Lorena Mier y Teran

Lorena Mier y Teran from Mexico is passionate about peacebuilding, inner development and raising awareness through dialogue and action. She seeks experiences that help her build connections with international individuals and storytellers, believing that listening and interacting with others are essential to her own growth.

Dr. Carl Stauffer

Dr. Carl Stauffer is currently Senior Expert for Reconciliation at the US Institute for Peace in Washington DC. He has practiced trauma healing, nonviolence, restorative Justice and reconciliation for 3 decades in 37 countries. For the past 10 years he has served as the Academic Director for the Caux Scholars Program in Switzerland.  

Dr Carl Stauffer

Dr. Carl Stauffer is currently Senior Expert for Reconciliation at the US Institute for Peace in Washington DC. He has practiced trauma healing, nonviolence, restorative Justice and reconciliation for 3 decades in 37 countries. For the past 10 years he has served as the Academic Director for the Caux Scholars Program in Switzerland.  

Anastasiia Yakush

Anatasiia Yakush is a project manager at X23, a certified facilitator at the Soliya Programme (Erasmus+ Programme) with specific expertise in economics and business administration. She is involved in EU-co-funded programmes related to the social inclusion of migrants and refugees, with longterm and high impact scopes. She managed the EUStartGees programme and had an active role in the creation of the ME4Change Coalition (Migrant Empowerment for Change), working in close cooperation with Marika Mazzi Boém, Co-founder and Innovation Strategy Director at X23.

'A better version of myself'

A Creative Leadership Story

22/06/2021
Featured Story
Off
A Creative Leadership Story

 

Shrouk Gamal

Shrouk Gamal from Cairo, Egypt, is a graduate in Media and Mass communication from Ain Shams University. She works as an Erasmus+ Virtual Exchange Facilitator and a Language Coach and is a Youth Leader with MCW Global. She recently started « Yellow vs Blue », an online initiative that helps youth globally with mental health issues like depression and suicidal thoughts. 

I joined the Creative Leadership conference because I am going to lead a youth project in my community and I wanted to learn something new. 

I have attended a lot of workshops before and I thought this one would be the same as normal. When I joined, it was just weird: it was amazingly effective for me. I got so much information and inspiration. I liked the way you organized it. Tea time was incredible: I met so many people. I am still in contact with most of them and have connected with them on other projects.

The conference showed me how much I really love to socialize with people. The members of our dialogue group asked me questions I never been asked before. This made me think about lots of things, in new ways.  

The members of our dialogue group asked me questions I never been asked before. This made me think about lots of things, in new ways.  

One question was, ‘What do I need to change to be a good leader?’ I mentioned that I cannot be calm when I see someone being racist towards someone else, because I put myself in the other person's shoes. But I know this is not the right way and that I need to advise those people instead of being aggressive. 

 

CL 2020 opening piano
Opening Session of Creative Leadership 2020

 

A few days ago, I was in a bus and the bus driver acted in a racist way towards someone whose skin colour was black. I got so mad. Then I remembered what I had said in the conference, that I want to be calm and to make a real change. 

 So, I just told the bus driver calmly, ‘Do you think that what you did now is right? If you were in another country and someone did that to you, would you be happy? What would you feel?’ He didn't reply, was silent. Then he said, “Sorry” and left. This simple situation means a lot to me, because I took a step towards being a better version of myself, and that was because of the conference! It was hard, and still is, but I am keeping going!

Thank you for the experience, the chance to meet amazing people and friends. The love and support that I received during the conference days, and after, was so heartwarming. I want to get involved with IofC in other and different ways.

This simple situation means a lot to me, because I took a step towards being a better version of myself.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

If you would like to know more about Creative Leadership 2021 before you register (or even after registering for this year's event), join us for our online OPEN HOUSE event on Sunday 27 June at 15:00 - 16:00 GMT here.

You would like to take part in Creative Leadership 2021 - From Uncertainty to Possibility?

