Initiatives of Change is a diverse network committed to building relationships of trust across the world's divides.
Initiatives of Change International is an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.
'Nothing lasting can be built without a desire by people to live differently and exemplify the changes they want to see in society.'
Omnia Marzouk, President, IofC International
Frank Buchman was the founder of the movement which became Initiatives of Change. Each week we will present here a short quote illustrating his thinking.
I decided to devote an hour, from 5am to 6am every morning before the telephone would begin to ring, to listen to the Voice of the living God in a daily time of quiet. Everything is so different when the Holy Spirit is a daily reality.
Buchman quoted in Theophil Spoerri Dynamic out of Silence P.30
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The dialogue on Making Democracy Real held at Asia Plateau, the Initiatives of Change centre in Panchgani, India, ended on 12 Jan. 32 people spoke for less than two minutes each, sharing their conclusions from the conference and the actions they have decided to take. Among them were some of the Tahrir Square revolutionaries, representatives of the Arab Spring. Read more >>
Earlier the conference had heard from Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, former Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, speaking just days after his acquittal in Kuala Lumpur's High Court. Anwar Ibrahim spoke out about the importance of conscience in politics.
The conference opened on 8 January with a video message from Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s leading democracy campaigner.
Dr Riek Machar, Vice President of Africa's newest country, South Sudan, gave the keynote speech on the second day of the dialogue, outlining the great needs for reconciliation after decades of conflict.
Highlights 2010/2011>> This features the Highlights, the President's message, and the information about IofC International.
'Global Update'>> The latest edition of GLOBAL UPDATE newsletter, published every two months by Initiatives of Change-International, reports on the sixth annual conference of Caux Initiatives for Business (CIB), Asia Pacific regional group, held in India in November. The Harambee Leadership Training Programme took place in Nigeria, with participants working alongside Pastor Wuye and Imam Ashafa, who feature in the film The Imam and the Pastor. There is also news from South Africa, the United States and Rwanda. In People Building Trust Mike Lowe talks to the new President of Initiatives of Change, Dr Omnia Marzouk, who feels called to heal and to build trust.
Caux Report >> The Caux Report for the 2011 conferences is available for download and in printed form from IofC centres. The 20 page full-colour report covers the fourth Caux Forum for Human Security; a dialogue on Learning to Live in a Multicultural World; IofC training programmes and a conference on Leading Change for a Sustainable World; Business ethics; and much more.
Caux Forum for Human Security Report>> 'Change the language of security, which is often the language of power and polarization, to a language of ethics and human values.' The 16-page full colour report of the 2011 Caux Forum for Human Security 2011 aims to do just that.
An African Answer>> More than one thousand people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced from their homes, following disputed elections in Kenya at the end of 2007. Imam Muhammad Ashafa and Pastor James Wuye – former militia leaders turned peace-makers from Nigeria – were invited to mediate in the worst-affected district. An African Answer depicts their dramatic bid to bring healing and reconciliation after death and destruction. The film depicts the dynamics of an effective, African approach to conflict resolution between rival ethnic groups and gives hope that grassroots communities can reject violence and rebuild peace and prosperity.
Trustbuilding: An Honest Conversation on Race, Reconciliation, and Responsibility>> This book is part historical narrative and part handbook for a model of dialogue and community change that has been adopted both nationally and internationally. At its center is the story of how Richmond, Virginia, a former slave market and capital of the Confederacy, has become a seedbed for interracial dialogue and trustbuilding with national and international implications.
1 to 6 July:
Learning to live in a multicultural world
8 to 15 July:
Caux forum for human security
17 to 23 July:
Trust and integrity in the global economy
25 to 31 July:
Exploring the vital link between personal and global change
2 to 8 August:
The dynamics of being a change-maker
Burma 'on the verge' of democracy - Aung San Suu Kyi
A video message from Aung San Suu Kyi, who opened a five-day dialogue on 'Making Democracy Real' held at the IofC centre in India in January 2012.
Caux, a Jihad for peace
'Learning to be a Peacemaker', run by British Imam Ajmal in July, aimed to inspire young European Muslims to become ambassadors of peace and trustbuilders in their European communities.
Do you want a sustainable future?
Creating a sustainable future is the leadership challenge of our time, for Göran Carstedt, the Chairman of the Natural Step International.
Kenyan woman campaigns for peace
Click here to see a video interview on YouTube of Ann Njeri Ndiangui from Kenya, an International Coordinator of Creators of Peace.
How to find Inspiration in an Age of Information
‘For many around the world, the daily time of silent reflection has become an anchor, and a springboard to action, over the years’ -- Michael Smith, writing in The Sound of Silence
