Exploring the Human Factor in Global Change

REPORT 2014INTERNATIONAL CAUX CONFERENCES

www.caux.ch

Conferences are organized by the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation (CAUX-IofC) and Initiatives of Change (IofC) International every year in Caux, above Montreux, in Switzerland. CAUX-IofC is a charitable Swiss foundation that owns and runs the Caux Conference Centre. It is a founding member of IofC International.

This report is a short overview on each conference of the 2014 season. For more information on individual conferences, including videos and pictures, please visit our website www.caux.ch/2014.

Editorial 3

Facts and fi gures 4

Award 5

Special events 6

Addressing Europe’s Unfi nished Business 7

Caux Dialogue on Land and Security 8

Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy 10

Just Governance for Human Security 12

Seeds of Inspiration 14

Children as Actors Transforming Society 16

Impact Initiatives for Change 18

International Peace-Builders’ Forum 20

Caux Scholars Program 22

Interns and Volunteers 23

N.B.: ‘Caux’ is often used as an abbreviation for the Caux Conference Center and the community of volunteers, interns, staff and participants.

2 CAUX REPORT 2014

CONTENTS

geopolitical events around the globe; the discussions were, and re-main, more than ‘close to home’. Our volunteers’ survey refl ects that lives have been profoundly and pos-itively impacted by the activities in Caux. A lasting memory of 2014 for me will be hearing a paper aimed at peacebuilding presented by Russians and Ukrainians read out in the ple-nary the very day the Malaysia Air-lines fl ight came down. Not long after that, on August 4th, we com-memorated the centenary of the fi rst shots of World War I.

Have we progressed in taking on responsibility for the future since then or are we hiding behind our digital interfaces? One thing is sure: the need for safe spaces, like Caux, for people to meet, face to face, in a way that can facilitate changes of heart and direction towards peace, responsible politics and economics, and sustainable living. I am proud to play my part in that effort.

Conference ManagerCAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation

Caux: Real and Relevant

I have spent the last three years in-timately involved in the Caux-IofC programme of events. When asked ‘what do you do for the rest of the year? ’ I assure the questioner that while it may seem as though the conferences just materialize some-time in June, preparation starts at least one year prior. I help coordi-nate an incredible, largely voluntary, group of people who carry the preparations for conferences, the service departments and pro-grammes throughout the year to bring the summer season to life. There are profound and exciting developments emerging across the conferences and other summer ac-tivities, as well as some very power-ful reminders of why Caux needs to exist.

Building on the narratives of previ-ous years, pressing issues were tackled in 2014. We examined the gritty reality of ongoing corruption and confl icts in places such as Ukraine, Gaza, South Sudan and Zimbabwe during Just Governance for Human Security. Developed with high-level international part-nerships, the Caux Dialogue for Land and Security conference fo-cused on the need to reduce con-fl ict to recover dry and wetlands around the world. The exciting mo-mentum that is Children as Actors in Transforming Society (CATS) ex-

plored the imperative to enable participation of younger people in co-creating the future. Economic challenges have been examined since 2006 through the Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy (TIGE) conference, driving forward truly sustainable economic models and providing structures and train-ing to support them. This was closely connected to Heart of Effec-tive Leadership (HEL), Entrepre-neurs, Pathfi nders, Innovators and Changemakers (EPIC) and Impact Initiatives for Change. There was also some much-needed time dedi-cated to the sharing of inspiration and creativity between changemak-ers in this year’s second edition of Seeds of Inspiration.

Two new events were launched: Addressing Europe’s Unfi nished Business, forging a think-tank for a constructive repositioning of Eu-rope, and the International Peace-Builders’ Forum using the platform of Caux to promote vital refresh-ment and connection between those working for peace.

Overall there was little ‘gap’ be-tween the conversations taking place over the dining room tables and the news fl ooding in via the in-ternet. Indeed some volunteers represented countries, communities and even families traumatized by

Nick FosterConference Manager

CAUX REPORT 2014 3

EDITORIAL

Caux Conferences – Summer 2014

People 1551

Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104Nationalities 104

� Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 % Europe 71 %� Asia & Middle East 11 %Asia & Middle East 11 %Asia & Middle East 11 %Asia & Middle East 11 %Asia & Middle East 11 %Asia & Middle East 11 %� Africa 8 %Africa 8 %Africa 8 %Africa 8 %Africa 8 %Africa 8 %� N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %N. & S. America 8 %� Australia 2 %Australia 2 %Australia 2 %Australia 2 %Australia 2 %

� Participants 1153� Volunteers 142� Interpreters 64� Staff 19� Interns 75� Scholars 29� Artists 29� Visitors/Guests 74� IofC Global Assembly 57IofC Global Assembly 57IofC Global Assembly 57IofC Global Assembly 57

Age groupsAge groupsAge groups

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

350

0–5 6–18 19–25 26–35 36–45 46–60 61–80 80+

28 199 239 346 215 289 210 25

� Amount

� female 861� male 690

690

861

1153

142 64

19

75

2929

74

57

4 CAUX REPORT 2014

FACTS AND FIGURES

IofC awarded the fourth Ousseimi Prize for ToleranceIofC rewarded for its ‘relentless contribution to greater tolerance’.

The ceremony began with a speech by Ambassador Anne Lugon-Moulin,

Head of the Sub-Saharan Africa Division of the Swiss Federal Department of For-eign Affairs, in which she congratulated the Caux Conferences and Initiatives of Change for their innovative methods.

Anne Lugon-Moulin, Omnia Marzouk, Maria Ousseimi, and Cornelio Sommaruga around the 4th Ousseimi Prize for Tolerance

Mrs Ousseimi then made the presentation and outlined the reasons for honouring Initiatives of Change with this award, whose previous recipients include Nelson Mandela, stating that Initiatives of Change has ‘systematically and relent-lessly contributed to greater tolerance in our complex and divided world’.

In his acceptance speech, Cornelio Som-maruga, Honorary President of Initiatives of Change International, called for re-sponsibility to be globalized to usher in a tolerant world. He stated that in order to achieve this, we need personal change to-wards ‘honesty, transparency, humility and freedom’. Mr Sommaruga added that tolerance is ‘a courageous act’; it is the

‘strength to know how to listen to the other to try to understand them, so that a dialogue based on mutual respect can take place’.

The Ousseimi Foundation endorses the idea that ‘success is meaningful only if its fruits are shared with others’. Initiatives of Change International and the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation are therefore happy to share this distinction with the numerous volunteers, conference participants, organizers of the Caux con-ferences and with the Initiatives of Change international network – in recognition of their decisive contribution towards initia-tives of change.

CAUX REPORT 2014 5

AWARD

World War I CommemorationOn 3 August Caux commemorated the centenary of the declaration of WWI by sharing stories and refl ecting on the future of promoting peace.

