Dear friends, we are here once again with new updates .We hope you will love it. As all of you know, the project is growing day by day and people from different places are joining us in the wonderful journey of Alice’s adventure. Now the Alice has become 35. The adventure of Alice started in the year 1983 and the project was born from the intuition of two Italian teachers, Valentino Giacomin and Luigina de Biasi. They worked for more than ten years researching and defining the contents and methods of a new educational paradigm for all schools (1980 – 1990). After conducting considerable research, the results were quite encouraging, and made the researchers wonder if they had in fact stumbled onto a possible solution to the problems plaguing modern societies in relation to student’s behavior and academic achievement.
However, further confirmations were necessary to validate the results of the investigators, who decided, therefore, to repeat the experiments with greater scientific rigor, in a different cultural context. They chose to work in India for the impoverished children, coming from the poorest rural area of Sarnath. The first Indian Alice Project intercultural and interreligious school was founded in Sarnath, in 1994.
Initially, there were only 75 students and four teachers. Today, after all these years of unyielding activity, today the school has more than one thousand students, 65 teachers and it is officially recognized by the Indian Government. Classes cover all school years, ranging from kindergarten to university.
In 2001 another school was opened in Bodhgaya, and it is now partly self-managed by the students. A third school, for the Chakma ethnic minority, is located in the State of Arunachal Pradesh.
The methodology of the project, which respects all spiritual paths, has been successfully adopted by the Aghoreshwar School in Varanasi, Tergar monastery in Bodhgaya and by some Tibetan schools in Ladakh. Previously, teachers in Italy, Taiwan, Nepal, U.S.A., Colombia and France had started pilot projects related to the Alice Project.
On the occasion of the success of all these years , on June 26th a party was organized at Zero Branco in Italy. On this occasion many of our close and distant friends participated the ceremony.
A group of the AP friends, including father Titiziano Taumasi, standing next to Mr. Valentino
After the meeting a friends of us sent us the following feedback:
A moving testimony
Dear Valentino,
I have not made myself alive so I do not load too much the box of your mail, but I cannot really shut up. What about these days so intense and rich that you made me live.
The friends in the square of your village, the reception from the Mayor and the evening with your ex-students who will go with them all the life impressions you left on them, in their minds and in their hearts. It was exciting and moving to listen to them.
The words of the young girl – who, “thanks to the visualization and memorizing technique” that you taught her, managed to overcome an incurable illness to our day – were almost surrealist.
Valentino, even if this was the only result – and certainly it is not – that you’ve got it with your passion, with the certainty of being right, it would already be a great thing. And it is big because she said that in the world, only two people have overcome the illness through this technique (that she has learnt from you, 30 years ago, when she was primary school student ) and she is one of these two. I told her she should write a book and she replied that she was thinking about it. I’d like to be in the next meeting.
Valentino, as you’ve noticed, staying at Zero Branco gave me a new energy…
Valeria Selleri from Belgium
Photo: Valeria is the first left on the photo above. Below, on the left of Valentino: the former student who is “controlling her brain disease” using the meditation technique she has learn when she was Primary school student.
Alice is on the front page today!
It was a great honor to Mr. Valentino Giacomin and the Alice Project, that several Italian newspapers wrote about the success of the Alice Project and its adventure in all these years.
Dedicating his honor to the Alice Project Students Mr. Valentino says: “We dedicated this honor to our students of Alice who don’t have much physical well-being, but they are rich spiritually and humanely.”
A new thesis on Alice Project methodology
A new thesis has been published about the Alice Project methodology, which has been conducted by the well-known Italian University “UNIVERSITA DEL SALENTO” Expressing his gratitude to the writer, Mr. Valentino says: “Congratulations to the grad student and, a little, also to us of Alice that have managed (for several years) to enter the Italian universities thanks to intelligent students, open, brave and also thanks to their teachers, who have agreed to accompany students in Easy Search For Alice’s path.
Excellent results in the state level exams
Teachers and the students of Alice Project during the math lessons and Massage session
Recently the U.P. Government published the results of State Board Exams for class X and XII.
