The only constant is change!
Caux Winter Gathering 2016/17

Most people will agree that the time between Christmas and New Year is special. Not only because of candles, decorated trees and gifts, but also because it’s a time that naturally seems to invite each of us to look back on what has been, to touch base with what is important in our lives and to prepare ourselves for the new  year to come.

So what happens when 85 people from 16 different countries, 4 continents, various backgrounds and all age groups come together to take time and reflect on change and its impact on their lives?

This year’s edition of the Winter Gathering in Caux offered presentations, discussion groups, daily art projects, music, times of quiet and moments of fun while glorious sunshine provided the perfect setting for breath-taking views on Lake Geneva.

The reflection times and plenary sessions each morning set the tone for the day, giving input and food for thought that was picked up again in the lively community groups which met every afternoon. These groups were precious moments for all participants – adults, teenagers and children- to get to know each other, work together, share personal stories and exchange ideas.

2500 years ago the Greek philosopher Heraclitus stated: « The only constant is change. » If that is true - where does that leave us, as individuals, a part of society, our nations and the world? How do we deal with these constant changes, whether we want them or not?

In rapidly changing societies intercultural communication is more important than ever. In her keynote speech on day 1, Sylvia Agbih (Germany), PhD candidate in a research project on health care for refugees in Germany, challenged the audience to reflect on the question of personal identity, awareness of others and how we deal with the clash of different concepts of culture in the society we live in. She underlined that even if human nature tends to simplify life in order to digest and interpret an overflow of information, we can learn to step back, reflect and let people tell their story in order to understand them better. Her conclusion was positive: We CAN change!

Her husband Paul Agbih (Nigeria/Germany) also gave a valuable lesson in intercultural understanding. He first shared negative experiences of his life as a Nigerian in Germany, only to interrupt himself saying: « But I do not believe in one-sided stories. They demonize the other and it limits us. You need the other side of the story to get the full picture of what is going on. » He then went on giving examples of positive encounters, leaving smiles on everybody’s faces.

The second day addressed change from a more personal angle based on the assumption that if we are all “children of our time”, we are not only shaped by society but also by the family we grew up in. Ragna Reuter, a doctor from Germany, said about communication within her family: « Misunderstandings start very easily.  It usually takes much longer to solve them."

The plenary session on day 3 opened with a challenge: « How many planets does it take to support your lifestyle? » After the participants had taken a test to find out how sustainable their current lifestyle actually is, positive examples of recent projects and start-ups showed how ordinary people can do extraordinary things to change the world they live in. « We need to improve people’s knowledge on what they can actually do to make things change!» underlined the facilitators Dafne Manzano (Spain), Martin Healey (Germany) and Diego Vargas Diaz (Mexico).  Christoph Keller (Switzerland), facility manager of the Caux Palace, explained how, according to CAUX-IofC’s commitment to sustainability, the building’s new heating system (80% wood / 20% fuel oil) has managed to reduce the building’s carbon footprint substantially.

Day 4 explored the challenge of making room to enable change. Participants were divided into groups tackling a series of tasks in various parts of the building. The results were then “translated” into daily life, like the question “How do we know when enough is enough - or even too much?”, using the example of an empty glass the participants had to fill with water with their eyes closed, without spilling water or making it overflow.

On 31 December it was time to look back – and also ahead. A slideshow on the main world events 2016 reminded the audience not only how much and how quickly we actually forget. It also pictured clearly that the world we live in changes all the time.

2016 came to an end with every participant handing over a self-made party hat especially made for another participant. 85 different hats for 85 different people – a perfect way to show diversity at its best!  

Lauren Beckwith (USA), a student in international studies, about her first experience in Caux :
“The topics were great and made me reconsider my personal perspectives. I learned much about myself through my reactions to other people.

I loved being part of a team. We served breakfast and I was pleased that I was free after that. But I also learned to be thankful for the service other people did in the house so that I was able to enjoy the rest of the day. In Caux I felt people were listening to me and that what I said really mattered. It feels really good to have people who listen to you. I now feel very motivated.”