 

REGISTER NOW

 

 

Event Categories
Creative Leadership Caux Forum
Job Offer
Off

related stories

Caux IDG Forum Call workshops website square green EN

Caux Inner Development Goals Forum 2025: Call for Workshops

Call for workshops! You would like to give share your inspiration, ideas and skills with other participants at the Caux IDG Forum this summer? We look forward to your application! Applications will be...

Maruee Hyderabad square

Compassion in action: Maruee Pahuja from Creative Leadership nominated for Love Force Awards 2024

We are delighted that Maruee Pahuja from our Creative Leadership youth programme received the inaugural Love Force Awards at Kanha Shanti Vanam, Hyderabad/India....

GPW 2024 Kofi Annan Peace Address 2024 : website square EN

Rising Peacebuilders: Preparing people for peace

“As crises multiply, we are in dire need of courageous and ethical leadership!” said moderator Ahmad Fawai, in his opening words at the Peace Address, entitled “Rising Peacebuilders”. His words set th...

GPW 2024 Kofi Annan Peace Address 2024 Blog square EN

The Power of Creative Expression in Healing Communities Divided by Conflict

On 15 October 2024, Maruee Pahuja was a panelist at this year's Kofi Annan Peace Address where she discussed with Mary Robinson, first woman President of Ireland,  former UN High Commissioner for Huma...

Geneva Democracy Dialogue square EN

Democracy: a matter of choice and voice

"In a democracy, each of us carries the responsibility to engage, listen and to contribute. It is more than a political system. It is about choice and voice. How does this resonate with you?" With the...

Global Ethics news article.png

Ethical Leadership for a re-envisioned Future

In September 2024, Caux Initiatives of Change participated as a knowledge partner in the Global Ethics Forum, with contributions on 3 panels from Sidra Rislan, member of the Creative Leadership youth ...

Viki square EN no logo.png

Europe: A Mindset of Diversity

Spanish journalist Victoria Martín de la Torre is passionate about Europe, diversity and interfaith relations. Here she reflects on different aspects of Europe, based on her PhD research which led her...

Polina and Katya square faces EN

What is the meaning of home?

Amid escalating conflicts worldwide, the arts emerge as a potent force to challenge misconceptions and foster positive perspectives. The pivotal role of artists in creatively raising awareness has nev...

Ignacio India blog

Walking the Talk in Business

On 25 - 28 January, some 60 CEOs and other senior staff came together under Chatham House Rules to share personal experiences on how to balance a sustainable business with integrity and trust. Executi...

Save the date Caux Forum 2024 EN

Caux Forum 2024: Save the Date!

Save the date for the Caux Forum 2024! This summer Caux Initiatives of Change, in partnership with Initiatives of Change International and supported by other civil society networks, UN agencies, phila...

Caux Forum opening square website EN

Filling the gap in global efforts for peace and democracy

The Caux Forum 2023 Opening Ceremony set the tone for the conference with the theme, ‘Strengthening Democracy: The Journey from Trauma to Trust.’. Discover the report and relive the highlights of this...

Tsvetana 13 Sept 2023

Finding purpose and harmony through music and the Caux Palace

In a world filled with diverse cultures and languages, the journey of musician Tsvetana Petrushina is an inspiring tale of how she discovered her purpose. Her remarkable story led her to the Caux Pala...

Dalia Younis square

Something to sing about

How can singing make a difference in people's lives? Pioneering Egyptian musician Dalia Younis was a guest speaker at the Creative Leadership conference in 2022 where she talked about how she uses sin...

Kawser square EN

Kawser Amine: Opening the field for girls

Afghan soccer player and women’s rights advocate Kawser Amine doesn’t believe in giving up. On International Women's Day 2023 she talks about her remarkable journey and her fight for every woman to be...

Creative Leadership 2022 report EN square

Living Your Possibilities - From Healing to Action

Creative Leadership 2022 guided participants on a six-day journey from healing to action. The conference took place online from 23 to 29 July – with a break day in between – and brought together aroun...


