Brain Education Day Seminar
The first anniversary celebration of Brain Education Day, proclaimed by the mayor of New York City, was held Friday, January 8th, 2010 at the Museum of Arts and Design at 2 Columbus Circle in New York City. Around 100 guests gathered in the auditorium of the museum to support the common goal of IBREA and partners of “educating the world to realize the potential of the human brain.” Numerous IBREA projects were introduced including the Brain Education Online School, the Brain Test website, Brain Education in Schools, Brain World Magazine, Brain Education for UN Millennium Development Goals and the Earth Citizen Movement and the conference also featured special guest speakers from the United Nations community as well as professors and researchers from the fields of neurology, psychiatry and education.
The seminar began with information about Brain Education (BE), the International Brain Education Association Foundation (IBREA) and the highlights of goals and events from 2009. The master of ceremonies and IBREA Research Associate, Dr. Maryana Winston, presented an encouraging message on behalf of Dr. Ilchi Lee, the founder of Brain Education, expressing Dr. Lee’s appreciation to Mayor Bloomberg of New York City and to the Brain Education Day participants for making this day possible. The first special guest speaker was Dr. Marjorie Shiering, Professor of Education at Molloy College, who turned to BE for its doctrine of positivity. She expressed her passion for education and the hardships she experienced while teaching during the desegregation of schools in the South of the United States in the 1960s. Referring to her article from the second edition of Brain World Magazine, she discussed the overlooked importance of self-respect in relation to respect for others. As a “human in the act of being,” we all share the common purpose of making our lives the best they can be and Dr. Shiering believes it is possible to accomplish this through an effective educational method, like BE. Mr. Modest Mero, the Minister Plenipotentiary of the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations, gave a congratulatory message for BE Day along with his own experience of “walking taller and wiser” after his first encounter with Dr. Lee and BE at a conference at the United Nations in 2008.
Next, a video clip was presented from the recently released DVD of the Brain Arts Festival, an event that was held at Radio City Music Hall in August 2009, to give the audience a sample of the mind-body creations by Brain Artists through dance and music. Everyone was then asked to participate in a dance with YEHA, the Young Earth Human Alliance, to rejuvenate the circulation and concentration of the audience members – a common trend for BE presenters, who believe that positive energy is created by action and movement! The entire auditorium was filled with attentive yet relaxed participants who were ready for the suite of special lectures.
Ms. Katie Brisley Logue, a Brain Education Instructor, presented Brain Education Online, which was launched last October 19th, 2009. Ms. Brisley Logue’s very interactive presentation included an overview of the five steps of Brain Education along with a preview of an online course. The online school is in collaboration with the Global Cyber University in Korea, the University of Brain Education in Korea, the Brain Trainer Program, approved by the government of Korea and the Institute of Brain Education, approved by the Education Board of Arizona. For those leading busy lives who would like to learn more about BE or become a certified instructor, the informative lectures and interactive BE exercise videos are easily accessible – even in your pajamas!
In the same outreach effort, Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, Clinical Professor of Neurology at NYU, presented the Brain Test website, marking its official public launch. As brain testing technology today is only available to few, more specifically in developed countries, Dr. Goldberg found it essential to make these tests available worldwide, free of any linguistic or cultural barrier. Unique from the many other brain testing systems that exist, the Brain Test website plans to create local and global databases to give feedback of one’s neurological functioning ability, based on cumulative data. The goal is to create a system accessible and constant for individuals to determine their cognitive health. The set of tests included on the website are very easy to comprehend through visual instruction, lessening the need for language. The Brain Test website is currently in a developmental phase and a feedback page is available after each test is taken. It is free to join and comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Next, Dr. Hanifa Mezoui, President of the UN-ONG-IRENE Association, discussed the link between the UN Millennium Developmental Goals (UNDGs) and IBREA. Dr. Mezoui explained that health is at the heart of the eight UNDGs and how BE plays a positive role in each of them. The progress that has been made since the launching of the goals in 2008 has been tremendous, but not fast enough for their achievability. Hope for success by 2015 relies upon the political will, determination and collaboration of civil societies, governments and other institutions. Likewise, Dr. Winston went on to talk about IBREA’s presentation at the UN’s ECOSOC conference in Geneva that took place July 6th, 2008, titled “Promoting Mental Health in the Context of Global Public Health.” Dr. Winston also introduced the Brain Alliance Initiative, an assembly of individuals and organizations interested in current events and studies concerning the brain and brain awareness.
