9/7/2003

Found this quote and thought it fits perfectly how I feel, not only as I set out on a journey around the world but all my life.

Many years ago one of my mentors, Indian artist Frank Wesley said the following quote, so impressed was I, the words hung on a memo board for many, many years.

While I have never been overseas before, I have been travelling all of my life, I have never arrived- thanks to people like Frank Wesley.

I head overseas with the HOPE project in mid August, spending two weeks in Taiwan.

When I first came up with the HOPE project in March this year. I had a vision of where it would head. I have learnt over many years, you must have a Vision, but never fill in all the finer details, if you do you stunt the growth of the Vision with your own ideas. This is being proved so true as we get further into the HOPE project.

To begin with, I thought I would match up two schools with each others and we would exchange the handprints between each school and they would have a buddy school relationship with each other.

Now this has been expand on. Inspired by the response from the schools, the Djarragun indigenous school in Far North Queensland Djarragun,will now have their handprints will be given to the North Arm School, a display from Djarragun school will be sent to the North Arm school. The North Arm school here on the Sunshine Coast with the wonderful motto, "Life long Learning for Mind, Heart and Earth" will send their handprints and display to the next school which is in Taipei, Taiwan, etc etc, till we link 36 school in each link the number of lines in the One Mind One Voice poem. The 35th school will be linked back to Djarragun school, making a circle, like the Way of the Circle on the One Mind One Voice site, which has the saying. www.onemindonevoice.org/reflections.html

The wonderful thing for me, as the founder of this project, is the joy in watching HOPE and the Global Children's Alliance unfolding.

Each school is taking the idea and running with it for example.

Taipei.

From this simple idea, of exchanging handprints, they have expanded on it and instead of me going into the classroom to take the handprints, they will take the children and their families to the Taipei Zoo. There they will add their handprint to the handprints I have already taken. The second handprint will be on the lid of a box, when done they will all together open the box to allow balloons of peace to be released into the Taipei skies.

The two weeks I will spend in Taiwan have been arranged so I travel the length of the island, meeting with children and teachers and group and leaders. I will appear on the education TV channel. I will give a five minute speech at an international press conference, where we are expecting the President of Taiwan will attend with his grandson.

Because of my involvement with Indigenous Australian, it has also been arranged that I meet with members of the original inhabitants of Taiwan. Where I will learn about the Tien culture.

Now this is what I call travelling. Not one building has been mentioned, just amazing people.

To think I have never been overseas before, this is one Wow of a trip.

The next vision of a Global Children's Festival starting in Noosa next year, gives these children a place to show the adults, how easy peace and a better world can be. You just need to have love in your heart.

I am so glad I have never arrived, what a lot of living I would have missed out on. If I had arrived, I would just be waiting to die!

Have a nice day, I will travelling.

Kerry Bowden
Global Strategic Alliance for the New Humanity,
One Mind One Voice.
A Famility of Humanity
PS: Caitlin say