1969: Çigdem Bilginer – ‘I was not the centre of the universe any more’

By Eliane Stallybrass

21/06/2021
Featured Story
Off
By Eliane Stallybrass

 

Militant Turkish student Çigdem Bilginer arrived in Caux in 1969 dissatisfied after taking part in student riots against the establishment and the Americans. ‘The American ambassador’s car was burned on our campus,’ she wrote later. ‘But I was disappointed because the people who were out to break down what was already there did not have the answer to corruption and impurity which I was looking for. I was out to try everything and to find something that would really satisfy.’

 

Cigdem Bilniger Caux 1972
Çigdem (kneeling in front) with a group of Lebanese, Egyptian, Iranian and French participants in Caux, 1972

 

She loved arguing, to the despair of her parents. An old Turkish lady, friend of the family who knew Caux, suggested she should go there, and Marcel and Theri Grandy, a Swiss couple working for reconciliation in Cyprus, encouraged the idea, feeling that Çigdem would enjoy meeting people from the whole world and various backgrounds. Once at Caux, she argued with all the high-profile people she could find at the conference. She caused quite a lot of upset!

On her tenth day at Caux, completely worn out and talked out, she slipped into the back of the theatre where the film Men of Brazil was being shown in French, sub-titled in German. She neither spoke nor understood French or German.

The feature film tells the true story of reconciliation in the port of Rio de Janeiro, with those involved acting their own parts. At its end, there is a touching scene when the little daughter of one of the port workers is suddenly able to walk, after being paralyzed from birth. It’s a miracle. The scene shows her going into the church with her parents, carrying a huge candle.

People may not forgive me, but my Creator had done so. I felt different. I was not the centre of the universe any more.

Çigdem saw this and began to weep. It came as the culmination of all her discussions and arguments. She ran to her bedroom and threw herself on her bed. Later she said, ‘I knew there was Allah. That Allah was generous, loving, forgiving. As I cried and cried, I felt washed. People may not forgive me, but my Creator had done so. I felt different. I was not the centre of the universe any more.’

A few years later, she joined with young Asians in creating Song of Asia, a musical review telling stories of reconciliation and change. The show toured Asia, Europe and Canada between 1974 and 1976.

 

Cigdem Song of Asia team
Çigdem (fourth from right in front standing row) and the Song of Asia cast, 1974

 

In Song of Asia’s programme, Çigdem wrote, ‘Frank Buchman, the initiator of Moral Re-Armament, had the vision for the Islamic countries that they could be a girder of unity for the world.

‘Everyone knows of the suffering and injustice in the Middle East, which has led to so much bitterness and acts of violence. Can those who suffered forgive and the hating ones become free to fight for a hate-free world? We need men and women from these nations who will demonstrate that it can happen."

It altered my whole thinking and freed me from the past mistakes. (...) As a result, we were able to trust each other.

She described how encountering the idea of absolute standards and of listening to the inner voice changed her life. ‘It altered my whole thinking and freed me from the past mistakes, and I put right stolen exam questions, and books which I had stolen from the library, and many things which I had hidden from my parents in my own life. As a result, we were able to trust each other.’

Cigdem and Ioanna dancing
Çigdem and Ioanna dancing
to Turkish music
Cigdem Song of Asia square
Çigdem in Song of Asia
(back row, left)

Çigdem went on to teach psychology at Izmir university. On one of her later visits to Caux, a Swiss friend told her about another friend, Ioanna, who was teaching psychology at Geneva University. She had assisted Jean Piaget in his pioneering work on child development and taken his post after his death.

Çigdem invited Ioanna to give a lecture in Izmir. Ioanna is Greek, and Izmir had a large Greek community for centuries before they were driven out by the Turks. So the visit involved much more than teaching psychology. Çigdem and Ioanna became great friends, and, among other things, enjoyed dancing to Turkish music, each in their tradition.

                                           Sadly Çigdem died of cancer in 2012.

________________________________________________________________________________

 

Watch Men of Brazil, the film which impacted Çigdem's life during her stay in Caux.

