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Many people in this world work for something that they believe is for the good. Others mostly talk about it Others again haven't even reached so far.. They more like to bitch about others not doing it as they think it should be done.

 

To the last poster:

I am certainly not against effective development work. But I would like to know how you measure the effectiveness of your "development work" in the third world. Do you have the breadth of knowledge and experience, and the depth of understanding of the cultures, the history and the political climate, and the close, RESPECTFUL commuication with the communities in the areas you are working, to know if you are really helping or ultimately hindering the progress of the peoples you are aspiring to serve? Are you doing what the communities you are working for TELL YOU need to be done, the things they want to have done (in other words, stepping back and allowing the people you are serving to be the empowering forces, you just help with the manpower), or are you just doing things you're assigned, that your leaders assume need to be done?

It is drilled into Tvind worker-bees to be extremely self-congratulatory. I don't see much basis for you to be congratulating yourselves.

I wonder what Tvind Alerters to for poor people in the 3rd world? Any concrete projects or are you just agains others doing something?

Please point out what it is on this site that you consider to be rubbish, and please explain why.

The way tvind alert operates in the first world, undermines the work of real informative and investigative homepages. Thats why tvindalert is rubbish.

The way tvind operates in the third world, undermines the work of real non-profit aid organisations. Thats why the tvind organisation is a problem.

 

Check out www.drh-movement.org

Go Tvind go!!!

To the last poster, Maybe you are somehow responsible for what happens in the teachers group. Maybe you truly believe in it. But your messages are incoherent and are garganised rubish. Maybe you have something interesting to say. But what you write I am afraid to say is giberish. I expect English is your second or third Language. I hape you continue to study the English Language until you are able to make yourself understood. Good luck with that... Anyway I believe you may have been studying the charter. This is not a good place to start if you want to Learn English As it isnt written very well. Best Wishes Comrade

To the last poster, I'm a bit confused. Are you talking about the members within the Teacher's Group? In terms of taking the brainwashing about the outside world being the enemy? Sounds like Tvind to me.

Reading your great new story about Amdi, it seems you feel in victory. Just, what the hell are you fighting for? Your own paranoia?

I see a lot of people here, not knowing in any way what they are talking about, but being loud and louder. O yes, I know these kind of people, you can find them everywhere. Not even (hu)man enough to think for themselves, to take an own stand, but only taking what they are told. ("take your dailly brainwash by the public media, choose the original, you won't feel lonely, your neighbour is doing the same ...") How easy. Swimming with the mainstream, not looking left or right, never doubting. And at the hand there is an enemy, the pure evil. Put all your fears and anger onto him, he will bear it. How great and wonderful it must feel, always to be right. Is there only space in this world for what you can understand? What a poor place it would be ... And even less you know about Africa and all the countries Tvind is working in. O yes, I know them, like fishes in a swarm, I give a shit.

What I don't really get, are those who have been with and inside Tvind. But my guess is, they just had not the courage to go the way all up to the end, together with us. And I also guess, they know this somewhere deep inside, and that's it, what makes them write all these bitter evil stupid crap, that is spread across these pages.

But what. I have better things to do. Just, sometimes it is already hard enough. On the other hand, what shall man expect from a world such cruel and cold and wrong like we are living in, when he is turning away and starts working towards his dreams. Anyway. You will not stop us. Life is lost without hope. I'm on my way, greetinx.

Dear All almost everyone who joins the school or the teachers group, does so witht he best of intentions. And really wants to achieve something. Then they are defrauded and normally left resentfull and bitter. Please try to take this terrible abuse of young people and turn it to something positive. I know that several people have left and gone on to try to start an organisation on a sound ethical foundation. People still need help, and many young people need direction and a challenge. If you would be interested in doing something similar but ethically please leave messages here......

To our friend in Ireland: Your statement that "there's something very rotten at the core of this organisation," zapped me right back to a quote from my friend Tom (my American colleague, and fellow "Ake Pechan" from the Tvind school in Virginia) -- he always said of the Tvind organization... "the fish is rotting at the head." I guess it's a Turkish saying...by a Turk with a certain amount of cop... :)

By the way, I'd like to hear your story, too.

Marianna

and what, at all, do you know about poverty?? and the old soviet republic? you just talk without knowing what you say!

Why are there so many students from the old soviet republic at the travelling highschools in Denmark? If they really want to save the world, why don't they start out in their own countries? I know that tvind for many students from these countries is a one way ticket out of povertry, and mybee this is why they try so hard to defend tvind/ humana.

Well, if this long text made you praise God, then it has done something good. Even if it was not meant in this way. But maybe your Halleluja is not from the heart? Are you a believer?

To you who wrote that long pompous text about your goodness in the battle against the bad bad world... To you I would like to say: Halleluja!

Sigge

Twelve people have left CICD in Hull, England:

(following message refers)

Hi michael i was a bit rushed the outher day so i really did not say much. Fom what i see on Tvindalert you have heard it many times before such as bullying,idol threats,demorolizing and taking advantage of inocent peopel.(THE LIST GOES ON) One question that i have is, why are they still allowed to opperate in this country or anywere else for that matter. I shall pass on your email to all my friends so they can give you there account of things. I would say a lot more but it would be quicker wrighting a novel, compared with all the lies and secrets of HUMANA THE PEOPLE WHO SCREW PEOPLE

Well, these very long messages DO have substance and are not just propaganda. They DO answer a lot of questions about how the whole organisation started and also what people are doing today. But it seems as can be plainly seen throughout the whole guestbook, that TA's don't take these facts as they are, but put them away as propaganda, lies or whatsoever, just to start with that boring litanei again, like "o, TG is so terrible, o, they are so dangerous, o, they can say what they want, I don't belive it anyway, o, help I got brainwashed...." By the way...commercial-break: "I wash my brain daily with AMDI-Ultra! Because AMDI-Ultra washes cell-deep and does not damage the tissue...AMDI-Ultra, for ALL COLORS. Now at your drug store around the corner." Come on, guys! This is ridiculuos.And Amdi doesn't even like golf....

To the person from Ireland - please get in touch with Tvind Alert by email. It would be interesting to hear more.

This is a guestbook, but not the place for propaganda. We don't mind debate, but very long messages that are just propaganda will have to be deleted - there are plenty of DRH websites where you can find this.

Denmark Report 14-09-01

 

Good Morning to you all ! I trust that you are all well. Greetings from Palapye and my apologies for not emailing for so long. Things have been kind of hectic but will try and update you on what's been happening here.

The Special Forces here in the East Division could now be said to be truly up and running and complete in numbers. We are now nine people strong and once again we have a very international composition. We are made up as follows - myself from Scotland, Sumedha from Sri Lanka, Alice from Hong Kong, Alfred from Zambia, Charles and Raphael from Malawi, and Mosadi, Kubuya and Sanane (ex field officers from Phikwe) all native Botswana. Alice is still in Phikwe and the rest of us are based in Palapye for Scal;ing Up. The international contigent are staying in one house and the local contigent are in the process of finding a house also. After having been on my own here for about a month, living out of an old hotel, it is good to have the support of a large team to cope with the workload. We all are getting on well so far and hopefully that will continue !

Right now we are in the middle of a two week training period for the first new area in and around the village of Serowe (population approx. 34,000). We interviewed about 80 people last week who had qualified to attend an information meeting and selected 52 to take part in the training. I think we have achieved a good standard in the interviewing trying to select older people (minimum age 23 ) with work experience and who have gained Cambridge Form 5 or the equivalent of GCE O level grade. We have several more mature people over forty who already show good leadership and guidance qualities. Many people also have volunteer or HIV/Aids experience, having worked for the Home Based Care programme here or Peer Education groups. I am optimistic for the future with this particular group of potential field officers. They have been very keen and eager during the first week of theory/knowledge based training, listening attentively and not making too ! much noise !

The training this week has covered different areas each day. The first day was all about Humana People to People and the TCM programme itself. Then day two covered all the tasks and responsibilities of being a field officer and what they would actually be doing in the field. Day three covered HIV/Aids and general health related issues with Nicole (coming up from Gaborone) doing the courses on health. Day four was all about existing programmes in the country where we invited guest speakers to come and present both government and non government programmes - Tebelopele for voluntary testing facilities and the District Health Team for STD's, Home Based Care and PMTCT, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission. Today is about actions, planning and reporting and arrangements for next week. It has been a long hard week but hopefully worthwhile and productive.The candidates all wrote an evaluation of the course today so it will be interesting to ! hear their comments about their experiences during the week.

Tomorrow we all head north to Phikwe for a Troop meeting for the old and new field officers - the new recruits will be paired with an experienced field officer next week to learn all about the practical work in the field and what challenges they might face.

I cannot believe that I have been here for nearly 4 months now - time is passing so quickly. As my good friend Paul said to me, it has been an incredibly steep learning curve in so many ways. I think that I have learnt a lot about myself and other people - how they live their lives in a way that is totally different way from that which I know and have been lucky enough to lead. Have I enjoyed my time here ? My friend Kirsty asked me that after one of my previous reports because she felt I had not mentioned it anywhere. The simple answer is very much so as I enjoy meeting new people and learning new things all the time. At times I still have managed to get stressed out and annoyed with things not being totally the way I would want them but overall it is an amazing experience and one never to forget. We have had little or no time off but managed our first weekend away recently - the five of us who came here as a team went to the north of the! country to a camp in a wildlife reserve and then to the Sua Pans - a huge dried up salt lake. We spent the first night staying in bushmens huts and met with a traditional doctor in the local village. For the second night we drove through the reserve and onto the dried up salt lake and spent the night under the stars - sleeping out in the open on mattresses around a camp fire. Simply wonderful ! After we have completed setting up six new TCM areas in total around the country we have two weeks away from the areas. The first week is an investigation period where we are to study about the culture of Botswana and the link with the HIV/Aids epidemic. In the second week four of us are going travelling together around Botswana and trying to recharge our batteries !

We have just heard about the terrorist attack in the USA which sounds terrifying in its scale of devastation and loss of life. But I also have to say it seems so far away from what is happening here - very strange not to know exactly what is happening in the rest of the world however large it may or may not be.

I hope that whoever reads this is well and I look forward to hearing any news you may have.

 

 

With Love from Duncan

 

The humana clothes bins I see here in Ireland are making me increasingly anixous. Are they gaining a foothold here too? I experienced this organisation firsthand when I worked at one of their schools in Denmark nearly 10 years ago. I was berated for subcribing to a left wing international paper(um?) , suffered from sleep deprevation and was as the months dragged on increasing wary of the tvind operation. Anyone with a certain amount of cop on quickly realises that there is something rotten at the core of this organisation. Absolute power corrupting again. Tvind schools and organisations are NOT A HEALTHY PLACE TO BE for any young mind. Put at its very basic level this a money making engine for a few prevaliaged elite within the organisation in the guise of an humanitarian aid and development. These people really are not to be trusted with young minds. Im all in favour of alternative education, indeed I feel its vitally important to give children some choice as to the type of education they recieve but this is an alternative system that removes all chioce.

