Regarding the Mandala Writing Workshops, we were asked to continue to invite people who can participate in the monthly workshops. Gabby suggested we can invite people to attend the workshops at ISIS and/or we can go to their respective places and conduct the workshops there but there is a need to properly introduce our organization and our workshops to different schools, institutions and centers so certain procedures must be observed and advertising MPAI and our events is becoming to be a need. Gabby added that participants who already finished doing the small mandalas can start doing the bigger mandalas like mandala for God and for the environment so we should contact people who participated before to participate again for the bigger mandalas. Orlan suggested that we can also conduct a Mandala Writing Workshop in Quiapo, The Peace Makers has an office there and we can tap people specially the Muslims to participate in our workshops. Lastly, Genie will be conducting a Mandala Writing Workshop at St. Paul, Pasig. She added that she needs at least 50 Mandala papers. Marlon, agreed to join her.
How can we tap more people? Facebook is one. Orlan suggested to make a MPAI fan page so that we can place there our e-invitations, e-posters/e-ads, info about our group and also pictures of our events. Inevitably people will be a fan to this page and we must first start by inviting friends to "like" the fan page then later on invite them to our workshops. We can still invite them personally. The MPAI fan page will be open to all and each core group member has an access to this so we can all start inviting some of our friends. Also, facebook accounts of each core group member can add a link to their personal posts linking their personal accounts or posts to this new fan page. Also to our MPAI blogspot account so that the people can also view this website. Latest blog posts in this website can also be shown in the fan page by just adding a clickable link. Everything will be inter-connected. Orlan added that there is a need to revive the yahoogroups account. Gabby suggested to just make a new one using gmail/google docs. Via google docs, everyone in the core group can share word files, pdf files and more. Orlan also suggested to buy a MPAI cellphone for invitation text blast. This is a great idea and we just have to type in all of the participants' cell phone numbers so they will all be informed about our events and upcoming events. Queenie will be the one to text blast all of the participants and people who can participate in our workshops and events.
Regarding Mandala exhibits, we shall continue to talk to schools and other institutions for this. Specified schools are Claret, U.P. Diliman, St. Benilde, Miriam and St. Paul. Some of our Mandalas will also be exhibited in Nakagawa, Japan this coming August. It is good to tap schools because schools have organizations and some organizations can be advocates for peace so they can tie up with MPAI.
Our Symphony of Peace Prayers will be happening this May so as early as now, we are planning for it. Gabby suggested to make some fund-raising activities because funds/support for this activity might not be enough. Some possible venues have been suggested including a nice place somewhere in Intramuros but nothing is final yet so we shall divulge the final venue in due time.
As for our SEC registration, we are not continuing it as of the moment but perhaps in time.
Regarding the relief operations in Tacloban, we learned that people who went there to volunteer, were expected by the organizers to be equipped with the knowledge and expertise to help. They had no time to train volunteers. Having expectations often leads to conflicts so we just decided to give them a budget for the feeding of the Yolanda victims. Despite of this new decision by the group, Babes still wants to go there to help out even if she has to shell out money from her own pocket.
The core group meeting ended with the performing of the divinity in. May Peace Prevail On Earth.
