Acropolis News

New Acropolis Tirana volunteers visited a nursing home of the city. These visits take place weekly, and support consists of serving food, offering and sharing pleasant conversation and company.

During their forth encounter, the ‘Book Club’ discussed the work of Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quijote de la Mancha, the story of a hero who tries to restore lost values to humanity. Participants discussed the symbolism of the book as well as the relevance of Don Quixote with regards to our current times.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxOOOCxJ2jY

New Acropolis Mumbai organized a debate entitled “Empowering real change”, in collaboration with the Indian Express newspaper. Speakers included the educator and environmental specialist Sonam Wangchuk, the philanthropist Tsarina Screwvala (Swades Foundation) and the philosopher Yaron Barzilay (Director of New Acropolis in India).

With over 150 attendees, the presenters at this ’round table’ emphasized the need for a sustainable change in society, beyond quick and immediate fixes, which are of little relevance and lead to uncertainty and despair. A collective investigation showed that the “Post-truth” world  (Word of the Year 2016, Oxford Dictionary), leads to individuals’ inability to dream and to aspire to a better world. It turns out that our challenges could be more possible to carry out, redefining how society provides education. Ultimately, the responsibility rests with the individual at the time of choosing to participate in the change.

New Acropolis Tirana organized another book club meeting, an opportunity to share and discuss big ideas through different times. The book of the month was The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck, presenting an enriching perspective of love and traditional values. The power of this book stands on the fact that it shows a road, not an ordinary one, but a road through which every person can perceive and experience spiritual growth.

The Environmental Protection Group of New Acropolis Pécs placed nesting boxes for birds along the Kis-Tubes-Tubes line of the Mecsek mountains. Volunteers were accompanied by members of a waste management company and by students of a local elementary school and their teacher. The nesting boxes were made and painted by the students. The walk along the hillside of the mountain was enlivened with storytelling and games while the children looked for suitable trees to set up the nesting boxes.

New Acropolis carried out a philosophical symposium entitled ‘Why Philosophy?’ at The National Ethnographic Museum in Warsaw, focusing on themes like practical philosophy, music, theater, art, whereby information was presented about the International Organization New Acropolis, its founder Prof. Jorge A. Livraga, its International President Prof. Delia S. Guzman, as well as activities of New Acropolis in Poland. The event was accompanied by an exhibition of archaeological reproductions, produced by New Acropolis volunteers in Poland.

Hippotherapy literally means “treatment with the help of the horse” stemming from the Greek word “hippos” which means horse.
The concept of Hippotherapy finds its first mention in ancient Greece, in the writings of Hippocrates. It became known only after the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1950. Everyone was astonished to see Lis Hartel, who suffers from polio, win the silver medal in the equestrian discipline. Her therapist tried all methods of treatment without results, until she allowed her to ride a horse. After 9 years of exercises the result was beyond expectations. Nowadays the use of Hippotherapy for adults and children is widespread throughout the world. In Volgograd specifically children with cerebral palsy and other diseases are helped in this way.

New Acropolis volunteers offered their help to the equestrian club Camino Real. Despite rather cold weather (temperatures fell around freezing point), the task consisted of building a fence around the enclosure for horses and make a metal fence for the stables. Volunteers had the opportunity to try some of the principles of hippotherapy and ‘Hippo-fitness’ in practice.