Dreams On Wheels Part VII: Dream Research: How Are People Doing During These Tough Times?

Thought for the Day: The Dreams On Wheels 2012 tour was more than a book tour. It was also a traveling research project to assess how American's dreams & aspirations are faring during these difficult economic times. The tour covered CT, NY, PA, MD, VA, & OH, but we met & interviewed people from around the United States. It will take some time to edit all the videotaped interviews & I will make more in depth observations from our study, however, my initial assessment is that dreamers are alive & well across this nation.

In NYC we met Mitch, an aspiring young singer/actor from Ohio and his mother, a teacher. In Baltimore, we spoke with a young woman whose dreams to become a chef were shifting to becoming a restaurant owner. We also heard how a retiree from Florida's dreams evolved. As a young woman, she broke away from what were the only options for women, to become a teacher, nurse, or secretary. She chose to become an interior decorator only to discover later in life that she preferred teaching. After completing a second career as a teacher, she was living her dreams of travel in retirement. A businessman from Philadelphia told us about how he had just landed his dream job in the midst of the current economic difficulties. In Virginia, we spoke to ex-convicts from Boaz & Ruth getting a second chance in life & moving towards their dreams. We also met with student leaders & visionary alumni from a progressive fraternity (Elimination of Prejudice). They are working to end prejudice & bullying on college campuses across the USA & Canada. In Ohio, we talked with senior citizens at Menorah Park, where they are being helped to accomplish their life long dreams.

As my team finishes up their summer internships & return to school to continue their studies as they move on towards their dreams & a new team takes over, more of the dreamer's stories from this summer's traveling tour & research project will be posted. Stay tuned for a vlog with short clips in their own words & interviews with visionary leaders about how they have accomplished their dreams despite adversity. There will also be two additional stops on the tour in September in Florida (A Child Is Missing) & Massachusetts (The Cynthia Lucero Memorial Run at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP)), so stay tuned to hear more about dreams & aspirations.

Dreams On Wheels Part III: Olympic Dreams

Dreams On Wheels 2012 Tour Route

Thought for the Day: As I prepare to start my Dreams on Wheels 2012 tour tomorrow, the Olympics are in full swing. When I began planning the tour, I did not realize that the Olympics would coincide with my trip. I regret that my TV viewing time, as well as my time for writing blog posts about the stories of the athletes, is limited, since I love the Olympics. In particular, I find the stories of the athletes' overcoming adversity inspiring. Olympic athletes are true 'wake up dreamers.' They can inspire us all to push ourselves & reach our own personal best.

Triumph

Jordyn Wieber Tears

Often their dreams to attend the Olympics start when they are children. Their parents enroll them in a sport and they discover their passion. Many children dream of becoming a world class athletes, but to make it to the Olympics they must train diligently for many years before they are old enough to qualify. Years of early morning practices,  countless competitions, wins and losses, triumphs and failures, as well as tears of joy & tears of disappointment, mark the journey towards their dreams. It takes talent,  perseverance, and passion to make it to their Olympic dreams. There are many obstacles that get in the way. The newscasts are filled with tales of bouts with injuries, cancer, loss of loved ones, financial hardships that could easily stop many people from continuing on the path to their dreams. When they overcome adversity and reach the Olympics the achievement is even sweeter. Winning is glorious, but just being among the world's greatest athletes should be enough to make every Olympian proud.

Athletics lend themselves to quantifiable tasks which can be measured by numbers of repetitions and the results can also be easily measured. In life not all dreams are as easy to map out and measure. However, when you chart out your dreams, you can find ways to measure and assess your progress.  'Wake up dreams' using the Dream Positioning System, can help you map your way to your dreams. Listen carefully to the stories of the athletes. Let them inspire you to start moving towards your dreams.

