Initiatives of Change and BINUS University Collaborate to Promote Inner Healing and Resilience for Sustainable Peace

Marvelazi Zainuddin

Jakarta, Indonesia, 30 November 2025 - BINUS University, through its Character Building Development Center (CBDC), together with the Trustbuilding Program of Initiatives of Change (IofC) Indonesia, hosted a one-day workshop titled “Healing the Past, Hope for the Future: Integrating Mental Health into Trustbuilding; Promoting Inner Healing and Resilience for Sustainable Peace.”

Held on Friday, 28 November 2025, at BINUS University Anggrek Campus, the workshop brought together lecturers and student religious community leaders for a day of reflection, learning, healing, and building trust — both within themselves and with one another.

Welcoming Remarks & Keynote: Setting the Tone for Healing

The day began with Welcoming Remarks from
Petrus Lakonawa, S.S., M.Th., Ph.D., Lecture Specialist at CBDC BINUS Jakarta.
He reminded the room that emotional literacy and trust are essential skills for living in a diverse academic community like BINUS. His words created an atmosphere of openness and care from the very beginning.

Following this, Dr. Frederikus Fios S. Fil., M.Th., Manager of CBDC BINUS Jakarta, delivered the Keynote Speech. He shared how mental health and inner healing play a vital role in nurturing peace — not only in society, but in every individual. He emphasized BINUS University’s commitment to fostering a compassionate and safe environment for both students and educators.

Grounding the Room: Concerns, Intentions, and Honest Reflection

The first session, led by Anisa Eka Putri, Trustbuilding Program Coordinator of IofC Indonesia, introduced participants to the global mission of IofC and its long history of peacebuilding and reconciliation work.

Anisa then invited participants to pause and look inward by writing down:

• their current concerns; personal, relational, or societal

• their expectations for themselves

• their expectations for the facilitators

• and their hopes for their community
   

This simple exercise opened the room gently, allowing people to bring their whole selves, the hopeful parts and the hurting parts, into the space. It set a foundation of honesty, vulnerability, and presence for the rest of the workshop.

“People Need to Be Listened”, Deep Listening with Mike Lowe

The main morning session was facilitated by Mike Lowe, master trainer from IofC Australia. Mike invited participants to explore listening not just as a technique, but as a human need.

“People need to be listened to,” he said.

Listened to fully, without judgment or agenda.

Through guided body scanning, participants learned to slow down, notice their internal state, and listen with more awareness. Mike highlighted that when we understand what is happening inside ourselves, we are better able to listen to others with empathy and create trust even in difficult conversations.

Inaya Wahid: Facing Collective Wounds and Reimagining Peace

After lunch, the workshop welcomed Inaya Wahid, a respected figure in interfaith dialogue and social healing.

She opened her session with a question many of us quietly carry:

“What do we need to do to bring peace?”

But instead of offering an answer, she asked an even deeper one:

“Where are we going? And what is peace?”

As the room engaged with these questions, a profound insight emerged:
Peace is not the absence of conflict.
Conflict is part of growing, understanding, and becoming more human.

I myself reflected,

“Without conflict, there will be no peace. There will just be… nothing.”

Inayah guided the group through practices of noticing and holding emotions, especially the difficult ones, reminding everyone that healing often begins where avoidance ends.

Closing the Day with Hope and Intention

As the day came to an end, participants wrote down their key takeaways and the commitments they hoped to bring into their lives, classrooms, and communities. A short photo session captured the warmth and connection that had grown throughout the workshop, a small reminder of what happens when people gather with sincerity and openness.

A Shared Path Forward

The collaboration between BINUS University and the Trustbuilding Program of IofC Indonesia reflects a shared conviction:
Sustainable peace grows from inner healing, emotional awareness, trust, and the courage to face conflict with compassion.

This workshop marks another meaningful step toward nurturing leaders who are intellectually capable, emotionally grounded, and deeply committed to building peace, starting from within.