The DRH Movement - A Global School Network

 

 

in the Forefront of International Cooperation and Development

 

 

 

 

Globalization in a diverse world

We are daily confronted with the many aspects of globalization. Hardly anyone on the globe is left untouched by this development - for better or worse, be it the rural farmer in Zimbabwe, the high school student in Michigan or the manager of an international cooperation in London. Our lives as human beings on the planet are intertwined in a complex network that offers new challenges and holds many possibilities for humankind.

50 years ago the Universal Declaration of Human Right was signed. A status today, leaves us as human beings with much to be done in order to live out and practice its content. That is indeed a challenge facing humankind in this century. Actions to close the gap and create development will be on the human agenda for many years to come. Some might ask; "Is it worth while doing?" or limit their own share of the responsibility with an; "It is not my business".

This article is about a global school initiative that started more than 30 years ago and has answered both these statements loud and clear with a: "Yes, it is worth while starting" and "Yes, it is our business".

15 Traveling Folk High Schools in 4 continents work together as a movement in order to train ordinary people as Development Instructors who take part in development work in poor countries.

30 years of global activities

In 1970, the first Traveling Folk High School saw the light of day in Denmark, the homeland of the famous folk high school tradition. The school was initiated by a group of 8 teachers, who themselves had been traveling around the world throughout the sixties - a highly unusual behavior at the time.

During the first 10 years of existence, the school became a hit in Denmark and Scandinavia and thousands of young people attended courses with the purpose of traveling and getting to know our planet, meeting people, making friends and learning about their lives. More than 140 countries were visited and a distance traveled that equals that from the Earth to the Moon and back again over 100 times.

Teachers and students learnt extensively about the conditions of the many poor countries of the world. It was something of a personal revelation for most of them. Even if the television could and did show pictures of many new and unknown places in the world, they were not usual pictures. So the young travelers in, say Persia or India, in the seventies, were taken aback as almost every detail and no less the full picture came as a surprise, most often making a vast and not anticipated impression.

 

 

During the first 10 years every mode of travel was tried out - driving in old busses across Europe and Asia to India, sailing through Europe in small self-made river boats, flying to South America and hiking around, driving motorbikes across the USA, with dog sledges across the ice of Greenland, across the Soviet Union to China with the Trans-Siberian Railway, across the Sahara desert in 4-wheel drives, canoeing through the wilderness of Canada, tandem biking in the Caribbean, etc.

The classic travel took 9 months - 2 months preparations, 4 months traveling and 3 months information work. It took place in old busses rearranged for the purpose. They went from Denmark to India and back via the Middle East. Where they traveled, especially in far away countries, people were surprised. What did they come for? Only to ask and listen? To make friends and learn about life in other corners of the world? Bringing their house on the back like the snails, bringing musical instruments, always keen trying to understand, discuss, singing, meeting people and inviting them for tea? Indeed a stunning behavior!

 

 

The Traveling Folk High School developed its own pedagogical principles - here are some of them: "You must get close to what you want to learn about - the closer you get, the more you learn" - "Only Adam was alone in the world - the rest of us are here together" - "From one place you dont see far even with eyes on stalks - you must be mobile in order to learn much" - and "What you learn, you learn double by passing it on to others".

The sixties and seventies was a time were many people across the globe had started moving from a relatively local concept into a more global one. This was called forth in all developed countries by factors like economic growth, better education and the advent of the television. Many people in the rich part of the world discovered a reality - old but anyway not widely known and not at all in detail - of the vast inequalities between people all over the world. People began to realize that maybe this was also their business. The Traveling Folk High School did their share of adding puzzles to the picture.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lessons learnt were simple:

The globe is inhabited by human beings pretty much the same - some poor, some rich - some black, some white - some Buddhists, some Muslims.... - but all with a wish to live a good life, in peace, to make a living, get educated, have a good health, to raise children, to enjoy and endure, to make a difference and to change things for the better.

Possibilities and conditions were, however very different. In some places there were enough or more than enough. In other places even small changes had overwhelming effects and regardless how hard people worked, they were not able fundamentally to change their basic living conditions.

The constant confrontation with a world where the distance between rich and poor is huge and rapidly growing in spite of a global increase in the level of wealth, piled up a sincere wish to take action and to become part of the solution to this unworthy situation.

 

 

From Traveling to Participating - Seeing the Need and Taking Action

It was therefore a natural development to change from traveling and studying the situation in the world to becoming an active force in changing matters for the better. So from 1980 and onward the school program changed from traveling to participating.

It started in small scale - like bringing vitamin tablets to the children in a village in India; or stuff all the warm overcoats that could fit into the boot of the bus to bring to poor people in Eastern Turkey where the winter could take temperatures down below 40 degrees Celsius. It was packing agricultural seeds, donated by the local supermarket, in the rucksack and bringing them to farmers in rural Bolivia.... All initiatives that came spontaneously from meeting people in need and knowing that you yourself had so much and with the possibility to get hold of more.

It developed into longer periods of 1-2 months of stopping over in one place to participate in building a school, a kindergarten, a small workshop, .... with money or materials raised and brought from home.

In 1977, what today is the International Humana People to People Movement, was founded by some of the teachers from the Traveling Folk High School in order to create a practical instrument for fighting against the conditions of poverty, disease and distress and working to implement a better way for people to live on the planet in the future.

 

 

The Traveling Folk High Schools, that in the meantime had grown in numbers, initiated a cooperation with Humana People to People and since 1980, the schools have been engaged in development work around the world. In a cooperation, the schools and Humana People to People offer a possibility for ordinary people to take part in development projects in Africa, Asia or Central America. Over the past 20 years thousands of people of all ages and nationalities have taken this opportunity.

Today, 15 Traveling Folk High Schools have joined in a global Movement working hand in hand to develop education programs and to offer an opportunity for people to take active part in creating development. There are 5 schools in Denmark, 1 in Norway, 1 in England, 3 in the USA - and in the process of starting up are 1 in China, 1 in India, 1 in South Africa and 1 in the Caribbean.

Humana People to People has gone global as well and consists of 26 country associations running a total of 150 projects - money earning projects as well as development projects, the majority of the latter being in Africa south of Sahara. The projects fall within different lines of work, such as schools, child aid projects, tree planting and environment projects, HOPE and TCE (Total Control of the Epidemic), which both are projects to fight HIV/AIDS, fundraising projects, or refugee and relief aid.

 

 

The projects aim at building peoples capacity and skills in being able, through their own efforts, to create a better living. More than million people are directly involved in the projects and many more benefit from them.

 

 

From Solidarity Workers to Development Instructors

Since the first Solidarity Workers - as they were initially called - came to rural areas in Africa, put up their camp and started to work along with the people, they have had a great significance. Alone their presence steered up matters in the communities. In the beginning, the peasants flocked to the building site, attracted by the rumors of these strange white people working. But very soon the Solidarity Workers were taken into the hearts of these poor peasants and have remained there ever since. Slowly the people realized that Solidarity Workers did not practice charity or expect any gratitude for their actions - but they simply wished to be regarded as ordinary fellow humans, who put their energy into creating development where it was lacking and expected them to do likewise. For natural reasons - for the sake of solidary humanism - and for the same reasons that they would expect help, had their own house been on fire.

Many things have changed over the past 20 years - in the world and consequently also in the program of the Traveling Folk High Schools. With the birth of the new millennium Solidarity Workers became Development Instructors, reflecting the accumulated knowledge and experiences in how to create development.

The students attend the program as part of a team but will prepare for each their individual job to carry out at the project as a Development Instructor. Each Development Instructor gets a job in the line of work carried out by the organization Humana People to People. The projects themselves are long term projects with a permanent staff of local and international project leaders. The Development Instructors are a perpetual input of new energy that is of great value in the development because each contribution is part of an organized and continuos activity.

Development is a phenomenon of many faces and many places. It cannot be patented and there is not handed out a recipe at the entrance. Each Development Instructor must generate the courage to take an active part in finding answers and in joining the forces of development in the slums of the cities and in the villages in the rural areas where it happens. In the world of reality.

Education Stands its Value in Reality

Educators world wide are familiar with the gap between school and reality. Studies have proved that the most effective learning takes place when they are an integrated part of the reality.

To integrate education and reality gives the advantage of maintaining a social structure and guidance, and of assisting the process of transforming and adapting the skills and knowledge acquired into useful tools. It supports each individual to dare facing this very reality, that often leaves human beings powerless because one cannot act according to what one knows. However skillful the teachers are, regardless what learning books a school might use - it can never substitute the world as a classroom.

 

 

The Traveling Folk High Schools have always practiced a pedagogy where the school and the reality of the world are integrated and inseparable parts influencing each other in a dialectic process. The preparation course for Development Instructors has e.g. changed on average one time each year since the beginning. Each time taking learning from the field of practice which it was preparing for.

Integrating education and reality hold great challenges. The curriculum changes as the world changes and is a lively element in the education. The paths to walk are not nicely prepared and laid out - it takes effort, creativity, cooperation and work to move ahead. The obstacles are not always pedagogically planned, but will arrive in their own speed and demand to be dealt with, also at inappropriate times.

In reality it matters to fellow human beings what you do and what you dont - this can be disturbing and regarded as a pressure, but it is exactly here the seed to make a difference is placed. It is here the education and reality bring progress and satisfaction.

A bouquet of magnificent beauty and quality

Development Instructors are people between 18 and 60 years of age from all walks of life. People who normally would never take the initiative to become friends or socialize, but because they are all attracted by the possibility of doing good, mixed with a healthy portion of adventure and lust to see the world, they meet and to much of their own surprise, also get along fine.

 

 

Being 20 students in a team, there are sure to be at least 10 different nationalities. The annual flow of Development Instructors - which is around 600 - represents over 40 nations in the world. From developed and developing countries alike. The staff of teachers at each school are likewise a mixture of nationalities - from all continents. The common language is English - slightly adjusted to a reality where speakers of Chinese, Danish, Shona, Portuguese, Hindi.... and many other languages first of all wish to understand one another.

 

 

The many nationalities are not an issue - (only when dealing with the many immigration papers needed in order to implement a global school program). In the daily life and work, national differences become a richness in the joint effort to learn more, to do more and to enjoy more.

Following the Danish folk high school tradition, anyone who wishes, can join the program. There are no entrance demands and no qualification papers in the end. The reality of the program speaks for itself. Anyone with the heart and will to make the effort is welcome. It is clear from the very beginning that this is not an invitation for an exotic and relaxing holiday - but a program where you have to work a lot - and the more you do, the more you get out of it.

 

 

Education is not something you get - but something you take!

Traveling Folk High Schools have for the past 6 years used a unique digital education system.

The whole content of the education is available to the students in the Schools Digital Library. The system is reflecting the basic philosophy of the schools: the student is at the center of the learning and the driving force in the learning process. Learning is both an individual and a collective affair. Education takes place with the point of departure in each individual and progresses in his/her speed and according to his/her talents, abilities and capacity. At the same time it enlightens the individual and promotes symbiotic cooperation.

 

 

The various elements - studies, courses and experiences release points when carried out and each student has a certain number of points to achieve during the course. This he/she will carefully plan, figure out and carry out.

