AVI USA Donor Development Training
On Monday, February 10th, AVI USA held a Donor Development Training in Auroville. The training was designed for AVI USA’s partners & projects leaders in Auroville, to discuss, create and collaborate in developing strategies for connecting with new donors.
The meeting, hosted at SAIIER hall was hours long, filled with curiosity, enthusiasm and creative ideas. Almost 50 project leaders, as well as AVI USA’s Beam support team, were in attendance, ready with questions and expectations about what the session would bring.
Sunny’s Bras for Girls Project
It was with this certainty that I woke in early November, 2022 with the idea of collecting bras to take around the globe. Hear me out before you think me crazy…bras were on my mind for two reasons….
Matrimandir and I Premiere
Join us Saturday, April 8, 11:00am New York, 20:30pm Auroville, to watch three episodes of the Matrimandir and I series.
Filmmaker Serena Aurora and B William Sullivan, featured in the Matrimandir and I episode premiere, are joining us for an intro and discussion of the series
The Mother’s Anniversary
The Mother, Mirra Alfassa, 1878-1973, is the creative force behind the birth of Auroville. Every year, during the fourth week of February, Auroville celebrates two anniversaries. The Mother’s birth, February 21, and Auroville’s creation, February 28th.
Every Soul Is Unique
Every Soul Is Unique is a co-creative musical play, performed by 70 children from the Auroville area, including children from outreach programs and special needs school. Fakeera, the creator, was moved to use the interplay of art, personal healing and spontaneous expression in a manner that would be a joyful opportunity for the children’s growth, using the medium of performing arts to reflect their accomplishments back to the children.
Ruud Lohman, Auroville Pioneer and Author
Ruud Lohman is the author of Iniyan, the short story on which the film Iniyan is based on.
A Conversation with Camille, Founder of Sustainable Fashion Brand Tulita
Tulita officially opened in 2021 and it has since become clear that this is Camille’s calling. But for a time, Camille wasn’t so sure. She had considered returning to her job as an occupational therapist but the pandemic interfered in that plan.
President’s Letter
Here in the northeast corner of the USA, spring has fully arrived. The long silent freeze of winter has thawed, and birds and frogs celebrate the warmth with songs older than humanity. The Earth herself seems to exhale and open to receive the sun.
This past Tuesday was Earth Day. I’m still absorbing the reminder that Earth Day offers: that Earth is our Mother. It’s easy for me to forget that there is absolutely no separation between myself and the Earth.
The Yoga of Sight: Auroville’s AuroPerfect Vision
Aurosugan, founder of Aurokiya Eye Care, continues to expand his vision of what’s possible in the field of eye health. After connecting with the Sri Aurobindo Ashram’s School for Perfect Eyesight in Pondicherry, he found a natural alignment between their holistic approach and Auroville’s evolving eye care needs. This meeting of minds and methods inspired the creation of Auroville’s AuroPerfect Vision, now based at Bharat Nivas.
Wispers that Carry Thunder: Celebrating Her Vision in the World of Film
An interview with Auroville filmmaker Alessandra Silver and Miriam Belov, on the journey of The Owl-Eyed Guardian to the Womens’ Filmmaker Platform Herflix.
Sustaining Inspiration and Aspiration
Bringing your project’s mission to life day to day is hard work. Service work requires consistency, discipline, and perseverance. And fundraising easily becomes another thing to add to an already full time job. We will explore strategies for staying inspired, which also means finding fulfillment in your everyday work!”
Chennai Rotary Club Visits Auroville
At AVI USA, we cultivate institutional partnerships to support our project partners. Sometimes these partnerships involve sharing information and making connections, while other times they create opportunities for funding. One such partner is Rotary International, which has local clubs all over the world. In the past few years, we’ve been reaching out to Rotary clubs to build relationships and raise awareness of Auroville projects in the USA, India, and more recently, Ireland. In Denver,
Next Steps: Guiding Youth, One Step At A Time
Next Steps began in end of October as an official activity. Before that, the work had already started, as I was already meeting and advising Auroville high school students about their future plans before the official start of Next Steps.
So far, Next Steps includes college counseling services for Auroville high schools, internship placements, and helping the schools to fundraise. In the future, we want to help youth in a more broad sense, such as with entrepreneurship, financial support for education, empowering sports and physical education, in whichever way we can.
Vegan Forest Festival at Sadhana Forest
The Vegan Forest Festival, organized by Sadhana Forest, began in 2023, It was inspired by other vegan events around the world that were bringing the community together. Luke suggested it and we all loved the idea and went for it. We felt called to create something similar, but with a focus on sustainability, kindness to people, substance-free living, and gift culture, shared as a gift to everyone!
