Church of Scientology Sponsors Red Ribbon Week Forum on Strategies to Reduce Drug Demand

Jesse Morrow, Social Reform Director of the Church of Scientology
National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., introduces those attending
the first annual anti-drug forum of the Truth About Drugs.

Honoring Red Ribbon Week and its message of prevention and education, The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. co-hosted the first annual anti-drug forum of the Foundation for a Drug-Free World on October 22.

Held in Chestnut Hall in the new National Affairs Office in Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, the forum focused on effective strategies to reduce the demand for illicit drugs. It was chaired by Jesse Morrow, Social Reform Director of the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office.

Red Ribbon week is a national drug prevention and education week, held in the last week of October each year to honor the memory of DEA agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was tortured and killed in 1985 by drug traffickers while working undercover in Mexico.    October is also National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, as designated in 2011 by President Obama.

The panel featured John Redman, Executive Director of Californians for Drug-Free Youth (CADFY), the group that created the first statewide Red Ribbon Week Campaign in 1985; Peggy Sapp, President of the National Family Partnership (NFP), the organization that initiated the first national Red Ribbon Week and sponsors the campaign; Courtney Bennett, Community Organizer for Wards 5 & 6 of the DC Prevention Center; and Imani Walker, Executive Director of the Rebecca Project for Human Rights.

The consequences of drug abuse affect everyone at all levels of society, whether or not they or their friends or families are directly involved. For example, drug abuse kills more than 37,000 Americans each year, more than the number of annual traffic fatalities. Teen deaths from drugs doubled in the first decade of this century. This year, the National Drug Control Policy Office reported that illicit drug use in America contributed to $193 billion in crime, heath-related costs and lost productivity.

In his presentation, Redman pointed out that much of the public discourse on legalization misrepresents the issue. He debunked myths that promote drugs as harmless, showing they are far more potent now than in the 1960s and 1970s.

Bennet’s presentation concerned synthetic marijuana, far stronger and more dangerous than marijuana. She covered its accessibility, the alarming effects of its use and its increased popularity among D.C. youth.

“Any successful drug prevention endeavor must include factual drug education at its base to empower individuals with the knowledge to decide for themselves,” said Morrow, “Once they have that knowledge, they make the right choice.”

The Church of Scientology National Affairs Office, opened Sept 12, 2012, at Fraser Mansion at Dupont Circle, was established to promote solutions to society’s greatest challenges. The historic building is configured to host a wide range of functions, from human rights symposiums and drug education workshops to panel discussions, press conferences and awards ceremonies.

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Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard wrote, “The planet has hit a barrier which prevents any widespread social progress—drugs and other biochemical substances. These can put people into a condition which not only prohibits and destroys physical health but which can prevent any stable advancement in mental or spiritual well-being.”

The Church of Scientology sponsors one of the world's largest nongovernmental drug education and prevention campaigns. It has been conclusively proven that when young people are provided with the truth about drugs—factual information on what drugs are and what they do—usage rates drop commensurately.

 
^{A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion}

Meet a Scientologist - Barbara Schneider's Happy Ending

Scientologist Barbara Schneider is a model, TV personality, paramedic, Scientology counselor and mother of four who didn’t anticipate how well things would turn out 18 years ago when things went wrong.  

Born and working as a paramedic in Lugano, Switzerland, in the early 1990s a failed relationship left her desperate to get away.

“I went to a travel agent and told him I needed a change,” she says. “I wanted to be someplace far away and on the sea.”

The next thing she knew, she was flying to Majorca with her 3-year-old son. Once there, she was paying a friend a visit at a hotel when a man directed her ‘right this way for the audition.’  She tried to tell him that was not why she was there, but he insisted, and she ended up being cast as co-host of a TV show.

Despite the change in scenery and an exciting new job, a year and a half later, Schneider was still suffering.

“My twin sister Elena could tell I was unhappy,” says Schneider. “She had been a Scientologist since we were 16 and she was convinced Scientology would help me.”

Agreeing to give it a try, she received some Scientology spiritual counseling and was amazed—the upset vanished.

Schneider relocated to Clearwater, Florida—the spiritual headquarters of the Scientology religion.  It was there that she met and married husband Roberto. 

