World Harmony Concert For Stress Free Schools

Press Release

Paul McCartney Concert For Stress Free Schools

News of an upcoming special benefit concert in New York by Sir Paul McCartney and other top musicians to support the Stress Free Schools initiative worldwide has been welcomed by its representatives in New Zealand. These days the former Beatle makes rare but memorable public performances.

Dr Graeme Lodge, chairman of Stress Free Schools New Zealand, says that the World Harmony Concert taking place on April 4 intends to raise sufficient funds to allow one million school children to be instructed in the Transcendental Meditation technique throughout America and other countries including New Zealand.

Joining Sir Paul McCartney onstage at the six thousand seat Radio City Music Hall will be musicians such as Donovan, Sheryl Crow, Eddie Vedder, Moby, … all of whom are freely giving their services to the David Lynch Foundation which was set up by Hollywood director David Lynch to fund TM in public schools. See: www.davidlynchfoundation.org

Dr Lodge says those overseas schools which have already begun the programme, which involves students and staff practising TM together for 15 minutes at the start and end of each school day, have experienced enormous benefits for the whole institution. This includes a substantial decrease in violence, bullying, absenteeism, vandalism, sickness rates and psychological problems. There is also a marked increase in overall academic, artistic and sporting achievements… schools describe the overall atmosphere as being calmer and happier.

(For video reports of these results please visit: www.stressfreeschools.co.nz- click on ‘overview videos’.)

Dr Lodge says that recent published research has shown marked improvements in those children afflicted with ADHD who have been taught Transcendental Meditation, and that helps young people avoid having to take controversial drugs such as Ritalin in order to control disturbing behaviour. He says TM has been shown by analysis of all known research to be twice as effective as any other means of alleviating trait anxiety, a measure of chronic stress.

The Stress Free Schools initiative has attracted the interest of several schools in New Zealand as a means to alleviate the chronic problems of destructive behaviour and under-achievement that the authorities seem powerless to resolve.

Dr Lodge says this programme offers much to the future of education in this country, and the lifting of its profile by popular music legends will be a good thing. The April 4 concert has been described as a ‘generational event’ and it will also honour the life of TM founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who passed away almost one year ago.

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