Date: February 24 - 27, 2009 (Feb 25 - day off)
Time: 10:00am - 12:50pm, 2:45pm - 6:00pm
Venue: Mayapur Academy Classroom 2 No service charges

The Varnasrama Mission – Make Vrndavana Villages Course is designed to deepen students’ understanding of the Varnasrama Mission, and in particular, for those who would like to be actively involved.

The course will unveil some fundamental concepts and principles of varnasrama and education, viewing both of them as inseparable and intimately connected. Various speakers will cover different themes of the seminar, leaving ample time at the end of each session for student interaction and participation. PowerPoint presentations, as well as various handouts, will highlight the main themes of the course. The major portion of the course will present information contained in three related books: Make Vrndavana Villages, Varnasrama Education, and Implementing Varnasrama (the first was published in 2007, the other two to be published just prior to the seminar). Questionnaires will be distributed both at the beginning and at the end of the course.

No special pre-requisites are needed to attend this seminar. However, devotees involved with or concerned about principles of sanatana dharma, traditional education, social and community development, cow protection, ecology, village organization (local economy, self-sufficiency, self-governance, holistic farming) and leadership qualities should find the course of particular interest. By the end of the seminar, students should have understood the fundamental principles governing the varnasrama mission, the need and urgency to implement it and the means by which this can be done.

Detailed Course Schedule – Modules

Day One – Concepts, Principles & Ideology

1. Welcome, Introductions, Expectations, Overview
2. References, Quotes, “ISKCON’s Fourth Wave”
3. Historical Background – Spiritual Outlook
4. Historical Background – Secular Outlook

Day Two – Sanatana Dharma in Two Features

1. Bhagavat Dharma and Varnasrama Dharma
2. First Varna, then Asrama
3. Meeting Four Basic Needs – First is Food
4. Pillars of Varnasrama Dharma (land, cows and brahmanas)

Day Three – Varnasrama and Education

1. Five Principles of Education – First is Character
2. Vedic Curriculum and Gurukula
3. Varnasrama as Educational Institution
4. Success Stories (Different Countries)

Day Four – The Varnasrama Mission Unfolds

1. Introducing GLOVESCO
2. Varnasrama Supporting Team & SERVE
3. Position Paper/Proposals
4. Conclusion – Get Involved

Daily time shedule

Morning

• 10:00 – 10:10 (10 minutes) Kirtan – Handouts
• 10:10 – 11:00 (50 minutes) Module 1
• 11:00 – 11:10 (10 minutes) Discussions
• 11:10 – 11:20 (10 minutes) Break
• 11:20 – 12:10 (50 minutes) Module 2
• 12:10 – 12:20 (10 minutes) Break
• 12:20 – 12:50 (30 minutes) Discussions

Afternoon

• 02:45 – 03:35 (50 minutes) Module 3
• 03:35 – 03:50 (15 minutes) Discussions
• 03:50 – 04:00 (10 minutes) Break
• 04:00 – 05:30 (90 minutes) Module 4
• 05:30 – 06:00 (30 minutes) Discussions