The local press in South Australia recently picked up the community building potential of the Creators of Peace Circles. The following article from the Messenger Press, was sent in by Jean and Bek Brown who, with other friends, are currently running a number of introductory gatherings around their city of Adelaide.

As Creators of Peace prepares for action in 2010, messages still come from individuals impacted by the Creators of Peace conference in Sydney late last year. “I will never be the same person again. And the ripple effects that is having is astounding.”

“I never knew I carried so much emotional baggage, but now I know where to start”, said Fathima during the discussion on forgiveness. She was one of the eleven participants, Muslim and Christian, attending a Creators of Peace Circle workshop arranged by a Muslim NGO, Baytul Nur on 10 and 11 December in Durban.

Between 13-27 November, the first Creators of Peace Circle in Romania took place in Baia Mare, a city located in the north part of the country.

The 5th Creators of Peace International Conference took place in Sydney, Australia, 30 September – 4 October. A programme of Initiatives of Change, Creators of Peace is a women’s initiative which challenges and empowers women to become active peace-makers. It works partly through the methodology of ‘Peace Circles’ which have been trialed or established in 25 countries around the world. This conference brought some of these women together.

A proposal that Creators of Peace Circles become part of the curriculum for students at the Jesuit University in Bogota, Colmbia, was made at a recent meeting of local Colombians with Lorne Braun from Canada, representing the Initiatives of Change International Council, and Killy Sanchez from Guatemala, a member of IofC’s communications team.

Susan Macaulay, the Founder of AmazingWomenRock.com, met Ann Njeri at the Initiatives of Change Tools for Change conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in February 2009. It was a moving and transformational experience. The article, with the heading "Long Live Islam", shares the conviction of Ann Njeri, a Christian from Kenya.

Within the two first weeks of June, two Creators of Peace workshops took place in New Zealand. Starting from 6 June, participants to the two day workshop were welcomed by Glenys Wood at the IofC Centre in Lower Hutt. The second workshop was held at the Mercy Spirituality Centre in Auckland.

37 participants recently took part in a peace circle in Kwa Thema, 90 kilometres from Johannesburg.

The Dutch artist Hester Mila-Groeneweg, an active member of the Creators of Peace initiative since its beginnings, created a work of art to express her emotions after the 9/11 attacks.