May, a month that begins with the International Labor Day. A date that, for many, represents only a break from daily tasks, but in our Movement it is different. In PRÓ-VIDA, we know work as a driving force that begins within us and manifests itself externally. We constantly dedicate ourselves to work, with one objective: the construction of a Much Better World.
Work is movement, and it generates expansion. During this month, we celebrated several “firsts” that highlight our growth. It began with the May 1st celebration, which, for the first time, took place in the nine PRÓ-VIDA Clubs and in three centers, in addition to several other locations around the world. Together and connected, participants enjoyed special days of being together and followed the General Meeting of the Central Geral do Dízimo – PRÓ-VIDA (General Center for the Tithe – PRÓ-VIDA).
In Kariya, Japan, the first in-person Pyramid Workshop took place. In Legnago, Italy, the first in-person Introduction Week was held, followed by the first exercise of that level. In Toronto, Canada, participants gathered for the first in-person Basic Exercise.
Also for the first time, participants from the Interview Department gathered for a meeting at the PRÓ-VIDA Club in Araçoiaba, Brazil. The Department was established in 1980 with the objective of assisting those interested in becoming part of PRÓ-VIDA. Today, there are 1,200 collaborators across 11 countries, in 36 regional groups, 12 time zones, and four languages.
The service provided by the Interview Department is one of the first steps for those who are ready to begin their journey in PRÓ-VIDA. This journey starts with the Basic, Advanced 1, and Introduction Weeks. In May, these activities filled calendars around the world, across different formats and time zones. One example was the second online Basic Week in English in the Central European time zone, which brought together participants from 15 countries and four continents.
Also highlighting the integration, our friends from Pereira, Colombia, participated in the first Basic Exercise in Spanish transmitted simultaneously from the center in Piracicaba, Brazil. “The transmission from Brazil represents a new opportunity for interaction that complements the in-person and online activities carried out daily…,” states the publication on Pereira’s page on our website, alongside photos that reflect the participants’ enthusiasm.
At the beginning of the month, an Advanced 1 Week in the remote in-center format took place at the points in New York and Raleigh, USA, with online transmission to San Francisco. Then, at the end of the month, at the Headquarters in Brazil, while an in-person Introduction Week was taking place in one room, another presenter, in one of the studios, conducted an Introduction Week in the remote in-center/online format for 66 centers and points.
In addition to the official activities, participants found other reasons to spend time together, expressing the joy of being together, something already characteristic of our movement. In several cities throughout Brazil and at the Meeting Point in Orlando, USA, friends gathered for Mother’s Day activities, celebrated on the second Sunday of the month in both countries.
In Lisbon, Portugal, friends celebrated 27 years of PRÓ-VIDA in the country with a party. In London, England; Verona, Italy; and Mexico City, friends, in a remarkable synchronicity, chose picnics as a way to spend time together.
At the PRÓ-VIDA Club in Araçoiaba, more than 850 people attended the opening of part of the “Path – From the Macro to the Micro,” a project that invites us to reflect on the similarities and connections between the universe and the smallest living organisms, along the route from the Astronomy Plaza to the Ecocenter. Also at the Club in Araçoiaba, more than 160 young people gathered for the third activity of the “Beyond Profession” season, organized by the Professional Guidance, a PRÓ-VIDA department that explores topics related to entering the job market in the light of philosophical knowledge.
Official activities, gatherings, and moments of being together… as diverse as they were, they all had one thing in common: our energy directed toward the same purpose. Thus, we can feel that every activity carried out in May, and all those yet to come, are expressions of dedication from our Movement to the construction of a Much Better World.