This system releases much new energy - from the students because they have to be up on their toes and actively contribute to the program. From the teacher because he/she is no longer standing on the back of the student to teach and check, but can use his/her energy for instigating new developments, exciting courses and breathtaking experiences. While each student will care for his/her own individual progress in learning much in the subjects - the teacher can concentrate on opening new doors of knowledge, and building social and collective life and traditions.

It should be mentioned that this education system is worthless, unless there is plenty of quality content in the Schools Digital Library - the present database for Development Instructors comprises 2100 study tasks within 20 different subjects, around 500 courses and 200 life transforming experiences. The database is constantly renewed by both teachers and students.

Development Instructors - Pulling Together to Push Progress

Development Instructors are working hand in hand with local counterparts. They work mainly in southern Africa but also in Central America and India.

They take part in Child Aid Projects, where poor families are organized and educated in a three year program to improve basic living conditions.

They work in schools for street children and orphans as teachers and educators.

They work as organizers of tree planting programs and introducing environmental programs in rural schools.

They work with fundraising in the Partnership in Development program or by selling second hand clothes in order to earn money for new projects.

They work in the TCE (Total Control of the Epidemic) program in the struggle to take control of the horrible AIDS epidemic.

Each project is created in the meeting between the people in need and those who have something to contribute with. The foundation and purpose of each project is clear and easy for all to understand and relate to: - the desert is spreading, it must be stopped - the children have no school, lets make one - there are not enough teachers, lets educate some - AIDS is spreading in a furious pace, lets organize how to get it under control.... etc.

It sounds simple. And the art is to stay focused on this "very easy to understand" problem - to constantly pursue the goal - remove the obstacles on the way - attract more energy, ideas, creativity and funds in the pool to push progress. And what is very important - to have a rich life with satisfying results, good human relations, enjoyment and development, while doing so.

From taking part in the development work and getting close to the people at the projects, most Development Instructors get surprised of the size and urgency of taking action, and of the impact they themselves are able to make. They often return home with an almost desperate attitude of wanting to find the nearest mountain and shout to all the world to wake up and start doing something. There is no doubt that they are right in the sense that there is so much to do - and plenty of space and need for many more to take part.

 

 

Any Creation is of Collective Origin

The Traveling Folk High Schools teach the philosophy of Solidary Humanism. An important element here is how to understand life, being a human being.

One way is to understand life as a personal project, where the purpose is to make the best for yourself, no matter the cost. You can be well educated and know about the problems around you, but it is not your business. You might refer to your own shortcomings - what can I do? the problems are too big! I am no match! I have my own problems! etc. All of which is right according to the basic understanding of life being your private project.

Solidary Humanism understands life as a collective process, where human beings put our talents together in order to be able to achieve much higher levels of everything than we would be able to achieve as individuals. The Traveling Folk High Schools find that this process generates energy.

The problem is not all the poor people, but poverty itself. Poverty is not just a problem belonging to those who are poor, but a problem which humankind has and must pool all resources together to solve. There is no other way - poverty cannot be overcome without being defined as of joint concern.

Take AIDS - the epidemic has already claimed the lives of millions of people - left 12 million children orphaned and over 25 million people infected in Africa alone. The AIDS epidemic has already cut progress and development short by years and is a great threat to the future.

In the developed part of the world some are asking the question "Is it worth while doing?" - referring to years of development aid and no apparent change for the better. In the modern commercialized world things are measured in input-output. This is quite relevant, although the measure sticks must be carefully chosen when measuring development and progress in poor countries, where no one can even afford to think such a question.

It is not possible to get the disease under control unless each individual at risk or being infected and affected by HIV/AIDS takes charge themselves. Only the people can liberate themselves from this global threat through their attitudes and practice. At the same time, individuals are not able to take control of the disease without the active participation of the resourceful nations, institutions and people around the world.

It takes their collective effort to win the battle.

And the same applies vise versa - no matter how goodhearted or resourceful a nation or an institution is they cannot combat HIV/AIDS without the active participation of all the ordinary people. It takes their collective effort to win the battle.

There are many tasks world wide that cannot find a solution unless there is cooperation. 1 + 1 is much more than two. Meaning two forces pulling in the same direction do not only have the sum of the two. A totally new energy is generated, projecting back to the individuals. Life itself on the planet has used this symbiosis for billions of years to survive. Humankind must do likewise if we wish to survive.

In most countries there is conscription to a national army - voluntary or compulsory - in order to have a defense against threatening enemies. But who are the threatening enemies? When is poverty, illiteracy or AIDS declared as common enemies of humankind? What measure stick is used to determine matters? It can hardly be the number of people dying!

The Traveling Folk High Schools are an example of a global cooperation where many forces put their talents on top of each other in order to bend the course of history and get rid of some unworthy and inhuman conditions prevailing among us.

(DRH = in Danish - Den rejsende Hjskole = The Travelling Folk High School)

There are 15 DRH Schools

It seems to me that most people who join the TG are very insecure individuals that can only feel safe when others administer their money for them and tell them what to do.

In program intending sabotage :adrian

If you cannot discuss with someone who has got a different point of view, then don't! If you already have decided that you know how things are working, why bother asking other people who MIGHT have some more insight than you have? At least about this.

And I am tired of different people here on the site saying "sorry it didn't work out with you in TG"... As negativity of an ex-student, ex-Humanaer, ex-TG or whoever always would be because of the person himself who quit! As if people who are disappointed go to the newspapers because they feel they made a defeat and need blame somebody else than themselves. Come on! We are not stupid! There is no smoke without fire.

There are lots of things in my life that has not worked out as I would have wanted to. Some things I still might feel embarrassed about. But quitting TG does definitely not belong to those. And that's nothing to be sorry about...

 

Sigge

 

Well, that's points that cannot be discussed, since they are your personal opinions and feelings about how you felt in the TG, sorry that it didn't fit you.

But I question your statement that DNS is a mini TG, if you take the percentage of people joining the TG in DNS it's very few people joining. True that we do have common time and economym but the main purpose isn't to recruit to the TG, it's to educate good techers, then that the program is similar has nothing to do with recruiting to TG. If you want to join TG you can, noone demands it from you. DNS is a really good education, I'm not sure if you say that it's bad or what, I say it's the best education you can get anyway.

Jummo

"this what are you doing SLANDER !!! DO STH, DON'T WAISTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY FOR THIS SHIT GREETINGS WE WILL STILL GO ON MY PUPILS :O "

Actually, it kinda sounds like Amdi-speak to me, although I doubt that senile old bonehead would know how to make smileys...

Could anyone translate this into English for me? Thanx in advance:)

"this what are you doing SLANDER !!! DO STH, DON'T WAISTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY FOR THIS SHIT GREETINGS WE WILL STILL GO ON MY PUPILS :O "

Dear Jummo,

I agree in very much of what you write about the public school. It is (probably not only in Sweden) many times a retarded place where pupils get understimulated in many ways. Not enough funds, not enough teachers, not enough committed teachers... abuse in between children and youngsters. I don't know if I am that eager to put my children into the same public schools which I went through.

Yes, there are a lot of problems in the schools. This fact actually pushes the way for alternatives. Well, I think alternatives are a good thing. A bigger freedom to choose. Even for people who are not very well off.

In the beginning I was thinking like you...WOW what an atmosphere! I found buddies that also were against many unfair things in society. Both on local and global levels.

What I didn't realize actually until I left, after plenty of years in the TG, was that TG was not speking about freedom to choose either, but were very rigidly talking themselves warm about themselves! As an alternative TG is the only one when you are in TG. This thinking was growing in my head and was not like that in the beginning. In the end I didn't believe I could do anything as useful, I was not able to grow personally ouside TG. In a very suggestive way one gets to always relate to TG about everything.

DNS is a mini-TG, and the goal of the whole course is not to educate good teachers according to the broschure. The main goal is to bring up good and stabil TG-people. When you are ready with your DNS education, or maybe even before, it is not that a big step to even join TG, as you are used to common economy and time etc.

Keep your eyes open! I heard from people in the street and friends etc.. Well, I thought I did so. But there are a lot of unspoken rules and norms that are not discussed. Things are discussed in a certain way, and the fact that the people surrounding are nice, you make friends, you have done a lot of work and you really want this to be a good thing. You continue. Invest even more of yourself into this thing. I hope you won't be too old when you realize that it was a bubble, a dream, and everything wasn't as it looked like to be.

Sigge

 

 

Sigge

That Tvind is the only real soulution for troubled kids is something I haven't said. It's one solution, in many cases the best one, in other cases, not the best one.

From where I've got this idea is easy to tell, I was myself a very troubled kid when I went to school, in 7th grade I got thrown out of school and put in a company to work instead of going to school. Now several years later after I decided to go straight and get an education (industrial maintenace, engineering, robotics, pneumatics and hydrualics), I was looking for different alternatives, I wanted to become a teacher because the teachers I had in my public shool in Sweden was so bad, the whole system was so bad and that was what I was protesting against in school.. Anyway, after some searching I found DNS, and here I am. I see so many kids around here that are like I were in their age, the difference between them and me is that they have a supportive school, they don't have a school that puts them in a factory with the words "if you don't behave here's what you'll be spending your life doing", I've never heared a teacher here throw out a kid just because he points out that one of the facts the teacher says are wrong, I've never heared a teacher telling the whole school in the morning assembly that "that student isn't here, he's at the psychiatrist getting examed, because something must be wrong with his pscychology since he's so fucked up"

I can tell you many horror stories from my years in pubic school and I assure you, I didn't make them up.

What I see and experience here is teachers that are commited to help the kids, not so full of themselves so they blame the kids on all problems that occur instead of changing the methods they are using while *teaching*

Teacher group private economy I leave to someone else to discuss because I'm in DNS common economy, not TG common economy

Jummo

Its called the modern method

JOIN TVIND!!! :)

 

Who wouldn't want to travel the world in psycedelic old Danish school buses, educate the unwashed masses in the proper ideology, while giving away all your personal funds to an old Scandiwhovian multi-millionaire pervert living it up in Miami Beach?!

"On the platform of The Solidary Humanism in the line of fire. From man to mankind!!!!!"

(whatever the hell that means)

 

Wow!!! Surfing the web this afternoon, I decided to see what I might come up with if I entered "International School Ake Pecha' into Google.com. And lo and behold, here I landed, like Alice through the looking glass, once again, deja-vu. Astonishing... this group is still up to its old tricks? Still functioning in the US??? Still growing????? Cripes!!! This is really infuriating...

I am a former American employee of the International School Ake Pecha (circa 1984-85). I, along with another American teaching colleague hired at the same time -- both of us, I can say, were "liberal, but world-worn, fairly worldly-wise". Neither of us were the young starry-eyed revolutionary idealists our employers were used to dealing with.

My American colleague and I always wondered about the "holes" in the picture we were able to put together about ... Where all the money the Commonwealth of Virginia paid to house, feed, clothe and educate their students ("Our" children, American children, wards of the courts of Virginia), was going... Why the obsession with collecting donations: of books, of clothes, of food (some of which went to our students, some... who knows)... Why the shabby little cinder-block nursing home that served as school and dorm to our 26 students was never invested with adequate repair monies, leaving our kids to live in third-world conditions...Why so little actual care for our students, who were pretty much left to run wild by their burnt-out dorm captains (who were on call 24/7/30/365 -- sound familiar...?), most of whom were, frankly, too inexperienced, unskilled and immature to have been placed in the role of sole parent of up to 9 at least haywire, if not profoundly disturbed, pre-teens, teens and (violent)young adults.

