PeaceOnEarth Film Festival Chicago A Delight in the Face of World Issues

   

For the past six years, I have served as VP of the board for Peace On Earth Film Festival

sponsored by WBEZ Public Radio running March 19-22nd 2015

Each year, I marvel at the film selection at the Peace On Earth Film Festival.  The hours upon hours the founding team put into choosing representative, high quality films sent in from all corners of the world provide a viewing platform for many little known producers and issues. And, its an important place to showcase and empower controversial, entertaining and insightful stories.

If it's impossible to attend, or even if you do, please consider donating to this amazing organization so that Nick, Melissa and their team can continue to bring this art to the world.   www.peaceonearthfilmfestival.org Chicago Cultural Center - Claudia Cassidy Theatre 78 E. Randolph Street. 

Thank you,

Jeannette Barcelos Kravitz

www.peacejourney.com  

Peace Journey Seven Paths to a Charmed Life eBook Release Easter Sunday April 5

Book Launch & One Million Good Deeds Movement

Yes, I am one of those people who still gets up in the morning to read the newspaper: front page, business, international news and I save the softer side of arts and culture till the end of my reading time.  I am in hopes to find some positive inspiration through the work of creatives.  

Writing this book was not a lifelong dream but an expression out of years of living and hoping for the world to get to a kinder and gentler place on it's own.   

So far, my wish for peace in the world hasn't come true. So I set out to go down the path of writing a book about my own life from growing up poor to what I now consider a pretty charmed life.  And how I got here.  On these pages I share personal stories and invite the reader to share their personal stories on internal journey pages.  As we begin to relate to our life's journey, new ideas for helping ourselves and others emerge and I am hopeful that through doing good deeds a more positive world will begin to form.

Peace Journey Seven Paths is based on seven issues in my own life and how I worked through them.  100% of the proceeds from book sales and soon, Kindle and other eBook sales, go to make our work happen for children at the world at www.peacejourney.com, productions by sponsorKIDS Charities 501c3.

In a few days, we will also be launching a crowd funding campaign so please stay tuned.  I believe in social media and the good it can bring to good and original ideas and works.  We all know about the bad it can bring too, but it this case I am working to level the playing field with goodness.  

You can actually purchase the book on Amazon now.  Just go to Amazon and search for Peace Journey Seven Paths to a Charmed Life. And please share with your friends, families, communities, churches and organizations who believe we can get better as a society and as a nation.  

My life's work 's banking on this strategy of love for humanity winning out over all.

Stay Tuned …More info to come on the Peace Journey book, ebook, music songwriting camp and youth adventure trips!

Peace, Jeannette Barcelos Kravitz

jbarcelos@peacejourney.com 

Peace Journey Book Launch February 15 through Mother's Day 2015

No Time Like The Present

Staying Focused on What Matters!

Ok, so I have taken writing marketing classes, communicated with successful authors & publicists as well as social media gurus and have a pretty good handle on next steps for my book launch.  Having a small budget makes the whole process daunting, but with the help of people at Amazon,  I have decided to self-publish and get this show on the road.

I wanted to get my book out late last year, but due to a series of health issues and events, I felt the universe was telling me to wait.  And so I did.  And now, it makes sense since Peace Journey; Seven Paths to a Charmed Life is all about love and the heart, so bookending the launch starting on Valentines Day promoting through Mother's Day clearly has helped me to commit.

My life has been filled with creating PeaceJourney.com trips from scratch, no excel spreadsheet action, all trips sponsored and most importantly, listening to my intuition and trusting my instincts.  You might think this no different!  But I have found, that it is different and the reason why?  It's because it is so personal to write a book and share a piece of yourself, your story and your views.  

Soon, I will be launching a CrowdFunding Campaign so that everyone who cares about our success can participate in it!  

I look forward to an amazing campaign, with your help and the help of your heart! 

Jeannette Barcelos Kravitz (Facebook)

Supported by PeaceSpaProducts.org (Facebook & Website)

Sponsorship For Causes Makes Big Difference in Consumer Purchases

Isn't It Time to Step Up, Using Our Purchasing Power to Make the World Better?

1. "Social responsibility is a duty every individual has to perform so as to maintain a balance between the economy and the ecosystems. A trade-off may exist between economic development, in the material sense, and the welfare of the society and environment."

   Peace Journey Productions is now on our quest for the best and most socially responsible companies to work with.

   Let's face it, very, very few of any of us wake up in the morning thinking of ways to destroy the planet, our families, animals and neighbors.  In fact, for most thank goodness, it's exactly the opposite.  

   It is difficult to keep up with corporations and small businesses who stand out in the world for good, isn't it?  

   In my personal quest to find out the Who's Who -- Best Of  in the area of corporate social responsibility,  I am sharing this report from MacLeans Inc.  There may be many more lists that you find so please post your list below in the comments and we can share more of this good news with the world.  While this list is for larger companies, I would be remiss to not include the social responsibility by now of our key sponsors, PeaceSpaProducts.org

   All I know is 15 or 20 years ago,  one would be hard-pressed to find companies rated and reported on as the top companies in this category, and now through Google and other search engines, information is so readily available.

   This makes the process of choosing where to spend our dollars in our hands.  And there is no better time than the present, during the holiday season! 

   Choosing the top rated socially conscious companies to buy from means we still have to do our homework and be sure that the stories aren't just public relations stunts, but at least we have a guidepost for information gathering.

   
   

   Jeannette Barcelos Kravitz

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

PEACE JOURNEY Seven Paths Venue Search for Songwriting Camp 2015 Underway

PEACE JOURNEY Venue Search Taking Us Down More than Seven-Paths!

www.peacejourney.com

Saturday was a day-trip for us to look at a farm music event venue for our upcoming songwriting/concert camp, on a very cold and blustery early fall Illinois day. 

