June 2008 Newsletter from
The Dalai Lama Foundation

Between Four Eyes:
A Collaborative for Mindful Awareness & Education

Women of Tibet Series Honored at Telly Awards

Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution Selected for AAIFF Film Festival

Between Four Eyes:
A Collaborative for Mindful Awareness & Education

Between Four Eyes, was founded in 2007 by Theo Koffler of San Francisco, California, as an organization that brings practical mindfulness techniques to human service providers and educators in Africa and the Middle East.

Community leaders, human services providers and educators have some of the most stressful jobs in society today. To achieve their fullest potential, these individuals need to know how to recognize and manage their emotions, create a space for respectful listening, appreciate the value of another's opinion, make sensible decisions and behave responsibly and ethically as they cope and serve humanity.

Says Koffler, "The basic idea is to cultivate the mental conditions that seed the ground for developing and sustaining tolerance, empathy and compassion. Our pilot workshops offer participants the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the ways to cultivate awareness and gain competencies that lay the conditions for positive, personal and community growth." When asked about the uniqueness of Between Four Eyes, Koffler elaborates, "our mission is to empower individuals through knowledge. To teach techniques to detach from past and future narratives -- while resisting those who create fear and the progressive conversion of fear into anger, anger into hatred, and hatred into violence. We encourage genuine interpersonal connections between you and me and not us and them. Regardless of differences in nationality, spirituality and culture, mindful awareness is a defining characteristic of globalization. It welcomes a new era of thinking, learning and discovery and can move forward a broader vision of who we really are and what it means to live together in recognition of our interdependence."

In its simplest form, mindfulness is about intentionally focusing one's awareness and observing one’s emotions and behaviors from moment to moment, with discernment and non-judgment. Compelling new science has demonstrated that mindfulness can create a general sense of well-being as well as reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. When inspiring awareness through mindfulness, we transform. Everything changes. Instead of reacting mind-lessly, we respond mind-fully. Instead of responding with aggression, we evolve to discern behavior and to choose non-violent communications. Instead of feeling disconnected or helpless, we find everything we do reflects the connection of our personal lives to others.

At a time in which the lack of peace urgently threatens individual and global survival, Between Four Eyes embraces the unprecedented opportunity for innovative and systemic change through education. The mission is to empower individuals through knowledge.

You canget involved and help out Between Four Eyes is currently searching for translators with an understanding of basic mindfulness and/or social and emotional learning to translate their educational programs into French, Hebrew, Arabic, and Kenyan Rwandan. For more information, please visit www.between4eyes.org or email info@between4eyes.org

Top

Women of Tibet Series Honored at Telly Awards

The 29th Annual Telly awards were held in New York City, NY in May where the first two films of Rosemary Rawcliffe's Women of Tibet trilogy met with great success. Frame of Mind Films the Albany, CA based collective of film and television professionals dedicated to the investigation and communication of stories and ideas that make a difference garnered seven Telly Awards.

In TV Programs Cultural and Documentary categories a total of 3 Silver and 4 Bronze statuettes were awarded to Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution and Women of Tibet: The Great Mother.

Documentary: Silver Award - Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution

Cultural: Silver Award - Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution; Silver Award - Women of Tibet: The Great Mother

Editing: Bronze Award - Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution; Bronze Award - Women of Tibet: The Great Mother

Cinematography: Bronze Award - Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution; Bronze Award - Women of Tibet: The Great Mother

Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution received its national television premiere on public television stations across the U.S. beginning in May 2008, coinciding with both Mother's Day and Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Women of Tibet: The Great Mother enjoyed encore presentations nationwide in honor of Mother's Day on May 11, 2008. Check your local PBS station for upcoming airings.

To view the trailer of A Quiet Revolution or The Great Mother, or formore information: www.womenoftibet.org

Top

Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution is an official selection at the 31st Asian American International Film Festival '08 in New York this summer! Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution is one of only nine documentaries chosen for the festival.

The AAIFF Festival will be held: July 10-19, 2008 at the Asia Society, New York, NY.

Women of Tibet: A Quiet Revolution is scheduled to screen on Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 1:00 PM. For more information or tickets to the event: boxoffice@asiancinevision.org

Top

This email was sent to you at . You can reach us by email at info@dlfound.org