Holistic Wellness Symposium 2009
Press Release

Singapore - Monday, 27 April 2009
TRANSFORMING OUR LIFE TEMPLATE

Want to understand the whys and wherefores of our increasing health problems?

Interested to find out more about current trends in holistic healing?

Keen to discover for yourself a whole new world of knowledge in holistic health?

Come this September, you will be able to soak up all these gems of life through a two-day event in Singapore.

Aptly named “Holistic Wellness Symposium 2009” (HWS2009), this communal effort by Eco-Harmony Global Network Ltd promises to provide a much-needed platform for local and international holistic wellness service providers and practitioners, to gather and share their knowledge and experience with others.

The symbol used by HWS2009 is a 4-pieced jigsaw puzzle fitted together seamlessly. Each piece represents the four areas of focus for discussion in the symposium: Body, Mind, Soul and Environment.

More than ten internationally renowned speakers have been invited to present their areas of expertise. Participants can look forward to share and increase their knowledge in an interactive forum with our panel of doctors and holistic practitioners.

Taking care of the Body is an expert in cancer research. Dr Ruan Run-sheng is the Medical Director of Integrated Onco-Medicine Pte Ltd based in Singapore. Working with hospitals in Japan and China, they provide integrated approaches of therapeutics, including immunotherapy, to cancer patients. He heads a cancer research team at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at A*STAR. Apart from research, Dr Ruan lectures regularly at the Singapore College of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Enlightening the Mind is a Waldorf Education Practitioner. Using storytelling and therapeutic story writing as educational tools, Australian Susan Perrow will share her stories of how to tackle the challenges of educating and enlightening young minds. She founded the first Steiner (Waldorf) Kindergarten in Byron Bay, Australia in 1986. Her recent works include a resource book on Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour published by Hawthorn Press in the UK.

Working with the Soul is Venerable Chonyi, an ordained nun from Sravasti Abbey, a Buddhist monastery founded by Bhikshuni Thubtenchodron in the United States. For 19 years before moving to the Abbey, she offered treatment, classes and workshops in Canada, the U.S. and Europe as a Reiki Master in the Usui System of Reiki Healing. She has worked closely with internationally renowned The Reiki Alliance, the UK Reiki Association, the Reiki Association of Ireland and the annual Northwest Reiki Gathering in Oregon. Ven Chonyi was the Senior Managing Editor of Reiki Magazine International from 1998 to 2007.

Completing the HWS puzzle is Executive Director of the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) Mr Howard Shaw. A firm advocate of the green movement, Mr Shaw oversees all programs organised by SEC, which reach out to educational bodies of both the private and public sectors. Possessing a degree in environmental biology and business administration from Oxford Brookes University, Mr Shaw will lead the discussion on matters relating to the Environment.

In a time when public and personal health have never been so challenged, Eco-Harmony aims to promote healthy and holistic living, and raise the awareness and profile of this exciting field of natural and wholesome living.

Set up as social enterprise, Eco-Harmony is a young project arm of Kampung Senang Charity and Education Foundation. According to its constitution, 60% of the enterprise’s profits are channeled to the Foundation to support its community services and projects. The remaining funds are placed in reserves for growth and development.

One of the projects that won an award in 2008 is “Wheels of Hope”. Clinching the New Non-Profit Initiative Award by National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, this project provides recycled mobility aids and hospital beds to the needy. It also conducts training courses for people interested in fixing such recyclable items.

The people behind Kampung Senang, also known as “Village of Inner Peace”, are a couple and ten of their like-minded friends. The Foundation was set up in 1999, the fulfillment of a dream to serve people and care for mother earth in the spirit of Love, Compassion, Commitment and Belief in Humanity.

Co-founder Mdm Joyce Lye is no stranger to volunteers and charitable organisations. The subject of numerous media articles and programs, her work in charity earned her a “Good Samaritan” award by the Singapore Rotary Club in 2005. Joyce was a highly successful banker for more than 20 years before devoting herself to charity work full-time.

Together with husband Mr James Low, they have steered the organisation successfully for the last ten years, expanding from the void-decks of a HDB block in Tampines, to the current five centres offering services like Elderly DayCare, Kindergarten and StudentCare based on Waldorf education principles, and a Holistic Lifestyle Centre in Aljunied Crescent.

Mr Wong Kee Yew, Chairman of HWS2009, is an active volunteer with Kampung Senang. He is a full-time researcher with a prestigious biomedical institute in Singapore. Leading the team organising this symposium, Mr Wong “call(s) upon your pro-activity and open mindedness, for we wish you to benefit totally from our good will and heart work”.

To be held at the Quality Hotel along Balestier Road, it costs a participant $300.00 for the 2-day event from 11-12 September 2009.  Early bird registration ends on 1 May.

People from the management and medical professions, holistic practice, environment industry, natural and medical therapies, body works, spiritual and religious organisations, entrepreneurs and health food services, are highly encouraged to attend and participate actively in this inaugural HWS. Together, we can create a positive social impact and promote more understanding in resolving some of the underlying issues that bug us from restoring harmony to our beautiful planet.

Towards a harmonious global village, visit http://www.lifetemplate.org
Shirley Lam

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *
We welcome all press and media to contact us for further communications. Attendance during the event may also be arranged at the discretion of the organizer.

Mr Wong Kee Yew
Chairman of Holistic Wellness Symposium 2009
Email: keeyew@kg-senang.org.sg
Mobile: +65 9362 7493