News form the Neahtawanta Center

Our current projects can be divided into the following three main areas:

Education/Enrichment
We continue to maintain the Neahtawanta resource library containing over 40 periodicals which cover issues relating to peace, the environment and personal growth, as well as many books on these topics.

We are in the process of planning our workshop schedule for 1996, and will be expanding our program to include quite a few more workshops. Tentative workshops ideas include yoga, computer trainings, fasting, infant massage, macro-biotic cooking, men's and women's retreats, meditation and more. Watch for our brochure with the schedule in September.

On October 20-22, the Center is sponsoring a drumming workshop with Ubaka Hill. It will be held at the Twin Lakes Camp and Conference Center near Traverse City. For more details. . .

The Neahtawanta Center and the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council (NMEAC) are continuing their partnership and once again will be offering educational programs in Traverse City beginning in the fall.

The next issue of Synapse will focus on women's issues in conjunction with the U.N. Conference on Women to be held in Bejiing.

Community
We will be sponsoring or co-sponsoring several local events in the late summer and fall. On August 6, 1995, we will join with the other local peace groups to commemmorate the 50th anniversary of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombing. In addition to the annual candlefloat on the Boardman River, there will be an all-faiths service, potluck, program and walk,for details . . .

Because we feel it nurtures our spirits to gather and enjoy music together, we are once again bringing singer/songwriter Dean Stevens to the inn for a concert. He will be here on Sunday evening, October 1st. Dean sings songs of peace, love and struggle in English and Spanish. He is involved in ongoing work in El Salvador where he travels each year. If you have missed Dean in the past, make sure you catch him this time.

Bob is continuing his work with the Grand Traverse County Solid Waste Council and the Board of Public Works. Being a member of these boards has provided Bob with an opportunity for input into the local governments as they struggle with the complicated issues relating to solid waste, recycling and water.

Neahtawanta and NMEAC will hold a summer picnic at the Inn on Sunday, August 27, from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. This will be a chance to get together, share a meal, and find out the latest scoop on the local and regional environmental issues that we're working on. If you're a local resident, or if you're up visiting, please come out! Call the Inn for directions (616) 223-7315.

Communication

Bob Russell, co-director of the Neahtawanta Center, is continuing his work with the global computer network to help link activists around the world who are working on similar issues. The Center will be sponsering a local event to highlight how to use the Internet to connect to the U.N Conference on Women in the Bejiing. Watch for details.

He recently attended the national conference of the Alliance for Community Media in Boston, where he presented at 3 workshops, sat on a panel discussion and gave the keynote address about the importance of computer mediated communication ">computer mediated communication for organizations involved in community work.
This fall Bob will be offering a World-Wide Web publishing workshop for area non-profits.

Awards
Sally Van Vleck, co-director of the Neahtawanta Center, was givien the Clarence Kroupa Award by the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council at their annual Environmentalist of the Years Awards Dinner on April 21, 1995.

The Clarence Kroupa Award is given to recipients for a lifetime of dedication to environmental protection, sustained service, and quiet leadership, serving as a model for all in the Grand Traverse Community to follow.

Congratulations Sally!

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