We recognized the political bent, and had some sympathy for the idealism and the dedication of our Scandinavian peers, but there was something just really fishy about the whole thing from the top down. It was the money...It was the secretiveness (the main office was deemed out of bounds for my American colleague and I from the first week of our employment -- which made us just itch to get in there). It was the hostility toward us, when it became clear we were not interested in moving on campus or handing over our (grudgingly paid and always late) paychecks to the school. It was the wierdness and nervousness of the American "executive director," who eventually just disappeared without an explanation or a trace. It was the vehemence with which my students were "shooed" away from the Ake Pecha bus, freshly arrived from Massachusetts with a load of newly returned Danes (and what else, we always wondered?... on their way to Central America), to whom my students were simply extending a kindly welcome.

One of the things that rankles me to this day is that our kids could have benefitted greatly from the (generous) funds alloted monthly to the school for the care of each child -- these kids had already lost so much in their lives, and time was wasting for each one of them. It became very clear, very quickly to my American colleague and I that those dollars received by the school were not going provide services for our kids, but to feed somebody's pockets somewhere else in the world. We thought at the time -- I think we got the impression from our Scandinavian peers, who probably thought it themselves -- that they were scornfully sending "rich American dollars" to their schools in Zimbabwe, St. Johns, in the UK, Holland, (Thailand, I think?)... where it was needed so much more than it was needed by our students, who could do without, because, being American, they were, of course, so much "better off".

My American teaching colleague and I, within about three months being hired -- enough time to get the picture that the picture was not good -- with much deliberation, and with growing outrage, decided to go through channels to at least initiate an investigation of the school. The scarey thing about that process was that we didn't know who to contact who would listen to us... from what we could tell, the placement agencies had been ignoring all the problems, some of them MAJOR safety issues for the students that clearly indicated the school should have been closed (never mind the financial and political stuff). The clever Tvind people had made inroads -- and, for all we knew, had the full support of -- at least the Department of Mental Health and Retardation, Department of Social Services, Department of Education. (..There might have been another agency, too.. I remember five funding agencies.) The Department of Corrections had already ceased placing students there when it became clear to them that their students were at greater risk there than they might have been anywhere else -- I think they only had one student still placed there when the school was closed. My American colleague and I eventually met with the heads of the Departments of Mental Health/ Retardation, and Education. The gentleman from the Department of Education (Les Goode) was very concerned with what he heard, and it is my understanding that it was he who pushed for a thorough investigation.

The hearing was held in Richmond on May 21, 1985. Both my American colleague and I testified, along with social workers who had filed complaints or who had concerns, and some of our Scandinavian peers in their own "defense." The political and financial concerns were shied away from -- too embarrassing, probably, for the funding departments to approach -- in favor of the stacks of reports and complaints that had been on file with the separate agencies: security and safety infractions, neglect, students attacking other students, students being left behind a distance from the school when they became out of control. Separately, (tragically) these reports did not appear to amount to much, but combined the stack was impressively tall -- this was pointed out in the courtroom -- containing enough material to justify rescinding the school's license. After the hearing, we were thanked by one of the social workers (who had no doubt contributed to the pile of compliants, but had not for some reason been motivated to publicly question the depth of her personal pile). We were thanked for "having the courage to speak out."

When you go through something like this, you don't forget. We always wondered what the heck WAS going on at Ake Pecha. Several years after the school was closed my American colleague encountered a British teacher who worked for an American school in Denmark... The question was asked... "Say... have you ever heard of The People's Folk School... the school in Tvind?" The Brit visibly recoiled: "Why do you want to know?" "Because I had a bad experience working there, and I'm curious about how the school is thought of in Denmark." The Brit: "Oh, when people in Denmark hear of that school they cringe. They go making money off of everybody, starving their poor idealistic workers,working them to death, and the people on the top are driving around in Merceds and wearing Italian suits." Click! So it wasn't a Euro-communist/Maoist/revolutionary cell (whatever)...It was a scam, for the Commonwealth of Virginia, for our kids, even for our idealistic Scandinavian "peers." We were all "suckered."

And here on this website today I'm seeing confirmation of everything we'd pretty much put together without confirmation. Thanks! A long-standing mystery in the process of being solved.

I'll be certain to email this site to the woman who was our contact in the Virginia Attorney General's office, for her information...

One more thing that remains a mystery to me... in about November of 1984... something happened to the ship the Folk School was operating in the Atlantic -- My Scandinavian peers were on the phone to Denmark, walking through the halklway of my section, very upset. Everybody was speaking in Danish, hush-hush about it... I've always wondered, and was never able to find out... What happened to The Big Bear? Would somebody who's "out of the cult" be willing to share that story with me?

folkfreeatlast@angelfire.com

Can anyone tell me if that recent posting about ADEEC and the Maya Indians of Guatemala has anything remotely to do with Tvind/Planet Aid? Is ADEEC anything to do with Tvind? If not, it has to go. Michael

a lot of great informations about humana - www.humana.org :)

Sorry Jummo, I didn't realize you wanted me to answer your questions, as you answered them yourself. I don't know if it is because you want to know more or because you want to argue, but here you have my point of view:

Q: So you're saying that if you are a member of the TG you're not allowed to get a salary??

A: No, I am saying there is a common economy in TG. And the deal is to leave all salary you get and even all other things you own to TG. If you inherit money or land it goes to TG. Some 50 pounds you'll have for pocket money. Of course it is said that you can get as much as you want, but at the same tima you are supposed to live cheaply. If you are arguing for really a lot more than the others, there would be discussions. And nobody wants discussions about themselves... So before joining things are explained to you. It is not a surprise for the one involving oneself. Clothes you get from the Casablanca-factory, you dont have to worry about clothes, food or anything else private. Everything is common. But ALL is not explained. What happens with the part of the salary you give away? One can live with not having much, as long as you see the point of it. E.g.: There IS no money. But when there start to occur to you that some people in this hierarchical system live under totally different conditions than others (all are said to be comrades in the very same group, though), then I see no point no more.

Q: Don't I have the right to do with my private money as I please, as long as it doesn't break the law??

A: Of course you have! You can play bingo! Buy candy! You can buy cigarettes if you prefer, and let all your money burn away. And make Mr Marlboro-man richer. But the difference is, that there is a warning-text on the cigarette packages about what consequences you might have in your life if you smoke.

 

Q: Witchhunt, let Tvind do what they do best, development work and taking care of the young people in Denmark that the communes cannot handle. Where would these students go if Tvind was nonexistant??

A: Tvind is ONE alternative to troubled youth. And if the intentions of everyone in TG were as good as yours, there would be nothing more to say. Think of where you have heard all this about Tvind schools being the only real solution for the kids? Probably it was somebody IN the organisation claiming this.

Sigge

this what are you doing SLANDER !!! DO STH, DON'T WAISTE YOUR TIME AND MONEY FOR THIS SHIT GREETINGS WE WILL STILL GO ON MY PUPILS :O

VWhile the peace process in Guatemala continues to gather momentum and violence diminishes in the large cities, in the countryside Indian groups seeking to establish title to their communal lands still often encounter virulent opposition. Campaigns that use media slander instead of bullets, but nevertheless recall the intimidation of the 1980s, seem now the preferred approach.

The village of Tampur, in the Panzos Municipality of the northeastern department of Alta Verapaz, is the scene of one such incident. For several years now, the families of Tampur have been meeting in a full discussion process that has led to the communal building of a bridge and a school. This communal work strengthened in many of the families a deep sense of shared interest in their community, in the prosperity of their fields and forests and their future together as Kekchi Maya people with a common language, a common culture and, increasingly again, a common sense of spirituality and the future.

The elders of Tampur and the community-elected leadership have in recent years sought and achieved collaboration in projects with a Maya-based organization working in the region, ADEEC, which Indigenous people of Guatemala set up in the mid-1980s to seek assistance in community development efforts. Having had some acquaintance over the years with the work ADEEC (Association for Economic, Educational and Cultural Development), particularly in their partnership with the Tampur, I was surprised to read in Guatemala's national dailies about deadly conflicts occurring in that community. I had known of an intense land issue which the newly elected committee was addressing, but I was fully alarmed when a friend sent me clippings from one of the Guatemalan national newspapers that not only reported three dead, 16 wounded and houses burned, but actually named the leader of that village, Miguel Chun (don Meq), a man I have known over the years, as the perpetrator of the acts. Don Roderico Teni, director of ADEEC, and a noted speaker on cultural development, was also attacked for introducing an "agitating" NGO into the community.

Right: Mayan work group works collectively to achieve community development objectives. Photo: Courtesy of Jose Barreiro. Judging from the virulence and frequency of the media attacks, which began in October of last year, Teni surmised for me that a group of people who had been caught selling lands illegally were directing the campaign. They largely blamed the "foreign" NGO for the trouble, while also accusing and threatening the community leaders. "Radio Verapaz," the departmental radio station, broadcast the first report to that effect all over northern Guatemala in November. There followed immediately the report claiming the "three deaths, 16 wounded, burned houses, hundreds of refugees," that lent a dangerous tone to the shrillness of the attack while yet another radio report called for "security forces" to intervene.

Headlined articles with similar accusations began to appear next in national newspapers. ADEEC personnel and Tampur leaders were stunned to see the wildly accusatory articles that appeared in Prensa Libre (12/27/96) and Siglo XXI (12/28/96), the former reiterating the supposed three deaths and the latter announcing the arrest of four community leaders, including don Meq. An incident of miscommunication in November was mentioned, when the governor and the retired general (now a Deputy of the National Congress) were disarmed by local Tampur authorities when they were brought to the community by the ousted group under suspicious circumstances.

Suddenly, with the departmental governor, the deputy to the National Congress and the group from Tampur denouncing the "violent acts" committed in the village by the new "recalcitrant Indians," with Miguel Chun cited as "perpetrator" and Roderico Teni as "intellectual author," it appeared to the ADEEC team that their space to operate development projects and work directly with communities was closing. Severe danger lurked as for six weeks the press chorus blamed a "foreign NGO" for a community movement "that took the law into its own hands."

The journalists who filed these fabricated stories (no deaths were documented or even actually reported to police), Eduardo Sam Aldana and Ramiro Gonzalez, succeeded in throwing the community into alert and forcing don Meq and the professional staff of ADEEC, all dismayed by the magnitude of the lies and accusations, to respond as quickly and as forcefully as possible. Nevertheless, before it was over, numerous articles, some clearly libelous and likely paid for, had appeared in several national Guatemalan dailies. These painted the "indigenas" of Tampur as a violent and rebellious lot, prone to committing criminal acts that would require "the intervention of security forces."