Marie-Christine Nibagwire (Rwanda/United Kingdom), a Church of England minister and founder of “Saferefugerwanda”, came to Caux as a single mother with her children:  
“I had to leave Rwanda in 1994 because of the genocide where I lost my home and many family members. I came to Caux because every year my children would say: ‘How come we are on our own on Christmas Day? What was Christmas like when you were a child in Rwanda?” In the end they were becoming so frustrated for not having many family members on Christmas that even a Christmas tree did not mean much to them. 

When I heard of Christmas and the Winter Gathering at Caux, I felt it would be an answer to our prayers. We came, hoping to be part of the Caux extended family and our dream came to pass.  We were about 60 people from more than 15 nationalities.  We did the Christmas tree together, sang carols, played games and exchanged presents.

My children and I came back home full of joy, thanking everyone who organised the event and all those who embraced us and made us feel like members of their families.”

Winter Gathering, Caux

Report: Ulrike Ott Chanu

Photos: Diana Topan

The CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation (CAUX-IofC) usually takes advantage of the winter season to maintain its historical heritage site and make its facilities more environmental-friendly, in line with its commitment to sustainable living.

One of the main renovations of 2016 was restoring the tunnel through which runs the railway line Montreux – Les Rochers de Naye. The works began on August 29, 2016 and ended on November 20, 2016. It was the first time the railway gallery was ever renovated since its construction in the 1900s. "It was urgent to conduct such restoration because the tunnel was deteriorating and posing risks to both the traffic and the users," said Ludovic Lafont, Service Center Director at CAUX-IofC and supervisor of the project.

The works were completed in cooperation with the Building, Heritage and Logistics Department of the Canton de Vaud in order to ensure that the new tunnel was in compliance with historical standards. The railway re-opened in mid-November, enabling locals, tourists and visitors to travel again safely. Overall, the cost of the project was about CHF 800,000 for which the responsibility lies entirely with the Foundation. We would like to extend a warm thank you to all the private donors who supported the project.

In 2017, the Foundation will conduct further renovation works, notably in the terrace promenade and its archway. This project will last for several years and its goal is to make the promenade look like it was originally intended to. In particular, the damaged esplanade and the stone wall will be fully repaired and restored. As the owner of the Caux Palace, the CAUX-IofC Foundation has been constantly and permanently renovating the estate since the 1980s, whether by refurbishing the rooms and interior of the Palace or as part of a bigger project such as restoring the terrace.

Simultaneously, the CAUX-IofC Foundation contracted E Celcius Group to build a new remote heating station, which was inaugurated on October 26, 2016. The plant provides thermal energy to the Caux Palace and its annexes as well as to the neighboring Rose-Croix School. The two oil-fired boilers that date back to 1988 were no longer meeting the pollution standards and were therefore replaced by a new boiler room, which is 80% wood-fired and 20% oil-fired. The works started in July 2015 and lasted about a year. Setting up such a boiler room in the rather small space of the Caux Palace’s basement was not an easy task. Quite a few difficulties had to be overcome to enable the installation of the new heating system.

This ecological project marks an important milestone for CAUX-IofC's commitment to sustainable development. "This will help us save about 600 tons of fossil-based CO2 per year," said Christoph Keller, Facility Manager at CAUX-IofC. "The wood used for the fuel comes from the region, which allows us to reduce both transportation and CO2 emissions, while supporting the local economy."

This is how the Caux Palace has been maintained and refurbished over the years in order to ensure the preservation and sustainability of this unique place. Help us preserve our heritage and support our mission!

On Monday 5 December 2016, together with 17 other NGOs, IofC International was granted Observer Status to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Council. Rainer Gude, Chargé de Mission in Geneva read a statement at the 107^th  IOM Council, about the importance of this collaboration to enhance trust building efforts to “de-mystify” prejudices around migration and strengthen the collective efforts for peace.

This observer status grants IofC International the opportunity to be a non-voting participant at these important meetings of States discussing the most pressing issues pertaining to migration. 

Ambassador William Lacy Swing, Director General of IOM, who was also the key note speaker at the official opening of the latest 2016 Caux Conferences, said that “a renewed appreciation for migrants for their collective and individual contributions to society is urgently needed so we can come back to a public discourse that is much more historically accurate, namely that migration has always been overwhelmingly positive.”

