una Senman-Lane is an idealist,
philosopher, and inspirational
mentor, helping people, especially
teens, discover the essence of their
being, nurture their harmonious
relationships with others, and create
an exemplary world. "As a teen,
I was concerned about problems
around the world and the suffering
people were experiencing from war,
famine, and disease. I hoped to
change the dynamics of disrespect
that lead to violence and neglect.
Decades later, I have my own teens
and observe a world far different
than what I hoped for at their age,"
said Suna. Her 15-year-old twins
attend Horace Greeley High School.
After working as a clinical social
worker with challenging mental
health patients in some of New
York's troubled areas, Suna focused
her skills on healthy human development.
In 1996, she created a
developmental program at local
schools, including Play Care at the
First Congregational Church in
Chappaqua, and in 2004, she founded
the World Foundation for
Original Human Development
(WFOHD), a not-for-profit educational
program. Through WFOHD,
Suna offers youths and adults the
opportunity to visualize and create
a healthy future world.
"We felt respect was a core element,
and looking at the world, there was
a lot of gender-based disrespect
causing great suffering in the world
across cultures and throughout history,"
said Suna. She presents
Gender Respect Seminars four
times a year, offering new perspectives
to stimulate discussions and
self-discovery. "We focus on a key
common element—being a unique
individual who wants to express the
self to the fullest and harmonize
with others." The women's seminars
comprise three series: breaking the
feminine down to basic core units;
layers of a person's being and different
roles played; and how women
experience themselves in relationship
to men. "The seminars are like
taking a miniature piece of life and
finding something meaningful to
you, where you are at this moment,
that you can apply to the rest of
your life," Suna explained. There are
Gender Respect Seminars for men
and women together, too.
To encourage healthy living, on the
first Wednesday of every month,
September through June, from
9:30a.m.-11:30a.m., Suna hosts free
monthly teas at her home. Open to
men and women, it's devoted to
connecting with one's individual
thoughts and feelings and to be part
of the community. "It's an open
forum, like a lab in living in the
feminine/yin space. I present a topic
simply to have a beginning point,"
said Suna. "They're a practice in
being and consciously living in the
moment. A few days ago, I noticed
myself in a very unbalanced state,
of chasing my infinite To-Do list. I
noticed my virtues diminishing.
Compassion got lost in giving directions
and orders," she said.
"Joyfulness, appreciation, and love
got lost in the guilt of not having
gotten more done. These teas
remind me to smell the roses and
'be,' live a life worth living. I find the
teas to be magical in how they bring
people together."
Suna's new book, "Being: A Process"
offers a scientific and spiritual
approach to living a balanced life.
"The most important thing for a
woman is to know herself and be
herself. I also feel a woman's identity
can be smothered behind someone
else's need and can get so
extreme she doesn't even know that
she doesn't know herself," said
Suna. "Each person's experience is
real. It's the interpretations that differ.
I elaborate on this in my book.
This perspective is the basis of my
attitude toward being a mother and
drove me to develop the programs
under WFOHD, especially The Youth
Project (TYP) which Teens for the
Future (TFTF) is a pilot project of."
In 2007, Suna founded Teens for the
Future, a youth-based organization
encouraging young people to envision
their future and make the
world a better place. "Teens consciously
build their future centered
on respecting self and others. The
teens created a mission to discover
needs that most people are unaware
of and become part of the solution.
They begin their process by
researching the causes and challenges
of an issue, and then create a
short term project bringing some
solution to the problem," said Suna.
TFTF has collected school supplies
for one thousand children in Darfur,
held an essay contest allowing teens
to voice their concerns for their
communities, and sponsored a
young nurse on a medical mission
to serve 6,000 orphans in Uganda.
Last year, TFTF held a tri-state
Awareness Day at the Chappaqua
Library and spearheaded a collaboration
of schools to provide support
to Ugandan orphans.
TFTF put Hithia Shibuya's life in perspective.
"It allows teens in America
to have a broader mindset to what is
going on in the world and allows
them an opportunity to make a difference
for other teens around the
world who don't have the resources
we have here," said Hithia, 22, of
Tarrytown. "Through my involvement
with youth programs and service
projects in different countries,
I've seen the contrasting differences
of my world to other people and I
see how much I've been given in my
life. TFTF allows teenagers to see
what's happening around the world
and brings them to a point where
they want to help others."
Hithia views Suna as a mentor to
the hope for a better future.
"Nothing is impossible. Suna has a
very optimistic viewpoint toward
making a change in the world and
lives her life according to the principles
of WFOHD. Her outlook on life
is one of tranquility and peacefulness,"
said Hithia. "I believe people
are limited by the pessimism they
see in the world and therefore are
limited in trying to do something to
make a difference. Suna goes above
that pessimism and keeps going."
Suna's background has influenced
her life's work. Born to a Swedish
mother and Turkish father, Suna
was raised throughout the United
States and was a competitive gymnast
as a teen. "It taught me to
overcome many fears and go
beyond my concept of self. I also
traveled around Europe in my late
teens getting exposure to many cultures,"
she said. Suna earned a B.A.
in French with minors in German
and political science from West
Virginia University and holds
degrees in biology, math, and
Swedish from the Gymnasiet in
Sweden. In addition, she earned a
Master's Degree in religious education
and social work.
Overall, Suna's goal is to provide the
next generation with better opportunities
to create a world that pleases
them. "Young people want to
make a difference in the world. I
believe in giving each person the
space to be the unique individual he
or she wants to be and that person
will contribute to creating a harmonious
society and beauty in the
world."
For more information on Suna's projects,
visit www.WFOHD.org or email
