The Recent Decision on UKAID Reduction
1st December 2020
Is the UK losing its moral stance by not keeping up with its overseas aid contribution?
Coping with Loss
1st December 2020
With COVID-19 changing how we observe the passing of loved ones, how can we cope with grief or care for someone who is grieving in todays environment?
Unlocking Potential During Lockdown
11th November 2020
Quakers and Business invited Michael Smith to represent Initiatives of Change during their two-day international online forum on ‘Making Values Visible’. He spoke to the forum of some 40 people on 6 November. His words inspired a lively discussion during the meeting!
Friendship, Sisterhood and Teamwork
3rd September 2020
Amina Dikedi-Ajaikaye, President of Creators of Peace International, talks to Mary Lean ahead of the President’s Lunch on 5 September.
Leading by Example
22nd August 2020
We’ve all heard of ‘leading by example’; its pretty easy to say, but most still struggle with following through. However, today leading by example carries more weight. Scandals are reported instantly, and pundits speak endlessly about how our leaders are failing us as a society. It makes you wonder –…
Getting Out of Traps
29th July 2019
These thoughts are based on a talk given at the Oxford Group AGM, London, 16 July 2019
Peace Talks to Tackle Knife Crime in London
24th July 2019
Islington Councillor Michelline Safi Ngongoof will join the international peace building charity, Initiatives of Change UK this week at the annual Caux Forum in Switzerland. She will be leading and participating on intergenerational dialogue and knife crime workshops. Councillor Michelline said: “With London’s knife crime epidemic reaching unprecedented levels, with…
Standing in Solidarity with Refugees
24th June 2019
On World Refugee Day Initiatives of Change, the international charity committed to building trust across the worlds divides, is calling for people to expand their empathy, to learn, read and expose themselves to counter-stereotype images of refugees. Paul Gutteridge, National Director at Initiatives of Change, said: “We are asking for…
Brexit or no Brexit, The UK Remains a Part of the European Ideal
28th March 2019
The European Union is far more than just an economic or political union. The European Union, and the continent it sits in, is at its best a geographical, cultural and spiritual union between peoples of a great range of ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural heritages.
Walking the Talk
7th February 2019
This article first appeared in 'the Friend', the Quaker national weekly magazine, on 25 January 2019, in the ‘Thought for The Week’ slot.