Helping People and Communities to Be in Peace
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Be in Peace News
Be in Peace News
Our Next Endeavor: Peacebuilders Facilitator Training Program
Our Next Endeavor: Peacebuilders Facilitator Training Program
March, 2025
We are so very grateful for the opportunities we have had over the past year to serve the women and children in the community of Arsal, Lebanon, with our trauma and stress relief training programs. With the knowledge and experience we gained from the pilot programs we launched, The Women's Stress Relief Program and the Children's Strong-hearted Peacebuilders Program, we are now preparing to expand our program reach into Syria.
Currently, we are limited by the number of program facilitators we have to deliver these life-enriching programs. We identified the need to increase the number of facilitators who are trained to instruct participants in the stress / trauma relief and Peacebuilding techniques throughout various regions in Syria. Over the years, we have established relationships with community organizations and schools in Syria who have expressed interest in receiving our programs and have their teachers trained as facilitators. Be in Peace is developing a curriculum to train teachers and those qualified to work with groups how to facilitate our women's and children's programs. We expect to deliver this work within the next few months, leading to the expansion of the inner and community peace work envisioned by Majd Kamalmaz. With your support, you can help make this vision a reality!
An Update on the Program Work of Be in Peace
An Update on the Program Work of Be in Peace
Celebrating Syrian Freedom and Peace!
February, 2025
This past December, 2024, the world witnessed a miracle ... Syrian freedom fighters, those who suffered oppression, loss and trauma at the hands of a corrupt Syrian government, rose up and overthrew the Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose regime was responsible for the unjust imprisonment and death of our friend and mentor, Majd Kamalmaz and countless other innocent men, women and children unjustly imprisoned and murdered without cause or justice at the hands of Assad.
Though we mourn the loss of countless precious lives, and the trauma inflicted upon the Syrian people, we rejoice that Syria is now free and those displaced refugees around the world, particularly those who sought refuge in nearby Lebanon, are now free to return home. We are especially pleased that our on the ground Program Facilitation team, Fatima A and Nawar, have recently returned home to their family and friends and are settling into their new home in their beloved Syria.
As a result of this amazing turn of events, we have taken a break from our in-person program work in Lebanon but have held refresher follow-up sessions for the women program graduates via video conferencing to provide additional support during this joyous, yet stressful transition. The program work of Be in Peace will begin again in Syria, pending our NGO partner, Bridges of Light, receiving its license to operate in Syria very soon. Once we are registered to deliver our work in Syria, we will continue providing our life-giving programs, supporting those in need of trauma relief, psychosocial support and community peace work. More to come!
Here are some of the ways you can help support the work of Be in Peace!
A Day of Fun, Treats & Smiles
A Day of Fun, Treats & Smiles
November, 2024
Following the recent bombings near our center in Lebanon, our Be in Peace team has launched our newest pilot program, the "Be in Peace War Relief Project," in the first of three local Shelters for internally displaced refugees of the recent conflicts. Our first session of this psychosocial support program at Shelter 1 was a great success! We met with 15 women to provide trauma relief training, provided fun activities and treats for the children and distributed care packages of food, warm winter clothes and hygiene kits. Read more about our program and see the photos of more happy kids!
Winter Has Come to Arsal
Winter Has Come to Arsal
November, 2024
Our Be in Peace team has launched our newest pilot program, Be in Peace War Relief Project, in our first of three local Shelters for internally displaced refugees of the recent conflicts. Following the session with the women, we provided some refreshments, distributed food and warm winter clothing and led some fun activities for the children. Here, our Children's Program Facilitator Nawar tells us the story of this little boy named Sobhi:
"Sobhi followed me everywhere! When we finished the session with the mothers, he thought we were leaving. In a trembling voice, he kept asking me, 'Are you leaving?' He was afraid that we would go. I told him we would not go before we played together. He came back again holding on to the edge of my jacket and walking beside me. I could feel that he needed affection and attention.
The weather was very cold, with snow on the ground and he was barefoot, and wearing light clothes. And I felt shy and embarrassed because I was wearing winter shoes (though they were simple and not expensive,) but I do not know how this feeling of embarrassment came over me. Yes, it is the sight of little bare feet in the bitter cold snow.
I received very beautiful and kind feelings from the children, and I loved them too. The girls would come to me and hug me from time to time, and tell me that they loved me and were comfortable with me, and they asked me to visit them always. I am proud and happy to work with the children of my country who have been displaced after these war conflicts and who carry many feelings that need understanding and sympathy. It was a real day for me."