Fortunately for ADEEC, don Meq and the families of Tampur, their moment of tension occurs in 1996-1997, as the national political climate of Guatemala shifts toward a peaceful resolution of conflicts. Their story, which I and many other international friends had witnessed over the years, already had a degree of exposure. And they have a tenacious and capable alliance of people who understand their work. Thus a stream of depositions, press releases and invitations to journalists, lawyers and judges, the governor and several national agencies went out to respond to the public charges, and a small community that has united to achieve a self-determined development reality was able to fight back in the public eye.

"Most everything in the stories was a planted calumny," Teni recounted. "In fact, we had worked for weeks to counsel peaceful and legal resolution to the conflicts over the land. The community leaders invited many groups and people to an open forum, where the reality of the case could be heard."

"We are peaceful, hard-working people of the land," don Meq's deposition read. "All we want is fair distribution and preservation of our communal lands."

As in all Indian communities in Guatemala, complaints of illegal land sales and growing cases of complete dispossession of community member families from their working lands, had created hardship and hostility in Tampur. When intense participatory discussion surfaced as the community worked together on the ADEEC-sponsored bridge and school building, it led to an open call by the families for more information and education on their legal rights. The elders and leaders of Tampur dusted off the community's legality and title, granted by an agency of the national government in the 1970s, defining Tampur as a Collective Agrarian Patrimony in the names of some 210 family heads. As the community became more exactingly aware how lands had been sold, and by whom, and as the group in power resisted, the community consensus called for large informational meetings.

The present political opening in Guatemala facilitates legal information to communities that seek it vigorously and soon Tampur had held full assemblies of all its membership, held elections on a new village committee, and in 1995, elected its new president (don Miguel Chun) and, with this new committee in place, called on the assistance of legal professionals to sort out twenty years of transactions that had reduced their lands.

The problem lined up like this: about 15 men representing as many families--the core group of descendants of a German immigrant in the largely Kekchi region--had moved into position within Tampur by the 1970s and appropriated the village committee and its power as a personal patrimony over the rest of the community. These few, who are clearly identifiable in the obvious ethnic reality of this Guatemalan Indian region, had exclusive access to Spanish language materials--as no one else in the village was literate enough in Spanish to read the documents-- and ingratiated itself to the repressive system--via connections with the now-disbanded military commissions and civil patrols and with some unscrupulous merchants in the nearby ladino trading center of la Tinta given to strong-arm methods.

As don Meq, an alert and well-respected village cacique (chief), who even now speaks only Kekchi (although he accompanies himself with a couple of Spanish speaking community members), began to press for a new measurement of the community lands and to re-enfranchise excluded member families to their proper planting and wood gathering areas, the group of fifteen (voted out of power unanimously by the other 200 families) responded with the virulence and aggression systematized in Guatemala over so many years. As cases of illegal land sales emerged in the documentation and testimony, the pervasive system of "violence as an option" resurfaced.

It began with the openly bought press misinformation and intimidation and went on to produce midnight phone calls to the ADEEC office threatening death to its director, don Roderico Teni. Teni, a Kekchi man with impressive professional accomplishments and a deeply rooted background in the traditional village culture, responded with well-reasoned letters to the media that described the work of ADEEC.

As threats and counterthreats escalated in the community, don Meq generally cooled the hotter heads, but as the individuals earlier ousted from office occasioned some beatings of people after a bout of drunkenness, the community prevailed on don Meq to close a family-run speak-easy where the incident occurred. Almost the whole community turned out. A litany of incidents, from the slashing of whole cornfields to the vandalism of tree nurseries, compounded the hostilities to the point that the accused families left Tampur and took refuge in the Catholic church in the nearby town of la Tinta. There, the local priest called for collections to feed "over 800 refugees," nearly 20 times the actual number, bringing some needed humor to the case.

 

Left: Foot bridge into Mayan community opened outside access but not encroachment. Photo: Courtesy of Jose Barreiro.

Finally, on February 19, nearly one thousand people of Tampur hosted 200 representatives of government agencies, the media, local tribunals, as well as the governor of the department, Dr. Jorge Mendez Castaeda. At the huge meeting, the community consensus became transparent, documentation revealed the facts, and with a generous offer to reincorporate the families who had left, closure to the public confusion in the case, first introduced by the corrupt reporting, finally resolved the issue.

For ADEEC personnel and for the leadership of Tampur, the stressful season of recrimination has given way to new vistas. Tampur is in a unique cultural and geographic situation that could provide a regional, maybe a national Guatemalan Indian model of sustainable community development. As in many Indian villages of the region, the overwhelming majority of the families still work together in communal "tareas," or tasks, agreed to by the elders and community leaders. The strong family networks are supported by an indigenous Maya agricultural spiritual system, the "Calendario," their cropping of corn and beans and other species, their many uses of medicinal plants and their general cultural predilection for harmonizing with nature--all are factors that have responded positively to the rural sustainable village development method undertaken by ADEEC.

Throughout the department of Alta Verapaz, in north-central Guatemala, the Kekchi-speaking Mayas number approximately 400,000 people in nearly one thousand village-communities. The municipality of Panzos is home to some 50,000 Kekchi, 95 percent of which are village-dwelling corn farming people. Comprised of some 215 families, or about 1,200 people, Tampur is a leading village. Located along the southern shore of the Polochic River, it is the base community in a network of some 30 remote villages that extend south to the Sierra de Minas mountain range, in a watershed that runs east to Lake Izabal and the Caribbean coast.

During the comprehensive, day-long meeting on February 19, human rights and legal investigators determined, upon reviewing all the evidence, that in fact there had been a misinformation campaign and that the process of electing a new village committee, the actions of don Meq as its president--including the analysis of land tenancy in the village--were completely in order and according to law.

"The activity was a success," reported "Radio Verapaz," in the words of a government representative about the unique assembly session the representatives witnessed in Tampur, where over one thousand neighbors (the overwhelming majority of the village) laid out food and flooring of fresh pine boughs in the village square for the visitors. "A number of the families returned, reconciliation was achieved in many cases, and the community is obviously happy with itself, in a tranquil atmosphere, working the land."

"ADEEC, like any NGO," said the governor to the radio reporter, "has the right to conduct and manifest its work, in any situation."

"People were able to see that even when the legal framework is in place nationally, the real system that still operates in these villages easily turns against Indians," director Teni said. "Right now, we are coming out of a dark tunnel. But there is light ahead, the sun is ahead. The people of Tampur have made themselves heard."

A small step, perhaps, in a small river village called Tampur, but in Guatemala, among Mayans at least, all hope endures.

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Jos Barreiro is associate director of extension, American Indian Program at Cornell University.

check this out www.darknet.dk/~avatar/hexan/taliban.swf

Down with corrupt Charities nd CULTs bob

Down with corrupt Charities nd CULTs bob

After alot of consideration after reading this site I'm going to write to my MP. Organisations like this give Charities a bad name

Sigge, why are you avoiding answering on my questions to you??

 

Jummo

Why do Tvindies have to have Amdi, why don't they just create smaller groups amongst themselves. Can they do this? Or is the Tvind leadership too powerful? And has total control over the money?

To Sigge

Sorry that you are unhappy with TG, but that doesn not make everyone else a liar....

Sigge, yes I am in TG I have posted my email here before: less_thanaw@yahoo.com You sound like you have left recently, thats what I am about to do. I just wanted to talk to you about it.... L.

Comments on previous...

You are telling the TG-way is not an efficient way of earning money. No, but you are right, an out of ordinary way it sure is. I am surprised that you dont think it is not smart too.

So you lived on water and bread? Well, I am sorry but isnt that a little bit to exaggerate? And now you are playing golf, laying on the beach, mountain climbing, going to concerts and theatre while starting up schools and projects and TV-channels pfiuubusy life indeed. Somehow I dont know if youve identified yourself that strongly with TG that you dont even see a difference with yourself and the whole groupI mean, did YOU start OWC up???? While eating bread only? And now things are so much better that you can play golf too? I am sorry, but I dont believe you have played much golf at all! Oh, you might mean the whole TG and not only yourself?? Well, some people in TG ARE obviously playing golf. But if it is a person that once upon a time had connections with the schools I am not so sure of. And if you would think twice youd realize this thing you are writing is not really even half a truth.

I like living a good life as well. And I agree that the values you mentioned are not so bad: Working with other people and doing something worthwhile. Materially good standards and not so much worries about that I dont think many people have in this part of the world. Whether you are outside or inside TG. Unless you insist on dieting on bread and water of course. Something that in my opinion also is characterizing a good life: Honesty. And sorry, my friend, there is not much of that neither in your posting nor in TG.

I have a suggestion...why don't you have a common meeting with your pals and suggest a year or two off and you'll find out what I mean.

Sigge

 

 

Regarding "recruiting"

I would love to "recruit" many more people! There is plenty to do and more people needed!. I like it very much and believe many others would do so as well.

I am happy to hear that you call Humana a recruiting machine. Great!!!! That shows that it is something quite good and out of the ordnary going on there!! An obviously not something where people get exploited. I do not want be exploited and I certainly not consider myself being it.

I have a great time and an ocean of good friends and opportunities to work for something that I enjoy.

TG is great for me and I think that Humana and The Travelling folk highschools are achieving something good.

If TG would not have anything in their heart except earning money why go through all the hard work it is to establish Humana, Travelling Folkhigh schools, to start TCE up, build a One World TV channel and so on.....

It is not the most efficient way to earn money in this world. Not a very smart "business" is it??

That then, after many years of hard work we also decide that we do not want to live on water and bread any longer is that bad?????

I would like to live a good life. A god life i consider being: *Doing something worthwhile *Work together with other people *Having a material good life as well where i do not need to worry about my basic material needs. And just like many other people in this world do I appreciate relaxing inbetween. Enjoy a beach and a nice surrounding, playing golf, running, walk a mountain, go to a concert, theatre etc etc.

But there is a general understanding at this website that doing good does not equal with living good. No, the only way you can do good is to live on water and bread? Or to give all your own earnings to others, for example volunteers that have a big urge to join a Development Instructor program. i have done that for many years, by working without a salary, and do not want to do it anylonger

What about the "poor volunteers having to pay" at the Travelling Folkhighschools, you might ask? Plus that they need to fundraise!! Outrageous you might think? I do not think so. I think it is a great opportunity to learn, work and experience together with other people. Why should they not pay and fundraise? The money fundraised at most of the Travelling Folkhigh schools goes to the running of the schools. Where should the money come from?? They have to be sustainable. Able to make their economy ad up and balance.

Regardless if someone that once upon a time, that really do not have any ties or control over an activity at a Travelling Folkhigh school, would have a golf membership or not.

If anyone want to join the programs at one of the Travelling Folkhigh schools they have to consider if that is program that they want to do or not. It is a choice they individually has to make. I believe that it is a great opportunity for many people. I enjoyed it, i know many others that did.

So therefore I STRONGLY ADVICE YOU TO SERISOULY CONSIDER TO JOIN UP!!!!!!

Thanks for giving me the opportunity to recruit here!

Check out the websites www.drh-movement.org and www.humana.org

NB. As a TG member do you not give your monthly salary away. you CHOSE to put it together with others. One alone cant do as much as many together. I have never felt like Sigge saying she gave her money away.