Antoine Jaulmes, President of CAUX-Initiatives of Change, opened the

ceremony by sharing elements from his own history, the war having divided the German and French sides of his family. He reminded those present that ‘our re-sponsibility, as French, Germans and Eu-ropeans, is to remember that since 1914 we have initiated two world wars. We have done this either actively, or we have stood by passively, not knowing how to stop it. It is therefore our responsibility to put into place all that we can to stop further confl icts and to mend the damage caused by the previous ones.’ Given IofC’s work to solve confl icts and prevent new ones, it was fi tting to commemorate the First World War in Caux, even though Switzer-land was spared.

Participants did not stop at remembering the millions of victims of the First World War, they also commemorated all those who continue to suffer from ravaging con-fl icts around the world. At the closing of the commemoration, people were invited

Antoine Jaulmes, president of CAUX-IofC, opens the Commemoration Ceremony

20th anniversary of the Caux Round Table (CRT) Principles for Business‘Do not start to write a declaration about what other people should do but start with your own company and begin with the changes that will solve the problem.’

Frederik ‘Frits’ Philips, co-founder of the Caux Round Table

Robert MacGregor, one of the initia-tors of the CRT Principles for Busi-

ness, invited conference participants for an evening of refl ection and story-sharing. The Caux Round Table was founded in 1986 at a time when a trade war between Japan and Western economies was feared. The CRT imagined a greater role and responsibility for business in social and economic aspects of society. In July 1994, senior business leaders from Europe, Japan and the USA formally launched the Caux Round Table Principles for Busi-ness, a predecessor of today’s Corporate Social Responsibility principles. They in-cluded the Japanese concept of Kiyosei – liv-ing and working together for the common

good – and the importance of Human Dignity. The CRT presented the Princi-ples at the United Nations World Summit on Social Development in 1995. They quickly became what MacGregor claimed are one of the ‘most widely used’ codes of best practice around the world and have been translated into 12 languages.

The 81-year-old MacGregor closed by urging young entrepreneurs to live and act the way they would like to see the CEOs of big corporations act and live.

to gather around the tree planted in re-membrance of the Jewish refugees housed in Caux during the Second World War. In silence, each person placed a rock at the foot of the tree, as a symbol of their com-mitment to peace.

Robert MacGregor shares the history of the Caux Round Table

6 CAUX REPORT 2014

SPECIAL EVENTS

‘Actions for a more peaceful, more united Europe’Addressing Europe’s Unfi nished Business (AEUB) sought to reconnect European peoples with the ‘peace and reconciliation’ inspiration of the European project as presented in the Schuman Declaration* of 9 May 1950.

Motivated by the 2014 European com-memorations of the 100th anniver-

sary of the start of WWI and of the 25th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, the two-day seminar provided a good op-portunity to refl ect on some of the current European challenges:

• Changing paradigms in the eastern re-gions of Europe;

• The challenge of immigration;• Ethnic identities and minority rights in

a democracy; • War-based or peace-based identities – or

how to associate national identities in a common story-telling about European history and values.

On 27–28 June, AEUB brought together participants from 20 different countries. Cornelio Sommaruga, former President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Honorary President of Initiatives of Change International, Cath-erine Guisan, political science professor at the University of Minnesota, Aurora Mar-tin, professor at the Russian Presidential

Academy of National Economy and Pub-lic Administration, and Antoine Jaulmes, President of the CAUX-Initiatives of Change Foundation, were keynote speakers.

When referring to Europe, AEUB refers to the member countries of the Council of Europe. Representatives from Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia were in fact present at the seminar at the very time their gov-ernments were ratifying Association Agreements with the European Union. As

one participant, Katerina from Ukraine, put it: ‘This seminar helped me under-stand what this agreement really meant for Ukraine. I will try to bring back that knowledge to my country.’

Participants had the opportunity to dis-cuss and exchange their personal positive and negative experience of Europe, in ple-naries and workshops. Various initiatives to help pave the way for a more inclusive and cohesive Europe were born, including:

• An appeal to European governments to take concrete measures in line with uni-versal principles of Human Rights and dignity regarding the treatment of ille-gal immigrants (you can fi nd the state-ment on our website www.caux.ch);

• Projects to encourage Ukrainian, Arme-nian and Georgian youth to understand European institutions, through recipro-cal visits, cities twinning and other ini-tiatives;

• A four-year project to help spread rec-onciliation stories throughout Europe.

To refl ect further on the personal and global challenges of Europe it was agreed to convene a longer seminar next year. AEUB will take place for three days from 16 to 19 July 2015.

*First document to promote the creation of the European Union

Catherine Guisan, Antoine Jaulmes and Cornelio Sommaruga

CAUX REPORT 2014 7

ADDRESSING EUROPE’S UNFINISHED BUSINESS

Reaching a new generation: ‘2050 – hopes and realities’

‘Mitigating Risk; Responding to Threat’Two hundred people took part in the second Caux Dialogue on Land and Security (CDLS) from June 29 to July 4. Organised by Initiatives for Land, Lives and Peace (ILLP) in partner-ship with the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifi cation (UNCCD) and Interna-tional Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), its aim was to address the connections between poverty, confl ict and land degradation.

This year’s conference brought together representatives of the private sector,

government, academia and civil society with about 40 NGOs of which nearly three quarters were represented at Caux for the fi rst time. Major new stakeholders were present such as NATO, the Interna-tional Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Ramsar Convention on the world’s wetlands. Monique Barbut, Executive Secretary of UNCCD, and Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General of IUCN, both participated in the programme.

A strong delegation came from Kenya, where ILLP, Initiatives of Change Kenya and Excellent Development have on-the-ground projects integrating both technical work and trustbuilding, in a partnership arising out of the 2013 Caux Dialogue.

Encouraging trust and partnerships

Many activists mistrust agri-business par-ticularly those businesses which develop and market Genetically Modifi ed Organ-isms (GMO). Both sides of this divide were represented at the Caux Dialogue, and engaged in lively discussions. ILLP and Caux hope to continue to provide a platform for such conversations, believing that land restoration on the scale required cannot be achieved without the resources and expertise of business, sustainably ap-plied.

During the Dialogue two networks – Drynet, a global initiative for the develop-ment of drylands, and World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technolo-

Luc Gnacadja, former UNCCD director, and Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges at NATO

get some honest feedback and points of view from the audience.

The experts then asked the young peo-ple what they were doing for ‘our home, the earth.’ Many participants described their commitment, whether it was through networks or local actions.

Both Julia Marton-Lefèvre and Mo-nique Barbut applauded these youth-lead initiatives. Marton-Lefèvre called for further action: ‘Make a commit-ment to go home and get involved! Your generation can do it! Keep in touch with each other, networks across bor-ders are so important. Run for offi ce!’

As night fell, the experts and the youth parted ways, feeling richer thanks to an exchange characterised by real and au-thentic concern for the earth’s future.

Caux is fi rst and foremost a place for en-counters. About 50 students and young professionals present at the CDLS confer-ence had the opportunity to meet in an informal meeting with Monique Barbut, Julia Marton-Lefèvre and Martin Frick, diplomat and Chair of the ILLP Steering Group. The youth and the experts shared their hopes and dreams, but also their concerns for the future.

