Tao Te King, XXVII

Shortage can be regarded as a lack of resources, or as a blank space for us to fill in.

If I believe shortage can be filled, I’ll never see a reprehensible man; I’ll reject no man as I’ll only see an opportunity, a path, and a mission.

If I think of shortage as a blank space to be filled in, I’ll think of it as fate, and we cannot run away from fate.

“So the strong must guide the weak,
For the weak are raw material to the strong.
If the guide is not respected
Or the material is not nurtured
Confusion will result, no matter how clever one is.
This is the essence of subtlety…”
…states the great master Lao Tse in the same paragraph XXVII.

Paideia was born out of the desire to help people gain their freedom.

Paideia is Greek for “education”. We operate in the most basic and essential levels by giving grants to people who want to study and to learn how to work.

When giving a grant we look for two things: we look for a wish and we look for talent, because wherever there’s a wish, we’ll find the way. Their wish will help them to move forward –like life– to walk tirelessly in their inner journey. Talent will enable them to embrace each opportunity and to honour a commitment.

Limits are set by the grant holder. Provided the wish is alive and the commitments are met, we’ll continue to support them.
Last Saturday, while I was talking to Juan Cruz, I heard the following statement: “One day we’ll stop helping you, because you’ll arrive jubilant to tell us we can now count on you for support”.

You can help Paideia in three ways by joining us in any of the three things we offer grant holders: i) the Grant; ii) the relationship between the tutor and the grant holder, and iii) professional guidance.
In my next message, I’ll explain in detail how these three elements operate for you to understand how you can work with us on this project.

(I cannot upload a video here, so click here to watch it)

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

Every Saturday, from 11AM to 6PM, depending on the weather, we go to club Villa Maristas with the kids of the children’s home Brazos Abiertos.

Some years ago, when I first met Nydia Soto, I asked her about her most urgent needs. She told me the kids were fine. In Brazos Abiertos they make a great effort to meet their basic needs, they have clothes, food, and a roof over their heads. However, at that time, there was something missing, something important. It was very difficult for them to organize recreational activities on weekends.

The truth is that children are children, and even though this may sound obvious, as adults sometimes we tend to forget the inescapable truth. Often, a weekend outdoors, going on a picnic or walking in the park is more precious to them than getting new shoes or a brand new uniform.

Life is made up of these precious moments. These are the things that really matter to them. Of course material things are necessary and useful. Only when basic needs are satisfied can we pay attention to the other aspects of life. But meeting their needs is not enough if we cannot bring meaning to their lives through these prized moments Nydia wanted for her children.

At Villa Maristas we just spend the day together, we go to the swings, we play football, we chat while we challenge each other playing cards… we just share our time with people that everyday become more and more important for us.

I’d never miss my Saturday appointment with Twity, Maxi, Cholito or Tuti –just to name a few– not for the most important or serious commitment.

This activity is open for everyone to join in. You only need to be in the mood for playing and be ready to receive the unconditional love of these kids.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

Lunch was for the people working in “Paideia”, the entity giving the study grants. At that time, Javier was Fabián’s tutor –Fabián is one of the grant holders– and Juan Cruz, Fabián’s friend, came with them. We thought it’d be great to have lunch together.

Out of consideration for Juan Cruz, I won’t include details of his personal life here, however, I can tell you that when I met him he was 14 and he was living in the Children’s Home Brazos Abiertos. As soon as I saw him I got the feeling that Juan Cruz was one of those persons who, without knowing how, end somewhere they don’t belong.

When he walked in, we were surprised by his polite manners and by the way he addressed us, so respectfully.

As soon as we parted, we found out some particulars on his life story and resolved to find out a way to help him. We thought for a while and tried to find him a club where to play football but, of course, the final proposal came from him: the unmistakable sign of those who want to direct the course of their lives.

We met one afternoon and, while we enjoyed some ice cream, he told us with an unusual sensibility for someone his age, that his dearest wish was to enter the military high school.

He saw clearly that getting in this boarding school would solve his everyday needs and could become a real possibility to pursue a career in the Military.

