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‘Forgiveness cuts public opinion down the middle like a guillotine. People are inspired by it or they are affronted by it.’ This is how Marina Cantacuzino, founder of the Forgiveness Project, introduced the concept of forgiveness when she gave a Greencoat Forum on 19 March in the London centre of Initiatives of Change.  Read more >>

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Forgiveness: a moral minefield

‘Forgiveness cuts public opinion down the middle like a guillotine. People are inspired by it or they are affronted by it.’ This is how Marina Cantacuzino, founder of the Forgiveness Project, introduced the concept of forgiveness when she gave a Greencoat Forum on 19 March in the London centre of Initiatives of Change.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Shared vision for the Arab region reached at consultation

Twenty five people gathered in Beirut, Lebanon to take part in the first consultation of representatives of Initiatives of Change Arab teams. The meeting, which took place 8-10 March, included representatives from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia as well as Arabs living in France and the UK.
Friday, May 17, 2013
May Bank Holiday weekend – friendship, vision and Afghan curry

On Saturday 4 May a lucky group of Creators of Peace Circle facilitators were cooked a delicious Afghan dinner by Shabibi Shah, at the IofC house in Oxford, start to a 24-hour planning session, aimed at refreshing our vision and developing new directions. By the end of the day we’d arrived at some inspiring but practical plans for our next steps with Peace Circles and as an emerging team.
Thursday, May 16, 2013

EVENTS More >>
Thu, 06/06/2013 - 18:30 - 21:00
Greencoat Forum

They stopped in time - young people in recovery
Elizabeth R, Pravin I and Ollie H, three young people in recovery, will share their personal experiences of alcoholism and their journey to stay sober and help others to achieve sobriety. Ollie H will explore the history of the foundations of Alcoholics Anonymous and how the founders drew inspiration from the Oxford Group.
Fri, 07/06/2013 - 18:00 - 21:00
Pray the Devil Back to Hell film screening

Creators of Peace London invite you to a screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell, the astonishing story of the Liberian women who took on the warlords and regime of dictator Charles Taylor in the midst of a brutal civil war, and won a once unimaginable peace for their shattered country in 2003. Food will be provided by the Bhavna Sweet Mart.
Sat, 08/06/2013 - 15:00
New performance of Peter Howard's 'The Diplomats'

On Saturday June 8 at 3pm at Greencoat Place the Friends of Renewal Arts will present a staged reading of the play The Diplomats by Peter Howard, which will be followed by a feedback session. The event will be filmed and will form part of a PhD thesis on the Westminster Theatre, which is being researched by the editor of the Friends of Renewal Arts newsletter Pam Jenner.

GLOBAL VOICES More >>
Shaken out of one's comfort zone

Will and Angela Elliott have just returned from participating in the IofC action in South Sudan. They live in Northern Virginia where Will is an international development manager and serves on the board of IofC USA. Angela, a retired nurse, currently volunteers as a long-term care ombudsman in Fairfax County. Angela writes of their visit.
Wed, 15/05/2013
The toolkit of a peacemaker - South Sudan

Rob Lancaster from Australia was one of the team responsible for training the peace and reconciliation mobilizers. This was his speech to the graduates of the four-week course which concluded on 1 May.
Wed, 08/05/2013

REFLECTION

Queen Elizabeth and Anglo-Irish relations
In 2011 the Queen, in a speech to the Irish nation, said, 'With the benefit of historical hindsight, we can all see things we could have done differently or not at all.' This speech was of such power and healing that it liberated two nations from centuries of rancour and misunderstanding. In 2012 the Queen visited Northern Ireland, where she and the Duke were given a tumultuous welcome. An historic handshake, both private and public, took place with Martin McGuiness, Deputy First Minister and formerly an IRA commander. Dr Roddy Evans shares his reflections on this moment in history.