A Scientology auditor (religious counselor), she credits the skills she has gained from her training for her success as a mother and in so many other aspects of her life.

“I don’t know how I would raise a family in the world today without what I’ve learned in Scientology,” she says.

She is tremendously proud of how self-reliant and responsible her children are.

“My kids have a very good life but they work hard for it,” she says.  “It’s not automatically—‘Oh, you’re 16 so here’s a car.’ They earn what they get by studying hard and doing well in school. Even with my little one who’s only four, she loves contributing to the family.  She helps me around the house.  We make it a game and she’s proud of what she does.”

Schneider’s commitment to helping others extends beyond the family.  A Scientology Volunteer Minister, she traveled to Port-au-Prince in January 2012 with her three sisters and several close friends to help in the wake of the Haiti earthquake. 

 “We are all mothers and the children there really touched our hearts,” she says. “We took on helping more than 100 children who were living on the streets, orphaned or separated from their parents. We built tents, turned an old school bus into a cafeteria, cooked and served their meals, arranged medical care, and tutored them.  Where possible, we helped them find their families.  My sisters stayed on for months and made sure the children would be cared for when they left.”

Involved with helping others since she was a child, Schneider finds being a Scientology auditor (counselor) enormously gratifying.

“What I like most is to touch someone’s life with a bit of magic—that’s what I really love to do,” she says, “to inspire them, bring out the best in them, so they can see solutions on their own and go ahead and resolve their problems and be happy.”

To meet more than 200 Scientologists and hear their stories, watch the “Meet a Scientologist” videos at www.Scientology.org. 

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The popular “Meet a Scientologist” profiles on the Church of Scientology International Video Channel at Scientology.org now total more than 200 broadcast-quality documentary videos featuring Scientologists from diverse locations and walks of life. The personal stories are told by Scientologists who are educators, teenagers, skydivers, a golf instructor, a hip-hop dancer, IT manager, stunt pilot, mothers, fathers, dentists, photographers, actors, musicians, fashion designers, engineers, students, business owners and more.

A digital pioneer and leader in the online religious community, in April 2008 the Church of Scientology became the first major religion to launch its own official YouTube Video Channel, with videos now viewed more than 7 million times.

^{A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion}

Bridge Publications Wins Top Honors in 2012 Premier Print Awards

Publisher of the works of L. Ron Hubbard acknowledged as industry leader

Bridge Publications Inc., publisher of the works of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard, has been awarded the “Benny Award” and seven certificates of merit in the 2012 Premier Print Awards. The publishing house won for the Basics Books and Lectures of L. Ron Hubbard in Chinese—the core Scientology Scripture comprising 18 books and 284 recorded lectures, and The L. Ron Hubbard Series—the 16-volume complete biographical encyclopedia of the life of L. Ron Hubbard. Both publications series were released in March 2012 in honor of the 101st anniversary of Mr. Hubbard's birth.

The Premier Print Benny Awards, hosted by Printing Industries of America, are the printing industry's oldest and largest worldwide graphic arts competition. Now in its 63rd year, the annual contest recognizes those responsible for the creation and production of superior print communications. First-place winners in each category of the competition receive the Benny Award, named after Benjamin Franklin.

The international contest promotes excellence in print communications and recognizes the highest-quality printed pieces in various categories. This year, more than 2,800 entries were received from printing and graphic arts firms from around the world.

The Basics Lectures of L. Ron Hubbard in Traditional Chinese received certificates of merit for “Foil Stamping and Embossing/Debossing;” “Special Innovation Awards—Printing;” and “Hard Cover Trade Books, Journals and Other Books;” and top honors for their innovative labels in the category “Labels and Wraps—Rolled products/pressure-sensitive.”

The L. Ron Hubbard Series received four certificates of merit: the entire series for “Digital Printing On Demand;” and “Hard Cover Trade Books, Journals and Other Books;” and the individual volumes L. Ron Hubbard: A Profile for “Foil Stamping and Embossing/Debossing;” and L. Ron Hubbard—Photographer: Writing with Light for “Art Books.”