He knew that not everyday is a good day to cut through the vast seas, that most doors are not opened everyday, that moving forward now could make the difference. To embark on this now could decide on which side of the river he was to end.

He told us that years ago –maybe when his life was not as complicated– he had the same opportunity but he failed to realize it. He stared into our eyes and promised to make his best effort but I could see he was making that promise to himself.

Since then, we supported Juan Cruz helping him with everything he needed in order to sit for the admission exam.

Last week I got the most joyful news when I received a text message in capital letters that read: AGUS I MADE INTO THE SCHOOL.

During the last days we’ve worked to get him the school uniform and some other things for him to start studying. Tomorrow, Juan Cruz, at the break of day will stand firm while the flag is hoisted, he’ll sing –as in a dream– love and war canticles, he’ll see for the first time an unknown path stretching ahead.

I can’t help it. I feel something important has changed in the world.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

]]> http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/03/04/good-news/feed/ 0 Agustin Vila http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/enchanting-challenge/ http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/enchanting-challenge/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 23:26:28 +0000 Agustin Vila http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/?p=65 ]]> I came across Enchanting Challenge under very unusual circumstances. We may feel surrounded by an absolute silence but the world is always playing music for us.

I once heard that the sedate flapping of the butterfly’s wings can create a hurricane on the other side of the world. I cannot provide scientific evidence to support this statement, but I can understand the power of the idea and its wisdom.

We have a poor grasp of this concept. Will we ever be able to understand to what extent all events are connected by an invisible and powerful law? It seems unlikely.

On July 2008 I travelled alone across Argentina’s Patagonia. I was drifting alone teaching myself the art of making decisions, trying to find out which way the wind was blowing, trying to feel it’s strength.

Everyday life is shaped as a closed circle where almost nothing is left for us to decide. In everyday life all decisions were made in advance. One knows at what time to get up, what to have for breakfast, where to go and how to get there, who is coming with us and what we’re going to do. Everything is settled.

When one decides to brake the circle, time and space fan out in an infinite variety of possibilities. We can walk down every road: time is ours. However, the problem lies in the fact that not every road will serve our purpose.

This is one of those moments when you seem to wake up to yourself. Even though at first this may seem mysterious or even inextricable, chance has a hidden syntax. We only have to listen to our most basic and vital instincts or follow the wondering flight of a butterfly for an entire day to end –without knowing how– in that only place where we belong.

Under these circumstances, which I might address in detail later, I found myself walking next to one of the founders of the Enchanting Challenge project. It wasn’t long till we discovered that although we were playing different octaves, harmony was almost perfect.

“In Enchanting Challenge –he told me– we try to become the link between the students who want to carry out social service activities and the sites in need”.

Since then, I can only think about the synergy which may result from opening up to Enchanting Challenge’s proposals, my ongoing projects and my Challenge Projects.

Since then I’ve made it my call. My challenge shall be to enlarge the scope of this powerful stream.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

]]> http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/enchanting-challenge/feed/ 0 Agustin Vila dsc04867 http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/58/ http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/18/58/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:01:07 +0000 Agustin Vila http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/?p=58 ]]> I’ve four Challenge Projects in mind; some of them seem more viable than the others. Therefore, I believe opening-up to Enchanting Challenge now may be crucial. The common factor in all four proposals is that they are long-term projects that need continuous support and responsible work to accomplish the goal.

1. Arborea 2012

This is a simple proposal already under way: we want to plant 2012 trees before the 31st day of December of 2012. If we start working on March 2009, we should plant 44 trees per month. The proposal is being reviewed by Mendoza’s Council for Sustainable Development (Consejo de Desarrollo Sustentable). Once an effective course of action is decided upon, we’ll get down to it and I’m sure there’ll be infinite ways to accomplish the goal.

2. Children’s Home

I have a long-felt need for this project, but so far it’s just an idea. It’s too soon to go into minute details, but broadly speaking, the idea is to buy a plot of land, to erect a building and to establish a children’s home. I want it to be a model home, where every child receives a good education and is generously assisted in every aspect of life.