 

 

________________________________________________________________________________

 

This story is part of our series 75 Years of Stories about individuals who found new direction and inspiration through Caux, one for each year from 1946 to 2021. If you know a story appropriate for this series, please do pass on your ideas by email to John Bond or Yara Zhgeib. If you would like to know more about the early years of Initiatives of Change and the conference centre in Caux please click here and visit the platform For A New World.

 

  • Hope never dies: the Grandy story, Virginia Wigan, Caux Books, 2005
  • Photo Caux 1972: Jan Franzon
  • Photos Song of Asia: Initiatives of Change
  • Photo with Ginny Wigan: Ginny Wigan
  • Photo Çigdem and Ioanna: Eliane Stallybrass
  • Men of Brazil: Initiatives of Change on For A New World

 

 

Event Categories
75 stories 75th anniversary
Job Offer
Off

related stories

This is us square 8.png

75 Years of Stories: Meet the team!

When we launched the 75 Years of Stories series in February 2021 about 75 years of encounters at the Initiatives of Change conference centre in Caux, we had no idea what an adventure we had embarked o...

Caux in snow 2021 credit Cindy Bühler

2021: Initiatives of Change Switzerland – Opening Caux’s doors to a new chapter

As our series of 75 stories for 75 years of the Initiatives of Change conference centre in Caux draws to an end, the President of Initiatives of Change Switzerland, Christine Beerli, and its two Co-Di...

Aad Burger

2020: Aad Burger – Struck by a virus

In 2020, the Caux Forum went online in response to the pandemic. Its organizers found that this made Caux accessible to people all over the world who could not have taken part in normal circumstances....

Marc Isserles 2017

2019: Marc Isserles – ‘We must save the children’

During World War II, the Caux Palace (later the Initiatives of Change conference centre in Switerland) provided a refuge for Jews fleeing the Shoah. Over the years, some of them – or their descendants...

Wael Broubaker climate actionist

2018: Wael Boubaker – ‘Climate change should be top top top priority’

When Tunisian economics graduate Wael Boubaker joined the Caux Peace and Leadership Programme (CPLP) in 2018, he expected a conference which would look good on his CV, and some beautiful scenery. Inst...

Tanaka Mhunduru CPLP

2017: Tanaka Mhunduru – A home for the world

Tanaka Mhunduru from Zimbabwe is one of the organizers of the Caux Peace and Leadership Programme (CPLP), a one-month programme for young people from around the world. He first took part in 2017....

Diana Damsa Winter Gathering 2016

2016: Diana Damsa – ‘It made me feel I counted’

The Winter Gathering of 2016 was a special experience for Diana Damsa – not just because she experienced Caux in winter, but also because, for the first time in eight years, she had no responsibilitie...

Philippe and Liseth Lasserre

2015: Lisbeth Lasserre – ‘The richness in art’

Lisbeth Lasserre came from Winterthur, where her grandparents, Hedy and Arthur Hahnloser, had built up a private collection of art at their home, Villa Flora. Amongst their artist friends were Bonnard...

Catherine Guisan

2014: Catherine Guisan – Europe’s Unfinished Business

Catherine Guisan is Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota, USA. She has written two books on the ethical foundations of European integration. In 2014 she spoke at Caux’s first se...

Tom Duncan

2013: Tom Duncan – Restoring a healthy planet

2013 saw the first full-length Caux Dialogues on Land and Security (CDLS). These events, which took place at the Caux Conference and Seminar Centre, focus on the links between sustainable land managem...

Merel Rumping

2012: Merel Rumping – Going out on a limb

When Merel Rumping from the Netherlands first visited Caux in 2012, she had a goal in mind – ‘to explore how I could contribute to a more just world through my professional activities’....

Lucette Schneider

2011: Lucette Schneider – Choices which make the magic of Caux

For many years, Lucette Schneider from Switzerland organized the team which gathered in the early mornings to wash, peel and chop vegetables for the kitchens of the Caux conference centre. ...

