We come home, Recharged and Inspired after Caux!

The Year of 2019 has been a special and learning for both of us, as we have made to come to Caux, Swiss. Where we joined three big events (TIP), Global Assembly and Training of Trainer Trust Building. 

Toward Inclusive Peace (TIP) is an annual International Conference held in Caux. Last Year Elliana, one of the Program Director had contacted me if I am interested to be part of the program, then she comes to Asia Pleateu India and met my wife and Indonesian team. Since then Elliana knew what we were doing in Indonesia with IofC as well as with program of Peacebuilding and Boardgame with Peace Generation.  

Through communication and coordination, we agreed that we would be coming with Irfan Amali who is the Executive Director of Peace Generation and he would be the speaker for the plenary. Unfortunately, he was ill and made him bed rest.

It was me and my wife, Nenden who got to TIP without our kid, Bintang Damai. It was a memorable and learning journey personally and professionally as we had a privilege to run a 3 days workshop on Youth for Peace; Preventing Violent Extremism through Boardgame and Country Focus-Indonesia. 

It was our first time facilitating a workshop in such a larger context like Caux, The First day, we had around 15 people came to our class with diverse background, most of them are young people, some of them are participants of Caux Scholars who study about Peace and Conflict Resolution in Caux, including the program director of Caux Scholars and some are activist in peacebuilding from different continent, like Africa, Asia, Europe, and America. We are grateful that our workshop was run smoothly with the support of TIP team, we brought some activities on Peace starts with me, breaking prejudices, living with diversities and finally we played boardgame of galaxy Obscurio. We felt grateful that we were given time and opportunities to share our works in Indonesia and about Indonesia, it gave me courage and confidence to share the story about the work and the country of Indonesia which sometimes are not heard or unseen by the world.

We got some feedbacks that people like and enjoy our workshop as we combine between discussion and practical activities and it is a lot of playing and fun during the learning, as that is our principles to bring creativity and fun in our learning.  

In our Focus Country, we had no ideas how to run it, but to prepare and experience it we came to our Indian friends who hosted one day before our schedule, we learn from our Northeast Indian friends who are committed to bringing peace and reconciliation in their areas. They shared their personal story that leads to a bigger context of forgiveness and reconciliation among the people in NE India as well as with mainland India. I was so inspired and touched how our Indian friends conduct the session on Focus Country NE India. The day when we need to speak on focus country Indonesia, I presented about Indonesia today, who will be the 5th largest economy in the world by 2030, we are huge country with thousands of islands, with diverse ethnicities and cultures and the work that We are doing to build trust between the divided communities, especially between Muslim- Christian while my wife talked about bringing inner healing for peace and trust-building.

During the TIP, we had an intensive and tight schedule with beginning of morning reflection, plenary Talk, story sharing and workshop at noon for the workshop. I saw and heard so many creativities and initiatives that people take to counter and prevent violent extremism in their respective countries. What I take away from TIP are it is necessary indeed that peacebuilding and healing is a long process and the works sometimes dependent on the donor with short goal and impact. I realize that working for peacebuilding requires protection and healing. I am glad that now our office of Peace Generation is paying attention to the risk and protection and now shifting to the concept of social enterprise which slowly becoming independent to generate income and not always dependent on the donors.

We heard many stories about what happened in different countries like Syiria, Libya, Lebanon, Egypt, Burundi, Kenya, UK, US, etc and how people take initiatives to prevent and encounter violent extremism and bring peace and real change for people through different initiatives from honest conversation, dialogue, art, music, storytelling, activating public space for interaction, etc. We learn that our works are to create peace and healing for people and really to create answer and hope for humanity. 
We have also come to realize that the issue of Violent extremism is a global challenge that’s why to respond it requires collaboration among the stakeholders, Indonesia has taken this as a serious threat of security as well as ordinary life. For the last 2 years (2017-2018) UNDP Indonesia was able to support to respond the P/CVE under the project of CONVEY (Counter Violent Extremism for Youth) which PeaceGeneration is included in this project. I am grateful that Indonesian government is proactive and support civil society organization to bring solution and working on this issue, now the government is trying to promote and strengthen the ideology of Pancasila and unity in diversity as well as promoting moderate Islam, which means middle path, not too conservative and not too liberal.

Apart from the program and schedule that we enjoy, we also grateful to meet new and old friends during the conference, it has been my 16 years associated with global family of IofC and I still meet some people 10 years ago in Caux and they are shining with their commitment and clear of what they want to do in their life. I appreciate the friendship and intergenerational team, intercultural background that we have in IofC, it gives me energy and sense of calling to be the change I want to see in the world.
This journey has been a space for both of us to see the world closely by meeting and listening from different people and perspective especially how they respond to the world problem like bringing peace and transformation in countries like South Sudan, Syria, Lebanon and we are inspired and proud that IofC, as a global family is able to take initiatives of change through program like Creators of Peace, Trust Building, and other national and international program both in Asia Plateau India and Caux Swiss. 

We would like to thanks millions to SZF and generous and caring international friends of IofC and PeaceGeneration who support us for this journey and trust us to be in TIP, Global Assembly and Training of Trainers Trust Building in Caux this year.

Reported by Miftahu Huda and Nenden Vinna Mutiara Ulfa