First, the experts shared their personal stories, how they started their professional careers and what really motivated them. The discussion then went on to the state of the carbon market, the cost and benefi t of land restoration for farmers, youth in-volvement in local initiatives, the role of women in agriculture and a changing Af-rican society, and the future world leading countries in international negotiations. It was an opportunity for the youth to ask questions, but also for the senior staff to

Julia Marton-Lefèvre, IUCN, and Monique Barbut, UNCCD, in conversation with a Caux intern

8 CAUX REPORT 2014

CAUX DIALOGUE ON LAND AND SECURITY

gies (WOCAT) – signed a mutual collabo-ration agreement. In its closing statement, Drynet stated:

‘This year’s Dialogue highlighted debates around land grabbing, insecure land user rights, different drivers of land degrada-tion such as soil sealing, chemical con-tamination and displacement of people. It was a great honour for Drynet members to participate and contribute to this year’s Caux Dialogue on Land and Security. Drynet is a network of Civil Society Or-ganisations in 15 countries working with local communities of drylands. For this reason, Drynet highly appreciates that

Ambassador Laura Thompson, Deputy Director General, International Organization of Migration

Dryland millet is served to illustrate the benefi ts of land restoration

Agri-business representatives share a panel with NGO representatives

Film Premiere

Following the success of The Imam and the Pastor and An African An-swer, Alan Channer’s latest fi lm about Nigerian peace-builders Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa Tchad – un chemin vers l’espoir Tchad – un chemin vers l’espoir Tchad – un chemin(‘Chad – a path towards hope’) was (‘Chad – a path towards hope’) was (‘Chad – a path towards hope’)premiered during CDLS. It shows how a nationwide network of media-tors is being set up and trained in Chad, to build trust between divided communities and to promote good governance. Both protagonists were present at the premiere. Pastor Wuye said he hoped the fi lm would be ‘used as a catalyst for initiating dia-logue in African Francophone coun-tries.’ This fi lm is meant to bring help about reconciliation. The Imam continued: ‘We want to build a bridge of reconciliation with all the human family, and that’s why we’re here to participate in this confer-ence.’ The pastor concluded: ‘We hope to go back immediately with the ideas we have gathered here to implement pragmatically on the ground the solutions we are hearing about in the workshops.’

Initiatives of Change in collaboration with IUCN and UNCCD is taking dis-cussions around these concerns into the international arena. They are shared by the local people of drylands and vital to their livelihoods and security.’

Scaling up land restoration

There are many successful land restora-tion projects around the world, which have been shown not only to increase food and water security and economic develop-ment, but also to reduce or prevent armed confl icts. The 2014 Caux Dialogue high-lighted some of these projects and fo-cused on what conditions are needed to enable a massive scaling up of land resto-ration.

Imam Ashafa

CAUX REPORT 2014 9

‘Inspiring people and purpose for sustainable prosperity’It is often in times of crisis that innovation takes place. As the global economy is still strug-gling to recover, the vibrant 8th annual TIGE conference gathered an incredible mix of experts and leaders from all walks of life and backgrounds to talk about new models of economy and of global community. TIGE has proved once more that not only are new models possible but that some already exist.

In his opening keynote speech Christian Felber, renowned economist and initia-

tor of the social movement ‘Economy for the Common Good,’ advocated for an economic model that aims towards the common good and cooperation rather than fi nancial profi t and competition. Fel-ber wants to ‘rewrite the rules to make sure economic players can be successful while being ethical’.

Guya Merkle shared her inspiring story on how she became the owner of a luxury jewellery business at the age of 21 due to

is my drive every day. It’s about creating beauty. It’s about creating true luxury that brings wellbeing to everybody that is in touch with it.’

Pedro Langre, Managing Director of the Oxford Leadership Academy Mexico, spoke of the importance of leading re-sponsibly, ethically and from the heart in order for businesses to grow. Lisa and Charly Kleissner, founders of the KL Fe-licitas Foundation, adopted a more indi-vidual point of view. ‘How can we, as in-dividuals, be doers of justice in the econ-omy?’ they asked. They promoted ‘impact investment’, the commitment to invest in projects that contribute to a fairer world. Kleissner stressed that integrity is to act according to our life goal and our values.

Emma Ihre, Special Advisor in Sustaina-ble Business for the Swedish Ministry of Finance, tackled the important exemplary role of public entities and explained how the Ministry of Finance ensures that state-owned corporations become sustainable. She referred to the fact that it is important to recruit directors who have ethical val-ues and a corresponding attitude: ‘We must dare to have high expectations and focus on transparency and cooperation.’

her father’s sudden death. After some soul-searching and a visit to the gold mines of Uganda and Peru, she opened up a market for ethically sourced gold, by be-ing the main instigator and buyer. ‘This

Christian Felber advocates for a com-mon good approach to economics

Business Leaders Forum

In parallel to the conference, an inter-national group of 20 senior business leaders and academics gathered in Villa Maria for a three-day Business Leaders Forum (BLF). Inspired by the ethos of Caux they met to share insights and launch an initiative to-wards a globally sustainable economy, based on trust building and ethical leadership – a hallmark of the spirit of Caux.

TIGE visit to Nestlé head quarters in Vevey

10 CAUX REPORT 2014

TRUST AND INTEGRITY IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

EPIC: Entrepreneurs, Pathfi nders, Innovators and Changemakers

Rochers de Naye, a symbolic physical il-lustration of overcoming inner and outer hurdles. From UN workers to young so-cial entrepreneurs to individuals looking for a new orientation in their lives, the participants left the programme ener-gized, empowered and equipped with a new supportive network.

EPIC has been so successful that the workshop will become a conference in 2015, teaming up with the Impact Initia-tives for Change Conference.

Leire Corra, Strategy Consultant at De-loitte, concluded: ‘When you are stuck in the routine it becomes hard to change and be aware of the greater scheme. Coming here gives you peace and time to stop and think.’

was made possible by Pascal Gréverath, Nestlé’s Assistant Vice-President and Head of Environmental Sustainability.

The ideas expressed during the TIGE conference were reinforced by a statement to the organizing team from the Vatican’s Pontifi cal Council of Justice and Peace, that called for an ‘inclusive economy, which implies a market economy, ani-mated by a pluralistic entrepreneurship and guided by principles of social justice and generosity’.

On the same note, Monsignore Stefano Ottani, President of the Ecclesiastical court in Bologna, spoke about putting the economy back in its rightful place. ‘The economy is here to meet people’s needs’ he said. He reminded participants that, ety-mologically, profi t means do (fi t) for (pro), i.e. ‘acting for the benefi t of.’ ‘Profi t must therefore benefi t people, it must serve them.’