Bridge Publications Inc. took home first place in another prestigious industry competition earlier this year, the Manufacturing Leadership 100 Awards, in the category of “New Workforce.” At the May 3 award ceremony, the accomplishment was described in these terms: “When Bridge Publications decided to move production of its book and CD products in-house, the size of its manufacturing staff suddenly expanded by ten times…. Bridge responded by developing an in-house training program which involves an apprenticeship, testing of staff knowledge, and on-the-job training. Bridge’s staff is now among the most proficient in the world, setting records for production volume.”

Bridge manufactures all Dianetics and Scientology audio lectures internationally and all books and course materials for the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania. In conjunction with New Era Publications, which provides the books and course materials for Europe and the United Kingdom, they have the capacity to print 600,000 books and 1 million compact discs a week, or 31 million books and 52 million CDs annually.

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Housed in a 276,000-square-foot facility in Los Angeles County, California, Bridge Publications and its sister organization New Era Publications in Copenhagen, Denmark, are two of the world's largest all-digital, print-on-demand facilities and are visited frequently by industry leaders as models of innovation and efficiency.


^{A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion}

Russian Scientologists Dedicated Month to Human Rights

In honor of the 10th anniversary of their annual Human Rights Marathon, Scientology Churches and Missions throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States have dedicated the entire month from July 5 to August 4 to human rights awareness activities.


Major events were staged in cities throughout the CIS. The month’s activities began July 5 in Kiev with the grand finale held Saturday, August 4 in St. Petersburg.

It began with a round table at the National Information Agency of Ukraine. Attorneys and civil servants participated alongside librarians and human rights activists including volunteers and staff of the Ukrainian Helsinki Union and the Kiev Science and Education Administration, a former deputy (MP) of the Supreme Rada, the Ukraine Parliament, and members of the press.

Next, a panel discussion with the interagency coordinating council responsible for law education in Kiev Oblast (province). Topics included standards in law education, creation of human rights educational TV and radio programs, and coordination of government and public human rights activities.

In city after city, including Perm, Ufa and Kharkov, volunteers erected a “Wall of Change” in the city center. Passersby symbolically wiped out human rights abuse, first by inscribing the wall with human rights violations and then erasing them, signifying individuals and groups working together to achieve human rights.

Malaya Konushennaya Street in the heart of St. Petersburg became “Human Rights Way,” with pedestrians adding their signatures and hand prints to long rolls of paper that paved the street, affirming their support of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The grand finale was a “Wall of Change” and a human rights concert. Singers, dancers and musicians entertained thousands in the heart of St. Petersburg as a musical representation of Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – freedom of expression.

Although the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights has existed for 63 years, many millions are trafficked into slavery, forced to live under oppressive regimes, or denied the freedom of assembly, speech or religion.

The dedicated work of Scientologists of the CIS in the field of human rights reflects their commitment to the vision of Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard who wrote, “Human rights must be made a fact, not an idealistic dream.”





^{A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion}

SCIENTOLOGY VOLUNTEER MINISTERS OF MEXICO COMPLETE SEARCH AND RESCUE TRAINING

A team of Scientology Volunteer Ministers returned to Mexico City this week after completing a rigorous course of training in disaster search and rescue in various locales around Mexico. The training was supervised by Los Topos, the renowned Mexican search and rescue team featured in a National Geographic documentary on the Japan tsunami of 2011, and other top professionals. The purpose: to leverage experience and expertise gained to direct the activities of the Scientology Volunteer Ministers Disaster Response in the worst possible disasters.

The Volunteer Ministers were inspired to participate in this month-long training program through their association with Los Topos. The alliance between the two groups began in Haiti, where they worked together to deal with the devastation after the January 2010 earthquake. Since then, Los Topos volunteers and executives have completed Volunteer Minister training at the National Church of Scientology of Mexico. And Los Topos carried out much of the training program the Volunteer Ministers have now completed.

But it was a personal experience in Colombia last year that brought home the urgency of carrying out a program like this.

