GNHUSA Conference

From Wikiprogress.org

Registration NOW OPEN for our Kick-off Conference!

Gross National Happiness USA is very excited to invite YOU to join us at our ground-breaking conference, "GNH2010: Changing What we Measure from Wealth to Well-Being!" The conference will be held June 1 - 4, 2010 at Champlain College in Burlington. On-line registration is available at www.gnhusa.org. The topic is relevant to all parties, sectors, generations and regions - you are warmly encouraged to join us for this first ever GNH conference in the United States. Student discounts are available, and the early bird registration fee discount is available through April 15th.

The conference includes three days of presentations and discussions with a brilliant and dynamic team of international guests, followed on June 4th by a day-long "GNH Ambassador Training" (see next item). Confirmed speakers include Susan Andrews (Future Vision Eco-Parque in Brazil), Dasho Karma Ura (President of the Centre for Bhutan Studies, Bhutan), and Ron & Gwen Colman (Genuine Progress Indicator Atlantic, Nova Scotia, Canada) -- all key players in the international development and application of GNH-like tools and activities. They will share their experiences alongside Vermonters Bill McKibben (Middlebury College & 350.org), Robert Costanza (Gund Institute, UVM), Con Hogan (former Secretary of AHS), Stuart Comstock-Gay (Vermont Community Foundation), Venerable Amy Miller (Milarepa Center) and Gwen Hallsmith (EnVision Montpelier).

The first three days will each feature a provocative keynote address, followed by workshops and panel discussions designed to allow participants to deeply explore how and why we need to measure and nurture well-being, individually and societally. Afternoon workshops, open space technology sessions, and a "World Cafe," are designed to get everyone's creative, collaborative and productive juices flowing toward Vermont-focused action that will keep the momentum going after the conference.

Conference registration is limited to 200 participants and we expect demand to be great. Don't delay. Register at the GNHUSA web site.

GNH Ambassador Training

On Friday, June 4, 2010, GNHUSA is offering a full-day (8:30 - 3:00) Gross National Happiness "Ambassador Training," also at Champlain College. The training, co-facilitated by international leaders and local GNHUSA experts, will prepare you with information, tools and practice to be an Ambassador for GNH in your school, your community, your organization or anywhere important decisions are being made. Students are especially encouraged to consider participating. The Vermont Peace Academy is a major sponsor for this training and scholarships are available. See www.gnhusa.org for details.

Where Did This GNH Idea Come From?

Although Vermont, and the United States, will integrate GNH concepts in our own unique, appropriate way, the tiny, Himalayan country of Bhutan should be acknowledged for their contribution to the GNH movement. In 1972, Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuk famously declared that Gross National Happiness was more important than Gross National Product. Bhutan is now the planet's youngest democracy (first elections March 2008). Their constitution, national five-year plan, and entire government structure have been designed around the four pillars of GNH (see below). As former Harvard president, Derek Bok acknowledges in his new book, The Politics of Happiness, "the sheer utopian audacity of a country that commits itself to making happiness the centerpiece of national policy is enough to compel a respectful interest."

Bhutan's Four Pillars of Gross National Happiness: • good governance and democratization • the promotion of sustainable development • the preservation and promotion of cultural values • the conservation of the natural environment The Centre for Bhutan Studies was established to define happiness according to the Bhutanese, and to create a system for measuring it. CBS' GNH survey gathers data on 72 measurable indicators grouped under nine principal domains - time use, living standards, good governance, psychological well-being, community vitality, culture, health, education, and ecology.

Bhutan recently began the process of GNH principles, approaches, and examples into the country's educational system and curricula at every level - K through 12 and higher education. GNHUSA team members attended the planning workshop for these efforts in December 2009.