SFCG Founders to Lead Workshop on Social Entrepreneurship
By Juontel White
Search for Common Ground’s President John Marks and Senior Vice President Susan Collin Marks will be leading two weekend workshops on social entrepreneurship.
The workshop titled “Social Entrepreneurship: from Spiritual Values to Effective Action” will be held Oct. 14-18 at Hollyhock in Cortes Island of British Columbia and Nov. 28-30 at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA.
Both founders have been awarded Skoll Fellowships for Social Entrepreneurship and will guide workshop participants to focus and define their own vision of social entrepreneurship.
John and Susan’s vision led them to create SFCG in 1982 and they will draw on their experiences to offer individual coaching as well as holistic instruction through role play, mentoring, reflection and meditation.
The workshop is designed to help participants explore your deepest leadership wisdom, the values that inform it, and learn how to harness it to use toward realizing your vision of social change.
To register for either workshop visit
Hollyhock website Oct 14-18, 2009; Cortes Island, British Columbia
Esalen Institute Nov 28-30, 2009; Big Sur, CA
Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum’s 100th Meeting
By Juontel White
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending the Conflict Prevention and Resolution Forum, (CPRF). It was the 100th meeting since its inception and this particular event was titled, “The 3Ds in Action: A System-Wide Approach to 21st Century Security.”
It was the final installment of a seven-part series addressing the three Ds—Defense, Diplomacy and Development—as they relate to foreign policy.
This topic alone sets CPRF apart from other forums in Washington for its ongoing examination of how the roles of defense, diplomacy and development are an interconnected means to an end—promoting conflict prevention, stabilization, security, and reconstruction.
Moderator Susan Collin Marks, SFCG’s Senior Vice President along with panelists Louise Diamond Ph. D., President of Global Systems Initiatives; Cynthia Irmer, Senior Conflict Prevention Officer for the U.S. Department of State; and Lisa Schirch, Director of the 3D Security Initiative discussed various aspects of Systems Theory as applied to the 3Ds.
Diamond explained that all living systems exist within a narrative context, which causes them to create stories in search of meaning. Each side in a conflict has its own story/narrative.
Therefore, she added, we must examine the assumptions and listen to the other stories. Diamond stressed the importance of listening for the areas of commonalities between the stories and to make room for new stories to be born.
The second aspect of systems theory is that everything is connected. She used the metaphor of a spider web and how every point of intersection is tied to all points in the web. In this global web we call earth, every country, human, plant and animal life is interconnected.
As Diamond remarked, connections—or relationships—may be linked, but can be seriously strained. She advised that we must look for the places that are disconnected, and connect them, and that we bring in the voices that are missing.
The third aspect of living systems is emergence—the idea that systems organize to best fit their environment. This is often marked by chaos, creative destruction, change and turbulence.
In today’s world, the chaos of global resource depletion, economic turmoil and climate change are all real time examples of how existing systems have been brought to the edge of chaos.
These are examples of old structures being destroyed, so that hopefully the new can be born.
Systems theory is integral to the 3D approach. Because defense, diplomacy and development are interconnected, when used together they help create “a more effective and coordinated response to help states prevent, mitigate and recover from violent conflict,” as stated in a manual on the Interagency Conflict Assessment Framework (ICAF).
ICAF was created by a working group co-chaired by the USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation and the Department of State’s Office of the Coordinator for Stabilization and Reconstruction.
It’s a virtual blueprint for applying a systematic, or holistic, approach to conflict resolution and its principles were adopted by the working group in July of last year.
The U.S. Department of Defense recently incorporated a systematic approach to its conflict resolution tactics and as of late, it is one of the few USG agencies to do so.
A major reason for this disparity is that other agencies lack the budget to implement such programs. But as news of its progress spreads, they too hope to have the means to implement new creative approaches to conflict resolution and we should expect to learn more of its impact on U.S. foreign policy in the years to come.
By Brian Hanley
Youth practice radio voicing techniques in a studio
Search for Common Ground Indonesia, in collaboration with the World Bank, recently launched a second run of its youth radio broadcast, Geunderang Damee (“The Drums of Peace”).
The program kicked off with a week-long training for its 34 youth reporters and presenters from all over the Aceh region who converged at capital, Banda Aceh. There, participants discussed the role of the media in conflict, shared interviewing tips and strategies and took their voice recorders into the field for some real-world experience.
Many had previously been involved with SFCG’s Aceh Youth Radio Program and were eager to reunite for a week of collective brainstorming and discussion.
Youth participate in a group brainstorming session
Training sessions were led by veteran journalists who discussed both the challenges of working in radio as well as the theoretical framework of peacebuilding media. Participants talked about the Common Ground approach to radio, exploring the use of talkshows and youth-produced journalism as along with the role of peacebuilders in transforming conflict.
Youth presenters practiced their interviewing skills through role-play; while reporters hit the streets to interview passersby for Geunderang Damee’s first episode. The show, which focused on the fourth anniversary of the Memorandum of Understanding, which ended Aceh’s 30-year insurgency, had aired by the end of the week.
