At the second session of the International Global Awareness Conference on Wednesday, July 31, Marion Blumenthal Lazan will be inducted as an international honorary member. Lazan’s mission is to educate the world to the importance of respect, tolerance, and acceptance of all people. Her personal story of experiences in concentration camps during World War II will surely be a high point of our conference. Lazan is not the usual educator who works with children or adults in a school setting. Rather, she considers any place in the world as a potential classroom as long as there is a gathering of willing listeners to hear her message. Through the art of storytelling, she presents her messages of respect, tolerance, acceptance, perseverance, and hope, which, according to hundreds of testimonials, have transformed people’s lives. The story used to convey these messages is Lazan’s own family story of incarceration, liberation, and survival from six and a half years in concentration camps during the World War II Holocaust.
Lazan has spoken to well over a million people since 1979. She is always accompanied by Nathaniel, her husband of over 60 years, who is her official photographer. The facts of her life have been documented in the book, Four Perfect Pebbles: A HOLOCAUST STORY by Lila Perl and Marion Blumenthal Lazan, now in its 29th printing and available in five languages. Interested members may visit her website www.fourperfectpebbles.com.

The Eunah Temple Holden Leadership Fund is sponsoring Monica Olviera as the Global Awareness Through Our Partnerships Banquet keynote speaker. She serves as a Community Engagement Fellow under UNICEF USA’s Global Citizenship Fellowship Program. She works to engage networks of young people, professionals, partners, advocates and elected officials in the New York Region in support of UNICEF’s work. Monica holds a B.A. in International Political Economy from Fordham University, with a focus on foreign languages. She grew up between Southern Spain and the United States–an experience that awakened her interest in international relations and shaped her global perspective. Her commitment to transformative education led her to mentor underserved high school youth, serve as a TA for public policy courses, and conduct research in Europe on access to education for child refugees. She was involved with the UN’s work throughout her college career, interning at Religions for Peace and the Mission of Honduras and participating as a delegate and speaker at the UN Youth Assembly. In her current role, Monica uses her platform to advocate for the survival and empowerment of children and youth both in the United States and abroad.

Gayle Oko, an ambassador from Sandy Hook Promise, will speak at Seminar 2, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Sandy Hook Promise is a national non-profit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Dec. 14, 2012. Their mission is to prevent gun-related deaths due to crime, suicide and accidental discharge so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child. They are building a national movement of parents, schools and community organizations engaged and empowered to deliver gun violence prevention programs and mobilize for the passage of sensible state and national policy. Gayle will discuss many of the initiatives that they are providing to schools and communities to accomplish this.
Gayle Oko is a retired officer from the U.S. Navy. After spending 20 years in the Navy, she spent the next 20 years raising her son and daughter, volunteering and heading various fundraisers. When her husband and she became empty-nesters, she joined the Sandy Hook Promise Organization and devotes her time to promoting and speaking about violence prevention programs. She believes that programs like the initiatives developed by Sandy Hook Promise are the foundation to slowing down the culture of violence in this country.

During Thursday morning's Third General Session, we will be treated to a performance by members of the Mashantucket Pequot Nation. Foxwoods would like to welcome you into their culture with Native American Inter-Tribal Song and Dance. This is a melting pot of native dances from many different tribes and regions across Turtle Island (North America). While many of the dances have been passed down for generations and each hold meaning, they are expressed in a way to educate both the native and non-native. As their culture is a living culture some of their songs are old and some are newly composed, they provide the spirit and rhythm for the dancer. We will be shown each regalia reflecting a style of dance, a story of family, origin, and contemporary likes as is seen in the regalia patterns. The dancers will be accompanied by a speaker and vocalist. We look forward to this exciting and visually inspiring tradition. The performance will include some audience participation.