 

 

 

 

Just to let you know 11 peopel have walked out of hull due to the way things were run at the school (eg poor diet, bullying,demorolizing,no time to think,no heating,pushing you to work long hours,threatening behaviour,taking away choice and fredom of speach.) The point im trying to make they lie to peopel to sighn them up with no questions,then make there life a living hell and still getting away with it.This scool must stop praying on inocent peopel therefore must be stoped.

I just received this today. A chilling read, certainly thought provoking, and it would be good to find out more about John Pilger's claims.

 

Inevitable Ring to the Unimaginable

By John Pilger

 

 

If the attacks on America have their source in the Islamic world, who can really be surprised?

Two days earlier, eight people were killed in southern Iraq when British and American planes bombed civilian areas. To my knowledge, not a word appeared in the mainstream media in Britain.

An estimated 200,000 Iraqis, according to the Health Education Trust in London, died during and in the immediate aftermath of the slaughter known as the Gulf War.

This was never news that touched public consciousness in the west.

At least a million civilians, half of them children, have since died in Iraq as a result of a medieval embargo imposed by the United States and Britain.

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Mujadeen, which gave birth to the fanatical Taliban, was largely the creation of the CIA.

The terrorist training camps where Osama bin Laden, now "America's most wanted man", allegedly planned his attacks, were built with American money and backing.

In Palestine, the enduring illegal occupation by Israel would have collapsed long ago were it not for US backing.

Far from being the terrorists of the world, the Islamic peoples have been its victims - principally the victims of US fundamentalism, whose power, in all its forms, military, strategic and economic, is the greatest source of terrorism on earth.

This fact is censored from the Western media, whose "coverage" at best minimises the culpability of imperial powers. Richard Falk, professor of international relations at Princeton, put it this way: "Western foreign policy is presented almost exclusively through a self-righteous, one-way legal/moral screen (with) positive images of Western values and innocence portrayed as threatened, validating a campaign of unrestricted political violence."

That Tony Blair, whose government sells lethal weapons to Israel and has sprayed Iraq and Yugoslavia with cluster bombs and depleted uranium and was the greatest arms supplier to the genocidists in Indonesia, can be taken seriously when he now speaks about the "shame" of the "new evil of mass terrorism" says much about the censorship of our collective sense of how the world is managed.

One of Blair's favourite words - "fatuous" - comes to mind. Alas, it is no comfort to the families of thousands of ordinary Americans who have died so terribly that the perpetrators of their suffering may be the product of Western policies. Did the American establishment believe that it could bankroll and manipulate events in the Middle East without cost to itself, or rather its own innocent people?

The attacks on Tuesday come at the end of a long history of betrayal of the Islamic and Arab peoples: the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the foundation of the state of Israel, four Arab-Israeli wars and 34 years of Israel's brutal occupation of an Arab nation: all, it seems, obliterated within hours by Tuesday's acts of awesome cruelty by those who say they represent the victims of the West's intervention in their homelands.

"America, which has never known modern war, now has her own terrible league table: perhaps as many as 20,000 victims."

 

As Robert Fisk points out, in the Middle East, people will grieve the loss of innocent life, but they will ask if the newspapers and television networks of the west ever devoted a fraction of the present coverage to the half-a-million dead children of Iraq, and the 17,500 civilians killed in Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon. The answer is no. There are deeper roots to the atrocities in the US, which made them almost inevitable.

It is not only the rage and grievance in the Middle East and south Asia. Since the end of the cold war, the US and its sidekicks, principally Britain, have exercised, flaunted, and abused their wealth and power while the divisions imposed on human beings by them and their agents have grown as never before.

An elite group of less than a billion people now take more than 80 per cent of the world's wealth.

In defence of this power and privilege, known by the euphemisms "free market" and "free trade", the injustices are legion: from the illegal blockade of Cuba, to the murderous arms trade, dominated by the US, to its trashing of basic environmental decencies, to the assault on fragile economies by institutions such as the World Trade Organisation that are little more than agents of the US Treasury and the European central banks, and the demands of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund in forcing the poorest nations to repay unrepayable debts; to a new US "Vietnam" in Colombia and the sabotage of peace talks between North and South Korea (in order to shore up North Korea's "rogue nation" status).

Western terror is part of the recent history of imperialism, a word that journalists dare not speak or write.

The expulsion of the population of Diego Darcia in the 1960s by the Wilson government received almost no press coverage.

 

Their homeland is now an American nuclear arms dump and base from which US bombers patrol the Middle East.

In Indonesia, in 1965/6, a million people were killed with the complicity of the US and British governments: the Americans supplying General Suharto with assassination lists, then ticking off names as people were killed.

"Getting British companies and the World Bank back in there was part of the deal", says Roland Challis, who was the BBC's south east Asia correspondent.

British behaviour in Malaya was no different from the American record in Vietnam, for which it proved inspirational: the withholding of food, villages turned into concentration camps and more than half a million people forcibly dispossessed.

In Vietnam, the dispossession, maiming and poisoning of an entire nation was apocalyptic, yet diminished in our memory by Hollywood movies and by what Edward Said rightly calls cultural imperialism.

In Operation Phoenix, in Vietnam, the CIA arranged the homicide of around 50,000 people. As official documents now reveal, this was the model for the terror in Chile that climaxed with the murder of the democratically elected leader Salvador Allende, and within 10 years, the crushing of Nicaragua.

All of it was lawless. The list is too long for this piece.

Now imperialism is being rehabilitated. American forces currently operate with impunity from bases in 50 countries.

"Full spectrum dominance" is Washington's clearly stated aim.

Read the documents of the US Space Command, which leaves us in no doubt.

In this country, the eager Blair government has embarked on four violent adventures, in pursuit of "British interests" (dressed up as "peacekeeping"), and which have little or no basis in international law: a record matched by no other British government for half a century.

What has this to do with this week's atrocities in America? If you travel among the impoverished majority of humanity, you understand that it has everything to do with it.

People are neither still, nor stupid. They see their independence compromised, their resources and land and the lives of their children taken away, and their accusing fingers increasingly point north: to the great enclaves of plunder and privilege. Inevitably, terror breeds terror and more fanaticism.

But how patient the oppressed have been.

It is only a few years ago that the Islamic fundamentalist groups, willing to blow themselves up in Israel and New York, were formed, and only after Israel and the US had rejected outright the hope of a Palestinian state, and justice for a people scarred by imperialism.

Their distant voices of rage are now heard; the daily horrors in faraway brutalised places have at last come home.

 

 

John Pilger is an award-winning journalist.

September 13, 2001

 

 

__________________________________________________

 

About the Amdi-picture!

I agree, it is not relevant if the picture is real or manipulated. In fact...Amdi looks like the picture. Maybe not that old, but still! One can recognize him from it.

Sigge

So you're saying that if you are a member of the TG you're not allowed to get a salary??

If I start up a company, I have to right to have a salary, even if the money from the salary comes from my own company, and if I sell products to the state, it doesn't matter.

Now I'm not equalising the schools with companys, but still it's the same; you're saying that as a techar you don't have the right to have a salary IF you decide to use the money commonly..

Don't I have the right to do with my private money as I please, as long as it doesn't break the law??

Witchhunt, let Tvind do what they do best, development work and taking care of the young people in Denmark that the communes cannot handle. Where would these students go if Tvind was nonexistant?? We had one boy who came from a (state) psychiatric centre, so full of drugs that he was like a zombie. The reasno for that was that they couldn't handle him, when he came here we called his doctor and asked if we could remove the drugs, and he said yes. so we did, the first night he smashed his room completely, second night he smashed all the windows on his building, after a while when he realised that we actually cared about him he started to settle down, we gave him some responsibilities like running the windmill during the night and he really liked that, now he's even started to study and get up in the mornings (except when he's running the windmill). There's more to the story but this was the short version.

There's a lot of "happy" stories about kids that now works fine, there's alot of "unhappy" stories too, but the absolute majority is positive ones.

 

 

Jummo

The list of Tvind companies on Tvind Alert has been revised and brought up to date - we have added details of an extra 20 or so from all kinds of countries including Kazakhstan, Rusia and west Africa. The total at the moment is: 114.

A lot of the new companies are in the USA, trading in used clothes. Look especially at U'SAgain, Garson & Shaw Inc, Gaia, CoMore bv.

There must be many, many hundreds more.

If anybody has information about these companies or the names and addresses and directorships of any others, anywhere, please pass the information on to Tvind Alert so we can publish it. Thanks

The picture of Amdi.

Tvind Alert has heard the picture is supposed to be from a credit card application

I do not read Danish, however, even I can see that there is something suspicious about this picture, as Ekstra Bladet reports. I am going to put a link to Ekstra Bladet's report so people can make up their own minds.

So - maybe some unscrupulous photographer in the USA who knows how much he'll earn has been tempted to make a lot of money, and maybe Jylland-Posten has been completely taken in. But it is only a picture - it doesn't matter what he looks like. He must look something like this. Let's forget this picture and get back to the main point - what is this man, whatever he looks like, doing living in luxury on a private tropical island off Miami??

The money Humana money is one thing. TG money another. Yes and no. There has been questions here on this page whether 3rd world projects is an efficient way of making money. Of course it is efficient! It is a recruiting-machine. There is a lot of people out there who want to "do good". Some of them go throwing bricks on the police when on demonstrations. Others want to "roll up their sleeves" as the TG-language says, and do some work.

The 3rd world projects has been an argument for some recent posters, who I presume being TG-members. It is obvious they think that they are doing some important work. This is a big point. Otherwise these people would not keep giving not only of their monthly salary, but of their daily time and the right of thinking freely.

Imagine what power this gives to a man like Amdi who without blinking uses this TG-peoples lives in the purpous of...WHAT? Projects?? There is of course money in the projects, but not that much. All TG-members are aware of that the TG money is not humana-money. Their salary goes to TG and they have to work more to get more money into the projects.

But you who wrote about RESULTS, you who asked about what we/I have accomplished in our lives (probably meaning you have a feeling that you've accomplished a lot)... Why don't you start thinkinig about WHY you put your money into Amdi's bucket? I mean, what are your real reasons? Are you really thinking you are not able to accomplish anything outside TG? Are you personally impressed by and trusting Amdi? Maybe he gave you once some good words on your way, a present, something that meant much to you...? Are you really thinking TG is something special, giving you possibilities that you wouldn't have otherwise? Well, the price is just so high. And I understand if you cannot see it now. It takes some time to get out of lies and selflies. The feeling of being fooled is not very pleasant.

So, if you want to avoid truth some more, work on. But stop dragging more peole into it. (Which you of course don't stop, as part of your work is recruiting, recruiting...)

sigh

Sigge

So "TG is a private group of people putting their earnings together....." Fine, but where does this money come from? Do they go out and work and earn money from Ford, Nokia, Eriksson, the town coucil, a corner shop? No, in most cases they work for Tvind. And where does Tvind get its money from? The public. That is at the heart of the big fallacy that TG people are clubbing together with 'their own' money. The money just goes around and around. It is other people's money, that Tvind has conned well-meaning citizens and charities and governments to hand over in the belief it is doing a humanitarian job.

Open your eyes, TG members. Come back to the real world. Common time, common money, common work, common delusion.

www.worldonline.dk/~dddc/amdi.pcx

Study the picture....

