PCN to Host Free Screening - Project Happiness Documentary

Parent Community Network, as part of Parent University Continued, will sponsor the screening of PROJECT HAPPINESS, a new documentary that follows students on a quest for lasting happiness. The screening will be followed by a Q&A discussion with PROJECT HAPPINESS producer and creator, Randy Taran.

The screening will take place on Tuesday, March 20 at Lyons Township High School – Performing Arts Center, Western Springs, IL.  The 60-minute film will begin at 7:00 pm; with doors opening at 6:30 pm.  Donations will be accepted at the door to benefit ACES (Adolescent Counseling, Education and Support) - a new local service to make counseling services affordable and available when it is most needed.

Seating is limited. Visit www.parentcommunitynetwork.com for more
information.

PROJECT HAPPINESS documents the lives of ordinary young people on an extraordinary journey to explore the nature of lasting happiness. The film focuses on four teens from Santa Cruz, California. Each faces personal obstacles to happiness: loss, alienation and the everyday challenges of being a teenager passing into adulthood.

PROJECT HAPPINESS introduces them to their peers in Nigeria and India and quickly leaves lectures and books behind. In addition to connecting with each other, the teens engage in conversations with cultural icons George Lucas, Richard Gere and groundbreaking neuroscientist Richard Davidson. At the end of their year together, the three groups converge in India for a rare private interview with the Dalai Lama—an event that rocks their  expectations, brings more questions than answers and marks a new chapter in their lives.

Inspired by the film, creator/producer Randy Taran has created a nonprofit called PROJECT HAPPINESS that teaches kids and young adults social and emotional life skills through after school and university programs, a work book and an international outreach that is touching thousands of lives.

Film makers Notes: “When my own child started to show signs of stress and then depression, I ached for a way to help her. As the situation became more intense both in school and at home, I didn't know what to do, and it rocked me to my core. In trying to find out more, I
discovered how many young people are struggling with similar issues. After speaking with experts. I was shocked to learn of the escalating rates of stress, depression, bullying and even suicides occurring nationwide. This is
truly a silent epidemic that is infiltrating the lives of young people everywhere.

In a culture that often values materialism over meaning, it s our kids who are being shortchanged. I wanted to do something to raise awareness that there is
another way.  One thing that I now know is that we can no longer depend on someone else to give us the answers to our own happiness. The most authentic answers lie within  –  we have just forgotten how to  access them. Everyone has the capacity to retrain the way they think to know that, with some practice, happiness is within reach. In this climate of ever--‐increasing stress, this message is more important than ever.”

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Parent Community Network (PCN) is a volunteer group made up of parents, educators and community members from the Lyons Township area,  who share the goal of  ongoing parental education and support for each other to raise healthy, well adjusted, substance abuse-free and violence-free children.

Through Parent University (PU) and other educational programs, newsletters and social media, Parent Community Network’s (PCN's) mission is to enhance communication, sharing of information and support among parents, schools, and other community groups in promoting and creating a healthy and safe environment for our youth.

PCN encourages parents to learn, connect and talk with one another and their children, keeping the lines of communication open.