Economist Bernard Lietaer

Bernard Lietaer, author, fi nancial expert, and co-designer of the ECU (the mone-tary mechanism that later became the Euro), presented compelling arguments for new fi nancial systems and alternative currencies. Lietaer drew the bigger picture of a failed currency system in need of change. ‘Every dollar you see is someone’s debt; governmental, corporate or private. That is what we now consider normal, but that is far from normal.’ According to him, this approach makes money unsta-ble. It amplifi es business cycles and con-centrates wealth through interest. His solution for long term sustainability is a new type of currency called Terra that is based on the most important commodi-ties of the market. This way, the Terra is less volatile, fully backed and is issued based on inventory.

Profi t must benefi t people

In the workstream Leading Change for a Sustainable World, developments in social and environmental responsibilities in the private sector were addressed. As part of a case study on the positive impact of soci-ety’s pressure on profi t oriented compa-nies for greater transparency and greater sustainable practices, TIGE participants visited Nestlé’s Shared Value Department in Vevey, in which matters of responsible sourcing, community development and human rights issues are addressed. This

Panel on trust and integrity in business with Guya Merkle and Pedro Lange

‘The EPICs are people who don’t take things for granted, and act towards change.’

Young professionals and entrepreneurs fi lled with great expectations and want-ing to defy the status quo found kin-dred spirits in this year’s new workshop: EPIC. Marcello Palazzi, founder of Pro-gressio Foundation, Netherlands, is one of the creators of the workshop: ‘The word leadership is overused. We real-ized that there are these four categories of people that are shapers, heroes of our society: the Entrepreneurs, the Path-fi nders, the Innovators, and the Changemakers.’ For one week, young active individuals from various back-grounds, selected by Palazzi challenged and supported each other, sharing expe-riences and best practices as well as new perspectives and ideas. They also took time to refl ect and connect with them-selves and with nature, enjoying the scenery of Caux and hiking up the

CAUX REPORT 2014 11

‘Structures and personal qualities which foster ethical, inclusive governance’‘There is a massive trust defi cit in the world today. How do we address this?’ asked Michael Møller, Director-General of the UN Offi ce at Geneva. He went on to answer his own ques-tion: ‘I take inspiration from the ethos which underpins the initiative of Caux – the centrality of the individual. The only way to build trust is between people. Structures are enablers, people are the doers.’

Mr Møller was speaking in a plenary on ‘Trust as a key to peace’ during

the conference on Just Governance for Human Security. The fi ve-day conference brought together 200 people working for better governance in 32 countries. Many of them came from situations of confl ict and tension – from Israel and Palestine, from Turkey and Armenia, from Somalia. They came searching for steps which could unite warring factions. The confer-ence focused on the human factors which enable both leaders and citizens to work together towards an inclusive, democratic approach.

Sahel Delegation

28 civic and political leaders and govern-ment offi cials came from Mali, Chad and Niger, sponsored by Switzerland’s Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA). The FDFA has been sponsoring groups to Caux from the region for the past four years. This year the group included gov-ernment ministers and former ministers, parliamentarians, senators, academics, jurists, journalists, directors of NGOs, an imam and a pastor. They arrived four days early to take part in workshops led by a team from the FDFA on ‘Dealing with the Past’. Then most of them stayed on for the conference on Just Governance.

They valued the discussion on dealing with the past, both with the FDFA team and, during the conference, with experi-enced mediators such as Matthias Stiefel, founder of Interpeace. Many of the group have suffered from past injustices. ‘My life has been punctuated by arrest and prison’, said Dr N’gothe, MP, President of Chad’s Economic and Planning Commission, ‘and when I fi rst came to Caux I was fi lled with hatred and destructive forces. As a victim of the regime of Hissen Habre, I was determined to put him on trial. But the exchanges which took place here changed me, and my response to the injus-tice of the past has also changed. Maybe there is a different way to achieve justice.’

During the conference, they sought strat-egies to improve governance. ‘Without any exaggeration,’ said a senior offi cial, ‘bad governance and corruption were the cause of crisis in Mali.’

Overcoming corruption

A series of workshops on defeating corrup-tion were led by Katherine Marshall, for-mer Senior Advisor to the World Bank,

now advising the International Anti-Cor-ruption conference. Neil Buhne, Director of the United Nations Development Pro-gramme’s (UNDP) Bureau for Confl ict Prevention and Recovery in Geneva, de-tailed a variety of approaches to defeating corruption, including little-known success stories such as Botswana and Bhutan. Prof Eugene Sensenig-Dabbous of Notre Dame University Lebanon led a workshop on overcoming corruption in the extraction of

12 CAUX REPORT 2014

JUST GOVERNANCE FOR HUMAN SECURITY

Going out from Caux

From Caux the participants have gone out with new energy to grapple with the diffi cult situations they face. In the Sahel, the Chadians have cre-ated a local association, the ‘Refl ec-tion Group for Peace and Develop-ment in Chad’. Caux groups are emerging in other Sahel countries. ‘The spirit of Caux,’ an oft-used phrase in their circles, represents hope for a different kind of relationship between people. One participant mentioned the ‘sincere approach that comes from the heart and stands in stark contrast to offi cial narratives on national reconciliation’.

Confl ict, corruption, abuse of rights – these are some of the issues that preoccupy their discussions. As Michel Kipoké, a founder of the Ini-tiatives of Change programme in the Great Lakes region of Africa, said: ‘Initiatives of Change does not solve problems, but it creates the atmos-phere in which they can be solved.’

natural resources, a concern he has become involved with as a result of the discovery of oil in the sea off Lebanon. Among the speakers was Farai Maguwu, Director of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Natural Resource Governance. ‘My experience at Caux led me to apologise to my brother,’ he said, ‘a step which healed our broken relationship. This opened my eyes to new possibilities in my work. As a human rights advocate I have exposed much abuse in our extractive industries. But I had never thought of talk-ing to them. When I phoned a mining company notorious for bad community relations, and asked for a meeting, they were amazed. We met and talked for two hours. They asked us to help overcome their impasse with the community, and they are heeding our advice.’

Ukraine and Russia

There was also valuable experience from Ukraine on confronting corruption. Hanna Hopko is the coordinator of a civil society movement there, the Reanimation Package of Reforms, which is fi ghting cor-ruption through developing laws which reform the judiciary, the tax system for mass media, and much else. Many NGOs have joined them, and over 150 people with relevant expertise are working to de-velop ideas and draft legislation. ‘We work with a group of 24 Members of Parlia-ment,’ she said. ‘So far the Parliament has adopted 10 laws which we have developed. Each has been a diffi cult struggle.’

Russian pianist Victor Ryabchikov

Rama Mani and Yolande Ambiana performing ‘Healing the wounds of war’

‘Trust as key to Peace’ Plenary

She was one of 35 Ukrainians who came from East and West Ukraine and from Crimea. There were also a number of Rus-sians. Intense discussion took place be-tween them all, sometimes heated. Yet people recognised the importance of gen-uine dialogue, however painful. Out of these discussions came a ‘Platform for Ukrainian-Russian Contact, Dialogue and Initiatives’. While condemning Rus-sian aggression towards Ukraine, they say that it is vital to build bridges between their countries, and they commit them-selves to ‘improve relations through dia-logue and joint initiatives’. Not all par-ticipants felt able to endorse it, but many did. It is now circulating in Russia and Ukraine, and civil society activists in both countries have written asking to cooperate with this Platform.

