Principles of Program Development

The network is developed according to need and achievements, and activities and projects of an intellectual, cultural and educational kind are generated jointly by the participants. While modes of operation and specific projects will evolve and receive definition over time, the broad categories of current and planned projects include:

• Discussion:

  Community-engaged discussion around global and local reconciliation which addresses: the causes and consequences of war, violent conflict and terrorism, and alternatives to it; strategies to rebuild structures devoted to establishing and maintaining peace; the nature and importance of health; and the sources of, and different perspectives on, ethics and human values.

• Exchange:

  Cultural and artistic exchanges between and within communities, regions and nations and programs supporting exchanges of scholars and of school students to visit and experience different cultures and facilitate increased contact, dialogue, and understanding.

• Action:

  Practical initiatives in areas of common interest to participating members, including those in the field of health and welfare, where the challenge of developing culturally appropriate ways to confront disease and its effects provides an opportunity to build new communities and to empower people traditionally excluded from decision making processes.