BePeace in Costa Rica ~ Itinerary
July 30: Travel to Costa Rica, arrive late, check into hotel and rest well.
July 31: Meet our tour guide Rita Marie Johnson and begin with a delightful ride to the La Paz waterfall Gardens in time for lunch. Enjoy the spray of a 120-foot waterfall, the tickle of a butterfly as it takes its first flight and have a hummingbird eat out of your hand. This place of peace is unforgettable.
August 1-3: BePeace and Serve! Garden, paint and/or contribute your unique gifts and talents to a local school practicing BePeace.
August 4: Travel to UN University for Peace for a tour of the campus. Then we’ll head to the volcano Arenal, stopping at Zarcero, a Costa Rican village with a whimsical topiary and quaint Catholic Church. Arrive at El Tucano for lunch. Rejuvenate in hot springs, enjoy a full-service spa, hike or swim in the mineral pool water while enjoying views of the volcano.
August 6: Travel from El Tucano to Manuel Antonio National Park, 3000 lush acres on the Pacific Coast and one of the most beautiful parks in the country. Lunch in Playa Hermosa and then enjoy the park’s beaches and scenery the rest of the day.
August 7: Dense greenery cascades into white sands and clear waters with optimal chances to see animals first hand—monkeys, toucans and more! Dinner and overnight in Manuel Antonio.
August 8: Enjoy a half-day of leisure in Manuel Antonio (optional tours). Travel back to our hotel in Quizur and have dinner where you please (options provided).
August 9: Free day to explore San Jose or surrounding areas at your leisure (optional tours). Enjoy a celebration dinner at Quizur.
August 10: Travel home with more peace and a heart filled with Pura Vida!
Throughout our journey we will gather for group sharing, prayer and meditation.
$1765 – double room occupancy $1865 (single)
Price includes: all ground transportation in Costa Rica; lodging; meals (except two); tours (except optional); service/trip coordination; tour guides; meditation and other guided group activities. Price does not include: airfare, transportation and parking to/from U.S. airports, meals to/from CR.
Please register and pay online or download a registration form and mail with your check by March 23.
Contact: Kristin Powell revkristin@unityrising.org 573.447.0414 or Althea Harris amharris6@gmail.com
Costa Rica and the Rasur Foundation
Before directing the lightning in the sky, we must first harness the storms in our own hearts.
From the poem “Rasur”
Costa Rica has chosen to lead the world on its journey to peace, which began when the army was abolished in 1948. The Rasur Foundation was founded by Rita Marie Johnson, a Unity minister and U.S. citizen who went to Costa Rica in 1993 to help strengthen its national model of peace. As a result, a new “peace package” is now being implemented: a Ministry for Peace that collaborates with a national Academy for Peace, which trains peace teachers in the schools to teach the practice of BePeace in each community. This new government infrastructure, coupled with grassroots peace skills, is inspiring hope around the world as people realize that similar models could be replicated in their countries.
The Rasur Foundation, named after the epic poem Rasur or Week of Splendor by Roberto Brenes Mesén, has inspired the foundation’s work. This prophetic poem tells the story of a master teacher, Rasur, who teaches the Costa Rican children how to be peacemakers. The children pass this knowledge on to their parents and soon their village is transformed into a culture of peace.
VISION: A world where every child embodies peace and passes it to the next generation.
MISSION: Attracting, training and supporting natural peace teachers to evoke the wisdom and compoassion in children through the practice of Be Peace.
BePeace
In 2002, Johnson discovered a powerful synergy between coherence for “feeling peace” and connection to universal needs through empathy and honesty for “speaking peace.” Inspired by this combination, she developed the practice of BePeace. She founded the Academy for Peace of Costa Rica as a project of the Rasur Foundation, with the vision of developing Rasurs, master peace teachers to provide BePeace training in every community.
As teachers, students, parents and other citizens learn BePeace, their social and emotional intelligence is enhanced, empowering them to make conscious choices toward peace in their daily lives. Now the Ministry of Education in Costa Rica is implementing BePeace in the national school system. In 2009, Rasur Foundation International began supporting other countries to establish their own academies, which include developing Rasurs and teaching BePeace.
The Rasur Foundation and the Academy for Peace can upscale to the national level, thereby creating a model that can be duplicated around the world. Tour members like you are joining in Rasur Foundation’s efforts by learning with us and adding your financial gift to our efforts.
Please Note: Rita Marie Johnson will be our guide in Costa Rica. During this tour with Unity Rising, we will gain an understanding of the work and an overview of the BePeace model. We will not be experiencing the 40-hour BePeace Training. Instead we will be “being peace” by serving, learning and experiencing Costa Rica. If you are interested in the BePeace training the next available one is on February 8-12 at Unity Village.