Mohan Bhagwandas 2003

2010: Mohan Bhagwandas – Addressing the crisis of integrity

Mohan Bhagwandas is all too aware of his carbon footprint. In the 13 years from 2006 to 2019, he flew 17 times from his home city of Melbourne, Australia, to Switzerland to take part in the Caux confe...

Rajmohan Gandhi 2011 Caux Forum Human Security

2009: Rajmohan Gandhi – Bridges between India and Pakistan

25 distinguished Indians and Pakistanis came to Caux in 2009 with the aim of building bridges between their countries. The man who initiated the gathering was Rajmohan Gandhi, a grandson of Mahatma Ga...

Iman Ajmal Masroor

2008: Learning to be a Peacemaker – ‘An eye-opener to the world’

2008 saw the launch of an unusual course on Islam’s approach to peacemaking for young Muslims and non-Muslims, devised by Imam Ajmal Masroor from the UK. The course’s coordinator, Peter Riddell, descr...


Empowering women to enter the market

By Karina Cheah

21/06/2021
Featured Story
On
By Karina Cheah

 

Peace Kutseesa

The Co-founder of Zimba Women, Peace Kuteesa, is passionate about providing women with the tools and resources to participate in their economies and develop their communities. She spoke at last year’s Ethical Leadership Roundtable on ‘Innovation and Entrepreneurship: building resilience in the economy and society’, which was part of the Caux Forum Online 2020. The roundtable examined context-specific challenges and solutions, how entrepreneurship can bridge the digital divide and the importance of innovation in different fields.

Zimba Women, which provides women with access to business skills and training, sits right at the heart of these elements of entrepreneurship. Its goal is to engage women’s active participation and provide them with access to markets. Kuteesa and her co-founder first connected on Facebook, in a group where young mothers encouraged one another to share and sell their products. As the group grew, some of the women launched their own businesses, and Kuteesa and her co-founder decided to create a formalized version of the group, which came to be known as Zimba Women. They felt that the best way they could use their computer engineering backgrounds was to help women who did not understand or have access to technology.

Since its launch, Zimba Women has worked with over 10,000 women in Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya to connect them with other female entrepreneurs and teach them such skills as basic accounting and social media management. It has just launched its e-commerce site, to help the women they have mentored to develop and sell their products. ‘We want to ensure that women are able to participate in the economic development of their countries or communities,’ Kuteesa explained. ‘When you empower these women economically, you help them develop their communities.’

We want to ensure that women are able to participate in the economic development of their countries or communities.

Kuteesa first participated in Ethical Leadership in Business in 2019. The experience has been invaluable, she said, ‘because it has given [Zimba Women] the visibility we are looking for’. The Caux Forum enabled her to hear how other entrepreneurs had overcome their community’s challenges and developed sustainable and resilient economies – one of ZimbaWomen’s key goals. Kuteesa loved the time given to personal connection and self-reflection: she explains that it allows her to prepare for the day ahead by truly getting in touch with herself.

Kuteesa’s goal is for Zimba Women to be Africa’s biggest e-commerce site for women by 2025, with at least five million women equipped with business and technology skills. She explained that it is often difficult for women in Africa to physically access markets, whether because of unsafe routes or high transportation costs. Technology could empower them to participate in the economy. ‘Tech perspective and the training to use it [the technology] allows them to tread wherever they wish to be internationally,’ she said.

 

You are interested in the topic of ethical leadership in business? Discover this year's Caux Forum Online event Initiatives of Change Business & Economy (12 + 13 July 2021) and register now!

 

 

Watch the roundtable discussion with Peace N. Kutseeba

 

Photo top: https://www.zimbawomen.org/gallery

 

Job Offer
Off

related stories

Caux IDG Forum Call workshops website square green EN

Caux Inner Development Goals Forum 2025: Call for Workshops

Call for workshops! You would like to give share your inspiration, ideas and skills with other participants at the Caux IDG Forum this summer? We look forward to your application! Applications will be...

Caux Round Table Japan  Oct 2024.png

Getting down to business with human rights

On 25 October 2024, the Caux Round Table (CRT) - Japan hosted the 13th Business and Human Rights Conference in Tokyo with 225 corporate leaders, executives and experts from several Asian countries par...