3. An organic garden in the city

The idea is to rent or to buy a plot of land, preferably in the city, and to plant an organic garden with medicinal plants. The garden’s healthy atmosphere will benefit those walking across its furrows but it’ll also bring relief to the world, by becoming another green space in the polluted city. Besides, the garden can be worked by the unemployed people living in the streets, who’ll have the opportunity to learn how to work the land and to get some food in exchange.

4. Translation into Spanish of fundamental literary works

The world is moving towards a new shift in global conscience. There’re some places –probably under more pressing needs– where words have started to announce a new pace and new possible roads for change. I’m talking about very specific things, like the urgent need to make a radical shift of those paradigms that jeopardize the survival of some species and life on this planet as we know it today. There’re solutions and there’re answers, but some of them don’t speak our language yet.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

Desierto de Lavalle - Fundación Vivencias Argentinas

I still owe you information on our current projects and activities, so here it goes. The purpose of this message is to summarize some of the major ongoing projects and the activities carried out more or less frequently. Later on, I’ll provide detailed information on each of these activities and on the entities that make them possible.

Children’s Home Brazos Abiertos

• Saturday Outings from 11AM to 6PM. Every Saturday we go on a day trip to Villa Maristas Club with a group of 30 kids.
• Camping. This activity takes place at least once a year. Children stay in Maristas mountain shelter, in Manzano Histórico, located in the district of Tunuyán.
• Grants for studying.
• Medical Care.
• Repair activities carried out to improve conditions at the Home’s building.
• Donations (clothes, shoes, food, toys, etc.)
• Recreational excursions.
• Visits to the Home.

Lavalle’s Dessert – Huarpes’ Communities

• Annual Children’s Day Campaign: shoes and toys donations for over 350 kids.
• Donation of essential elements and materials in order to improve rural life conditions: refrigerators, sources of energy, medicine, vaccines, etc.
• Donations to improve the quality of life of the children staying at boarding schools: mattresses, towels, chalk, computers, etc.
• Suggestions and proposals aimed at giving efficient solutions to everyday problems and to improve quality of life in the country and in the dessert: solar energy kitchens, farming and planting methods, water treatment, etc.
• Creation of opportunities for youngsters who want to migrate to the city.
• Participation in major community celebrations.

Algarrobal Community

• Participation in recreational activities carried out in Club Algarrobal on Saturday mornings with a group of 50-100 kids.
• Donations (clothes, shoes, food, toys, etc).
• Participation in important celebrations and holidays: Christmas, the Three Wise Men celebration, children’s day, etc.

Grants for studying

• Grants awarded to people without means of support aimed at providing real job opportunities.
• Follow-up: Tutorship and guidance programs for grant holders.
• End-of-course assistance to place grant holders in employment.

Puerto Madryn

• Annual October trip with young students from Mendoza.
• Whales, penguins and sea dogs sightings.
• Visits to museums and other interesting sites.
• Student exchange –including high school students from Puerto Madryn and Mendoza.
• Visits to Puerto Madryn’s charity dining rooms and children’s homes.

Trips of scientific, geographic and cultural value.

• Trips organized mainly within the Province of Mendoza to scientifically or geographically interesting places to offer social or environmental services.

Environmental services

• Planting trees
• Cleaning natural areas
• Participation in Mendoza’s Council for Sustainable Development (Consejo de Desarrollo Sustentable).
• Organization of the “Environmental Fair” (Feria Ambiental) in Mendoza’s high schools.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

This is an urgent message. Today I’d planned to summarize and give a tentative schedule of ongoing activities and future projects, but it seems it wasn’t meant to be. I’ll explain myself as soon as I can, but for now, I’m forced to leave explanations aside.

In the morning, I received a phone call from Nydia Soto, the lady in charge of the children’s home known as Brazos Abiertos. She told me she’d finally been able to arrange a date for our long-awaited camping in Manzano Histórico. The problem is the only available dates for camping are from February the 20th to February the 22nd: that’s a little too soon! The date is not final but there’s an atmosphere of great expectation already. Chances are we’ll know for sure by the beginning of next week.