Learn how Be in Peace is helping these families with trauma relief support and basic needs supplies such as warm winter clothing and care packages.
https://www.beinpeace.org/our-programs/emergency-war-relief-campaign
New refugees who have been displaced by bombings in the local area, are taught by our Program Director Fatima, HeartMath based cardiac breathing techniques for war trauma relief.
October 2024
We are proud to announce that Be in Peace has launched our latest program, the War Trauma Relief Project, which involves our on the ground team in Arsal, Fatima and Nawar, to travel to the local shelters which house recently displaced internal refugees. Read and learn more about the amazing life-giving work they are doing, the details of our program and the services they are providing for our program beneficiaries.
Help Us Continue Our Peace Work
Help Us Continue Our Peace Work
October, 2024
Families displaced from the current conflicts in Lebanon are streaming into the tent camps of Arsal, where Be In Peace has one of our bases of operations. The majority of our program participants have experienced war and have been living with war trauma for many years. The Be in Peace trauma relief programs, which include the Women's Stress Management and Children's Peacebuilders Training Programs, have taught participants to create an emotional safe zone within themselves. The recent military incursions have reignited the traumas of many of those who escaped the Syrian War into the safe haven of Lebanon, as well as for those citizens of Lebanon who are now directly experiencing the ravages of military conflict.
Be in Peace is logistically positioned to provide and distribute material support of food, clothing and other necessities alongside our trauma relief work,
Our Wonderful World Peace Day Celebration in Arsal!
Our Wonderful World Peace Day Celebration in Arsal!
September, 2024
Our World Peace Day Celebration in Arsal, Lebanon was a great success! More than 100 of our program graduates and their families attended a day full of peace-based activities, including a traditional Syrian welcome dance, a children's play about forgiveness and reconciliation, creation of a Peace banner comprised of paper handprints filled with peace messages, children coloring peace doves, a slide presentation about the work of Be in Peace and a group meditation based on the HeartMath® techniques, where we used the power of group coherence to send peace into the world with the words of the Be In Peace Coherence Meditation. It was a day of fun, and joyful community. Big congratulations to our team of staff and volunteers who put in all the time and effort to create this amazing event together!
We had balloons!
Coloring peace doves!
A traditional Syrian welcome song and dance
Peace in the World is Needed for Everyone!
A Peace Banner full of handprints with peace messages
Happy World Peace Day!
Happy World Peace Day!
World Peace Day is September 21st and We Are Celebrating in Arsal!
World Peace Day is September 21st and We Are Celebrating in Arsal!
September, 2024
We're preparing for our big day of celebration of peace in Arsal, Lebanon! This community peace celebration will include song and dance presentations, a children's play about reconciliation and peace, and various peace building activities, including a group HeartMath coherence meditation, where our coherent community radiates feelings and intentions of peace into the world!
Join with us in your heart to celebrate peace and the power we have to help people "be in peace."
Be in Peace World Peace Day Banner and gift bags for the community peace celebration
This is the dance rehearsals for the girls who will be opening our World Peace Day Program with a traditional Syrian welcome song, which translates from Arabic as:
"You came and honored us today, welcome to this arrival, how beautiful your appearance is, by God, your appearance has made my heart infatuated,
You came after the absence, with your absence you pained me, you are the beloved ones of the heart, with your arrival you made me happy.
You came and honored us today.....
And joy fluttered at the door, and the heart sang, oh my nights,
We were happy to meet you, oh sun, do not set.
You came and honored us today.
We Have Launched Our Children's Peacebuilders Program in Arsal!
We Have Launched Our Children's Peacebuilders Program in Arsal!
August, 2024
Be In Peace is proud to announce the launch of our latest pilot program, the Be In Peace Children's Stronghearted Peacebuilders Program, teaching children in Arsal, Lebanon who have been impacted by the Syrian War, about the power of their heart and emotions, and using HeartMath self-regulation techniques, storytelling, and interactive play to bring peace to themselves, as well as their families, community and the greater region of the Middle East. Our individual peace and heart coherence creates an energetic field of peace and coherence that is proven to improve circumstances in individuals and the greater world
This program was created by our Program Director, Fatima A., who was trained in trauma relief techniques by humanitarian trauma relief therapist Majd Kamalmaz and facilitates our Women's Stress Management Training Program. The program is co-facilitated by her daughter Nawar, who leads the children's program and assists in the Women's Stress Relief Program. So far, more than 30 boys and girls have participated in this program.
We are grateful to the HeartMath Institute for their ongoing support and permissions to use their life enhancing techniques in our programs.
Congratulations to our team and all the children who participated in this beautiful program!
