PHOTO EXHIBITION AT CAUX Expo EXTENDED

Undine Groeger's photo exhibition, which can currently be visited at the CAUX Expo, has been extended from 16 January to 31 March, 2016 to allow more visitors, including schools in the region, to discover "Within my Walls and Beyond".

The exhibition represents a personal journey towards understanding Germany’s past. It includes three generations that experienced the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall, and, in parallel, opens a window onto life in a place that can be reminiscent of former East Germany, Transnistria, a post-Soviet frozen conflict zone between Moldova and Ukraine.

Within My Walls and Beyond was first exhibited in November, 2014 to mark the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. It was initially made possible through the support of the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany to the United Nations and other International Organizations in Geneva, private sponsors, and collaborators.

Discover more videos on the exhibition on Youtube:

In line with its focus on sustainable living, the CAUX – IofC Foundation is replacing its Conference Centre’s oil-fired boiler with a new and more ecological wood-fired one.

Installed in the 1960s, the old heating system was entirely powered by oil that had to travel from the middle-east, needed refinement, and produced a lot of CO2 emissions. The new heating system will be 80% wood-fired, the other 20% remaining oil-fired. That represents a reduction of about 590 tonnes of CO2 emissions due to fossil fuel per year. The new system also has economic advantages as the price of wood is much more stable than the one of oil and it will prevent us from paying carbon taxes that could be introduced in the future. At last, by buying Swiss wood, we will support the local economy and avoid carbon emissions due to oil transportation.

The Foundation is pleased to give another proof that more sustainable options have often both environmental and economic advantages.

Read the article (in French) published in the Swiss newspaper 24 Heures

CAUX CONFERENCE ALUMNAE INITIATES PROJECT ON DIALOGUE FOR REFUGEES IN CALAIS

Célia Demoor is a French citizen and peacebuilder from Calais, North of France. In 2014 she made a video called 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' in which she united voices from around the world to defend the rights of all people to dignity and respect and raise awareness about the situation of migrant people in Calais. 

In the summer of 2015 she participated in the Caux Conference called Impact Initiatives Challenge. Since then, she has founded DEEP France, the French branch of the DEEP (Dialogue, Empathic Engagement, and Peacebuilding) Network. She is now working on the creation of community-based dialogue-oriented projects in Calais. Concurrently she is partnering with Initiatives of Change France on the organization of dialogue-based conferences around the integration of refugees and the co-construction of society between newcomers and locals. 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' is now one of the nine finalists of the United Nations Plural + Festival running for Public Award with a chance to be screened at Times Square, New York City!

If you want to support this project by voting for the movie 'United Voices for Migrants in Calais' please visit http://pluralplus.unaoc.org/winning-videos/audience-choice-award/.

THE ROLE OF FORGIVENESS IN CREATING PEACE

On 23 September, in celebration of the UN’s International Day of Peace, Initiatives of Change UK hosted an evening screening the Beyond Forgiving documentary and a panel discussion with two local peace-builders.

Partner to the event, Junior Chamber International (JCI) London is a voluntary, world-wide personal development organisation for young professionals and entrepreneurs. For the first time they organized ‘Peace Week’, a week of events that ‘contribute to world peace, distinguishing between the ideological and the pragmatic, the global and the local level’, of which this collaboration with IofC was one event during the week.

21 new people to IofC watched the impactful documentary that tells the story of two South-Africans trying to move beyond their pain towards forgiveness. The screening, of the post-Apartheid film was followed by a panel discussion with two young women, passionate about peace-building after experiencing conflict in different corners of the world. Amina Khalid a British Somali and Angharad Thain from Northern Ireland, told the engaged audiences about their work and life story.

Angharad is a Project Coordinator at St Ethelburga’s Centre for Peace & Reconciliation. She supports the delivery of their Conflict Coaching courses, one being the Community Reconciliation training. Angharad is passionate about the role of the Christian faith in transforming conflict and in furthering the narrative of peace that is so important for our times. She previously worked as a Peaceworker for Quaker Peace and Social Witness.