The activity is organized as follows: Paideia Foundation is in charge of accommodation, the municipality of the city of Mendoza provides transportation while the children’s home takes care of food. I’m afraid coordination between these three entities might not work out as effectively as intended –especially on such short notice. However, we’ve managed to do things like this before and, therefore, we should be able to do it know. If the worst comes to the worst, we’ll have to postpone the excursion for a couple of weeks. As far as I’m concerned, as founder and chairman of Paideia, I guarantee there’ll be no accommodation-related problems.

Manzano Histórico is a protected area located in the Andes mountain range. The spot is relatively close to the city of Mendoza. For more information please visit:

http://www.recursosnaturales.mendoza.gov.ar/manzano.html

In short, the idea is to go on a two-night three-day camping with 30 kids from Brazos Abiertos. We’ll stay in cottages, which could be described as mountain shelters, located in Manzano Histórico. It’s a wonderful experience. The scenery is beautiful and the surrounding rivers and mountains make it the perfect spot to enjoy trekking and outdoor life. We need many helpful hands because kids need constant supervision and there’re meals to be cooked and lots of recreation activities to be organized.
So this is the plan, feel welcome to join in!

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

I’ve been committed to helping others for many years. My devotion to this cause goes back to the beginning of my adolescence. I have vague memories of those years and I cannot recall why I became engaged in this cause, but there’s something I remember vividly: Every time I went home after any of these activities –usually organized by school or other related entities– I felt immensely happy.

I experienced the indescribable gratitude felt only by the ones who have find an activity that directly or indirectly touches the most intimate fibres of their souls, moving them deeply.

Over the years, my commitment gained strength and became more personal. One day I was appointed coordinator of solidarity activities in the foundation “Fundación Vivencias Argentinas”, an institution which became the school were I learnt the most valuable things. With Vivencias we did and continue to do many things. Today I have lots of projects which I’ll reveal in due time but there, in Vivencias, I learnt that helping others is the most profitable activity of all. I knew many places and many people. I started to move within an invisible network made up of thousands of people who want to help and thousands of people in need. I could experience and be the fortunate witness of the most magical instant of all: at the end of the day, those who came to help were the ones most generously rewarded.

This was the first place I acknowledged as my own. I felt an inner ardent call and it all came very naturally to me. I finally made it my call: the challenge was to create the space for that magical exchange of experiences. I was to become the link between the two worlds, between those with the necessary resources and those in need, between those who want to love and those who need to feel loved, between the helper and the helpee. Thus, I came to discover a powerful transformation formula and ever since I’ve tried to repeat it in every field of life: to be transformed in the transformation process , to become the transformation needed.

In short, the purpose of this blog is to show little by little all my ongoing activities and projects, the challenges ahead and the possible paths to follow. This is what keeps me going, the reason why I cannot give up. I want to show people what I do to invite everyone to join in.

Translated by: Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce

The forces of universe always convey meaning. Life, as the supporting force that underpins the foundations of our planet is never pointless, never wasteful.

If we were to take a close look around, instead of immediately dismissing the infinite amount of signals with which the universe is constantly trying to call our attention, the path would be easier and shorter.

I’d never thought about creating a blog. The idea came from someone I met due to a peculiar chain of events, and this is exactly what gave strength to his suggestion.

He suggested using the blog as a space to let people know what I do, what I’ve been doing for years, and what has gradually become one of my favourite things, something that allows me to get closer to the essence of life.

It’s not uncommon for us to feel thirsty, and in our craving for a drink we miss that we are standing in knee-deep water.

Internet, blogs and the social networks that fill the virtual world could also be the expression of a collective conscience that is re-emerging thanks to the new technologies developed by the western world. Why shouldn’t we listen to the signals of this new era? Why shouldn’t we profit from it?

These are the questions feeding my inner debate. Fear of being overexposed holds me back. I fear I might end up talking about myself. On the other hand, my intuition tells me this might help me extend the scope of my project in an unprecedented way.

Therefore, I shall do this for the work that needs to be done, for we are the engine needed to advance in this task. Our compensation will be the matchless gift of holding in our hands the possibility of sharing with the world our most genuine and deepest humanity.

(Translated by Claudia Llopiz, for original spanish version go to avce)

]]> http://enchantingchallenge2.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/por-que-hablar/feed/ 0 Agustin Vila lavalle-2008-042