Geneva Democracy Dialogue square EN

Democracy: a matter of choice and voice

"In a democracy, each of us carries the responsibility to engage, listen and to contribute. It is more than a political system. It is about choice and voice. How does this resonate with you?" With the...

Viki square EN no logo.png

Europe: A Mindset of Diversity

Spanish journalist Victoria Martín de la Torre is passionate about Europe, diversity and interfaith relations. Here she reflects on different aspects of Europe, based on her PhD research which led her...

Polina and Katya square faces EN

What is the meaning of home?

Amid escalating conflicts worldwide, the arts emerge as a potent force to challenge misconceptions and foster positive perspectives. The pivotal role of artists in creatively raising awareness has nev...

Ignacio India blog

Walking the Talk in Business

On 25 - 28 January, some 60 CEOs and other senior staff came together under Chatham House Rules to share personal experiences on how to balance a sustainable business with integrity and trust. Executi...

Save the date Caux Forum 2024 EN

Caux Forum 2024: Save the Date!

Save the date for the Caux Forum 2024! This summer Caux Initiatives of Change, in partnership with Initiatives of Change International and supported by other civil society networks, UN agencies, phila...

Caux Forum opening square website EN

Filling the gap in global efforts for peace and democracy

The Caux Forum 2023 Opening Ceremony set the tone for the conference with the theme, ‘Strengthening Democracy: The Journey from Trauma to Trust.’. Discover the report and relive the highlights of this...

Tsvetana 13 Sept 2023

Finding purpose and harmony through music and the Caux Palace

In a world filled with diverse cultures and languages, the journey of musician Tsvetana Petrushina is an inspiring tale of how she discovered her purpose. Her remarkable story led her to the Caux Pala...

Save the date 2023 square no date

Caux Forum 2023: Save the Date

We are excited to announce the Caux Forum will be back in Caux next summer! Find out more and save the date! ...

Arpan Yagnik

Arpan Yagnik: Mountains to climb

Arpan Yagnik, a participant of last year's Creative Leadership conference and team member of the IofC Hub 2021, talks to Mary Lean about creativity, fear and vocation. ...

YAP 2021 article square

Young Ambassadors Programme 2021: Learning to listen

When Indonesian law student Agustina Zahrotul Jannah discovered the Young Ambassadors Programme (YAP) on Google she felt both excited and hopeless: excited because she hoped it might give her the skil...

Zero waste square for social media

Sofia Syodorenko: A zero waste lifestyle is a mindful lifestyle

How did Sofia Syodorenko become involved in the zero waste movement, and what does it mean to her? Now Chair of Foundations for Freedom, she is also a representative of the Zero Waste Alliance Ukraine...

Patrick Magee 600x600

‘Where Grieving Begins – Building Bridges after the Brighton Bomb’: a live interview with Patrick Magee

The second in Tools for Changemakers’ series of Stories for Changemakers took place on 25 August 2021, with an interview with Patrick Magee, who planted a bomb at the Grand Hotel, Brighton, in 1984, w...

Summer Academy 2021 screenshot square

Forging a network of problem-solvers to build a secure and sustainable future

The Summer Academy on Climate, Land and Security 2021 brought together 29 participants from 20 countries. From Egypt and Senegal to the United States and Thailand, zoom windows opened for six hours ev...


Patricia Danzi

Ambassador Patricia Danzi has been with the International Committee of the Red Cross since 1996, serving as a delegate, with increasing responsibilities, in the Balkans (Bosnia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo), Peru, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. At head office, she was appointed Deputy Head of Operations for the Horn of Africa and Political Advisor to the Director of Operations.

Thomas Guerber

Ambassador Thomas Guerber was appointed Director of DCAF - Geneva Centre for Security Sector Governance on 24 November 2015 and took up his function on 1 July 2016. He brings to the position extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and policy development relating to human security, human rights and sustainable development.

Subscribe to