Check out this article (in Danish) by Ekstrabladet that says that the photo on a certain person that Tvindalert have pointed out as leader or Guru for the so called Tvind empire.

Criminal assistant and leader of the Danish Photograppical section at the National Police says that the picture has been manipulated.

The leader of the Animation department at the Danish films school tells the same.

Further do they explain that the picture is probably made out of 2,3 or more pictures.

Maybe you AntiTvind people are about getting desperate?? So many years of claiming that Tvind is evil, stealing money, brainwash, not doing a good work etc etc etc and there has been nothing that you can prove has been done illegal and more and more places you turn in the world. More and more people do you find appreciate the work done by people from the TG

 

The link http://www.eb.dk/VisArtikel.iasp?PageID=142714

 

 

 

 

 

TG is a private group of people putting their earnings together. it is their PRIVATE earnings and not Humanas. In the same way does not Humanas money belong to these private people, but to the organization and its purpose

To the previuous posting.

It is easy enough to say that "Humanas money does not go where it is supposed to".

But please think rationally. It is close to 200 projects run by Humana. It has been quite some critical eyes looking upon how the money is spent for many years, and they havent found anything that really is not as it should be. It IS many, many people that thinks Humana does a very good work.

Visit www.drh-movement.org and www.humana.org for more relevant information

Furter. If any of you ever donate to a Humana, to one of the Travelling Folk high schools can I tell you that it is safe. I have personally seen and worked at several projects and know many that have done the same and are satisfied with how it is run.

the one here telling that the donated money goes to some luxury places do not have a clue about what he is talking about

 

First, it is not clear that Humana is doing a good job in third world countries...there is no independent evaluation of the programs. The one thing that is clear, is that the same old problems are made over and over. Second, it matters what the TG is doing with its money comes from people who are donating to a charity in order to help people. If you are going to beg on the streets to help the third world and beg for free food and beg for free accomindations it seems that society has an interest in knowing what the money is going to.

Yes Humana has accomplished a lot....but living in luxury apartments is not what most people who donate think they are supporting.

Why is it so important to know what the TG is doing with their money? It their own business. Is it not much more interesting to know that Humana is really doing a good job in third world countries?

I suspect that quite some people in the UN organs are quite wealthy. But they do not put their salaries together, so they are not "criminal as Tvind".

When many people put their salaries together THAT THEY HAVE EARNT BY WORKING, can a lot be done. It also create reactions.

 

 

I think that this site is a proof of that people in the TG has achieved quite some remarcableble results.

A bunch of people, starting about 30 years ago put their money together to do something.

Today we see Humana,schools, private enterprizes, farms and many activities.

Great achievemnt!

Yes, how stupid of me. Despite the fact that the leader of the TG is living a luxurious lifestyle based on the donations to the 3rd world, we should just shut up and get to work like all good Tvind-ites......I guess it is better to accomplish the enrichment of a total bastard than to try and stop this abuse. Again, mea culpa I'm so sorry.

Don't you people have anything better to do with your lives then to complain about a group of people that aren't even concerned with yours. Come on, these people are doing something that they want to do and are doing it. How much in your life have you accomplished???????? Get a life and find something else to do then to complain about nothing.

I have no idea what criteria Agfund used to judge programs. From what I see from their webpage all it took was an application and there was little or no ground-checking. And we all know that the TG are experts in propaganda about themselves.

In terms why doesn't the TG do something else...well they do. Clearcutting lumber in Brazil and growing bananas in Belize. Also they also seem to embemzle money from their aid projects. Perhaps not the most effecient way to make money but it works. I for one would support the TG dropping the pretense of "good work" and they becoming full capitalists...at least then they would make their volunteers cynical.

Who are you asking? Somebody from TG trying to calculate out who I am? You will find out sooner or later anyway. Don't worry. Or was it of some other reason? Why do you think I will answer an anonumous poster? You tell me who you are first. Sigge

Hey Sigge. How long have you been in TG and when you left?

YES there are results. YES some people are doing good. But please, please TG-people STOP focusing only on your results. Stop rationalizing stop defending yourselves. Stop hiding the fact that there is a hidden curriculum! I know that you are aware of it. I was! But I defended it to be necessary. I thought TG was ahead of it's time, misunderstood by media etc. (still I find many of Tvind-related articles mostly ridiculous and not targeting the real problems). I hid things from students and I hid facts from those TG members that were better not to know this or that "yet". They might be new members and react in a wrong way to certain things. I never talked about Amdi to anybody. We just didn't talk about him. that meant my thoughts about him were my personal thoughts. I thought he was a fantastic man. Sure everybody else thought so as well. But as we never or seldom commented anything there was no risk for bad talk among us either. I knew he was the boss. Was it what I talked about when an outsider questioned? No. In order to let him keep the power I needed to think of him as a "good" leader. As a good example. I was listening to stories told about how fantastic he was and how hardworking, thoughtful... But never mentioned this to students. Isn't this double moral, dear old TG-friends? YES most of you are working like hell and doing a damn good work. Some of you are really clever and talented, some of you are oppressed. But please...there are so many good things one can do outside TG! I mean you act like people in a bad marriage, defending it until the last blooddrop. I don't feel any guilt of divorcing TG anymore. I am SO happy!

Sigge

I must admit I always expected to find Amdi living it up but what a absolute bastard, all that bullshit he was coming out with all those years. How many people he has conned I wonder what he really thought about the people in his organisation collecting money on the streets. Its a betrayal on a collossal scale.

I guess the AGFUND looked at the RESULTS of the TCE projects - and that's why they decided to give them the prize.

Look at the RESULTS people - and please think about it. How is it possible for HUMANA to pull off so many projects, and to develop more and more, if the money that is collected for it in the West doesn't end up where it is supposed to be?

IF the TG only wanted to make money, why would they choose to do it in such a difficult way - ripping of charities or running schools that doesn't receive any government funding. I know these TGs (or at least some of them). Most of them are dead smart and could earn big salaries in business. If amassing wealth was the only thing the TG was about - why do they bother with troublemaking youth or projects in really awkward places in the world?

I read the message ending with "Thanks for reading", and got terribly irritated. Who are you to talk about diversity? About visions? About pointing fingers at sbd else? Who are you to tell about doing good? How can you be so sure of that you (whoever in TG you are and wherever you are placed) actually ARE doing good? Yes, you can vomit even more from your statistics ripped out from "State of the world's children reports" etc showing the situation of the third world. I agree, it is terrible. But that is just a curtain covering up for what you really do...Why are you NOT telling about the endless teacher's meetings where you discuss all participant's? About the aim of all later joining the teacher's group? About the need of "upbringing" of the participants you mostly forget are adults? Your words about UN's good work blablabla is just a coward way of trying to justify your own work. Why don't you write about what you REALLY think about UN? Why don't you write what TG thinks about UN or all other organisations that are not TGs? I mean, as far as I know Amdi doesn't give a shit of people outside TG. Neither was his words about UN really uplifting as far as I can remember. What I really dislike about you TG-people is the way of deciding some things being TG-talk, some other things the things you tell to people "outside". The sort of talk that is on your leaflets, broschures, lectures, web-pages, etc. It is called propaganda. You might fool some people with your bullshit about visions, you sure don't fool me no more. How come you still haven't woke up? Too many invested years of your life to your "vision"? Count the hours you have spent on the streets begging for money! I spent alltogether NINE months on the streets. I collected around 20 000 alltogether! If that would have been for instance to Joao and Fernando and all other decent poor people in Angola, but... GOLF CLUB-memberships...Damn Amdi and Kirsten, I really thought you were nice, gorgeous people, I really looked up to you once...Now I really am angry and I hope that they'll get you and make you pay! And you with the visions...why don't you just move on yourself and see what a lie you are living on! Whoever you are, what ever mountaintop you are living on...I feel sorry for you.

People believe what they want to believe. Alot of the tvindies are in the organisation because they reject alot of the pressures of everyday life. Tvind and the comradeship and support they recieve from their friends within the organisation makes up for alot. Its a shame that such a group of people ended up in such dire straights. Amdi started out as a left winger with Marxist tendencies and he ended up living with the rich on a private island. The same mugabe was a marxist lives in a Palace and drives round in a motorcade. I will have to think about this alot what I can say is I don't believe in Politics any more

I really wonder if this will change much for Tvind. First, members of the TG will likely just discount it as yet another attack from an unfriendly world. (You'd be amazed at how much rationalization people are capable of). Second, they will claim that Amdi is not really part of their organization and that his actions are not connected even though they are. Finally, they will enter that "lets just hunker down and work" mentality and ignore what is right in front of them.

I sincerely hope that people actually take the time to stop and think about what this means but I fear that they won't. If people don't want to face the truth they will find ways to avoid it and the TG are experts in pushing aside all evidence that contradicts their worldview.

 

 

 

It is to be hoped that the thousands of young people who have given their cash, time and effort to this dreadful organization will now be reimbursed. The police should mount an international hunt world wide for Petersens cash. It should all be redistributed to the donors with interest. Petersen himself should be brought to justice in the most uncivilised country in which Tvind has so called humanitarian projects. This man does not deserve any justice in for instance Denmark. That country would probably release him after a few years, anyway. He sould also be held responsible for all the suicides in his wake.

Hi all.

Tvindalert and Jyllands posten can write whatever. We just continue to do our work as good as we can.

 

 

What happens to the schools in Africa if Tvind really falls apart (as hopefully, it will)?

In my opinion, it would be diasterous for Angola, Mozambique and Zimbabwe if Tvind shuts its doors with noone there to pick up the pieces. I seem to have heard that Tvind controls something like 90% of the entire school system in Mozambique alone. In my opinion, after Amdi's properties have been sold and the Tvind teachers have been given their rightfully deserved compensations, the remainder of the money in the Flleseje fund should be put into a real fund that would then be administered by someone like the Danish government, the European Union or what have you. This fund would then provide for the continous funding of Tvind's African school systems, ensuring that ALL the raised money will finally go to its intended recipients.

Peter

(btw, I'm not a big fan of Amdi's buddy Mugabe either, but I don't think it would do much good to the plight of ordinary Zimbabweans to have any schools in their country close.)

Hmm, OK. Now that it's beginning to sink in, what have the pro-Tvind writers got to say about this? Tomas? Anna? You all seem to be keeping rather quiet....

I all fairness, I have to say that it must be a humbling experience to realise that one has been so cleverly and comprehensively duped. It seems that this really has been the most impressive piece of indoctrination. Amdi, and his close associates, deserve Oscars for their performances. They really seem to have pulled the wool over people's eyes, anyone who wanted to do some good in the world could be so easily taken in. That is the biggest tragedy of all this - shattered ideals.

 

Amdi Petersen is found in luxury hideaway

Mogens Amdi Petersen, the reclusive leader of the so-called 'aid charity' Tvind, has been located in a luxury private tropical island resort off Miami, according to the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten yesterday.