'We are all wounded healers' Angharad stated in her opening remarks, agreeing with Ginn Fourie protagonist of the documentary. Angharad discussed, from her experience, the importance of honesty in conflict resolution, which both IofC and St Ethelburga’s address and encourage through their work.

Growing up in Northern Ireland, Angharad’s journey took her to work in conflict resolution at a community level; listening and building relationships. This early experience drew her to the work of St Ethelburga’s. 'Aspects of faith drive me – everything is already reconciled through Jesus Christ’s work. We can all be redeemed; we are already forgiven so we can therefore forgive.'

Amina Khalid, a young British Somali woman set-up Peace Begins at Home, a local not-for-profit organisation that grew out of IofC’s Agenda for Reconciliation programme. It focuses on inter-generational and conflict resolution dialogue, particularly between African diaspora communities.

'In Somalia, peace and reconciliation used to be at the heart of everything – now this is not the case.'  Amina talked about losing family members in the conflict in her home country, fleeing to the UK as a refugee and starting a new life in London. She faced bullying and as a result moved schools four times. 'It was a traumatic time for me. At some point, I realised that I have two choices – burry my head in the sand or stand up and do what is right.'

Fuelled by her need to comprehend war and conflict, she took courses and began learning about the process of peace. 'I realised I could tell my story and that it might help others. There is a power in story-telling and I wanted to use it to help my local (Somali) community.'

Amina talked passionately about her work and the fact that it was the London riots that motivated her to take action. Her non-for-profit organisation have run trainings in six boroughs across London, training over 300 people in conflict management and family reconciliation methods.

The audience then had the opportunity to ask the two women questions. One gentleman asked how they deal with people who haven’t had a ‘transformation’ or do not have a sense of forgiveness within their conflict resolution work. 'I hope that through sharing my story and pain it will inspire others', Amina answered.

'What is your vision for the world?' was another question asked. 'Everyone letting go and opening their heart to change so we can all move towards peace', answered Amina. Angharad highlighted ‘interconnectedness’ and the need to 'see our neighbour as the same as us, despite where we are geographically from.' She also touched on the interconnectedness we have with the planet that gives us life.’

The conversation flowed to the importance of relationships and the need for people to work for peace at all levels – from the ground to the policy level. 'Our challenge is to each find our role within this sphere', stated Angharad. Amina followed 'global change takes time. I think it is because we are afraid to look inwards and make steps towards individual change that we need to make for the benefit of our family, community and world.'

The evening concluded that peace building is long-term and challenging work. Although ‘peace treaties’ have been signed in South Africa, Northern Ireland and Somalia – each country is still walking their journey towards realised peace. 

We gain inspiration and hope from peacemakers such as protagonists Ginn and Letlapa and these two women that took to the stage this evening. 

Amina ended with a Rumi quote for the audience to reflect on during their journey home - 'The wound is the place where the light enters you.'

By Talia Smith

TEAM AND INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Workshop for students working on social innovation

On 25 September 2015, the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation was invited to deliver a workshop on team and intercultural communication to about 50 students engaged in Just Innovate’s Collaborate for Social Impact (C4SI) Challenge 2015, an experiential education programme which challenges students to engage innovatively with social issues.

The C4SI programme connects students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds and helps them to come up with creative social solutions to real-world challenges provided by leading international affairs and development organizations.  

CAUX-Initiatives of Change specially designed the workshop to meet the needs of the students. In intercultural teams, they will work on the C4SI challenges over the next ten weeks. On the basis of a practical exercise using the students diverse backgrounds and experiences, the workshop leaders facilitated dialogues on team processes, communication and intercultural challenges to prepare the students for their upcoming work. We wish them much inspiration and excellent team work and hope that their projects will generate innovative actions with real impacts!

INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY 2015

Be the change you want to see in the world

On the International Peace Day on 21 September 2015, CAUX-IofC “walked the talk” and invited all neighbouring not-for-profit organisations from the Varembé 1-3 building in Geneva to help breaking down silos and engage in dialogue. Organisations from the Humanitarian, Development, Human Rights and Peace and Security sectors exchanged on approaches in our common work for Peace explored synergies.

Volunteers of the Caux Conferences

Bukiwe Maseko/South Africa about her time as a volunteer in Caux 2015

It is undeniable: without volunteers, the Caux conferences would not be possible. It is thanks to these people who are spending every year their summer time in Caux that these conferences are what they are. One of them is Bukiwe Maseko*. She is has been head of the housekeeping department for the past six years. We asked her what makes volunteering for IofC so special and why she keeps coming back. She answered:

“I always had that dream of serving the world. As a Christian, I used to pray to God. I said ‘I want to serve your children’ – and then six years ago I got the opportunity to come here. I felt that dreams come true, if you really believe.

Coming to Caux is an achievement in my life journey, because it fulfils my passion of caring for people, of having more understanding for the world, different cultures and religions, and the political standards of other countries. I’m not here for any financial profit, but for the fulfillment that fills my spirit, my soul, and my heart. Every year I am gaining more and more. I learn from the people here, especially the young interns. I make friendships that I keep for a lifetime. I really feel that Caux is where the world meets. And that gives you the chance to understand more about other cultures, background and religion that are not the same as yours.

Also, you have the spirit of the house. This place is so warm and welcoming. You have time to listen to one another and to experience the spirit of real teamwork. Above all, you get that fulfillment of caring for people. Because that is what the world needs. We need to care for another. And here you get the chance to."

* Bukiwe Maseko. For 6 years she has been volunteering for two and a half month in Caux each year. She lives in Johannesburg in South Africa where she has a small travel agency and facilitates events. 

CLOSING OF IMPACT INITIATIVES CHALLENGE 2015

The final conference of the Caux 2015 session, “Impact Initiatives Challenge”, has come to an end. During the past five days entrepreneurs, pathfinders, innovators and changemakers came together to work on their own sustainable projects, ventures and initiatives in an inspiring and supportive environment.

The last two plenaries of the conference dealt with ASPIRATION and COMMITMENT.

The plenary on ASPIRATION focused on the art of setting goals and ambitions. With this in mind, the plenary revolved around a hike up to the Rochers de Naye, where Tessa Wernink, communications director at Fairphone held her talk. Hikers were rewarded with beautiful scenes of the Swiss Alps, as well as a birds-eye view of Lake Geneva and its surroundings – they had set the goal and achieved it.

The final plenary on COMMITMENT invited last year’s participants of the “Impact Initiatives Challenge” to share their experiences and challenges of how they’ve stayed committed to their project. Rudy van der Aar and Javed Latif from Green Mosque, a project dedicated to making Mosques in the Netherlands more sustainable, revealed what measures and hardships they faced in making their project a reality. In addition, Théo Bondolfi introduced his successful communal living project bringing together the latest technologies and alternative ideas, creating a space for innovation.

On the final full day of the conference the workshop groups or “tracks” came together to share what they had learned it the last few days. The closing ceremony was enriched through fun activities and engaging conversations. 

All in all, the past few days of the “Impact Initiatives Challenge” were an inspiring experience. Participants will return home and continue working on their own projects, ventures and initiatives for the next 365 days. The challenge has just begun!

Find out more about Impact Initiatives Challenge here.

All pictures of the conference can be found here.

STARTING THE IMPACT INITIATIVES CHALLENGE (IIC)

10 - 15 August 2015

Impact Initiatives Challenge (IIC) started on the evening of August 10 here in Caux.  This Start -Up Week combines an incubator and a leadership programme.  IIC 2015 aims at inspiring, equipping and connecting  the next generation entrepreneurs, pathfinders, innovators and change makers to launch new solutions, projects, ventures and initiatives that will build a better, just and sustainable tomorrow.