The President of the UN General Assembly, Peter Thomson, was the key note speaker  at this event also celebrating IOM’s 65^th anniversary. When speaking about the refugee and migration crisis he said, ““This challenge requires all of us to work collaboratively and compassionately. It requires us to apply the Golden Rule; to treat others as we would wish to be treated ourselves.” Click here for more info.

This goes hand in hand with IofC’s approach, linking the personal to the global. Through IofC’s work in creating spaces for dialogue with diaspora communities, trust building workshops between migrants and local communities, seminars to allow for healing the past in both conflict and non-conflict settings and much more, IofC is constantly working for and with migrants.

IOM and the CAUX-IofC Foundation have already been collaborating during the Caux Conferences, for their official opening in 2016, and for the Caux Dialogue on Land and Security, but also on IOM’s “I am a migrant” campaign, and on two human library events around migration organized by CAUX-IofC and IofC International in Geneva and in Bern.

The CAUX-IofC Foundation is looking forward to a continued collaboration with IOM to contribute to that “renewed appreciation for migrants” and collectively working for greater atmosphere of trust in Switzerland.

Peacebuilding is often seen as a sophisticated process, aimed at restoring the ways society deals with conflicts and at strengthening institutional capacities; a complex series of actions that require in-depth technical knowledge and bureaucratic maneuver abilities. But very often too, this highly institutional approach diminishes the individual role that anybody can and should play to build peace, whether it is at their family and community level or broader.

With this approach in mind, and as part of the third edition of the Geneva Peace Week, we recently co-hosted with the United Nations Library in Geneva an interactive dialogue titled “The Personal Toolbox of a Peacebuilder”.  About 50 participants had the opportunity to learn from and interact with three outstanding peacebuilders, each of them with an extensive and practical experience on what it takes to engage for peace.

Jens Wilhelmsen, who spent decades working for reconciliation after World War II, said that “identifying with others is one of the preconditions for being a peacemaker”. To effectively promote and work for peace, he explained, peacebuilders should approach with “humility”, take time to listen carefully to people and to their own conscience, summon courage and have honest conversations with those they mistrust and fear, and engage with a vision: if you don’t believe things will change, they will not, he concluded.

His grandson Jonathan Nelson, who shared the stage with him, acknowledged his grandfather’s virtue of always looking at his own conduct. “My 90 year old grandfather apologized after an argument we had… it surprised me. I learned that no matter your age you should always reexamine your behavior”, he stated.

Amina Khalid, a British Somali activist working for Initiatives of Change UK, explained about the importance of community dialogues to build trust and fight against divisions in the society. “There is much disunity and dysfunction between countries, within communities and even within families… peacebuilding and reconciliation is right at the center, at the heart, of what we need today”, she asserted.

Displaying a powerful performance based on real stories and characters, Dr. Rama Mani took participants on a journey of conflicts, war and suffering that she has come across during her life as a researcher and a peacebuilder and from which she has developed her own tools. Her approach for peacebuilding remains simple, yet inspiring: witness what is, listen to people, suspend judgment, envision change, and enact transformation.

After an exchange between participants and peacebuilders, an open toolbox placed in the middle of the UN Library Room was filled with handwritten tools. Choose the most useful ones for your own peacebuilding work!

For the latest edition of our Human Library event, this time in Bern, we asked five human books to share their personal stories of migration with the local audience. About 40 participants attended the event and interacted with the human books in a unique way, getting to know how each of them has dealt personally with migration.     

The Human Library in Bern was the last of a series of events organized for the 70th anniversary of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change (CAUX-IofC) Foundation. It took place in the University of Bern Library.

Each Human Book (storyteller) was invited to sit in a separate room of the library and to tell their story for 10 minutes, followed by a Q&A segment for the same length of time. Participants could repeat this process once in order to listen to up to 2 books.

Stories covered a wide range of personal experiences:

Ahmed Al’Dbei, a civil engineer and refugee from Yemen, found refuge in Saudi Arabia in 2014. He shared his story of coming to Switzerland and speaking about human rights violations in Yemen at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. In doing so, his emergency visa for Saudi Arabia was revoked and he could not return home to his family. Now under a special status while awaiting review of his case for more than a year now, Ahmed is not allowed to work or volunteer in Switzerland. This can be very frustrating as he would like to be able to help others and lead a regular life.

