The fifth Harambee Leadership Programme was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in October 2009. Ms. Shaneeza Nazseer (front row, second from L, wearing a cap and scarf) from Toronto, Ontario was one of the 18 participants
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
"There's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self".
Aldous Huxley
Upcoming Events
Please click on the title for more details.
Recent Publications
Marina Cantacuzino, founder of "The forgiveness Project", in an article in the Huffington Post, mentions No Enemy to Conquer - by Michael Henderson, calling it "a fascinating examination of forgiveness in an unforgiving world".
She writes, "One of Henderson's aims in writing No Enemy to Conquer is to find an appreciation of our brothers and sisters of the Muslim
faith. One way he does this is to recount stories where fear of former, or perceived, extremists has blended into understanding through
simply listening to the other's story - a process which re-humanizes the enemy."
For information to order a copy of the book click here
New Books - great gifts and valuable resources for 2010
Click here to read more.
A New Book - 'No Enemy To Conquer - Forgiveness in an Unforgiving World' by Michael Henderson with the foreward by the Dalai Lama For further information on this and other new titles click here.
The December 2009 Canadian Newsletter - giving news of recent and ongoing events, introducing 2 new coordinators of programs, news of events planned for the beginning of 2010 and an update on The Caravan of Hope in preparation for the spring launch
Click here to read it.
Give a special gift of a dvd this holiday season illustrating reconciliation and peacemaking. Click here
To see information on all dvd's and video click here.
Recent Events and News
CALGARY
On January 21st seven people met at the IofC studio in Calgary to plan for the next Bridges to a common future event. They had a fascinating evening discussing "what your book means to you". Present were Muslims, Christians and one who didn't have a 'book'. There are plans to develop into a larger group in two weeks time when this subject will be explored more deeply.
This group have had two and a half years of working together to get the basis of trust that has enabled them to talk about deep issues of faith.
Contact Regional Coordinator, Keith Newman for more information.
January 20th, 2010 Rebuilding Haiti will not be enough
The 12 January earthquake in Haiti was devastating. Between 50,000 and 100,000 people were killed. International aid was mobilized quickly, though there was much criticism that the aid sent was slow to reach those most in need; the deployment of aid was slowed by the destruction of the country’s infrastructure—already insufficient because of Haiti’s acute poverty.
Why was it that the daily reality of Haiti did not cause the same kind of emotional response as the catastrophe which hit the island?
Click here to read full article
IofC @ UofC
December 18th 2009. A Compass Program training course was held in Calgary. Four members of the IofC club took part.
The 4 students are: (L to R) Nicole, Agnes, Deepa, Shaista.
Edmonton Youth Learn the Need for Reconiliation While Producing “WE ARE” Video
On January 3, 2010, at an IofC gathering in Edmonton, a new video WE Are, was shown. Two of the people involved in its production were present, Seneca Crowe, 14 year old grade nine student introduced the video and told about how she and her friends produced it
with the help of her mother, Charlene Bearhead.
For background on the film click here
The video We Are is now available for viewing on the National Day of Healing and Reconciliation (ndhr ) website.
Click here to get to the page with the video www.ndhr.ca/wordpress/
Rajmohan Gandhi visit to Hamilton
An inspiring weekend with Rajmohan Gandhi took place in Hamilton over Oct 2/3 weekend. To read the article about it by Mercy Okalowe Click Here.
HARAMBEE
On 16 October the fifth Harambee Leadership Programme got under way. The Programme brought together 18 participants from 7 countries to explore ethical leadership in the 21st Century Africa. A Canadian womanShaneeza Nazseer, is one of the participants. The following is their first newsletter.
Click here for newsletter 2
Click here for newsletter 3
NEW APPOINTMENT
New appointment for Interim Director of Advancement
Click here to read the message from the Council chair.
NEW PROGRAM COORDINATORS
Two part-time program coordinators have been engaged. Iman Al Ghafari and Janyce Konkin share some of their background and vision for the work in their new roles. To read more click here.
CALGARY
Three women spoke to a mixed group of sixty people at an event planned by Bridges to a Common Future, on the topic Hijab, Niqab & Western Values. To read an article about the event click here.
CALGARY
IOFC @ UOFC up an running!
The IofC@UofC club is up and running at the University of Calgary. Some twelve students attended an information session on campus. This was followed by a "planning and get acquainted" session in the home of Agnes Mystek, the president of the club this year. Some interesting ideas were put forward.
For information on future plans contact Agnes.
OTTAWA
New office team in Ottawa.
A new office manager is now in place.
Click here for news of all the changes
CANADA
Important address change
The IofC office in Ottawa has moved - one suite over to 402
Address:
Initiatives of Change Association (Canada), Suite 402, 331 Cooper Street, Ottawa ON K2P 0G5
The telephone number remains the same - tel: 613 230 7197
TORONTO
On August 8th the Toronto Star ran an article with photos from columnist Cleo Paskal, who had been one of the presenters during the Caux Forum for Human Security session in Caux, Switzerland.
The article began - 'At a Swiss castle, minds meet, problems are probed and sometimes, solutions seem possible'.
To read the complete article click here.
TORONTO
Caux Participant reports on her experience
Mercy Okalowe from Toronto was a participant in the conference session at Caux, Switzerland titled "Leading Change for a Sustainable World.” She writes:
"It was promoted as a “skill building session for people who want to invest time in specific change projects” but, in practice, it was so much more than that.
It was an opportunity to contemplate what is, what was, and what could be on a personal and community level."
Click here to read more
OTTAWA
For the last five years IofC’s Canadian operations have been headquartered in Calgary.
As of October 1, many of the administrative functions returned to IofC Canada’s Ottawa office.
To read about the new office and office staff click here
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