No 'wake up dream' is too small or too lofty to aspire to reach. Tomorrow I will be starting the Dreams On Wheels 2012 book tour, celebrating dreams & dreamers, the release of my new e-book versions on Amazon.com, The Wake Up and Dream Challenge, benefiting 21 dream nonprofit organizations helping people overcome adversity and reach their dreams. I will be visiting with three of the charities benefiting from my book, Boaz & Ruth, Elimination of Prejudice & Menorah Park. I will tell you more about them in subsequent posts.

Dreams On Wheels is also a traveling positive psychology research project complete with a Dream Team of interns conducting & filming interviews with people along the route, in NYC, Philadelphia, Washington DC & more. I was into positive psychology long before it had an official name & hope to discover how Americans' dreams are faring in these tough financial times. The tour & clips from the interviews can be followed live & on multiple social media sites.

I hope you will make some time while you are watching the Olympics to visit my blog & facebook page to hear how people along the way are meeting the challenges of today's world as they move towards their dreams.

Four Ways to Eliminate Prejudice

Red Tails: UNSUNG HEROES of WWII finally get the proper recognition on the screen

Thought for the day: It is ironic that wars sometimes help in the battle against prejudice. What other ways have you found that help in the fight to eliminate prejudice? There are many other amazing programs that help. Please share them with me.

     I hate war. I hate war movies as well. Usually I avoid violent movies like the plague. I cannot tolerate violence in films. This weekend, however, after hearing about Red Tails on Charlie Rose, I decided to see the film. I admit there were a few scenes when I had to turn my head away from the screen, but I was glad I went.  I knew the story of the first African-American pilots to fly in a combat squadron during World War II before coming to the theater. I saw the PBS documentary, The Tuskegee Airmen - They Fought Two Wars, a few years ago. However, Hollywood has a way of fighting prejudice by relaying stories that get to the heart, whereas, documentaries avoid these emotions since they try to be more objective. Movies, therefore, are one of the most powerful tools in fighting prejudice, especially if followed by thoughtful discussion.
     I won't ruin the movie for you, but I had mixed emotions of shame, anger & pride in my country while watching the story of the Tuskegee Airmen. I was ashamed that my country, in the midst of a war against a tyrant who justified genocide of human beings for religious beliefs, race, disabilities, or ethnicity could treat citizens fighting for their country with such prejudice & disrespect. I was angry that time was wasted holding back & endangering such heroic brave men given inadequate planes while the crematories were killing millions of people. But as I watched, I also was proud of the progress that our military & our country has made since WWII.
      I am a strong believer that good things often happen due to tragedies. The Tuskegee Airmen did fight two battles. History shows us that they won on both fronts. How much as changed was evident yesterday when President Obama used the military example as a model for congress. He said, "We can learn from the service of our troops... When you put on that uniform, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white, Asian or Latino, conservative or liberal, rich or poor, gay or straight. When you’re marching into battle, you look out for the person next to you, or the mission fails, ...When you’re in the thick of the fight, you rise or fall as one unit, serving one nation, leaving no one behind.” Ironically,  war is a second way to fight prejudice. However, since I am a pacifist at heart, I would never start a real war to try to end prejudice.
     The third & forth ways are related to education as a means to eliminate prejudice. Two very different nonprofit organizations featured in my book, The Wake Up And Dream Challenge, are helping to fight the war on prejudice. The first, Camp Young Judaea, TX, is a camp I attended for nine years from when I was 8 to 17 years old. The second, Elimination of Prejudice, has dedicated its efforts to the battle against prejudice since 1895.
    