Bawélé Tchalim, a project coordinator at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bern from Togo, shared several stories from his career and also spoke of the difficulty of meeting people in Switzerland because of linguistic and cultural barriers.

Hassan Hawar, a refugee and computer science student from Syria,  spoke of his journey to Switzerland, by boat and by car from Turkey. German is his new language, which he speaks quite well after only a year of living in Bern. He now lives in Switzerland with his sister, while his parents and his brother still live in Damascus.

Vithyaah Subramaniam, a Swiss of Tamil origin who spoke about her will to help new migrants in Switzerland as her duty, being a second generation migrant herself.

Bernadette de Dardel, who was in charge of doing interviews and approving or refusing asylum requests at the Swiss Secretariat for Migration during 30 years, expressed the difficulty of determining the truth in each asylum seeker’s story as well as the dilemmas of having to refuse certain asylum claims.

The event ended with a closing aperitif where participants were invited to share their thoughts and impressions about the stories with each other.

Sharing and exchanging personal experiences is a different way to deal with migration from a  more human-focused approach and the Human Library proved once again to be a small but a very important step to build trust between migrants and local communities, groups which not often have the opportunity to talk to each other. 

The Swiss Responsible Business Initiative will be presented to the Swiss authorities today. The 80 civil society organizations supporting the initiative share one common goal: Swiss quality must incorporate the protection of human rights and the environment.

The 120'000 valid signatures gathered for the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative will be handed over to the Swiss government today. The constitutional amendment proposed by the initiative is based on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, unanimously adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in 2011. The initiative compels Swiss-based multinational companies to undertake human rights and environmental due diligence in all their business activities abroad. In practice, companies will have to identify, prevent, mitigate and account for how they address their adverse human rights and environmental impacts and those of the entities under their control. If a corporation does not fulfill its mandatory due diligence, it may be held to account for abuses committed by a subsidiary abroad.

Switzerland’s reputation is a major asset of its economy. Swiss quality stands for high standards, meticulousness and fair business relations. Companies benefitting from this reputation abroad must comply with international norms. In reality however, a number of Swiss-based companies still do not take into account the human rights and environmental impacts of their activities, nor do they take the appropriate steps to avoid or eliminate abuses. By bridging this current loophole, the Swiss Responsible Business Initiative seeks to ensure that the protection of human rights and the environment becomes an integral part of Swiss quality.

This initiative is part of a wider international trend towards binding rules for multinational companies. In recent months, the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, as well as eight national Parliaments of EU Member States, have spoken in favor of mandatory human rights due diligence.

The Swiss Responsible Business Initiative is supported by a broad coalition of 80 civil society organizations, which will immediately begin to prepare for the referendum’s campaign. According to a recent survey, 89% of the population wants Swiss-based companies to be compelled to respect human rights and the environment abroad. Furthermore, 92% think that corporations should ensure that companies under their control do the same. Despite the lack of political action in this regard, these numbers indicate a wide public concern for corporate responsibility.

Peace is all about actions. It is a daily effort put forward by individuals and groups to set institutional, economic, social and cultural standards and boundaries, according to their own realities, to progressively upraise human dignity. It’s not an ending, but a starting point of an endless process that needs to be nurtured on a regular basis.

When peace has been spoiled, whether by war, conflicts or disputes of any kind, reconciliation efforts at the institutional level are mostly needed. Judicial and non-judicial measures are essential to restore social stability and regain governance, as we have seen across the world in countries that have experienced violent conflicts.

But all these measures are not enough, if not embraced by society as a whole, if values of peace are not internalised in people’s consciousness. Peace can only be effectively resettled by individuals, with a peaceful set of mind and ready to take on the challenge to positively impact their families, their friend circles, their workplaces, their community groups; in short terms, their society.

Over the past 70 years, Caux has been playing an active role in peace building processes, connecting individuals from around the world, breaking divides, building trust and creating interpersonal, interfaith and interethnic dialogues. Participants to our annual Caux Conferences –approximately 1500 each year- return to their personal and community settings inspired and equipped to be part of the change, to promote solutions to a wide range of local issues and to work for a more just, peaceful and sustainable world.