Congratulations to all the graduates of our Strong-hearted Peacebuilders Program!
Using a stethoscope to listen to each other's heartbeats and discovering the power of our heart.
Learning about depleting and energizing emotions and how to manage them.
Following a peace-based story, the children come together in peace and unity, embracing forgiveness and reconciliation as Peacebuilders.
Be In Peace Launches Its Next Stress Relief Program for Women
Be In Peace Launches Its Next Stress Relief Program for Women
with our New NGO Partner, Bridges of Light
with our New NGO Partner, Bridges of Light
April, 2024
Be in Peace is happy to announce that starting April 1, 2024, we are launching our next series of Stress Management Training Programs for the women in Arsal, Lebanon through the end of Jued 2024, with our new local NGO partner, Bridges of Light / Jousour Al Nour. The mission of Bridges of Light is to spread the values of love and tolerance, consolidate civil development work, and achieve social security. They support women by offering various training courses, including how to write a resume and train women in the sewing profession at their center, so that women could work, gain financial independence, and help themselves and their families in tailoring, nursing, and manual trades. Together, we anticipate we will be able to support more than 100 women in bringing peace into their hearts, families and community between April and June, 2024. Stay tuned for more exciting new developments in the upcoming months!
A Peek Inside a Stress Training Session
A Peek Inside a Stress Training Session
March, 2024
Our Program Director, Fatima A., shared a recent story that happened in one of their stress management training sessions. "Some of the women were feeling lazy and lack of activity at the beginning of the session. I suggested that we do some simple sports movements to energize the group.
The activity took five minutes. After doing exercises collectively, I asked each woman to mention the name of something she loves, its first letter, the same as the first letter of her name, while making a gentle movement with the hands. When we finished, I noticed a change in their condition, as they seemed active and energetic.(I advised them to do exercises regularly), then I followed up with them on the topic of the session."
It is so fulfilling to see the big smiles on these women's faces!
Be In Peace Presents to the HeartMath Institute
Be In Peace Presents to the HeartMath Institute
February 2024
On Wednesday, February 7th, Be In Peace was honored to deliver a presentation to the HeartMath Institute's Resilient Heart Trauma Sensitive Course Community's Monthly Q&A Session, where we shared the development, implementation and the results of our successful pilot project "Be In Peace Stress Management Training Program" for Syrian women in Lebanon who experienced the traumas of the Syrian war.
For anyone interested in learning more about supporting those who have experienced trauma through the use of HeartMath techniques, we highly recommend this very excellent HeartMath certification program, which was inspired by the trauma-relief work of Majd Kamalmaz.
For Professionals Who Provide, or Would Like to Provide, Trauma-Informed Care....
The Resilient Heart Trauma course, from HeartMath, was specially designed by trauma specialists to teach practitioners how to incorporate the HeartMath skill set in a trauma-sensitive manner — increasing client’s resilience and capacity for emotional regulation following trauma.
Learn practical tools to use “in the moment” that build resilience and improve the capacity for emotional regulation for yourself and your clients or patients.
https://www.heartmath.org/.../trauma-sensitive-certification
113 Women in Arsal, Lebanon Gain Inner Peace through Be in Peace's Stress Management Program!
113 Women in Arsal, Lebanon Gain Inner Peace through Be in Peace's Stress Management Program!
January, 2024
Congratulations to all 113 of our graduates in Arsal, Lebanon who completed our 4-week Stress Management Training program, which taught them strategies and HeartMath® based self-regulation techniques to ease their stress and trauma!
The 90-minute classes consist of education, discussion and experiential practice over the 4-week Program and covered the following topics:
Week One: Stress Awareness
Week Two: Stop Energy Drains and Build Capacity
Week Three: The Power of Your Emotions and Coherence
Week Four – Daily Application of Stress Relief Tools
Prior to starting the program, we assessed the women's WHO-5 score, an internationally accepted survey which measures well-being through the scored responses to 5 questions. The average starting level of well-being in the women who participated in the Stress Management Program scored a low 38% in their levels of well-being. Following the program, they were reassessed, and the average group score rose to 81%, a 115% improvement in the group's well-being. We are very gratified by these positive results and plan to continue our program this Spring.
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Be In Peace is 501c3 Non-profit charity organization. The work of our Board of Directors is strictly voluntary. All donations to Be In Peace are tax-deductible according to US tax law.
Feel Free to Contact Us!
Feel Free to Contact Us!
Be In Peace
235 Brier Circle, Jupiter, FL 33458; (561) 510-0658
beinpeace.org@gmail.com; www.beinpeace.org; EIN # 92-0490049
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