think about what I would like, other than to have you look at our materials, use them where they fit for you, add to them where you see fit, advise us as to how they can become better. That would make this meeting here with you to-day successful.

Of course, we would want from you a list of your needs in order that we may help address those needs. If such a list is not prepared, those that want to assist you do not know how. Of course, also we will need the support of your government and assurances that this assistance gets to where it is needed, and not to line the pockets of those already well looked after by the system. We will need some assurances.

On a more proactive level, I would ask you to consider how our website www.homeplanet.org can work for you. To assist in the educational processes that you are already engaged in. I recognize the difficulty that our different language presents us, but let this not be a separating factor, but more, let it be a starting point for all the countries that speak Spanish and English to work together for our common good. I believe that my Spanish speaking friends in Panama may be happy to work with you in this regard, and as we move forward we may develop many new alliances interested in the same values. But understand as well, that our website is what is called "under construction" and full translation at this time would waste much energy. But there are areas where we can work together now.

I believe what we are doing here to day is important. I believe that, if you take this World Citizenship Challenge to Fidel Castro that he may see this as an opportunity to express his philosophy in new words, without the baggage of words such as communism, or socialism - these words, like religion have come to separate us humans from our common destiny of becoming citizens of the world. It is time to think beyond our countries borders. It is time to consider how we can work together so that the people of Cuba can share in the full bounty of our planet, and not be limited to the shores of your beaches, and the limited mind sets of those in other countries that would prefer to see you starve and go without the availability of technological advances.

So what do I see?
1) A representative organization of the IAEWP in Cuba
2) Promotion of the ideas of world citizenship in your schools and in your government agenda.
3) An invitation to have Fidel Castro come to Greenwich in the Year 2000 and speak on the importance of world citizenship as one of our five featured speakers.

As a concluding idea, and recognizing the time limitation as a negative factor, I, believing in the importance of how time works, recognizing that we are all destined to do what is right for our highest good, I would ask you to present these ideas to Mr. Castro to expose him to the www.homeplanet.org and world citizenship concepts to himself directly. And then when he sees the value of these programs, let him be the first to introduce these ideas to His Holiness the Pope on his visit here later this month. This opportunity for positive world recognition may even be larger for Cuba than the very visit of the Pope himself - and it will have an ongoing effect.

Imagine the impact: not just for you here in Cuba, but for the whole world.

I will now, if you like take you through various parts of our website to explain to you some of the information available to you, and please, do not hesitate to put a question to me.