CAUX REPORT 2014 13

Finding Inspiration through Arts and Refl ectionThe Seeds of Inspiration conference returned to Caux in 2014 for a second year. Singing, dancing, painting and creative workshops formed part of the programme, as well as oppor-tunities for personal refl ection, meditation, and free time to relax and let friendships develop.

SEEDS and the arts: Following a Caux tradition

The event offered more than 70 par-ticipants a deeply human experience;

an opportunity to reconnect with them-selves, go back to their roots and to reach out to other people. At the heart of the conference were the community groups, where participants met each day for dis-cussion and/or to serve in the kitchen or dining room. Their exchanges were fed by thought-provoking plenary sessions. The fi rst included a message from a woman who had been unable to leave Syria to

It was during the SEEDS conference that Caux’s embracing of the arts came across the strongest. Caux has always used the arts in its approach to recon-ciliation, recognizing both the different perspective they bring to situations, and the power of self-discovery they carry. Throughout the years, Caux has been a place for theatre representations, fi lm showings, live music, photographic ex-hibitions, painting, writing, and nu-merous other artistic expressions. Par-ticipants have been moved towards change in new and different ways through Caux’s exploration of the arts. During this year’s conferences, partici-pants were able to hear music performed by musicians from two countries whose confl ict has shaken Europe: the Russian pianist Victor Ryabchikov and the Ukrainian violinist Dima Tkachenko. Participants were also encouraged to step across the generational gap, as Mu-sic for Cities, a British initiative to rein-tegrate troubled youth through music,

‘Humour and laughter … a blend of the serious and the fl ippant. Both are vital.’

brought rap and rock acts to the Caux stage. The SEEDS conference was a strong illustration of how art can be more than a mere exploration of creativity. Art can also be a tool for transformation which challenges people to expand their perspectives and understanding of others.

Commedia Gillet, the Swedish theatre company, livened up the SEEDS conference

14 CAUX REPORT 2014

SEEDS OF INSPIRATION

Meet Amina

living in the UK and originally from So-malia, who has worked with IofC for 7 years, promoting peacebuilding and rec-onciliation in schools.

Can you tell me about your involve-ment with the Seeds of Inspiration conference?I was part of the coordination team and was asked to run a workshop on Peace begins at Home. This project is so dear to my heart because it was drawn out of my journey in life, in-cluding the struggles of growing up during the war in Somalia and moving to Europe with my parents in search of a safe haven. These experiences made me look at the intergenerational con-fl ict within diaspora communities and draw up a training program. It is not

that change within us. Peace begins at Home is very much around that. Being part of Seeds of Inspiration was one step towards the change that I wanted to create. If I had any expectations, this conference exceeded them by far. It brought back the element of spiritual-ity, as a Connector between who we are and what we do. This connection was at the core of Seeds of Inspiration.

just a training program, but a personal tool, as I am learning more about this topic in the process. We live in a very un-safe world that seems to become ever more corrupt. We see war everywhere. Promot-ing peace and reconciliation requires something beyond just energy and invest-ment of time. It requires real people, who can give the right leadership.

With everything that is going on in the world, your home is your only sanctuary. If you don’t have safety and security there, then where can you turn? In Europe there are a lot of broken homes, and that is a great concern. Great Britain has the worst record of family breakdowns in all of Eu-rope. If you don’t have the right relation-ship with your family members it becomes very hard to fi nd peace within yourself. If our motto at Caux is ‘Be the change you wish to see in the world’, we need to feel

attend the conference, calling for forgive-ness, responsibility, respect and healing. ‘Without this we will continue to be torn apart, and we will all suffer, because we are one fabric’ she said. This theme was further developed the next day in a session on confl ict and forgiveness.

In an innovative plenary on inspiration, participants were arranged in two concen-tric rings around four story tellers. As each of these spoke about their lives, the inner ring responded by writing and the outer ring by drawing, painting or modelling.

Music for Cities brings a rock music act to the Caux theatre

Concert Pianists Victor Ryabchikov from Russia and Penelope Thwaites from Australia with Ukrainian violinist Dima Tkachenko

Amina

Workshops ranged from ‘Finding the Clown within’ to mindfulness. Evening programmes included a screening of the fi lm, Beyond Forgiving, which tells a re-markable story of forgiveness from South Africa; a presentation by the Swedish theatre company, Commedia Gillet; a one-man play about the Christmas truce during World War I; and a talent evening. From its earliest days as a conference cen-tre, Caux has been a place where people from different countries, backgrounds

and perspectives can meet heart-to-heart and connect both with each other and themselves. Seeds of Inspiration follows this Caux tradition, and seeks to refl ect the ‘spirit of Caux’ in its focus on personal development, spiritual openness and the building of relationships.

CAUX REPORT 2014 15

Meet Ricardo from the Peruvian Delegation

Young Advocates for ChangeIn its second edition, CATS centred on children’s participation. Twenty-fi ve years ago, the International Convention on the Rights of the Child promised children the right to participate; the promise has been slow to come, and one of CATS’ dreams is for the promise to become reality. This year’s theme, ‘Young Advocates for Change,’ saw 170 young people and children out of 367 total participants from around the world come together to discuss various topics including children as advocates, educators, health activists, and media makers.

The aim was to bring together chil-dren, young people, and adults who

are all actively engaged in children’s issues to share their experiences and fi nd ways forward together to move child participa-tion from promise to reality. Jonathan Levy, one of the conference’s main coor-dinators, noted that Caux’s longstanding history of creating the right conditions for everyone to fi nd their place made it an ideal environment for such a gathering. The programme was put together follow-ing a strategic document, crafted by the CATS Advisory Group, a group made up mainly of children. Highlights of this year’s conference included a mock chil-dren’s court in the style of Janus Korczak, renowned children’s rights advocate, and a ‘Speakers Corner’ where all participants could argue their opinions in front of the public. This year’s conference saw practi-cal results including a draft of the Caux Declaration on Children’s Rights to Par-ticipation – an idea initiated by the Peru-

vian delegation – created and written by children and young people at the confer-ence, in coordination with a Council of Europe representative, to take back and present to the Council. In addition, con-ference participants supported the ‘Save Funky Dragon’ petition to convince the Welsh government to continue funding Funky Dragon, the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales, and a part-ner of the CATS Conference.

CATS 2014 was a success. Not only was it the best attended conference of the summer – extra beds and mattresses were needed to complement the 425 normally available – but it also had engaging speak-ers. Participants heard fi rst-hand stories of children’s participation in society from young people from Peru, India, Brazil, Romania and the UK. They fi nished the week off invigorated and motivated to spread the word about the positive effects of children’s participation.

‘This conference confi rmed the ideas we had on the empowerment of youth. Our work in youth education is at a level that others in Caux are still aiming for – how gratifying to see that we are not going against the current, but that there are bigger in-stitutions that are aiming for the same results and that they will part-ner with us for the wellbeing of the youth!

