From 24 May to 12 July 2025, IofC Indonesia hosted a Trust building program with the theme "Speak Up Project: Conversation for Peace."

The northern and western parts of the Indonesian island of Sumatra are suffering from floods and landslides.

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.”

The first session on the first day of The 2nd Learning Community International Life-Work Conference was led by Nurhayati Syafii, a member of the Indonesian School of Reconciliation, with this inner listening question. It wasn’t even the opening session yet, but it already felt like being invited into the part of myself I least wanted to open—being responsible for something I didn’t want to admit.

The year 2025 marks a special milestone as IofC Indonesia’s Creators of Peace (CoP) opened its first class for young people in Bandung.

Bandung Peace Week 2025: From Bandung to the World, Reviving a Spirit of Dialogue and Solidarity

Every story shared in all the sessions of the Bandung Peace Week 2025 activities described the same common thread: that true change begins from a heart willing to learn. It all starts from within: realizing, appreciating, and making peace with oneself. Through simple conversations at every opportunity, everyone discovered something about themselves, others, and about the meaning of togetherness. From there, a new energy was born to continue igniting the spirit of peace in their respective environments.

The spirit of "inner listening" discussed made me realize that to be able to be unselfish, one must start from listening to the deepest heart's voice. One needs to recognize the wishes and needs of others, and letting go of greed or excessive ego. The example story of Aparna's grandmother who, while in a coma and when conscious, the first thing she did was ask about the condition of others, illustrates the value of sincere and deep unselfishness. This is not an easy thing, but it is a life choice that can be learned and practiced consciously.

Anne Holland emphasized the importance of bringing forth self-awareness. Through learning breathing techniques and body movements, participants were given the opportunity to distance themselves from negative emotions, then see how those emotions work within. This process provides the realization that peace does not come from the outside, but rather begins from inner self-reconciliation. Meanwhile, Judy Greenberg added that art is an honest body language. Every line, color, and shape drawn on paper is a representation of emotions that cannot be expressed with words. Through this activity, participants were invited to feel what their minds and bodies were feeling. Those feelings arise on their own because the body is an honest part of expressing one's feelings. Through drawing activities, participants learn to accept that all emotions are part of humanity that deserves to be appreciated.

Family Reconciliation in the series of Bandung Peace Week (BPW) 2025 provided a valuable opportunity to reflect back on family relationships as the first place where individuals learn what love, wounds, and healing are. The speakers and participants shared personal experiences showing that reconciliation within family is not an instant thing, but rather a long journey that begins with self-awareness and the courage to make peace with the past. These experiences are certainly felt by everyone and every family, and it is those things that mature the self and respond to the long journey in realizing peace in the family.