Stress Free Community Campaign

Thousands of people joined the launch of a campaign for a Stress Free Violence Free Community at the San Jose Convention Center. The event was hosted by the Art of Living foundation. Officials from different local cities and counties were hosted at the event by the founder of the organization, Sri Sri Ravishankar. Congressman Mike Honda was also in attendance. Proclamations issued by a dozen Mayors also included a proclamation from the Mayor of Cupertino. Hundreds of citizens from the city of Cupertino also participated at the launch event.

Several smaller pre-launch events had been organized by the Foundation during the past two months, including a well attended symposium in Cupertino on Feb 24 on the topic of "Parents combating teen stress". This symposium drew parents together to discuss ways to combat teen stress. Five parent panelists related their own experience with teens, which set the stage for a healthy light-hearted discussion among the audience. PTA parent members attending the symposium from local high schools were inspired to investigate tools and programs such as the IAHV/YES! (Youth Empowerment Seminar) program that has benefitted students from a few other schools.

The Stress Free Violence Free Community campaign plans to identify a pressing issue in a neighborhood to bring together more citizens to a discussion. The role of stress in degrading the quality of citizens' lives and diminishing the strength of neighborhood connections will be a focus of these discussions. Coalition partners of the campaign will educate citizens about how unchecked build up of stress in a person's life can erupt in violence, for example, in a youth or in an intimate partner relationship. An idea of a "Stress Free and Violence Free Community" may appear to many to be a pipe dream in today's world but is certainly worth making a reality thourgh the participation of concerned citizens, officials and NGOs. 

One can find more information about the campaign at www.stressfreeviolencefree.org. Local media coverage from the launch of the event by ABC News, NBC News and San Jose Mercury News, Chinese/Indian newspapers can also be found at the campaign website.