The idea for the Open Heart Community project began in Japan in 1984, when its founder, Geordan Reynolds Sensei, was invited to stay at Tokyo’s 400-year-old Chomeiji Tera, meaning “Temple of Long Life”. This prominent Buddhist temple housed a charming, yet contemporary nursery school with an integrated aiki children’s dojo.

The Temple’s 35^th Head Priest, Kobayashi Kogen, was both the 35^th generation father-to-son Headmaster and Tokyo’s Chuo University Aikido Club Instructor. Inspired by what he had seen at Chomeiji Tera, Reynolds Sensei’s dream was born: to build a modern version of Chomeiji, but rather than a traditional Buddhist temple, instead create a “Temple of Life-Long Learning”.

This aspiring vision began to take shape seven years later; after becoming a certified specialist of Sports Medicine, Reynolds Sensei returned to Tokyo. Whilst there he began the Yoshinkan Aikido Senshusei Specialists Course, an instructor’s course connected with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. It was during this course that he came to realise there was a future for a centre which would bring together community education, an academy for sports science and aikido.

Upon his successful completion of the Yoshinkan course, he moved from Tokyo back to the US and in 1995 accepted a faculty position at California’s Irvine Valley College School of Health Science, Physical Education and Athletics. He lectured on traditional Japanese aikido, contemporary “Components of Personal Safety” and “Sports Medicine of Asia”, whilst also advising various security, law enforcement and military institutions on aiki-control techniques and conflict resolution tactics.

During this period he began a post-graduate course in “Specialist in Community Education” at the University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education. When there, he met Dr. Salvatore Rotella, President of California’s Riverside Community College and visionary of the extremely successful, foundation-based “Passport to College” community outreach programme.

In 1995, Dr. Rotella inherited an American community college district with “the lowest 18-year old college enrollment figures in the nation”. Faced with a largely uneducated population of SE Asian, Central and South American immigrants, Dr. Rotella could see a “cycle of poverty” that only education could break. If someone could guide these kids and their families on a “pathway to higher education” an entire region would benefit.

Reynolds Sensei’s dream was finally realised and is now known as The Open Heart Community. Currently, The Open Heart Community is developing a multi-purpose community education centre in Thailand, which aims to help and give opportunities to all age groups, from early childhood through to adult education. The centre will offer the following:

• Traditional dojo
• Children’s Community Theatre
• Children’s Gym
• An English-focused, media learning environment in a community classroom
• Guidance and information needed to plan a family’s “Pathway to Higher Education”

This inspirational, purpose built centre will serve the entire community of a village located just outside the resort region of Chonburi.