Families and Children in Toronto Shambhala

June 13, 2010 by George_Free

Family group weekend

A message from the Steering Committee for Families and Children in Toronto Shambhala

“May the heart of our community be warmed by the laughter of children, energized by the passion of teenagers, inspired by the pure vision of young adults, enriched by the generosity of parents, strengthened by the discipline of adults, stabilized by the wisdom of the elders and altogether held and guided by the lineage.” – Family and Children Working Group, Shambhala

The Steering Committee for Families and Children in Toronto Shambhala is delighted to share with you our new structure and programming for the coming year, 2010-2011.

OVERVIEW

Parenting as Path: A week-night course will take place September/October for individuals interested in delving into the Shambhala Buddhist teachings as they relate to working with the path of parenting. This course will be followed by a one-day program. Teachers, topics, and dates to be announced in August.

Children’s Programming: New monthly children’s programs will take place January through May 2011 and will include programming for “Tigers” (age 0-4), “Lions and Garudas” (age 5-8), “Dragons” (age 9-12 and up). The classes will take place on Saturday mornings. A group planning day will take place in the fall; all are invited to come and contribute to the development of this program.

Community celebrations and Sangha Days: Children’s programming will be included in the Harvest of Peace event and other community celebrations. In addition, community building family outings will be organized throughout the year.

Children’s Day Performance: In November/December, children will be invited to join 2 or 3 sessions to plan and rehearse for the annual Children’s Day celebration.

The Steering Committee will be led this year by Victoria Hagens, Toronto sangha member and mother of Henry and Arthur. Victoria was raised in Boulder and Nova Scotia by Shambhalians Tom and Jacquie Bell, and she also serves on the Sakyong’s Council for Shambhala. The committee wishes to express appreciation on behalf of the entire community to Harald Dienes, who has led the committee for the past three years. Harald spearheaded the development of the Bodhi School program, and will continue to serve on the committee as a coordinator for Parenting as Path.

Committee members:

  • Victoria Hagens: chair
  • Jil Amadio: vice-chair and teacher
  • John Crone: database administrator and teacher
  • Harald Dienes: Parenting as Path
  • Wendy Baks: committee member
  • Shawna Campbell: committee member

We are currently recruiting additional teachers and coordinators for the fall/winter programming. If you are interested in joining the Steering Committee and/or working on any of the initiatives described for the coming year, please contact Victoria via [email protected].

We look forward to seeing you (and your children) in the fall!