That was the case 25 years ago, when a group of women gathered at Caux and then decided to take action towards peace with a grass root community approach, bringing Initiatives of Change’s main tools, such as storytelling, inner reflection and community service, into practice. They launched Creators of Peace to promote community peace circles: small gatherings of women to deepen their understanding of each other and their peace creating capabilities.

Active in more than 40 countries, Creators of Peace has now become a mayor programme of Initiatives of Change International. They play a significant role in conflict transformation, as they identify issues in the community with a potential for conflict and take common action.

“We had this dream that this could come out as something unique, something that the world has never seen”, said Ahunna Eziakonwa-Onochi, one of the founding mothers of Creators of Peace during the Living Peace Conference, recently hosted in Caux to commemorate the 25th anniversary of this initiative.

“25 years later, there is a greater urgency for this kind of work… peace begins with the individual and then multiplies, therefore we need to reach the individual and increase the opportunity for people to connect and to participate in building peace”, she added.

Caux offers this unique opportunity, as we have seen this year when a delegation from Tulsa, Oklahoma (USA), was invited to attend the Just Governance for Human Security Conference to openly discuss the impact of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riots, a tragic event of a region that continues to experience racial conflicts. After their experience in Caux, members of the delegation decided to continue the dialogue in Tulsa itself, as a way of dealing with the past, healing the wounds and start a personal and a community reconciliation process .

An open and frank discussion never took place in Tulsa, according to the delegation’s members, maybe because they never had the chance during the last nine decades. Inspired by Caux, on the 15^th September 2016, the first public forum took place at the Tulsa Historical Society, gathering more than 125 community members. A great step forward to transform a society torn over race, hopefully.   

That is the reason why we are convinced of the transformative force of individuals. Peace building should not be seen as an exclusive domain of public officers, institutions, international organisations, laws, etc. It should also be a bottom-up, community based process, led by strongly committed people. 

Every effort, as little as getting to know your neighbor, or random acts of kindness, is a step towards peace: what will you do for Peace?

During the final morning plenary of the Just Governance for Human Security Conference in July, participants were presented with a 90-day action challenge. Members of a delegation from Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, at Caux to discuss the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, accepted the challenge. Participants were asked what they could do in their own communities in 90 days that was a direct result of their experience at Caux. 

Four members, of the nine member delegation from Tulsa, began meeting over meals, just as they had at Caux, to discuss lessons learned from the conference. They openly discussed the needs of the community to have honest and open dialogue with regards to the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot and the aftermath faced in trying to heal a racially torn community. Scores affected by the Riot fled, and migrated elsewhere in the United States, even as far north as Canada. The delegation members agreed their first step together, after returning from Caux, would be to hold an informal forum, similar to the conference morning plenary they had recently attended. They decided to share the observations and encounters experienced at Caux with members of the community in hopes of inspiring and engaging the community. The seed had already been planted in their community because they were having open and honest dialogue about a horrific event in their city's history that had rarely been discussed for decades.

The forum titled, “Why is There Global Interest in Tulsa’s Race Relations? Healing History — An African-American Experience.” Was held on Thursday, September 15th at the Tulsa Historical Society and was attended by over 125 members of the community, both Caucasian and African-American. The forum opened with Michelle Place, Executive Director of the Tulsa Historical Society, noting the 100 year anniversary of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot was less than five years away. With the anniversary quickly approaching, there has been significant and steady interest in the city’s a horrific event by numerous outside sources, which include talks of a Hollywood movie. Michelle stated, "It is important for Tulsa to share with the world what it did right and what it did wrong with regards to the Race Riot. It is also important that we, Tulsans, are able to tell our own story. We cannot tell our story to inspire others around the world if we do not discuss it ourselves”.  It is important to share what happens in a community when its history is not openly discussed." 