We can do big things with the people we met here and with the youth from Peru. We should not get discouraged, even if we encounter many chal-lenges. As a small institution we might not be able to give the kids big meetings in a castle, but we can create many small castles in each of them, so they can then themselves teach other kids.

It’s important to send the kids to these conferences – it really helps them develop and make their dreams come true. Alex, for example, had al-ways wanted to sing on stage, and he was able to do it here. It wasn’t easy to get Alex to Caux, but his smile on that stage made it all worth it.’

Alex’s dream comes true

16 CAUX REPORT 2014

CHILDREN AS ACTORS FOR TRANSFORMING SOCIETY

Lumos: founded by the author of Harry Potter

Active participation is not an exclusive concept, but one that is open to all mem-bers of society. This was exemplifi ed by the delegation sent from Lumos, founded by author J. K. Rowling, which works to uphold the rights of children who would

traditionally be institutionalized and iso-lated from society in many countries.

Lumos works with NGOs, governments and communities to ensure that every child has a right to participate in decisions that affect them. During the CATS con-ference, children who had been helped by Lumos had the opportunity to present

Altin and Francesca, from Albania, share their story

‘We all have a shadow, and the colour of the shadow is the same for everyone.’

Photo: © Altin Dulja, World Vision, PhotoVoice

Lumos delegation performs at CATS

Focus: Photovoice

Photovoice is a charity based in Lon-don but working worldwide. It is based on participatory photography with marginalized and vulnerable commu-nities. Photovoice provides photogra-phy tools, so that people can be self-advocates and bring about change. They work in partnership with other locally-based organisations. Half their projects involve children.

At this year’s conference, two Albanian children were able to present their pho-tos, which had allowed them to discuss issues that affect their lives and their communities with local representa-tives, politicians, diplomats and minis-ters who were present at the exhibition of their work. During the project, led in partnership with World Vision, chil-dren not only learned about photogra-phy, but they also gained great confi -dence in themselves.

When asked about what she had learned through the project, aside from photography, Francesca, 11, said ‘In one of the pictures I said “I am not afraid of anything.” That’s what I learned.’

Altin, 12, presented his picture (above) with the explanation: ‘We all have a shadow and the colour of the shadow is the same for everyone.’

and explain the process that Lumos un-dertakes to empower them. Thanks to the support offered to their families and edu-cators, these children have been able to enter mainstream schools, and are in-volved in the decision-making processes that affect their lives.

Michaela, 25, spoke about her involve-ment in educating adults. Having learned how to improve exchanges between adults and disabled children, Michaela fi nds that it is easier to fi nd solutions that suit eve-ryone and feels she is trusted more by the adults surrounding her. While her parents are still learning to trust her over issues of money and administration, Michaela is living an independent life and is actively involved in advocating for children’s rights. This is something that she could never have achieved had Lumos not stepped in. The participation of Lumos at CATS strongly illustrated the value of giv-ing a voice to all members of society, showing that active participation can in-deed be accessible to all.

CAUX REPORT 2014 17

Walking the twin trail: IIC brought together change agents from

across the globe representing different backgrounds and cultures. The heart of the conference was based around the so-called twin trail of inner growth and outer action. Meanwhile, four themes were ex-plored: the art of listening, the art of alignment, the art of creation and the art of commitment. Walking the twin trail

The fi rst time a Caux plenary is held on the Rochers de Naye

risky, but the effort was worth it in the end. It proved that consumers are looking for ethical alternatives in all areas of their lives, even in the technology they use. Af-ter a three hour hike, the participants could certainly identify with the idea of overcoming diffi culties to obtain positive results.

The Art of Creation was not just about creating ideas, but it was also about creat-ing bonds between people, and this was the main point of the climb to the top. All of IIC’s participants have committed to carry out a project together, and this climb was a team-building exercise which encouraged participants to support each other through a challenging time.

‘Diversity and dialogue for social transformation’From 3–8 August Impact Initiatives for Change (IIC) took place for the fi rst time. Having evolved from the Learning to Live in a Multicultural World conference, IIC focused on personal development, refl ection and putting your ideals into practice.

was experienced literally by the partici-pants when they climbed to the top of Rocher de Naye early one morning.

Starting with oneself: IIC took partici-pants on a journey to (re) discover them-selves and their passions. Silent time was offered three times during the day to give everyone the opportunity to refl ect upon their experiences.

Taking action: The afternoons were fo-cused on action. The programme encour-aged all participants to leave the confer-ence with a plan of action for their own individual or group project for social change, with a measurable impact to be implemented in one year. Inspired by the speech of Martin Luther King, partici-pants started with a poster to visualize their dream. The following days, they

IIC participants left at 6 a. m. and climbed 1000 metres in three hours to reach the Rochers de Naye, the summit that looms over the Caux Conference Center. Breakfast was enjoyed at the top before the theme of the day, The Art of Creation, was discussed.

Surrounded by spectacular views, Tessa Wernink from Fairphone explained how her company, which deals with ethical smart phones, came into exist-ence. From just an idea and a small dedicated team, Fairphone was able to manufacture an initial 5000 smart-phones last year, and immediately had to place another order to meet demand. As she said, setting up the project was

18 CAUX REPORT 2014

IMPACT INITIATIVES FOR CHANGE

Interview with Michael Sternberg, facilitator, confl ict transformation specialist, Israel

Instituto de Asuntos Culturales, Spain, presents the project it developed during the conference

worked towards choosing their theme, forming groups and taking the fi rst steps towards implementation. Experienced and trained facilitators from various European countries guided the process. More than 10 different projects came out of IIC such as The Green Mosque to make Dutch mosques more sustainable, Link2Job to increase opportunities for unemployed young people in Spain and Portugal, and Art Aid which focuses on providing asylum seekers in Sweden and Denmark with art tools to process their experiences.

nity, freedom and who search for ways of making this happen. I think that a conference like this moves us in this direction.

I also fi nd inspiring the fact that we make it practical. We had so many participants with the desire to do something in order to make the world a better place, and here we create the initial steps towards action. The idea of this conference is that there will be a follow up. The participants are in-vited to collaborate in order to make their ideas come true. And this is tre-mendous. If out of 70 let’s say, fi ve come up with exceptional ideas and stay committed to them, then in one year we can have fi ve initiatives that involve hundreds, or maybe even thou-sands of people who will be affected by what we had this week.

What do you fi nd is the biggest hur-dle when you try to resolve confl ict?One of the biggest challenges is how to broaden the scope of our thinking. It is very interesting how the emotions are not only something private, but are

socially structured; we get very attached to our assumptions. When we have a group of people who work together even if it is only by talking to each other, we realize that there are more narratives than the narratives we grew up with. We learn about the pains of others, the hopes of others and others become human. Then we can create bridges of communication. We can break away from our own way of perceiving reality; we realize it is not only about us. We can recognize this way that there is a shared humanity.