The conference is in fact a journey linking inner change to leadership achievements starting by the theme CONNECTING, then BEING, defining your PURPOSE and ASPIRATION and finally COMMITMENT- materializing ideas into concrete projects and ensuring a one year follow-up.

The conference is organized everyday starting by plenaries to spark inspiration, then participants go to their reflection groups to connect and finally they are invited to choose between 4 workshops to equip them (tracks) :

- Growth and Personal Development for Entrepreneurs (experience-based learning environment through serious gaming simulations),

- Social Entrepreneurship (incubating ideas into a viable social business),

- From Ideas to Reality: Visualize Your Story (visual thinking to share and communicate ideas),

- An open space (Tailor-made approach gathering contributors and participants to ask further questions).

The first plenary of the conference was about identity and the theme of BEING.

Mami Veza, one of the team members of IIC, opened the session sharing her personal story of how complex defining yourself and answering the question Who Am I? could be. Pierre-Antoine Barraillé of Praneo Foundation followed by presenting inner transformation as the first step to greater change in someone’s life,  giving the example of his own story of change. He said "We all have our own path. Stick to who you are and if it doesn’t suit you get rid of it. You are your own guru".

Today’s opening speaker Bijan Kafi, from Sekem led the plenary on finding one’s PURPOSE;

It can often be multiple, as he said “living is moving”.  Before asking the audience what experiences led them to greater growth, he shared his personal thoughts:  “ An enabling environment for growth has to be created, but sometimes the organizations that limit you the most are those that help you grow the most”.  He also stressed on the fact that finding one’s purpose is seen as personal freedom, but that we should not mistake it as the lack of connectivity: "Freedom stems from the linguistic root of friendship. Freedom is not a lack of binding, it’s the exact opposite."

Participants who were strangers three days ago have rapidly grown into a community of motivated change makers. Ideas are fusing, connections are growing and as some embark on a Vision Quest tonight, others will wake up early to hike up the Rochers de Naye tomorrow as a symbolic illustration of  “reaching your goals”.

More information on Impact Initiatives Challenge here.

More information on contributors of the conference can be found here.

A WEEK OF "SHARING INSPIRATION THAT SHAPES LIVES"

After six days of creating, sharing and inspiring, the “Seeds of Inspiration” conference has come to an end. With a strong focus on sharing stories and experiences, many new insights were gained.

During plenaries people came together to listen and learn from each other. For example, during one session Odette shared her personal struggles with her identity. She had grown up with two names and her entire life these had been at conflict with each other. Often she was ridiculed for having a “strange” Vietnamese name – a name that was not her own. She much more identified with Odette. Many in the audience were unaware of the pain she had felt and the power a simple thing such as a name could hold. Her story raised an intercultural awareness amongst the participants, that can often be overlooked.

Another highlight of the conference was the commemoration of the 70^th anniversary of the first atomic bomb drop. The commemoration was emotional and moving, but also a hopeful reminder of the change that can be brought on by working together. Read more here.

Participants of the “Seeds of Inspiration” conference had the opportunity to attend different workshops every day. Some were more activity based: Learning how to juggle or mastering the art of Japanese-style woodcarving. Other workshops allowed participants to explore their most inner feelings with questions such as: What defines you? Or is there really a place for everyone?

The days were enriched through evening performances. From musicals to plays and puppet shows, participants of the conference enjoyed something new every night. The Intermission Theatre in Education from London inspired the audience with their talent and energy, and set an example on finding strength through art and community. The theatre group brings together young people and helps them escape from the hardships of life.

As Aeschylus said: “From a small seed a mighty trunk may grow”, and the seed that has been planted here at Caux will just continue growing.

• For more information on Seeds of Inspiration, click here.
• For more information on Intermission Youth Theare in Education, click here.