Members of the delegation hope the forum is the first of many open and honest discussions of race and healing for the community. There are talks of having open dialogues in the North Tulsa area, an area often racially disconnected from the city. Since returning from Caux, members of the delegation with close connections to North Tulsa’s predominately African-American community have joined Michelle and the Tulsa Historical Society to document audio recordings of African-American Riot survivors, a demographic often missing from the city’s historical documentation.  Michelle Place and Alesia Clement Latimer, who did not know each other before meeting in Caux, have joined forces to reach all members of the community, in the spirit of community, and invite them to offer their oral history. The two have taken the ‘elbow diplomacy’ of Caux back to their community in an effort to reach all members of their community by working together.

Shontaye Abegaz, Conference Coordinator "Just Governance for Human Security"

The Caux community had the bittersweet experience of celebrating the life, commitment and passion of Princess Bukiwe Maseko on 22 July 2016. 

She passed away shortly before the start of the conference season. Bukiwe has been coming to Caux for more than sixteen years, and lead the housekeeping team for the past six years. It  was a shock to everyone that only last year she brought her South African brand of care and management with such joy, and this year she has gone to fairer fields. 

Over 500 people gathered for a  Braai-style lunch in her honour, with photos around the Dining Hall, followed by a church memorial and a tea. A collection was taken and the CAUX-IofC Foundation supplemented it; finances will be sent to her family’s favoured charity.

She was the face of the ‘Volunteers of the Caux Conferences’ in the 2015 Conference Report. It is fitting that this peace-builder, guide, friend and mentor should have been in the spotlight just before leaving us.  She is deeply missed, but we live the spirit of Caux as described by her “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 one another. And here you get the chance to do so.”.

Thank you Bukiwe for all you shared and showed us.

In 1986, the first Week of International Community (WIC) in Caux was held to prepare the Caux-Palace for the upcoming conferences and to connect people through service. Since 1946, the Caux Conference Centre gathers every year over 1300 participants from all over the world for the International Caux Conferences held during the summer. The WIC changed to a new format in 2014 with a new program designed by Foundations for Freedom (F4F).

Every year, about 40 people with connections to Initiatives of Change (IofC) and F4F are invited with their parents or families for the WIC. They are introduced to IofC with a focus on community service. Apart from this, there is organized space for sharing personal stories, trust building exercises as well as cultural variety evenings, sightseeing, screenings of IofC films, etc.

‘In the beginning the purpose was to bring young Europeans to Caux, who would not necessarily come for a conference but find it easier to come for a working time,’ says Ulrike Keller, a co-organizer of the WIC in Caux. ‘Young people could meet people from other countries while carrying out practical work. Many of them aged 18 - 22 came from Germany. They were mostly school pupils and university students. This is how young people also learned about IofC. And today many of them are involved in one way or another with IofC in their respective countries.

Since the beginning, the Caux Conference Centre has positioned itself as ‘Home for the World’. Processes of reconciliation, dialogue and peace building between individuals and countries such as Germany and France took place in the former Caux-Palace. Those attending WIC also gave their indirect input into building peace in Europe and in the world.

In 1986, Eliane Stallybrass had the idea of holding the first Week of International Community which took place during the Easter holidays. ‘At that time there was an international community of about 30 people living in Villa Maria all year round. In the following years, people started coming from the Netherlands, Britain, Germany, France, Belgium, Sweden, Italy,’ says Ulrike. ‘At one point we were 180 people and it has always been international’. Ulrike’s husband Christoph has been responsible for the practical part of the work – repairing, painting, gardening, etc. – for over 30 years. Ulrike has attended the WIC every year since then. ‘I myself have never missed one, taking on this or that’, she says. In 1996 the WIC shifted to June, with a short time for preparation before the summer conferences.

‘The shape of WIC changed over the years acting in ways that go with the times’, describes Ulrike of the progress. ‘After the fall of the Berlin Wall, people from Eastern European countries could join. Over several years I have heard from young people that it is difficult to explain to their parents what they are doing with F4F and why they are going to Caux. In 2011 I introduced the idea: ‘How would it be if your parents could come to Caux and find out in a very practical way, what IofC and Caux are all about?’ Angela Starovoytova (Ukraine), Diana Damsa (Romania) and later Anastasiya Maksimova (Ukraine) took on the idea and worked out a new program which was implemented in 2014.

Through storytelling, practical work and silent reflection, the 2016 edition of the Week of International Community continued to connect people from different countries and cultures to create a space for dialogue, understanding and community.