Elli Weisbaum

by | Mar 3, 2003 | Grant Advisors

Elli Weisbaum grew up in the world of education and mindfulness, attending her first mindfulness retreat at the age of 10. In high-school she began creating and co-facilitating workshops with her mother for parents and at-risk youth that used mindfulness as a basis for personal transformation and conflict resolution.

She is currently completing a Master’s degree at York University’s Environmental Studies program, focused on cultivating mindfulness in education. She has also worked as a producer in the film industry, and has used her knowledge of film production to create several short documentary films exploring mindfulness as a secular education tool.

Over the past three years, Elli has toured with monastics in the tradition of Nobel Peace Prize nominee, scholar and internationally renowned Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh (a.k.a. the Plum Village Community), to bring mindfulness into schools and universities around the world. This work has included a tour of universities on the East Coast of the United States, a conference at the American School in London, organizing a program development intensive at the European Institute of Applied Buddhism in Germany, co-facilitating workshops in Bhutan, in coordination with the Gross National Happiness (GNH) Centre, along with one month of workshops for teachers, parents and students, at schools in New Delhi, India.

In the Summer of 2012, she became the international program coordinator for Plum Village’s mindfulness in education initiative entitled “Wake Up Schools”, working from their centres in France, Germany and the United States. Her ongoing work with Plum Village focuses on a holistic approach to education, working simultaneously with teachers, students, parents and school administrators, to cultivate sustainable mindfulness communities.

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In the heart of Nkwen Bamenda III Sub Division, Northwest region of Cameroon, the pilot project "Youth and Visual Arts Activism for Social Change" unfolded at Teken Quarter Youth Community Hall. This initiative, running from January to April 2023, targeted fifteen disadvantaged youths—including school dropouts, drug addicts, and other vulnerable groups. The project, supported by a seed grant, was launched by the Collective Arts Development Association (CADA), which provided six art facilitators. These experts delivered extensive training in various artistic skills, from sketching and drawing on canvas boards to graphic design and T-shirt printing.

Participants were introduced to the fundamentals of colors, composition, and proportions, along with practical applications in screen printing on diverse materials like jeans, nylon, and polyester. The primary goal of the project was to leverage art and social entrepreneurship as viable alternatives to drug use, abuse, crime, and poverty in the local community. Furthermore, the project included an outreach program involving sixth-grade pupils from the Government Primary School in Teken Quarter.

The success of this pilot paved the way for a flagship initiative titled "Empowering Marginalized Youths through Life Skill Education Art and Entrepreneurship Skill Development." This ongoing program offers six-month intensive training sessions to thirty disadvantaged youths, teaching them not only visual and graphic arts but also audio-visual skills and crafts essential for economic independence and social inclusion. Moreover, the program includes mental health education, counseling, rehabilitation strategies, and connects participants with mental health professionals as needed, continuing to transform lives thanks to the foundational support of The Pollination Project grant.

#art #socialchange #activism #youthempowerment #mentalhealtheducation #cameroon #heartivism #grants #thepollinationproject
WINNERS!!
Our grantees Manjushree Abhinav and Aanchal Raturi won the Swarnali Roy Vegan Advocacy Awards 2024 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 

Manjushree received a grant for her project "My planet and my plate", inspiring students to become climate activists themselves, to plant the seed of change into the hearts and minds of students, hoping that these seeds will sprout into far-reaching effects. 

Aanchal founded Project Re-Learn, conducting workshops in Uttaranchal colleges to sensitize future agriculturists about ethical practices. 

Join us in congratulating these two incredible heartivists! 🧡 

@hsi_india 
@hsiglobal 
@manjushreeabhinav 
@earthling_anna_raturi 

#animalrights #animalwelfare #vegan #plantbased #veganlifestyle #nocruelty #crueltyfree #heartivism #grants #animaladvocacy #india
🌟 Volunteer Week 🌟  Celebrating our family of Grant Advisors!

Today we celebrate our grant advisors dedicated to #animalprotection .

🔸 April King (Montenegro/United States) 
🔸 Elphas Ongongo (Kenya) 
🔸 Mohini Sharma (India) 
🔸 Evans Okumu (Kenya) 
🔸 Fernanda García Naranjo Ortega (Mexico)
🔸 Leandro Franz (Brazil) 
🔸 Jeremy Gregory (United States)
🔸 Kate Luke (Australia)
🔸 Andrew Alexander (United States) 

@granjitatyh 
@kotorkitties 
@littleoaksanctuary 

#volunteerweek 
#animalrights  #animalwelfare  #heartivism  #grants  #animaladvocacy #advisors