Up to Date Summer 2006 Health and Well Being Report .TXT / .RTF
 Jaiaen Beck, June 2006, "I wanted to give you the latest update, as health and healing is taking a front row seat. The well-being of the people in all aspects of life is of paramount importance. Absolutely everything we are doing, and have been doing, is related to our Health and Well-Being Program in some way."

Where & who are we?
 Ancient Ways is located in Oregon 's mid-Willamette Valley, and is based in Lacomb, a rural area in the foothills of the Cascades. The organization, as a community, is an ever-changing organism. The local people who have created this network extend east to Sweet Home, south to Lebanon and Eugene , west to Albany , Philomath, and Corvallis and north to Monmouth, Stayton and Salem . This includes those who have been brought together by sharing the sweet sounds of Zimbabwean music, as well as those who find connection in the heart of Ancient Ways as a center for healing of both our planet and ourselves.

Our Mission
Ancient Ways preserves indigenous people’s ancient life-giving traditions through collaborative and sustainable practices, including health and well-being services, academic, arts, and public health education, and building huts, stoves, toilets, and wells. Ancient Ways currently works in the US, Peru, and Zimbabwe.

Our Vision
Ancient Ways envisions a future where people celebrate ancient knowledge and cultures, and uplift each other through mutual learning, respect and empowerment.

Our Values
* Compassionate Service - Local and international communities
* Ethical & Fiscal Responsibility - Conscientious programs and services
* Uplifting the Child - Nurtured, protected, and encouraged
* Innovative Leadership - Creative, intuitive, resilient, culturally sensitive
* Preserving Traditional Ways - Respecting life-giving traditions and knowledge
* Mutual Learning - Reciprocal learning and integration of knowledge into practice
* Empowerment – Co-created opportunities to create a preferred future
* Sustainability - Ecologically sound and self-sustaining practices

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

     President: Jan Six
    Vice President: Helen Stix
    Secretary: Debby Vajda
    Vice President Finance: Brady Howe
    Member: Vickie Stevens
    Member: Mary Ann Tarr

OTHER DIRECTORS not on the Board
     Executive Director and founder:  Jaiaen Beck
    Project Director in Zimbabwe, Nhimbe for Progress (a Community Development Project in Mhondoro, began in 1999):  Cosmas Magaya
    Project Directors in Zimbabwe, Jangano (a Community Development Project in Dambatsoko area, began in 2005):  Fradreck Mujuru and Fungai Mujuru

What are we up to?
    We support the world community in remembering its connection to, and reverence for, their spirituality, each other's diversity, and the earth, as well as encourage individuals to remember why they are here on the planet. We look to indigenous peoples everywhere to learn about lifestyle choices and how these choices affect the environment, our community as a whole, and ourselves. Historically, we have studied with Native Americans (from North and South America) and friends and teachers from Zimbabwe .

    We are not a religious or political organization - we endeavor to learn, educate, and serve the community from a broad and aware cultural view. We work to change the future for the better through the arts, reverence for nature, and respect for each other.

   Ancient Ways provides services locally, in Peru, and Zimbabwe.  Our current focus stateside is a Zimbabwean music program offering weekly classes, serving the mid-Willamette Valley since 1993.  In a Zimbabwean partnership we have been collaborating to provide rural services since 2000 in Mhondoro, and since 2005 in Dewedzo to over 2,500 people. Through grass-roots donations we: 1) offer basic health care opportunities and well being education including HIV/AIDS and public health, 2) sponsor children to attend our own preschool, supporting their education through university level, 3) assist with facilities improvements (huts, toilets, wells, stoves), and 4) promote sustainable practices for longevity.


About the Founder
    Ancient Ways was founded in 1993 by Jaiaen Beck. After more than 20 years of exploring healing traditions of cultures around the world, she began creating space for people to learn together. Studying healing with various teachers; Michael Harner, Sandra Ingerman, Leslie Conton, Tom Cowan, Don Alejandro, Don Ramon and Joshua Magaya have helped to shape her perspective of a cosmic worldview.

    Following a lecture about Shona spirituality by Dr. Dumisani Maraire at the Kutsinhira Center in Eugene , Oregon , in 1990, Zimbabwean music, culture, and their healing traditions became a passionate interest. Very soon after, Ancient Ways was born out of a need to develop deeper community connections both here and abroad.

    Ancient Ways would not have been possible without the ongoing support and commitment of our family and friends who have seen see and participate in the vision.