Why did you get involved in this con-ference?We live in a globalized economy; a lot of the benefi ts are due to this, but also many of the diffi culties. I think we can have a global network of individuals, groups, people in organizations who are deeply committed to work towards equality, dig-

CAUX REPORT 2014 19

‘Connecting personal and systemic approaches to Peacebuilding’This new conference was launched in response to the need for greater resilience among peacebuilding practitioners, who are dealing with increasingly entrenched and complex confl icts.

Creators of Peace

Creators of Peace is a global pro-gramme which has enabled thou-sands of women to discover their role in peacemaking. Some of them met at Caux during the conference, in-cluding a group from Burundi. One Burundian wrote after their meeting:

‘We set out from Caux, if not healed, at least healing, carrying each other’s bur-dens, with projects to carry out. We will remember the woman who is going to visit the family of the person who killed her family. And the woman who has decided to pay to the killer of her parents the debt which her parents owed him. And who would have guessed that I would fi nd my brother’s murderer and tell him that I forgave him? We are fi nding freedom from the hate which gnawed at us, and holding out hope to those who fl ee at the approach of their victims.’

The International Peace-Builder’s Fo-rum aimed to increase interagency

and intersectorial coordination within the peacebuilding sector. A peace-builders’ fair was organized, providing the oppor-tunity for peacebuilding agencies from across the world to network and showcase their projects. Available throughout the four-day forum, it provided a great space for side conversations and emerging col-laborations.

IPF also sought to enhance the resilience of peace-builders (‘personal approach’), leading to a wider and deeper impact of their work (‘systemic approach’). The af-ternoon workshops were designed to em-power peace-builders. They allowed par-ticipants to share experiences but also to informally discuss important emerging issues in the sector.

Participants were given the choice to take part in one of three workshops:

1. Peace-builder self-care and resilience: dealing with compassion fatigue and burnout

2. Creating safe space and story sharing as ingredients for personal peacebuilding

3. Personal and structural dimensions in confl ict transformation.

Finally, IPF sought to raise awareness on the importance of an integrated approach to Peace-building. Representatives from governmental agencies and from the pri-vate sector were invited to the forum to foster dialogue about the integration of peace-building work in other sectors in society.

Some of the most powerful moments of the conference were experienced during the group sessions where participants shared their life stories, and how they got involved in peacebuilding, what their rea-sons were for staying involved and what were their day to day realities. These ses-sions motivated and inspired many par-ticipants.

20 CAUX REPORT 2014

INTERNATIONAL PEACE-BUILDERS’ FORUM

Instruments of Peace

IPF opened with a performance by In-struments of Peace, an Irish organiza-tion that promotes peace through the

arts. Among the performers were six stu-dents from Gorey Community School, the largest secondary school in Ireland, which was chosen as a model for imple-menting peace through education and the arts.

In a short interview, Katie, aged 17, spoke about her love of writing, and how she can deliberate for hours when choosing the right word. She thinks that in real life, confl icts can be avoided if people just take the time to be careful with their words, ‘You never know the impact they can have’.

Jessie, also 17, explained why she enjoyed this conference so much: ‘I was talking to the former Egyptian ambassador who had

been working in Iraq during peace talks and there are such incredible people here who have achieved so much …, but I didn’t think I’d have anything to contribute, yet in this set-ting here, everyone’s opinion is valued.’

Grainne Mulcahy, teacher and chap-lain at Gorey Community School, pointed out that when people pursue their passions, they are energized and they transmit this feeling to everyone else they meet. By bringing the ideas of Instruments of Peace into the class-room, students are taught that peace-building starts with small steps, begin-ning with oneself. By learning this, children can easily implement peaceful steps in their everyday lives.

Compassion Fatigue

Caretakers are very good at helping others but have the tendency of ignoring them-selves. Participants of the Peace-builder Self-care and Resilience: Dealing with Compassion Fatigue and Burnout work-shop were reminded of the emergency procedure in an airplane: ‘Make sure you put the oxygen mask on fi rst and then help others.’ Dr Barry Hart, Professor of Trauma, Identity and Confl ict Studies at Eastern Mennonite University’s Center for Justice & Peacebuilding, remarked

that in humanitarian, peacebuilding or in fact any caretaking jobs, talking about emotions and feelings is often seen as a mark of weakness. The presumption that everyone is strong, even when facing trau-matic situations is a false one. However, this situation is never really addressed in professional settings. Dr Hart described the different stages of compassion fatigue, not to be confused with a burnout, al-though both result from a toxic work en-vironment and have similar symptoms. After a short fi lm about compassion fa-tigue, Dr Pumla Gobodo-Madikizela,

Senior Research Professor for Trauma, Forgiveness and Reconciliation Studies at the University of the Free State, South Africa, focused on the emotional, philo-sophical and psychological impact of deep trauma and shared ways on how to help address it. Art, theatre or dance is often used to release tension, fi nd balance and address the trauma in a relaxed but also liberating way. The workshop closed after participants talked about their experiences with trauma and how they have dealt with it or not. The workshop broke taboos and was an eye-opener to many.

CAUX REPORT 2014 21

Caux Scholars Program Bringing together a very proactive network of 19 scholars from 16 different countries.

Caux Interns ProgrammeThe Caux interns have long been a part of the functioning core of the conference centre operations. This summer, a total of 66 young people from 27 countries, along with a multinational faculty, converged at the former Caux-Palace to be part of the experience.

Every year, the program is graced by a diverse group of interns ranging from

accomplished medical doctors to fi rst-year university students, who are prepared to challenge themselves and who have a thirst for personal and global change. Working alongside volunteers and confer-ence participants, the Interns Programme is an opportunity for young people to

Some impressions from our communications interns:

‘Caux isn’t just about the conferences. It’s about the people that you meet and the conversations that this space enables. Personally, this was the most enriching thing that I experienced. Not only was I fortunate enough to work within a very supportive and talented team, but I also made great friends from several continents, which gave me an insight into many cultures that I had not previously had contact with. In Caux, there are no barriers, only people, and it’s for this very reason that so many people come back every year.’ – ANNE, Ireland

‘Luckily for me, it was part of our tasks as communications interns, to attend all the conferences taking place in Caux over the summer, which proved to be very enriching. I discovered a lot about a wide range of topics such as land degradation, lead-ership, and child advocacy. Most of all, I really became aware that I am concerned with these issues, even though land degradation or child abuse is not happening around me. I am responsible for taking action, even if it is a very small one. This is what I bring back from Caux, along with a lot of new friendships with the amaz-ing people I met there, starting with my outstanding communications col-leagues!’– ELODIE, Switzerland

‘I have always had the bad habit of breaking glasses. A sign of good luck, most people would say, but I never thought I was a lucky person. Until the summer of 2014 when I had the opportunity to be part of the “Caux-munications” team as an intern. On top of a welcoming group of people and a great venue, I had the chance to become part of the political, eco-nomic, social and cultural affairs fab-ric unfolding in the world. Each of us grew in our abilities, learned from each other, and contributed to issues we never dreamed of being part of, and our strong teamwork made the dream work!’– DELIA, Romania

The 2014 Caux Scholars brought a di-versity of knowledge and principles

to Caux this year. Through role playing, teambuilding, and conference organizing, the 2014 scholars combined traditional education with practical application. The program rests on three pillars: 40 hours of academic classes and seven hours of ser-vice each week, skill acquisition, and per-sonal transformation. But there is more: at its core, CSP was about learning about other cultures, developing meaningful re-lationships, and fi nding personal and pro-fessional inspiration.

