This ten day gathering brought together 41 young people, working with IofC, from 26 different countries at an international conference center near Nairobi, Kenya.

February 3-13, 2005

The purpose of coming together was not to draft a new vision statement, nor to fix problems, nor to heal the past, nor to create new structures. The purpose was to build a community based on trust.

The central theme of the gathering was ‘IofC, the next 10 years and beyond, in my life and the world.’ Key issues that emerged for action were: leadership development, sharing resources, financing the work, management and organisation, communications and vision. Organisations need a moral and spiritual basis as they play a key role in today’s society. IofC can continue to play a crucial role if we learn how to model a spirit - led organization where issues are based on a spiritual understanding of life and the world.

Regular quiet times were followed by honest sharing of hopes, expectations, fears and concerns about the gathering. Topics discussed included: ‘What attracted you to IofC/MRA?’, ‘What is your current involvement ’, and ‘Why are you here?’ This openness created an atmosphere of “beautiful honesty” and “high trust ” as noted by two participants.

In ’The World Context’ session, participants were asked to stand in the part of the room that they felt best indicated their perspective of their country in the world. As participants shared the reasons for their placement, we gained a deeper understanding of both the issues that seemed to be driving country priorities and how, as individuals, we connected with our own country. Two sessions were devoted to sharing perspectives of IofC life within each country. We had to share three joys or opportunities and three challenges or concerns as they pertained to IofC/MRA life in our country. As we ‘walked’ through each country, we began to see both the similarities and the differences between IofC/MRA groups throughout the world.

Games and team-building exercises were used throughout the gathering to balance the more intense discussions. These ‘games’ also served to build trust and allow for more creative expression from everyone in the group.

Midway through the gathering, we were asked to reflect on where we had come as a group and what were the most important issues for us. This formed the basis for the agenda of the final four days of the gathering and for a real sense of shared leadership. Discussions took place on topics like attracting, retaining, and developing people in IofC, communication/publications/websites/branding/PR/IT and Is God in the silence?

An outing into the Rift Valley was a chance to experience a bit more of Kenya, take in some of the flora and fauna – including hippos!

All in all it was an enriching experience for each one of us personally and a time to build friendships, the pillar of the world work of IofC/MRA.

Viral Mazumdar, Rajiv Agarwal, Anandi Gandhi, Tapan Parekh