FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Josette Hendrix
Cell: 360.914.0391
Office: 360.321.2101
Email: josette@nwlanguageacademy.com
Fireside Chats: “Cultural Values – Cultural Wellness” with Stephan A. Schwartz
February 25th, 2012, 7:00pm
Location: Langley, on Whidbey Island
Humanity’s lack of understanding of and value for diversity is deadening our ability to regenerate vital social, ecological, and spiritual systems. NWLA’s new series, “Fireside Chats” is a forum on a human scale to engage around socially important issues central to our mission of helping people develop the capacity to thrive in a global community. Join us around the fireplace in the intimate, relaxed surroundings of the Cultural Center’s large sitting room, and engage with renowned international speakers, researchers, journalists, and travelers.
Stephan A. Schwartz will lead the inaugural Fireside Chat on the subject of “Cultural Values – Cultural Wellness,” on February 25th, 2012. The doors will open at 6:00pm for drinks and food provided by Whidbey Rice Catering. Those who wish to eat must reserve by February 23rd. Schwartz’s presentation and a question and answer session will follow from 7:00pm until 9:00pm, moderated by Dr. Craig Weiner of Transformational Dialogues.
Schwartz will discuss what he sees as the poor national wellness of the United States, and its roots in our ailing communities. His talk, and the discussion to follow will explore the question: if we accept that the United States is currently in a dispute over cultural values, how will the values under debate contribute to the greatest state of social wellness, beginning with the individual and growing to include the entire society, and why?
Stephan A. Schwartz is a Senior Fellow at the Samueli Institute for Brain, Mind and Healing, a research associate of the Cognitive Sciences Laboratory at the Laboratories for Fundamental Research, and a Fellow of the BIAL Foundation. He writes for the journal Explore and the Huffington Post, edits the web daily Schwartzreport.net, and is the author of four books, of which the most recent is Opening to the Infinite.
A donation on a sliding scale from $15-$25 is suggested at the door. All proceeds benefit Whidbey Island Nourishes and the NWLA Cultural Center scholarship fund.
Whidbey Island Nourishes (W.I.N.) is a non-profit organization devoted to preparing nutritious meals for those in need on South Whidbey, focusing on young people. With over 28.5% of the kids in South Whidbey’s school district, from K-12, needing help with consistent meals, W.I.N. is helping provide meals for non-school days as well as for those who don’t have a facility in which to cook a meal.
NWLA is a not-for-profit organization that makes it possible for residents of the local community to become residents of the larger, global community through the study of languages and cultural enrichment. NWLA’s scholarship fund provides tuition assistance to South Whidbey’s low-income children, allowing them to attend summer language camps and classes regardless of need.
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NWLA is a not for profit organization that makes it possible for residents of the local community to become residents of the larger, global community. Through the study of languages and cultural enrichment, we are preserving and honoring diversity while building bridges of understanding and appreciation between people of different cultures.
