Question of the Month: What Were the Year’s Highlights?

So much of 2014 was so memorable! It has been probably the busiest of any year to spread the advocacy messages of empathy, compassion, gratitude, forgiveness, nonviolence, peacemaking and love. It has been an exhausting year of a tremendous amount of travel – three trips to Europe, two to Hawaii, one to the Caribbean and one to Australia, with dozens of trips in the continental United States and Canada. Over a 110 presentations that reached 18,600-plus students (from elementary to college) and another 8,500 professionals who work with youth, some of which are challenged and others who are our future leaders. A total of over 27,000 people reached, and that doesn’t even count you who are reading this now. All in all a pretty amazing year.

• The Violence Impact Assemblies for TKF (www.TKF.org). On a regular basis in San Diego County middle schools, several thousand kids receive important information on the principles of nonviolence, anti-bullying and peacemaking.

• The eigth annual trip to Leavenworth Federal Prison, and for this year a chance to speak twice at the Petersburg Virginia Federal Prison.
• The keynote at Martin Luther King Day at Morehouse College in Atlanta was an inspiring day to celebrate one of our heroes of nonviolence.
• The Hands of Peace event (LINK) invites 25 Israeli, 25 Palestinian and combines them with 25 American high school students for a 3-week experience. It was indeed a powerful experience for our future leaders who can bring peace in that region of the world.
• The Hansen Institute at San Diego State brings 25 college students (chosen from 800) from around the world to San Diego for a similar 3-week experience. These future leaders inspire me to continue this work knowing that we are producing more Gandhi’s and MLK’s to transform our world.
• The Heart of the Samurai event taught by Klemmer & Associates (LINK) was also a powerful evening with typically over 200 leaders who are active in transforming their communities. They are huge supporters of TKF.
• The presentation at the 36th Annual National Association of Women Judges conference where we all joined: Judge Joan Weber who presided over Tariq’s and Tony’s case, prosecutor Peter Deddeh, public defender Henry Coker, Ples Felix and I. This was an amazing example of true restorative justice, showing what is possible to transform the juvenile criminal justice system.

• We graduated three Moroccan professionals to bring the CANEI program to Morocco. (Shown above) It is exciting to see that this program is making its debut in the Middle East. Plans are to expand the program, including into, yes, Israel and Palestine.
• Through the partnership of CSN and PTA, I presented in Atlanta at the National PTA Conference on the importance of male engagement.
• The opening of the Love and Forgiveness Exhibit at the Children’s Museum in Pittsburgh, PA.
• Dialogue on the Culture of Peace and Nonviolence at the Soka University in Aliso Viejo chaired by Ambassador Anwarul Karim Chowdhury.
• A World Affairs Council luncheon meeting with President Bill Clinton.  
• The annual visit to Australia was memorable with talks in Perth and Adelaide and a worthwhile stop in Sydney. Ples Felix and I presented at various schools and had a powerful presentation at the Cowen Juvenile Detention Training Center. For the first time I did a talk for 200 high school girls, many who are leaders in their schools. Hosted at Seymour College through the support of the brilliant Lynne Moten, this talk was entitled “Building Spiritual Resilience in Teenagers Girls.” In addition, I was hosted by my good friend Judg
  e Steve McEwen and saw for the first time many kangaroos in the wild close to his ranch in Adelaide.
• There were several talks in Finland for students and community leaders as the result of an incredible community activist Marjut Salmien.
• One super memorable moment came for me when two high school boys asked for a photograph, with one of them having their arm draped around me. I love connecting with those in the audience.
• Last but not the least, there was the publication of my fourth book “From Fulfillment to Peace” (See holiday special above) which debuted its second edition. Tony Hicks – who took my son Tariq’s life – wrote the foreword to this book and did an amazing job.