The following presentation was given by Mr. Dave Beal, the Coordinator for the Power Brain (PB) School in New York, an institution designed to increase the physical, social, cognitive and academic potential of young students. The PB program was formally placed in schools two and a half years ago and is currently in 76 schools in New York City and 330 schools all over the USA. The primary focus of the program is teacher training which currently involves more than 5,000 teachers in New York City and more than 10,000 in the USA. Mr. Beal explained that prior to his experience with BE, like many teachers, he had found himself becoming increasingly trapped in a cycle of stress and negativity. Through the PB teacher programs, Mr. Beal, as well as individual teachers and entire schools have greatly improved their teaching method, in turn creating a positive atmosphere for student growth. Mr. Beal shared the hopeful story of Mr. Jorge Perdomo, the principal of a “D” school (as graded by the Department of Education) in the Bronx, who completely transformed his staff and students by using BE. All staff took the Brain Education Teacher Workshop, consisting of the fundamentals of Brain Education, while Mr. Perdomo and three other teachers took the BE Leadership course. After four years, their school leaped to an “A” and the students and teachers were filled with positive energy. Posters with phrases like, “trust your brain,” “be responsible, be honest,” and “I can do it,” fill the hallways along with a TV at the entrance of the school with students doing BE exercises. Each year, two days are reserved for HSP activities and some of their students participate in the annual HSP Olympiads.
Communicating the potential of the brain requires making the latest developments in neurology and psychiatry widely available and understandable to the general public. This is the purpose of the Brain World Magazine. In only its second edition, Brain World has been distributed internationally and sold at stores like Barnes and Noble in New York City. The magazine is filled with simple, scientifically proven studies that can benefit anyone in daily life. If it were common knowledge to the average college student that sleep plays a major role in the consolidation of memories, we might see less all-nighters and higher exam scores. The audience gave a shy laugh when Mr. Andy Hunter, Editor in chief of Brain World, pointed out that generally, people think about their hair more than their brains on a daily basis. Brain World is a tool to bring the attention and interest of the general public to a more profound human feature, the brain.
Dr. Hae Ahm Kim, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Cornell University, spoke about the psychiatric perspectives of BE and the need for a shift in the treatment of mental illness and the development of the brain. The high demand for, and nature of, long-term therapy is not the most effective method, economically and practically, for increasing mental and emotional health. He discussed the concept of mentalization, which is the process of thinking combined with experience or action, or the ability to act in the way one intends. The following speaker, Dr. Carol Berman, Clinical Instructor in Psychiatry at NYU, contributed to the proposal of a shift in treatment because of the downward cycle of unending negative thoughts and how this can create a self-fulfilling prophecy for those with mental disorders like depression, manic-depression, schizophrenia and other anxiety disorders. Medication can help keep their disorder under control, with their lives “stable,” but that is not good enough. Dr. Berman expressed her excitement for BE and working with IBREA to develop better methods for treating mental disorders.
Ms. Janet Winston, the leader of the Earth Citizen Walk, was the final presenter. To celebrate the Earth Citizen Movement, a tri-state, 1.3 mile long family walk will be held next May 1st, 2010 at Rockland Lake State Park in New York. Last year, 130,000 Earth Citizens from all over the world participated in the Earth Citizen Movement, including around 3,900 Earth Citizens from the USA. IBREA received donations from Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom, of which the major portion was given to UNICEF. The goal for this year is to increase the population of Earth Citizens in the USA to 100,000 and to promote the Earth Citizen Movement all over the USA and Europe.
The YEHA members concluded Brain Education Day with the Brain Declaration, which outlines the basic philosophy of BE. Overall, the seminar was an opportunity to inform the general public of the many projects of IBREA and of the necessity of coming together to work toward a common goal. “By utilizing our Brains to the fullest, we can bring health, happiness and peace to all of humanity and to the earth.”