Parliament of Worlds Religion 2004 Barcelona

Author(s): Parliament of the World’s Religions
Publisher: USA Parliament of the Worlds Religions

Page 215

Program Descriptions Monday, July 12, 2004
ENGAGEMENT SESSION 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Birth of a Global Community, Appreciative Inquiry in Action in the United Religions Initiative
Sally Mahe'
Rev. Charles Gibbs
Room 129, English Interactive Workshop
This workshop tells the story of how one person's conviction catalyzed the birth of a global community of thousands of diverse people working together to create positive change. It offers practical methods that evoke planetary leadership which is rooted in our deepest spiritual values, hospitality, friendship, mutual respect, commitment, and a passion for peace, justice and healing. Participants will leave this workshop with methods and organizational values that will mobilize the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the human spirit.
Sally Mahé is Director of Organizational Development, United Religions Initiative. She is co-author of Birth of a Global Community: Appreciative Inquiry in Action with Rev. Charles Gibbs.
The Rev. Charles Gibbs is Executive Director of the United Religions Initiative (www.uri.org). He is co-author, with Sally Mahé, of The Birth of a Global Community.
Mind the Gap: Filling the Cultural Gap Ina Ter Avest
Room 130 Lecture
Lecture on the role of education in the teaching of cultural and religious diversity in order to contribute to the cohesion of the society.
Ina Ter Avest is a Dr. in Psychology of Religion in Holland and assistant professor in Leeuwarden; she carried a research project on the development of the God concept of children in the first Christian-Islamic school in the Netherlands.
Northern Lights, A Celebration of Edmonton's Interfaith Life at Latitude 53°
Rev. J. Robert Hankinson
Firdosh Mehta
Bikkar Randhawa
Zohra Husaini
Rosaleen Zdunich
Room 131, English/Spanish Panel Discussion
Twenty years of interfaith history in our northern Canadian city will be celebrated in this engaging and enjoyable workshopstyle presentation. Stories of successful, inter-religious ventures will be shared as our part in the pathway to peace and harmony
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is reviewed. The Edmonton Interfaith Centre has honored and observed International Day for the Elimination of Racism, conducted multifaith dialogues, and hosted the 10th anniversary meeting of the North American Interfaith Network. We encourage other communities to undertake similar commitments and share their discoveries.
Rev. Dr. Robert Hankinson was a delegate to the World Interfaith Conference and serves as a leader of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre.
Firdosh Dara Mehta, president and founding member of The Zoroastrian Association of Alberta, Canada, is also the President of The Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America. Mehta serves as a Board Member with several organizations such as the Interfaith Center, The Alberta Gujarati Association and the Indo-Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Bikkar S. (Randy) Randhawa is a profesor emeritus at the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan
Dr. Zohra Husaini a Muslim member of the board of directors for the Edmonton Interfaith Centre for Education and Action. She is the organizing committee chair.
Sister Rosaleen Zdunich is a leader of the Edmonton Interfaith Centre.
What is the Appropriate Role of Guiding Institutions in Fostering Positive Interreligious Relations?
Ela Gandhi Neill Walker
Kainan Ma
Alain Jordá
Room 132, English Partner Cities
This program is part of the Goldin Institute sponsored series highlighting the work of the Partner Cities around the world. In the 21st century, the relationships between and among the religions will change profoundly. A heightened awareness of their convergence on issues of common concern will contribute enormously to the establishment of a state of mutual respect and harmony. To achieve this vision, global cooperation is required among the Guiding Institutions - religion, government, business corporations and labor organizations, communications media and the arts, science and technology, international intergovernmental organizations, education and civil society. Panelists will share stories about partnering with guiding institutions and discuss strategies for engaging them in your own city.
Ela Gandhi, granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi, was a vigorous non-violent opponent of apartheid, and a member of South African Parliament for nearly nine years. She is currently Editor of Satyagraha, Secretary of the Gandhi Development Trust, Vice President of WCRP South Africa, and a Member of the Commission on Religious Affairs of the African National Congress.