INTERNATIONAL Our intention is not to 'franchise' or control a worldwide network of council facilitators, but to 'seed' council in all sorts of ways and places, to help it take root and then grow on its own. We encourage council carriers to take this work to populations in need, with faith that it will flourish. Our land in Ojai serves as 'heartquarters' and pilgrimage place, the center from which this work ripples outward. These ripples can be exciting to track:

• Israel - When Leon Berg and Susanna Knittel first went to Israel in 2000, our vision was to bring council to both Arabs and Jews through schools and coexistence groups. The story that has unfolded since then is a tribute to the power of council and the dedicated efforts of many people both in Israel and the U.S. Annual extended stays on Leon Berg's part and shorter visits by Joe Provisor, Jack Zimmerman and Jaquelyn McCandless have supported an amazing realization of the Israeli part of this vision that has brought council into schools, colleges, intentional communities, women's empowerment groups, municipal governments, coexistence organizations, places of business, families and primary relationships. The key to manifesting this dream has been the formation of an Israeli amuta-a nonprofit organization-called Ma'agal Hakshava (Listening Circles) that is linked with TOF as a major 'pod' in our growing worldwide network of council practitioners. Its founders were Leon and Ronit Renat Weintraub, a CCT council trainer and native Israeli who moved back to Israel permanently in 2002. Ronit and Leon were joined by Ya'el Mey Ora and Ela Merom (both of whom were CCT international interns) and in recent years by Galit and Shay Hanien,Itaf Awad, Eran Halevi and others in forming the leadership nucleus of Ma'agal Hakshava. In the past year the Leadership Circle has expanded to include educators, members of the healing professions, community leaders and other professionals who are involved in councilbased activities all over Israel. The number of Israelis trained to facilitate council now exceeds 100, with more than a dozen playing the role of mentor on their way to becoming trainers themselves.
• Africa - Activity in the African Pod significantly expanded recently when the Foundation took on an innovative HIV/AIDS research program in Mali late last year. The program, which is being guided by Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless and Jack Zimmerman, both with long associations with TOF, has both medical and social/cultural facets. The medical portion is a controlled (non-placebo) evaluation of 'Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN),' a medication that has shown great promise in treating autoimmune illnesses such as MS, fibromyalgia, Crohn's Disease and more recently, autism. Naltrexone is an FDA approved generic opiate antagonist and at less than one-tenth the usual dosage modulates/strengthens the human immune system in a way that significantly reduces the symptoms of these illnesses. Clinical experience has shown that LDN can prevent HIV- positive adults from developing full-blown AIDS for up to 18 years to date in the first group of users. However, the Mali Project will be the first controlled study to assess its effectiveness. LDN is inexpensive, non-toxic, and simple to use with no known side effects--and it can be made into a transdermal cream for treating children. Since the HAART medications are costly, have side effects requiring extensive medical monitoring, and are too toxic for most children to use, the implications of LDN's usefulness in dealing with the HIV/AIDS pandemic are enormous. This program is being supported by the Government of Mali.
  The second facet of the Mali Program arises from the need to stem the tide of HIV infection by facing the inequality of empowerment between men and women in traditional African Cultures. It is widely accepted by international health experts and local authorities alike that gender inequality and men's traditional cultural entitlement are primary factors in creating and maintaining the AIDS catastrophe in many developing countries, with 65% of new cases now occurring in girls and women. In Africa the majority of women who are HIV-positive have been infected by their husbands. Traditional gender mores dictate that women cannot refuse sex and cannot insist on condoms. U.N. officials and others have stated that this epidemic will not abate until women become empowered to protect their own health and the health of their children.
  To implement this part of the project the 250 participants in the medical study will be given an opportunity to participate in monthly two-hour education and communication councils (either men's, women's or mixed groups), one private hour-long interview and the evaluation of a comprehensive questionnaire with a counselor. Ten counselors from Bamako University and Bamako AIDS Center will be trained in the council process by experienced TOF trainers, Amber McIntyre and Jesse Jessup, currently based in Cape Town, South Africa. If this LDN/Gender Education program is shown to be effective, it can become a prototype for initiatives to help reduce HIV/AIDS incidence in other developing countries that face similar challenges.
  For more information please visit the LDN Africa AIDS web site
  
• Europe
Until recently, the European Pod (TEP) has been developing slowly over period of many years with Gigi Coyle (Germany and Amsterdam), Leon Berg (Italy, Germany and England) and Susanna Knittel (Italy, Switzerland and France) leading the way. Both Leon's and Susanna's activities have centered around council trainings, some of which have been offered in collaboration with the International Peacemaker Community. An Italian Edition of "The Way of Council" is due to be published this year.
Gigi's initiatives have been closely associated with her long-standing connection with the School of Lost Borders as well as The Ojai Foundation. In the past year she has worked with two Reiki Communities and this year she led three longer 5-day trainings, primarily focused on supporting a large network of European vision quest guides. Many of these participants also work in health, healing, social service, business and educational professions. A large number of these individuals are interested in being council leaders and have been incorporating the practice into their group work. A few have set the intention of becoming council trainers during the next two years.
This past year has seen a significant increase in TEP's activities as the Pod begins to evolve and coalesce. TEP plans for the fall include introductory trainings at a Buddhist Center in the Netherlands and a Communications Center near the German border on the Rhine . These trainings are to be led by Leon and Pippa Bondi, a Vision Quest Guide from Wales, who has been leading councils for many years and is soon to be completing her council trainer internship. In addition we are trying to schedule two special council trainings in the fall for teachers and couples at the new Eschwege Institute near Frankfurt. Eschwege sponsors a variety of programs compatible with council and its founders, who are Vision Quest Guides working with youth and business organizations, are looking for a publisher for a German Edition of the Way of Council.
Then in January, Marlow Hotchkiss, long a member of TOF's Leadership Council, will co-lead trainings in the Frankfurt or Freiberg area for health professionals with Karin Linander who has been doing community in Germany work for 25 years. Marlow will also lead a council training for business professionals at Eschwege Institute assisted by Gesa Heiten and he hopes to do an introductory training for those in the Vision Quest Guides Network who have not yet been involved in a formal council training.
Please check the TOF Web Calendar in the near future for specific dates.
All of these workshops will offer European leaders in training opportunities to complete their apprenticeships and so help TEP evolve into the third phase of its "podship." Trainings can then be offered in German, Swiss, Dutch (and eventually in Italian also)-- as well as in English when senior TOF trainers travel to Europe. Gigi plans to return later in 2008 to teach in Scotland and mentor the TEP leaders group as they prepare to offer the next wave of trainings and workshops. There will also be ample opportunities for other experienced US council trainers to participate in TEP as the Pod's evolution continues. Finally, European visitors to this web site who are interested in becoming part of TEP are invited to contact the Ojai Foundation or Gigi directly at: gigicoyle@earthlink.net.


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