Scientology Volunteer Ministers in Indonesia

I dedicated this blog to the Scientology Volunteer Ministers (VMs) who went to Southeast Asia after the tsunamis in early January 2005. My blog has continued and so have they.

I realized the other day when I was reading through articles on the Volunteer Ministers web site that the reason the Volunteer Ministers disaster relief team was able to respond so quickly after the Java earthquake was because of a VM group in Medan, Indonesia. This is a group of primarily local residents who have taken some training in Scientology techniques and are continuing the work the original disaster relief team started -- making Scientology technology available to the people of the island.

It is terrible that what caused the program to take root in Indonesia was a horrible disaster where so many were killed or badly injured, but I am so glad to see that the VMs are still there!

Volunteer Ministers in India

There's an excellent article on the Scientology Volunteer Ministers web site

Volunteers Quell Rising Violence

Twenty trainers from the agency, who will in turn train other agency personnel, are participating in disaster response training based on the Scientology Handbook.

Civil Defense Agency of Calcutta Adopts Disaster Response Training

With the urgent need for effective disaster response in light of recent increased terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and the series of bombings that rocked Mumbai on July 11th, the Civil Defense Agency of Calcutta has implemented Scientology disaster response training for 20 of their personnel this week.

The Minister of Civil Defense, realizing the potential of these techniques in calming violence, personally welcomed the participants to the class, which the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour is providing to 20 of the agency's training personnel. Once through their study program, these staff will implement disaster response training on a broad scale with agency personnel.

In times of natural disaster, terrorism and civil disturbance the immediate priority of emergency relief personnel is ensuring the population is safe from physical danger and providing first aid or medical attention to the injured. But once these factors are cared for, they are faced with having to contend with the emotional and spiritual needs of large numbers of survivors — people who are suffering from shock and trauma, who have lost family members, are homeless or have otherwise had their lives and future shattered. And this is where the Scientology disaster response training has had such tremendous success.

Using the Scientology Handbook, a textbook based on the works of L. Ron Hubbard, this training puts practical tools in the hands of emergency response personnel — tools they can use to establish communication, help people overcome trauma and bring calm to an area, quelling any potential of violence.

In addition to their work with the Calcutta Civil Defense Agency, the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour is training 200 key personnel of the Rotary Club of West Bengal at their request.

Ministry of Civil Defense officials announced their participation in disaster response training provided by the Scientology Volunteer Ministers India Goodwill Tour at a press conference.

In his speech at the Grand Opening of the Church of Scientology of New York, David Miscavige, Chairman of the Board of Religious Technology said:

"... the atrocities of September 11th...was a 'wake-up call' for all of us.

"The curtain came down, exposing the fragile state of the world we live in. While others would respond with war and military action, we recognized terrorism as but a symptom of what really ails man."

The great thing about the training these civil defense personnel are getting is that it puts in the human factor - how to deal with people who are under stress from a disaster or terrorist attack, how to restore calm to a group, how to orient people and get them through their trauma.