     You may be wondering why I believe that a Jewish summer camp is one of the ways to eliminate prejudice. This camp is geared towards offering it's campers a huge dose of Jewish education. It encourages campers to build pride in their heritage & lifelong commitment to Jewish values. Those two variables are what make it a powerful way to fight prejudice. I believe that pride in one's heritage is the foundation of tolerance for others. Bigotry is based on ignorance & feelings of inferiority. When someone feels strong & confident, they do not need to put down others. A strong person is not intimidated by the strengths of other people. Every religion, race & ethnicity has strengths, weaknesses & rich legacies. Differences should be welcomed as opportunities for enrichment not reasons to try to change or overpower one another. (I will leave analysis of famous tyrant's inferiority complexes to others at this time, but much has been written on the topic.)
     Camps have some similarities to the army. Kids often arrive without knowing any of their bunk mates. They come from divergent towns, socioeconomic & educational backgrounds. Some kids are thin, others overweight, some are pretty, others less attractive. They all need to learn how to live together in tight quarters with new rules & a busy schedule. Learning to be tolerant & accepting of differences is part of the education that a great camp like CYJ TX gives to its campers. The entire camp program instills the value of social tolerance & respect. Each year there is a slightly different program, but campers are also taught that, "You & I can change the world." I sang those words & have lived my life changing the world by helping my clients change their worlds. I hope that my book will help open conversations between leaders from camps from all religions & ethnic backgrounds to learn from one another ways to eliminate prejudice while building pride in one's heritage. I believe that my involvement in Camp Young Judaea - TX instilled this in me. To purchase The Wake Up And Dream Challenge & donate to CYJ-TX click here: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-wake-up-and-dream-challenge/18758612.

The fourth way to eliminate prejudice is one of the most powerful ways.  This program is the oldest organization featured in my book. The origins of Elimination of Prejudice transcend many generations, however, it’s mission remains just as relevant today as in its early years. College, like the army & camp, bring varied people together in close quarters where they must learn to co-exist. It is perhaps the last time when educational institutions can help change prejudices due to ignorance in an organized fashion. In 1895, three Yale University students founded the first fraternal order open to all men without regard to race, religion or creed. In that historic moment, not only was Pi Lambda Phi International Fraternity born, but a movement dedicated to advocating a better understanding between people began. Since it’s inception, the movement has helped more than 46,000 members develop an appreciation for participating in, & building inclusive environments where people with varied perspectives, skills & experiences collaborate.
      But it wasn’t until Jules Lennard formally established “The Elimination of Prejudice” in 1996 that the movement had an official name. Lennard was a trail blazer—a staunch advocate for people dealing with discrimination. Lennard’s story began many years earlier with his Olympic dreams. After joining Pi Lambda Phi’s University of Wisconsin chapter in 1934, Lennard was selected for the 1936 US Olympic Soccer team. Lennard was excitedly on his way to the Olympic games when the United States Olympic Committee informed him they could not guarantee his safety due to his Jewish heritage. Lennard would, therefore, not be permitted to leave the ship. At that time, Germany was ruled by Adolf Hitler’s Nazi party & their intentions were to showcase Aryan ideals & prowess. Lennard’s lifelong dreams of representing the United States in the Olympics were ultimately prevented by Anti-Semitism.
     Despite this set back, Lennard closely followed fellow Olympian Jesse Owens’ experience. Owens was an African-American track & field athlete representing the United States. He achieved international fame by winning four gold medals during the Berlin Olympics. In fact, Owens was the most successful athlete at the 1936 Summer Olympics, a poignant rebuke to Adolf Hitler. Lennard’s Olympic experience had a lasting impact. He returned home committed to advocating a better understanding between people & determined to confront discrimination & segregation head on.
     Today, the EOP movement is active on 40 college campuses & universities across the U.S. & Canada. To continue setting the conditions for sensitive societal conversations to take place, the 1st Annual International Elimination of Prejudice Day will be held February 8th, 2012. Students on twenty college campuses & universities across the U.S. & Canada are organizing panel discussions. Companion student organizations (religious, political, race, etc.) are being asked to co-host events. Students are encouraged to invite college faculty & staff, including the Director of Diversity Affairs, to serve as event facilitators. To learn more about Elimination of Prejudice visit their website at www.eliminateprejudice.org.  To purchase my book & donate to Elimination of Prejudice go to http://www.lulu.com/product/18748563.
     What other ways have you found that help in the fight to eliminate prejudice? There are many other amazing programs that help. Please share them with me.