Participants celebrated with a trip to a local beach and a group dinner closed out the week’s activities.
Since returning to their home towns, the Aceh Youth Radio Program’s reporters and presenters have contributed to the production of each episode of Geunderang Damee.
Youth presenters in Banda Aceh
The reporters’ work has ranged from personal radio diaries to interviews with government officials, delving into topics like Shari’a law and the Indonesian president’s much-anticipated visit to the region.
Geunderang Damee currently airs on twelve commercial and ten community radio stations in Aceh. In the coming weeks, focus group discussions throughout the province will help evaluate the project’s effect, while a youth conference this fall will bring participants back together for further discussion and reflection.
Soldiers and Sheikhs Find Common Ground
By Karen Meberg
U.S. soldiers dine with Iraqi sheiks
American soldiers stationed in Iraq at Contingency Operating Base Adder and local Iraqi sheikhs have struck up a collaborative relationship in order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the base, according to an article from TheRedBulls.org.
“Without engaging such important leaders, base security and operations cannot be assured and the mission of the brigade combat team […] cannot be achieved,” said Lt. Col. Alan Shumate, COB Adder’s garrison commander.
Shumate and other soldiers from the Special Troops Battalion recently visited the home of Sheikh Ali al Manshed of the Al Ghezy tribe for an authentic Iraqi lunch, where they discussed both business and personal matters over lamb, rice and dates.
“We would wish only that we can be friends,” Ali said. Shumate also met with Ali’s brother, Sheikh Tayseer Mohammed al Manshed to discuss base security and water delivery.
Americans and Iraqis at COB Adder are overcoming their differences and finding a common ground that will benefit both groups. They have started to see each other not as the occupier and the occupied, but as neighbors with common interests. By focusing on their similarities, these two groups are opening channels of communication that will help all people in the area live safely.
Science and Faith: Claiming Earth as Common Ground
By Karen Meberg
New book by Andrea Cohen Kiener
Historically, it has been very difficult for scientists and people of faith to see eye to eye. Their different worldviews have been a source of disagreements for ages. Despite this, Rabbi Andrea Cohen-Kiener has called for both believers and non-believers to focus on a very large commonality: Planet Earth.
Cohen-Kiener’s new novel Claiming Earth as Common Ground: The Ecological Crisis through the Lens of Faith proposes a multi-denominational approach to environmental activism. She believes that “the conversation between faith and science has changed” and that they “each do what [they] do well.”
Climate change is an issue that many people can latch onto because “it’s a big international problem,” Cohen-Kiener said. We all live on one planet, and therefore we will all be affected by any harm that comes to it. This kind of issue creates the perfect atmosphere for cooperation. It doesn’t matter why a group wants to help save the Earth, it just matters that they do.
Because climate change is multi-denominational and multi-cultural, it can serve as a platform for dialogue between groups that haven’t had much to talk about before. And before you know it, certain groups of people will find common ground with each other, when they weren’t even looking for it in the first place.
Londoners Urged to Improve Relations with Islamic and Muslim Communities
Cohesion among Londoners ‘vital’ |
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Mayor of London Boris Johnson has urged Londoners to increase their understanding of Islam and Muslim communities to find common ground. Mr Johnson made the call during a visit to the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre on Friday. He said harmony and cohesion between all Londoners was vital to the success of the capital. The Mayor believes there is more that unites Islam and Muslims with other major world religions and with non-Muslims than divides or separates them.
Mr Johnson said, in common with many other religions such as Christianity, Islam teaches that there is only one true God. There are also shared beliefs about societal values and a basic moral code of behaviour. “Muslims are at the heart of every aspect of society. Their contribution is something that all Londoners benefit from. Muslim police officers, doctors, scientists and teachers are an essential part of the fabric of London. Islamic finance is contributing to the economy by changing the way Londoners invest, save, borrow and spend,” said Mr Johnson. Challenging stereotypes “London’s diversity and tolerance is the reason for our economic success, international position and cultural vibrancy.
“It is also the reason why over 600,000 Muslims have chosen to make this city their home. There are valuable lessons that people of all backgrounds can learn from Islam such as the importance of community spirit, family ties, compassion and helping those less fortunate, all of which lie at the heart of the teachings of Ramadan.” The Mayor went on to say that whether it was in theatre, comedy, sports, music or politics, Muslims were challenging the traditional stereotypes and showing that they are, and want to be, a part of the mainstream community. “That’s why I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam, increase your understanding and learning, even fast for a day with your Muslim neighbour and break your fast at the local mosque. I would be very surprised if you didn’t find that you share more in common than you thought.” he added. Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, Chairman of the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre, said: “We are delighted that the Mayor has decided to visit the East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre, especially in the Islamic month of Ramadan. “We have always had an excellent relationship with the Mayor’s Office and we look to continue this and work together to make London a cohesive and vibrant global city.” |
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I urge people, particularly during Ramadan, to find out more about Islam. 