During a fi eld trip, scholars visited the United Nations in Geneva and the Quaker United Nations Offi ce (QUNO) where they learned about QUNO’s work all over

the world. Dr Pumla Gobodo-Madiki-zela, Senior Research Professor at the Uni-versity of the Free State and one of the 17 commissioners of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission, came as a guest lecturer. Each year, scholars par-ticipate in a Caux Summer Conference. This year, they had the privilege to fi ll the role of facilitators and organizers of the International Peace Builders’ Forum. On top of a busy schedule, scholars also par-ticipated in a CSP reunion and were able to interact with 24 alumni from 11 previ-ous classes.

CSP will offi cially launch a Caux Scholars Program at the IofC Asia Plateau Centre in Panchgani, India, from 28 December 2014 to 16 January 2015.

22 CAUX REPORT 2014

CAUX SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Caux Volunteers ProgrammeVolunteers make the Caux Conferences possible, and have always been a strong driving force behind Initiatives of Change activities. Over the summer, volunteers supported the conferences, working in various de-partments or conference teams.

175 volunteers came to Caux this year, some new, some who have

been coming for many years. Volunteers who have been involved for some time provide invaluable background knowledge about the ‘how and why’ of the conference centre, which is amplifi ed by the energy and capacity that new people pro-vide. Many volunteers are in fact gradu-ates from the Interns Programme who want to continue participating at Caux. The CAUX Foundation is currently seek-ing certifi ed recognition for the work vol-unteers do in Caux. Generational and cultural diversity is one of the richest as-pects of the experience. Learning and growth comes from spending time work-

ing hard in an unusual circumstance with people from all over the world. ‘Building bridges across the worlds divides’ happens naturally as people cook together, make beds together, run the sound desks and lighting in the theatre, etc. During Ram-adan this year, for example, which took place during the conferences, non-Mus-lims chose to learn what this period of fasting is about from an Islamic perspec-tive. The real power of volunteering at Caux lies in the friendships made, the awe derived from the beautiful scenery around the Caux-Palace, and having life-chang-ing opportunities to meet incredible peo-ple and do things that you never dreamed you’d try.

experience the full richness of Caux. What makes the programme unique is its blend of service-based responsibilities to-gether with the leadership training pro-gramme that provides tools for explora-tion of change; inviting interns to explore their own principles of leadership and what their role is in the world. They are soon reminded that one has to be the change to see a change!

It is common for interns to leave at the end of the programme with intentions of ‘paying it forward’, and this year was par-ticularly special; the questions of how to make the Interns Programme sustainable and more accessible to young people were picked up by the interns themselves, as they launched fundraising initiatives or-ganised on behalf of future interns.

www.caux.ch

E-mail us at: info@caux.ch

Find us on Facebook:facebook.com/CAUX.Iofc

Our YouTube Channelyoutube.com/user/CAUXIofC

Our Twitter Handle: @CAUXIofC

CAUX – Initiatives of Change:Conference CentreRue du Panorama 2CH-1824 Caux, SwitzerlandP + 41 (0)21 962 91 11F + 41 (0)21 962 93 55

Geneva Offi ceRue de Varembé 1CH-1202 Geneva, SwitzerlandP +41 (0)22 749 16 20

Luzern Offi ceLuzernerstrasse 94CH-6010 Kriens, SwitzerlandP +41 (0)41 310 12 61

Publisher:CAUX-Initiatives of Change foundation

Editors:Thaïs Ruegg, Stéphanie Buri

Texts and photos: Stéphanie Buri, Thaïs Ruegg, Delia Malaut, Elodie Malbois, Anne Reid, Stefanie Marxer, Frédéric Chavanne, Conference Teams.

Proofreaders: Andrew Stallybrass, Andrew Lancaster, Marianne Spreng, Ulrike Ott Chanu

Design and Print: Brunner AG, Druck und Medien, 6010 Kriens, Switzerland, October 2014

After having experienced the Interns Pro-gramme and the lifelong relationships that are built throughout it, many interns return to the conference centre year after year, taking up new responsibilities to contribute further to the operational backbone of Caux’s vision. The structure of the programme has evolved over the years, and is now moving into its second year of being managed by a ‘steering team,’ which consists almost exclusively of alumni that work around the year to make the programme engaging and sustainable for years to come.

CAUX REPORT 2014 23

INTERNS AND VOLUNTEERS

INITIATIVES OF CHANGE (IofC)

is a world-wide movement of peo-ple of diverse cultures and back-grounds, who are committed to the transformation of society through changes in human motives and be-haviour, starting with their own.

The CAUX – IofC Foundationis the Swiss body of IofC Interna-tional and an offi cially recognized independent charitable foundation. It manages activities in Switzerland, as well as the conference centre, the former Caux Palace Hotel above Montreux.

VISION

A just, peaceful and sustainable world to which everyone, respond-ing to the call of conscience, makes their unique contribution.

MISSION

To inspire, equip and connect peo-ple to address world needs, starting with themselves.

International Caux Conferences 2015Exploring the human factor in global change

FOCUS AREAS

Trustbuilding: Peace and social cohesion by building trust and rec-onciliation across divides.

Ethical Leadership: Good gov-ernance at every level by develop-ing a leadership culture based on moral integrity, compassion and selfl ess service.

Sustainable Living: Economic justice and environmental sustaina-bility by inspiring transformation of motives and behaviour.

APPROACH

IofC focuses on the link between personal change and global change. Its approach involves:

Starting with oneself: An hon-est look at one’s own motives and behaviour is often the starting point for personal transformation.

Listening to others: With its in-tergenerational, multicultural and interreligious diversity, IofC enables honest conversations in an open

spirit, building bridges of trust and community between people of sim-ilar, different, and even antagonistic, backgrounds.

Silence: IofC places the search for inner wisdom at the heart of its ap-proach. While some understand this experience as divine guidance and others see it as the leading of conscience, many fi nd that the regu-lar practice of silence can give ac-cess to a source of truth, creativty and inspiration.

Taking focused action in con-crete situations.

16–19 July 2015Addressing Europe’s Unfi nished Business/International Peace-Builders’ Forum

27 July – 2 August 2015Children as Actors in Transforming Society

4–9 August 2015Seeds of Inspiration

26 June – 1 July 2015Trust and Integrity in the Global Economy

3–8 July 2015Just Governance for Human Security

10–14 July 2015Caux Dialogue for Land and Security

10–15 August 2015Impact Initiatives of Change/EPIC: Entrepreneurs, Pathfi nders, Initiators and Change-makers