This year there was no chance to cheat or copy. The controls were very strict. In spite of this, the students of Alice Project got brilliant results compared to other schools.
95.5 % of our students class XII passed examinations against 82.5 % of other schools of the State.
93.3% of students class X passed the examinations against 81.6 percent of other schools.
Outstanding the results of some Alice students of class X who got the highest marks among students of surrounding area and the achievement was outlined in the local press.
There is not much to say except that inner knowledge, awareness, meditation are not affecting academic knowledge. On the opposite, the students receive an immense benefit from our special education that is aimed to help the kids to receive high scores not only in school subjects, but also, and above all, in those of the … heart. We are proud to say that we achieved our goal! With our results we would like to prove that once again we are right on what we are doing. We are not wasting the time of our students doing Yoga, meditation, special program and other activities.
Expressing himself one of our teachers says:
“…………..Apparently it may look that we are wasting time. But this wonderful performance of our students in the state level exams is a proof that it works, and it helps the students to be more aware, concentrated and focused on their studies and it prepares them for all the future exams not only the scholastic, also for the final exams of their lives. When they have to face the reality, the difficulties and the challenges of life. The Alice Project methodology will help them to overcome all of these and to live a happy, peaceful and joyful life.”
International Yoga day Celebration:
Recently on 21st of June on the occasion of International Yoga day a Yoga workshop was organized at the Alice Project School. All the teachers, residential students and local people participated in it. Here we are sending you some images of the event.. All the participants had a wonderful time together. The program was very successful. The famous Hindi newspaper Swatnra Chetana wrote about us.
On the international Yoga day, the Alice Project School, Ghurhoopur organized a Yoga retreat at its premises. The teachers, the staff, the students of the Schools, run by Alice Project, participated in it. The parents of these students also participated in it. All of them believed that Yoga is highly important for the physical and mental health, especially in this modern age. All they took an oath of regular practice of Yoga. The program was organized by the Yoga teacher Mr. Arun Kumar Shulka, and the school prinicpal Mr. Awaneesh Kumar Mishra. They thanked all the participants for their precious time.
The copy of the news article (left) The students of AP practicing Yoga
Here we would happily like to share that Yoga is not something new for us. It is the Alice Project who started teaching Yoga for the first in its schools in 1998. In those days its people were unknown about it. And very few people were there, those who knew Yoga and for them Yoga was like a Gymnastic exercise. We were desperately searching a Yoga teacher for our students and after a long struggle and search, we could find only one teacher in those days who was living in another part of the city. He was the only person in Varanasi who used to teach Yoga. Generally he used to be very busy. So at first he only promised to come three days a week.
And now after all these years, we are the schools where we have the maximum number of qualified Yoga teachers. We have more than 25 skilled teachers who got the Yoga teachers training from the several well-known universities of India i.e. Bihar Yoga Bharti, Munger Bihar, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana – Bangalore and Banaras Hindu university , Varanasi. What’s more is that one of our students, Mr. Sanjay Kumar, has recently completed his bachelor degree course in Yoga and therapy from SVYAS- Bangalore. Nowadays he has been doing his preparation for Master degree course.
Teachers training at the Alice Project Sarnath:
On 24th of June a teacher training workshop has been organized at Sarnath branch where more than 45 teachers from Sarnath and Bodhgaya schools have been participating. It has been the first time that the trainees and the trainers both have been totally independent and autonomous, free from … Western pressure and, sometimes, presumption. The training was lead by some of the senior teachers and some junior ones. It was a great experience for all the teachers, as some of the teachers have been former students there and now after all these years of learning and training they have been good enough to train others, sharing their own experiences. All of them did a wonderful job, although it was not that easy but they did it.
On seeing their performance, Mr. Valentino congratulated them with the following words:
I am happy to see that almost all the teachers are attending the training in spite of heat and family’s duty. It is the first time that you are totally independent and autonomous, free from … Western pressure and, sometimes, presumption. I have to tell to everybody that we Western have only to thank India and Indians for the gift of knowledge and the wisdom we got. Since long time I am saying that India should not compete with the Western madness (economical foolishness, social wildness, scholastic irrationality, religious confusion…), because there is nothing that India can learn from the Western degeneration. India can be a leader in the world exporting not only yoga, but much more: the Wisdom that we tried to summarize in our books (Wise Rabbit and Ranjeet and his Stories).