“When we were in Colombia to help with the floods last year, I realized the importance of disaster prevention,” says Alejandro Del Llano, who directs the Scientology Volunteer Minister activities for Latin America. “We were evacuating buildings under the direction of CINAT—National Circle of Aide Technicians—the top disaster response team of Colombia and one of the best in Latin America. We found and evacuated an entire community of 6,000 residents, completing the operation just before a nearby mountain collapsed in a mudslide that buried the entire neighborhood. We saved thousands of lives. This experience brought home to us the urgency of gaining full competence in every possible disaster response skill.”

The Volunteer Ministers’ training began with a week-long hospital course in March 2012 in the classifying and handling of urgent medical situations. It included learning to recognize the levels of trauma and assessing priorities and the appropriate medical procedure to use for each. They trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), procedures for minor and major injuries, and the care of children, pregnant women and the elderly.

Next came training in civil protection for emergencies occurring inside buildings or other structures. This included organizing and executing evacuations, establishing safety zones and assessing the risks of a damaged building to those inside and the surrounding area.

The Scientology Volunteer Ministers then completed a course in underwater search and rescue where they learned to dive in rivers and at sea under extreme conditions including frigid temperatures, strong currents, and low or no visibility.

“We had to dive into waters where you literally could not see anything,” says del Llano. “We overcame our natural fears and are proud of the competence we gained, which makes it possible to help others in ways we were never able to do before.”

With these skills learned, they trained in initial assessments of disaster sites, including immediate care of victims and damage control—how to prevent loss of lives by spotting and evacuating dangerous zones or buildings likely to collapse.

Training in search and rescue under collapsed structures came next. This included analyzing the condition of structures, learning to penetrate and advance inside and underneath buildings, and tracking and extracting victims.

In a private hospital under the supervision of the emergency medical technician in charge of civil protection, they learned CPR, rapid diagnosis of external injuries, and how to transport and remove injured persons from confined spaces such as cars and rooms.

Part way through their training, the volunteers were invited to deploy as part of the civil defense unit to serve when more than 3 million converged for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI in the city of Silao in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Del Llano knows there is more to learn, but the training completed gives the team the immediate expertise needed to contend with the situations most likely to be dangerous in disaster zones.

“We have immersed ourselves in a previously unknown world of professional disaster response,” he says. “Coupled with our knowledge of the technology contained in theScientology Handbook, we are now able to perform an important service in times of disaster.”

For more information, visit the Scientology Volunteer Ministers website.

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The Scientology Volunteer Minister program was initiated by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard in 1976. There are now hundreds of thousands of people across 185 nations trained in the skills of a Volunteer Minister.

L. Ron Hubbard Day -- March 13

L. Ron Hubbard

“For nearly a quarter of a century, I have been engaged in the investigation of the fundamentals of life, the material universe and human behavior. Such an adventure leads one down many highways, through many byroads, into many back alleys of uncertainty, through many strata of life…” - L. Ron Hubbard

Such an adventure is also what ultimately ledL. Ron Hubbard to the founding of Dianetics and Scientology and thus, a route to previously unimagined spiritual heights. Among other landmark events of the journey: In July of 1952, L. Ron Hubbard became the first to scientifically isolate, measure and describe the human spirit, while objectively demonstrating spiritual potentials well in advance of scientific thought. Moreover, those potentials were found to be possessed by every human being and just as universally attainable. Thus developed his description of Scientology as accomplishing the goal of every great religion: Freeing the soul by wisdom.

All told, L. Ron Hubbard’s works on Dianetics and Scientology comprise the largest cohesive statement on the human mind and spirit—more than 5,000 writings and 3,000 recorded lectures. Contained therein are answers to life’s most profound mysteries: the enigma of existence, the riddle of death, the realization of states not even described in earlier literature. Also from these works come Scientology technologies to rear children, repair families, educate, organize and provide relief in times of illness or suffering.

So that all may avail themselves of these technologies, L. Ron Hubbard directed the rise ofScientology Churches all over the world and thus, the birth of a worldwide religion. It is a practical religion. It is applicable to every aspect of human existence and it is religion for the here and now. But at its core and within every Church of Scientology lies this enduring invitation from its Founder: “We are extending to you the precious gift of freedom and immortality—factually, honestly.”

A civilization without insanity, without criminals and without war, where the able can prosper and honest beings can have rights, and where man is free to rise to greater heights, are the aims of Scientology.~~~L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion