Nurturing Peace from Within: An Honest Reflection from Creators of Peace at NCM 2026
Bandung, 8–9 August 2026 — Amid the National Consultation Meeting (NCM) 2026 organized by Initiatives of Change (IofC) Indonesia, one program received particular attention during this year’s gathering: Creators of Peace (CoP).
CoP is one of the programs under the IofC umbrella, standing alongside other programs without any one program being considered more important than another. For years, CoP has provided a space, particularly for women, to nurture a culture of peace beginning at the personal and family levels and extending into the wider community. Its approach is simple yet profound: peace in the public sphere cannot take deep root unless it begins with peace within oneself and in our closest relationships before expanding into society.
Yet it is precisely this principle that is now being tested from within. In recent times, CoP has faced significant internal challenges as differences in perspectives and tensions have emerged among its members. Ironically, a program that has long encouraged communities to engage with conflict and build peace must now face a similar challenge within its own ranks.
This reality made CoP an important point of reflection during this year’s NCM—not something to be hidden, but something to be acknowledged and faced openly in the presence of the wider movement.
When a Safe Space Is Tested by Reality
Conflict within a values-based movement can often feel more difficult than conflict within an ordinary organization. There is a greater expectation that what is taught should be consistent with how people live and relate to one another. When tensions arise within CoP—a program whose very identity is associated with the word peace—the question is no longer simply, “How do we resolve this?” It also becomes, “Are we willing to be honest enough to acknowledge that this is happening?”
This question appears to have prompted an important decision. Rather than allowing the issues to remain unresolved or be discussed only behind closed doors, CoP members chose to bring them into an open space during the larger gathering of NCM 2026.
(The Creators of Peace (CoP) team evaluates its performance and program implementation over the past year as part of reflection and improvement moving forward)
An Honest Space on Saturday Night
On Saturday evening, alongside the main NCM program, a special gathering was held to provide CoP with a space for honest reflection and evaluation. It was not a forum to determine who was right or wrong. Instead, it was an opportunity to hear each person’s perspective, acknowledge aspects of the situation that had been difficult to confront, and collectively seek a way forward.
This process required far more courage than simply maintaining diplomacy or avoiding one another.
The spirit of the conversation was closely connected to the four foundational values of the IofC movement, commonly known as PHUL: Purity, Honesty, Unselfishness, and Love. These values are not merely words displayed on the walls of a meeting room. They are principles often used for personal reflection during Quiet Time, and on that particular night, they were tested in practice.
Honesty called each person to name the issues as they were, without embellishing or hiding the uncomfortable parts.
Purity, in this context, meant examining the intention behind the evaluation—to ensure that the process was aimed at healing and improvement rather than self-justification or blaming others.
Unselfishness served as a reminder to set aside personal ego and prioritize the wellbeing of the movement as a whole above individual interests or positions.
Love provided the foundation for ensuring that the process did not become merely a cold exercise in correction, but remained grounded in genuine care for fellow members who were experiencing conflict.
That evening, therefore, became more than an additional item on the NCM agenda. It served as a reminder that building peace is not only about working outward—addressing conflict in society and facilitating dialogue between different groups. It also requires the courage to face and reconcile with the dynamics within our own home, where honesty can sometimes be the most difficult.
(NCM participants take time for quiet reflection, looking inward and reconnecting with their intentions)
In the Spirit of Reflection at NCM
The CoP reflection was closely connected to the wider spirit of NCM 2026, which placed Correction & Reflection among its key sessions. It provided space for teams and divisions to honestly evaluate communication, team dynamics, sustainability, governance, and the broader direction of the movement.
In this context, what CoP did on Saturday night was not simply a response to a temporary challenge. It reflected the values emphasized throughout NCM: openness of heart and mind, and the courage to listen to one another even when doing so is difficult.
There is a broader lesson here for the entire IofC movement, not only for CoP: honest evaluation, even when painful, is an essential part of keeping a community alive, healthy, and relevant.
Avoiding conflict simply to preserve an outward image can, over time, slowly erode trust from within.
Looking Ahead
The internal challenges within CoP were not fully resolved in a single evening—and it would be unrealistic to expect them to be. However, the decision to sit together and speak honestly provides an important foundation for the work that lies ahead.
The hope is that this moment can become a starting point for rebuilding trust among members, strengthening communication, and ensuring that the process of healing and restoration continues beyond the NCM rather than ending when the gathering concludes.
More importantly, this experience reinforces that the values of PHUL are not merely slogans to be repeated during moments of reflection. They are principles to be lived—especially, and perhaps most importantly, during the moments when doing so feels most uncomfortable.
he courage to nurture peace within our own movement is ultimately a necessary foundation for any program that seeks to carry a message of peace into the wider world.
“Building trust across the world’s divides.”
(Foto bersama seluruh peserta setelah rangkaian NCM selesai)
Written from the National Consultation Meeting 2026, Initiatives of Change (IofC) Indonesia
Writer : Chintia Giana
Translator & Editor : Riri Lestari