So, first of all, I’d like to say thanks to all of you because – from your culture- I learnt the most important and precious things for my life: the moral ethic values; spirituality; the concept of Maya, emptiness; the concept of interdependence; the incredible power of Myths for inner and external order…
All this to say that the time has arrived that you can take the school and its destiny on your hands, assuming full responsibility for the whole Educational research.
We are ready to support anyone who wishes to be more involved in the Society’s administration, or Educational research.
We want to train more and more Indian people so that the school can be self-reliant and self-standing.- V.G.
Retreat of Mr. Valentino: In our previous newsletter we have shared with you that Mr. Valentino has been doing a special retreat called Nuy Ne in France. It will last for seven months. The purpose of the practice is: of course the personal benefit but the reason which is higher than his personal benefit is for the Alice Project to remove obstacles and interference. “We would love to inform you that it has been successfully completed. Two days before completion of his retreat Mr. Valentino shared the following message with all of us:
Two more days are left, then I will be back to my village, Zero Branco, where friends are waiting to welcome the “Return of Alice Project”… Today, I was shocked reading the first page of the local Italian newspapers, announcing my re entrée. The feeling I acknowledged in my heart was not personal pride, but delight for the positive image of Alice Project and our students. What to say at the conclusion of this amazing experience, here, in France?
Only one word comes to my heart: Thanks.
Infinite thanks to an extraordinary monk, Charles, who succeeded to guide us with spiritual competence, patience, humility, discretion, prudence, love and kindness, through the … rough weather of the retreat.
Infinite thanks to Lama Zopa Rinpoche who is the real inspiration and sponsor for this special retreat. He was the one who always protected us (from far) and we felt this.
Infinite thanks to all people of Vajrayogini (a real powerful, peaceful, well organized dharma center) who have shown nice hospitality, empathy, respect and encouragement.
Infinite thanks to my retreat friends, who took care of me and helped me in any possible way.
For this night this is all that comes out from my heart.”
And here is the new look of him after the practice.
Mr. Valentino and his companions during the practice at the center in France
So dear friends here we conclude this newsletter with these updates. We hope that you loved it. On behalf of all the Alice Project students, teachers, staff and the entire Alice Project family, once again we thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts, for your kind love, affection, help, support and your solidarity.
Your help to our community is sincerely appreciated. With the help of donations and supports from all of you supporters we will continue to see improvements in our school. We will keep you updated in our next newsletters.
Thanks again for your support.
Best wishes
Sudhakar
Volunteering association “Progetto Alice Onlus” Banca Popolare Etica- Filiale di Treviso,
IBAN CODE: IT43 I 050 1812000 000000116204
SWIFT CODE: CRTIT2T84A (From abroad Italy)
Fiscale code of the No profit organization, if you want to give 5X1000 to Alice Project: F.C. 94059510266
Ref: Luigina De Biasi – e-mail: luiginadebiasi@libero.it , tel.0438 893325
“Progetto Alice Universal Education School ONLUS” (Friuli) ITALY
Banca Popolare di Vicenza – Fil Cividale del Friuli (UD)
IBAN CODE: IT41 N 05728 63740 731570528546
BIC / SWIFT CODE: BPVIIT22731 (From abroad Italy)
Fiscale code of the No profit organization, if you want to give 5X1000 to Alice Project: F.C 94103860303
Ref: Agata Montevecchi – e-mail: progettoalicefvg@alice.it , aghifly@libero.it , tel. 0432 731021 – 339 4840132
Bank account details in India
Awakening Special Universal Education – Bank of India, branch Bodhgaya, Gaya (Bihar)
Swift Code BKIDINBBCOS – Fcra: BKID0004479 – A.N. 447920100000010
Contacts:
Email: v_giacomin@hotmail.com ; valentino1@rediffmail.com, sudalice@gmail.com
Mob. 0091/ – 9670806060- 8858771850 Web: www.aliceproject.org , www.aliceproject.it
