PRESS RELEASES
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA •
The Church of Scientology of Melbourne hosted a human rights award event to mark United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
CARMIEL, ISRAEL •
Hundreds of guests and dignitaries convened in the city of Carmiel to celebrate the opening of the new Scientology Center for the North of Israel. The Center will provide Scientology Life Improvement courses and spiritual counseling and will serve as a hub for the many social betterment and humanitarian programs Scientology supports.
Leaders of the Druze and Scientology religions joined in the dedication November 9 of the Scientology Center for the north of Israel in the city of Carmiel.
PLETTENBERG BAY, SOUTH AFRICA •
Members of the Church of Scientology of Port Elizabeth, South Africa, help bring police and local residents together through a unique booklet.
PALAU, SOUTH PACIFIC •
Bringing tools for life to the South Pacific.
The Scientology Volunteer Minister South Pacific Goodwill Tour launched a series of workshops October 11 at the Palau Community College assembly hall in the city of Koror with a grand opening ceremony dedicated by the dean of continuing education of the college.
LOS ANGELES, CA •
Celebrating three years of free online training in 17 languages through the Scientology website and the Volunteer Ministers website: since launch of the program in October 2010, thousands have improved their lives through these courses.
An engineer from the Philippines, Jay had reached a dead end in his career. He had worked hard to earn a degree, but soon found his skills obsolete, outstripped by the speed of technological change. Searching online for a new direction, he found the Volunteer Ministers website.
GUERRERO, MEXICO •
Hurricane Raymond swept through areas already flooded by last month’s storms. Volunteer Ministers in Guerrero since tropical storms Manuel now providing relief in wake of latest downpour.
The third major storm to hit Mexico this hurricane season has left an already weakened infrastructure reeling.
Hurricane Raymond careened toward Mexico’s Pacific coast threatening new flooding in Acapulco, which is still recovering from September’s heavy rains.
PRETORIA, AFRICA •
Summit urges action to empower the African people.
Public officials and NGOs joined African Youth Union (AYU) delegates at the Church of Scientology Pretoria October 17-18 for the 3rd annual African Youth Union Summit. The theme of this year’s program was “On the Road to Action: Moving Beyond Pan-Africanism Rhetoric.”
CLEARWATER, FLORIDA •
The brand new Fort Harrison Walking Park provides an oasis in downtown Clearwater, Florida.
The Church of Scientology Flag Service Organization dedicated a new walking park this weekend. Located directly to the south of the Fort Harrison, on the site of a former county service station, the 38,000 square foot urban park connects the Church’s Oak Cove property on Osceola Avenue with the Flag Building, now in the final preparation stages for its grand opening.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA •
Church of Scientology adds synthetic drugs component to the drug education initiative it supports.
The Church of Scientology International has just completed its annual review of the Truth About Drugs, the drug education and prevention initiative it supports. This review is carried out each October to assess results and pinpoint new issues.
WASHINGTON, D.C. •
Human rights advocates from the Church of Scientology join in a concerted effort to counter human trafficking.
PORDENONE, ITALY •
Church of Scientology of Pordenone reaching out to youth to proof them up against the flood of new psychoactive substances flooding Italy.
RANDSBURG, KERN COUNTY, CALIFORNIA •
In October 2013, Kern County volunteers from the Church of Scientology helped youngsters decide to live drug-free lives. Randsburg is a quiet little town in Kern County, at the southern end of California’s Central Valley. The town sprang up and thrived for a few years after gold was discovered nearby in 1895. Tourists seeking a glimpse of the “Old West” visit the Randsburg general store, ice cream parlor and the old jail and browse through the mining museum, local antique shops and art galleries.
WASHINGTON, D.C. •
Human Rights Summit planned to counter human trafficking at the Super Bowl, which has been described as “the single largest human trafficking incident in the United States”
As today’s summit against human trafficking convenes at the War Memorial in Trenton, the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C., pledges support for New Jersey’s strategy to prevent human trafficking at the 2014 Super Bowl.
MEXICO •
National Scientology Organization of Mexico joins with other members of Churches for Peace for a 10-day celebration of peace
International Peace Day 2013 saw the culmination of “10 Days of Peace and Human Rights”—a series of events organized by Churches for Peace, an association of religions working together for justice and dignity in Mexico.
The 10 Days of Peace was launched September 12 with a press conference and followed with daily activities to promote religions working together.
ROME, ITALY •
Releasing a new brochure to promote peace on International Day of Peace.
At a conference held at the Church of Scientology of Rome on the International Day of Peace September 21, Director of Special Affairs Fabrizio D’Agostino released a new brochure, Scientology: How We Help—The Way to Happiness, Creating a World of Honesty, Trust & Self-Respect.
The Way to Happiness is a nonreligious moral code based entirely on common sense, written by author, humanitarian and Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard.
CINCINNATI, OHIO •
Safeguarding the rights of victims of human trafficking
The Church of Scientology Greater Cincinnati held a “Human Trafficking 101” seminar September 21 to educate cvthe community on human trafficking—what it is, how to detect it and what the individual can do to help victims of this crime.
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS •
Amsterdam – In a major victory for the Church of Scientology and its parishioners in the Netherlands, the Appeals Tax Court of Amsterdam confirmed today the Church of Scientology Amsterdam is operated exclusively for the public benefit and its activities are religious and ideological in nature and therefore tax exempt.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK •
Volunteers from the Church of Scientology of Denmark were among the hundreds of peace-loving Danes who marched in PeaceWalk on International Peace Day.
Hundreds filled the streets of Copenhagen September 21 to take part in PeaceWalk, an International Peace Day event organized by Your Global Heart (Tænk Med Hjertet) and Youth for Human Rights, the human rights initiative supported by the Church of Scientology.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY •
On Peace Day, Church of Scientology volunteers reminded people that the rights enshrined in the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights are the foundation of peace.
Scientologists from Budapest and other nearby cities celebrated International Peace Day September 21 with a human rights march and street demonstration in the center of the city.
They marched to call attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) as a potent tool for peace.
LONDON, ENGLAND •
The Church of Scientology London marked International Peace Day with a human rights round table to encourage concerted action to bring peace across London.
Church of Scientology London celebrated International Peace Day September 17 with a round table featuring UN peace envoy OBE Dr. Iftikhar Ayaz. The event forwarded the UN’s 2013 International Peace Day theme: “Education for Peace.”
Public officials, artists and educators joined in a lively discussion of what the public and private sector can do to bring peace across London.