To Sharifin Gardiner from Susilowati Davanzo de Urreola — July 2009

SD Chile Overview

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Regarding SD projects in Chile, we have had many. At first, some little projects like helping people of Subud Chile. There have also been some welfare actions to help elderly people outside our group when Aurora Cottin was SD chair in our country.

I took part in a meeting at a National Congress, where we wanted to do something outside Subud, for the first time in the field of Education. We wanted to give talks and attend to children whose parents were divorced. When we went to the National Education Office, they laughed and said that who knows if the kids would get worse with “our talks". Everything was in hands of psychologists. They told us that what they really needed was for us to work with the children in the field of theatre, art, etc. We had never done such things, but we faced the challenge, and they were enchanted. The teachers made an evaluation before and after the activities and they were amazed at results. For instance one boy who was an anti leader, very badly behaved, became a positive leader.
 
So that was The Prince and the Dragon a story with human values acted by kids who had previously behaved terribly at school: being either too timid or, aggressive, violent etc. Fifteen people from Subud went to Bellavista School, and worked there for 6 months, until the play was performed at the City Hall Cultural Centre. Now we have it in DVD AVI format, with professional audio. It was made in 1993.

In 1994 there came another play called The Prince with no Shadow. We have good audio version but we are working on it as the image does not match with the sound, a problem which we have not yet been able to solve. It was made with financial support from Mall Plaza Vespucio, for educational projects. It had good results.
 
And finally I obtained a prize for artistic career at the Cultural Centre of La Florida which I used as financial support for Vacuna Valórica. This play is partly acted by children from a high risk school and partly acted by puppets in a shadow theatre. It is a story of a princess who tries to search for wisdom and meets an old sage who guides her. The idea is that kids can hear some good advice once in a lifetime. They don’t often hear advice about simple human values in their families as they come from drug dealers, prisoners, robbers, etc. This last work was done with help from the Chilean-Indonesian Cultural Organisation together with Conace (the Government anti-Drugs office) and the Cultural Corporation of La Florida. There were 100 people participating: pupils, teachers and people from Subud and outside it, from 4 to 80 years.

After the Project ended, we went to the Chilean Ministry of Education to seek for approval. It was finally approved as material for discussions regarding Human Values at Schools (second cycle 11–13 years old principally). It is in DVD format AVI and last less than an hour.

Last year the City Library of La Florida in Santiago, Chile, asked Vacuna Valórica to be shown to pupils that came to the Library to be taught how to search for books. We showed it to 600 pupils in different classes. After they seen the video about the Library and how it works, they saw the movie. Afterwards there were forums with teachers, and spontaneous conversation regarding human values, also a clown gave them books and candies, etc. The Kids were delighted...

Well, this is a short account regarding activities in which I have participated. I also know there has been a long-standing help to children with cancer in the south of Chile. Toys and clothes, collected from amongst Subud members are often seen at our group.
 
I am coming to NZ. I will bring Vacuna Valórica and The Prince and the Dragon — the first one that has English subtitles.