Stonehouse Farm is only 1 hour and a half from downtown Chicago, but working 2-GPS systems simultaneously gave us two different directions to go in.  We decided to chose the road less traveled, adding another 45 glorious country road minutes to our drive.

Cornfields were abundant.  After a few years working at sponsorKIDS to promote healthy food in our local schools, I learned about all the corn that is being grown for sucrose in Illinois, eliminating many other crops that could be grown for food.  All I can tell you is growing up in Ohio with it's abundant cornfields, I have never seen as many cornfields as on the back roads trip to Stonehouse Farm near Sandwich, Illinois. 

We passed a small sign announcing Stonehouse Farm and immediately pulled in.  We first noticed that the farm's wood fences on the property needed repair and a coat of creosote or paint.  Following the driveway to the front porch of a mid-size barn-like structure,  we walked inside, where we found  a chef preparing food for that nights sweat lodge.  We sat down to enjoy coffee and meet the primary owner.  The building was rustic and cozy.

I had read about Yurts, the temporary tent structures around the farm that sleep 2 to 8 people each, depending on the size.  These are the only accommodations currently available outside acres of campsites on the premises. Rachel, the assistant in charge of events (oh and by the way, also an anthropologist and gourmet French Chef),  drove us around the property in a bright yellow one-seater golf cart as we viewed the campgrounds, garden and compost area, overnight parking for 500 cars, newly constructed showers, the pond, a sweat lodge, a large area where a stage can be erected, a grassy field large enough to accommodate up to 2,500 music concert goers on the lawn and barns, where yoga and other performances could be held.

The actual Stonehouse Farm four-bedroom house is to be rehabbed, but it doesn't sound like that will be completed in time for our event in 2015

Our songwriting camp needs to house about 30 to 40 people plus our production crew, and Stonehouse Farm would be a rustic choice with a lot of hidden costs. 

But I keep thinking that the best creativity happens when we are close to nature. And I also remember Woodstock, although this would be a much smaller and less celebrity driven undertaking.  So, I am getting out the spreadsheet and seeing how viable this venue might be for 2015.   

I do know this: the spirit of the land is amazing and it just felt good to meet people so grounded in what matters for the use of the land. On the way back, we drove past Aurora University.  It's beautiful and I understand they have a fine music school there that could be an asset to our project.  

So the search for the perfect home for Peace Journey Seven Paths songwriting camp and concert continues. Please leave a message if you know another location like Stonehouse Farm, a spiritual retreat,  or a venue that collectively cares about community and nature, in and around the Midwest and within 3 to 5 hours from Chicago that might work for us in 2015.  

I have no choice but to run down parallel paths looking for just the right home. And it's fun to explore all the options as this important decision will lead us to find what we hope will become a permanent and annual home for us to live, create and breath for peace.  

We are charting our next Peace Journey Adventure Trip 2016 to Peru where we will explore with high school students the amazing rain forest and indigenous people as we work on a deeper connection with the earth.  Stay tuned. 

Thank you. 
Jeannette Barcelos Kravitz
jkravitz@peacejourney.com

www.peacejourney.com

www.peacejourney.com/blogFull Blog

WBEZ Global Activism Student Youth Start Up Night at Lincoln Hall

September 4, 2014  Lincoln Hall Chicago Illinois
WBEZ Global Activism Student Start-Ups and a Night at Lincoln Hall

A few years ago, Global Activism Expo was hosted in a major venue in Chicago, but last year the decision was made to break this one-date Expo into a few events throughout the year focused on different subjects.  Last night,  Lincoln Hall hosted one of this years event where one-time students now young adults,  showcased their now successful projects for humanity. 

I like this new, smaller format for the Expo because it is not so overwhelming for the participants.  The night concluded with a discussion panel and beautiful music.

I especially liked the student project called MealSharing.com.  My husband and I just went to a movie titled "If I Stay" and in that film the key young woman character's family was bohemian, caring, loving to all and had family pot-luck dinners every Sunday for whoever wanted to stop by.  

The parents came out of the music industry too, so the dinners would turn into music jams.  I loved it.  MealSharing brings on that experience of community and I plan to get involved!  My work for school food taught me the importance of food and community, not to mention my family upbringing.

Another project I thought was doing a great job is BasicTransfer.com  Like Kiva, it gives back to women around the world and with 910 million being the number of women living in extreme poverty in the world, this money can pull women and children out of poverty. Basic Transfer is a for profit company.

And RainforestRescueCoalition.org empowering indigenous tribes and individuals in the Peruvian rainforest.  Adam Bauer-Goulden is the founder!  If I could only bottle his gentle nature and complete love and focus for what he is doing, we could raise enough money to solve this issue.  He is an inspiration.

Past Global Activism events saw 5,000 or more attendees, featured short films and speakers.  I am hoping as time goes on, WBEZ will be able to incorporate more and more visual mediums, panel discussions and continue to include beautiful music like last night.  

Thanks to everyone who came out and those who organized this event.  Please check out these companies and nonprofits.  Find something you love, and help these young people realize their goals for mankind if you can.

It was great to meet them all and more information can be found on the event at www.WBEZ,org

Global Activism features individuals with Chicago ties who want to make the world a better place. Listen live on Thursdays or subscribe to the Global Activism podcast. If you know someone to nominate for the series, fill out this form. Chicago Public Media (WBEZ) has not independently investigated any persons or organizations that appear on the Global Activism series and does not endorse any such person or organization.