Petersen is said to have a $6 million penthouse apartment at Fisher Island, one of the most exclusive resorts in the world, used as a hideaway by top sportsmen and film stars. The apartment has marble floors, five bathrooms, a Jacuzzi, a steam shower and a fitness room and was bought for him by a Tvind company for $624,000 in 1991. Petersen is an enthusiastic member of the $100,000 Fisher Island golf club. In fact, Tvind rents two apartments - one for each of Petersen's two dogs.

The newspaper's coverage begins: "Mogens Amdi Petersen, leader of the Danish Tvind organisation, is hiding on a private tropical island, while earnings from companies in The Third World and Tvind-teacher salaries keep pouring into his coffers...."

Jyllands-Posten also publishes the first photograph of 62-year old Petersen since 1979.

Story in English with links at: http://www.tvindalert.org.uk (follow links to story) and in Danish at http://www.jp.dk

 

I just visited the Tvind school in Denmark and i must say i liked it very much. Everyone was very friendly and we had a great conferance about development in the third world. What Tvind stands for i something very good and if there would be no people like the tvindalert people in this world much more would be don for the thirld world. Go Tvind, go!

ALERT! Might wanna check www.jp.dk - they've found Amdi!

So Amdi hiding on Fisher island in luxury. I bet he doesn't wear Tvindie clothes doesn't sound like he has a common economy on a $100000 per year Golf club. What about buying a spare flat for his dog. With all you Tvindies sleeping on 2nd hand mattresses. Well better late than never to find out, you all have my sympathy

 

'- But that doesn't make supporting mass murdering dictatorships right, does it?"

No but you can not do "select pointing" either. label one then label all, else you simple say that it's okay as long as your big and can get away with it. By the way I have never seen anything saying Tvind support the Khmer Daeng?

Cheers

Chris

Hi strange smiley...

I think the haha guy was a little bit dramatic and actully I wouldn't be surpried if it was an anti tvinder who wrote it...

 

anyway.

Tvind equips all their schools with WORKING computers..." Since when do home built 386'ers qualify as working computers?! ;)

Most of the computers we have are actually >386, and considering that they all run on a terminal server (one or more servers/school) they go quite fast. we don't have the computers to play the latest games on, we use them to study on and they are not the fastest ones in the world, but they can be used.

Sometimes they don't work, the difference between us and the public shool is that we fix it ourselves, of course it might take longer time sometimes, but on the other hand, when we solve a problem together with the students we learn how to solve it, not how to look up the number to the closest computer repair guy and call it...

All the places I've been have had decent computers, some places have better ones and some worse, the schools with the best economy has of course the best computers too.

I don't see the "haha" guy say he supports the taliban anywhere, what he says, in quite rough words as I see it. "It's not enough evidence to last in a courtoom, but it's enough evidence to bomb an already completely bombed devastaded country further" these northern alliance are known for drug trafficing and general gangster behaviour, but It doesn't matter much who's on the "good" side or that the civil population suffers even further when America is fighting the terrorists... Quite fun considering that America were the ones putting the Talibans to power... How many "terrorists" have been caught since this "war on terror" started?

About brainwashing, maybe the "haha" guy belives that the entire danish system and media are against tvind...

I don't blame him... If Denmark is so democratic, how come that none of the articles we are writing in defence of the accusations being put against us gets published??

How come that when a person calls the danish embassy to ask about dns, he gets told that "Tvind has strong relationships with the scientology church and are a cult... etc" Can you show me the evidence to back that up, when an embassy makes that statement as a fact, they have to have evidence to support it, but since it's tvind it's about, no evidence is needed because everybody "knows" that tvind is bad.

About cult/sect..

Can you please provide me with your definition of cult or sect?

Money without money you can't do anything, if you have money you don't have to focus so much on money, when you don't have money you have to focus on money to be able not to focus on the money.

Some people feels that it's to much focus on the money and "hush hush hush" about where the money is going. Talk to the headmaster and get it clarified instead of going around getting your opinions from the people that "knows that the money is being sent straight to amdis bank account"

Face the problem, try to solve it, if you can't solve it, find an alternative solution.

Oh, by the way

How come the total amount of money in this country has increased, but the standard of living for more people has decreased. Does the welfare system work? take a look around you and see if it works as it should do. Where does the money go????

 

//Jimmy

But it is not so great when these wonderful, hard-working, idealistic young people are taken advantage of by a hard-core capitalist organisation that actually demands money off them just to be allowed to go out fundraising!! (finally found somewhere I could use your neat expression, Chris. It suits Tvind perfectly!) Volunteer for the Peace Corps, the Red Cross or almost ANY other charity organistaion instead of Tvind!

*<:-)

It is great that people from all place come together at a school in Denmark training for Africa!!!

Quite a unique opportunity

Danish Student: I agree with the previous poster. Get out and take as many of your fellow students with you as you can. Find a place to get back in balance with yourself again, a place in the real world, give yourself some time to think it all out (what was good, what was bad and what was ugly about what happened to you -- at some distance)... Then decide what was "shite" and what was truth about this site. Don't waste your energies, your time and your "fire"! Don't allow them to ruin you for the good work you could be doing in the world -- find some other way to help! There are other programs out there... why does it have to be this one you're stuck in ?-- If they're not living up to their side of the bargain, not giving you what they promised you they would, yet demanding that you give, give, give to their agenda, with nothing in return... why on earth would you give them another minute? ... Do you think it's going to get better? Hasn't happened yet... Hey, they've already got your money, chalk that up to a learning experience -- scam artists always say, "never give a sucker an even break." They don't care about the fact that you paid that in good faith...all they care about is that it's in their bank accounts ready to invest in some other scam... Get out!

 

Hi Danish Student!

Get out and take as many of your friends with you as you can! Good luck!

Here there student in Denmark.

*The money situation shouldn't be to difficult to find out. Ask the Principal to hold a presentation about it. *About the Chaos. I suggest you sit down and meet to find out how it could be improved and how your school could be better organized. *About not learning anything from your teacher. Try to define what it is the teacher should teach you and meet with him/her and the staff about that.

Many have been in the same situation as you. Some have chosen to quite, other have chosen to work together to make it into someting good.

I suggest that last and that you do not mix up the situation at your school with some people "crying" Brainwash, cult and cheating with money!

Im currently a student in one of the schools in Denmark. You have too much shite on your page but also too much truth. Im concidering jumping of because: The costs are extremly high and you can not get information about where the money goes...Money talks and is moore important to the drh than anything else...There is no organisation of the school, its a chaos...We clean, cook and clean and I learn nothing from my teachers and so on and so on...I really want to Africa and to help but the fire I had in me gets no fuel here only water...And about 80 % of the students agree on this. Maybe Ill write moore when I have quit...Soo many student and no fire left.

Hi Chris!

"...I have to agree that yes 20-30 stories does not make a majority..."

- I have personally never seen any figures relating to how many Tvind students are dissatisfied with their stays at the schools. In my own experience I know only 3 people that have been students at the schools, all of them hated it.

"...the US government has suported far more lethal and evil people than Tvind, even our dear Thai government financially supported the Khmer Rouge, right wing killers in the 70's and other less high profile groups..."

- But that doesn't make supporting mass murdering dictatorships right, does it?

"Denmark is (...) still a hard core Capitalist country."

- This one almost caused me to laugh out loud hysterically!;) Anyway, trust me on this: Denmark is anything BUT a hard core capitalist country! We have the highest taxes in the world, a completely unionized labour force and as you mention, a very comprehensive social welfare system.

yours, *<:-)

 

TVIND THREATENS COURT WITNESS (from jp) Tvind has launched a counterattack in the case against the so-called humanitarian trust. One crown witness, Hans la Cour is being threatened with legal proceedings, former members of the teachers group are pressured into signing declarations of support and critical statements made by Tommy Christensen have been brought before the National Council of Lawyers. more details in Danish at: http://www.jp.dk/dbp/internetavisen/indland/artikel&art_id=3533608

Hi Chris, This is a cheap shot but what the hell. :) So the foreign policy of US government is now the standard by which we should judge Tvind? I think you have finally found a topic that everyone can disagree with.....Cheers....Lars

Hi *<:-D

While "haha" does seem to be a bit derailed I have to agree that yes 20-30 stories does not make a majority. It makes a majority here as this site has a 100% bias towards only showing anything and everything it can show to be against Tvind regardless of whether such items are true or totally without proof.

"Tvind doesn't allow people to get married and have kids"...erm, sorry I'll debunk that now, the headteacher of DIE Tvind Bore and his wife Birgide had a baby girl while I was working there, I think their daughters name was Lisa...though I profess I can't remember for sure

The Danish government has always been against Tvind, has never liked the education system they devised nor their support for organizations such as SWAPO, ANC and so forth, nor it's general leanings towards communism. To have such a strong organization in ones back garden does tend to provoke a government to act. Seeing it from the governments point of view "Communist organization educating the Danish youth"...hmmmmm, as social welfare organized as Denmark is, it's still a hard core Capitilist country.

Interesting that you list governments that Tvind is said to have supported, the US government has suported far more lethal and evil people than Tvind, even our dear Thai government financially supported the Khmer Rouge, right wing killers in the 70's and other less high profile groups.

cheers

Chris

Oh, God, *<:), PLEASE don't wish all those soon-to-be deported TG bigwigs on all us innocents overseas! WE DON'T WANT THEM HERE! I sympathise,though, it's sort of like the issue of toxic waste...what to do with it.

Peace, love and rock&roll...and FREEEEDOMMMMM! Yesss.

Hippiechick

oops sorry, Pia Kjaergaard got twenty-some SEATS in parliament, not twenty-some % of the popular vote, (thank god!), I think she got something like 12% of the vote. *<:-)

hey haha

I am quite flattered that an actual real live Tvindie took time out of his busy schedule to respond to my post! Just have a couple of questions for you:

"...Tvind equips all their schools with WORKING computers..." Since when do home built 386'ers qualify as working computers?! ;)

"sounds a little bit like afghanistan where the "evidence" of the attack is was Bin Laden wouldn`t last long in a courtoom.. instead america declares war. " Well what do you know? A Tvindie who is pro-Taleban? Not that I'm surprised really... It is a quite natural progression from supporting Robert Mugabe, the Khmer Rouge and throwing a party for the late great North Korean dictator, Kim. Maybe you should actually go live with the some of these people for a while, I understand that they too are great champions of your versions of "democracy and freedom"

Oh yeah, you also seemed to mention that (I) am so brainwashed, maan That coming from a man who obviously believes that the racist Danish government is in a grand conspiracy with the entire Scandinavian media, with a bit of help from the French national assembly declaring Tvind a cult, all aimed at making little Amdi cry.

By the way, until Pia Kjaersgaard got 20-some percent of the votes a couple of weeks ago we actually in the very elite when it comes to being humainst. Just ask the UN, that shouldnt be tough, all your websites link to them anyway, implying that they somehow support your operations, right?

In a few years time, when good ole Jens, the sheriff of Holstebro or someone else shuts you guys down for good, you will stand there all alone, with all the important TG members in jail or hiding out overseas, watching all your ideals come crashing down around you and wonder where your youth and your life went. Do yourself a favour, get out now before its too late!

Yours, *<:-)

PS: Calling yourself hippies is truly an insult to hippies everywhere!!

beware of Aids! use a condom!

Fuck you danmark rulez

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