Empowering Those Committed to Building Inclusive Communities

The Ireland Initiative began in 1999 with a three-day conference to bring together a broad base of community leaders already working on peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland.

Held annually since that time, these gatherings are really much more of an intensive than a traditional conference. Entrance is by invitation only and at no cost to those who have demonstrated their commitment to building inclusive communities.

During the three days, in a safe, hospitable environment, participants engage each other in a new conversation around these questions:

• How can we deal with the identities we have inherited from our histories in a way that it is possible for us to create an authentic alternative to the future we have been handed by the past?
• How can we bring others in our communities together in a way that supports us in collectively creating this new kind of future?

These are not academic questions, and the conversations designed around them are often challenging and sometimes heated. The purpose is to produce a breakthrough for the participants in their relationship to the past, to the future, and to what is possible for themselves and their communities.

Another integral part of the conference is frequent, daily periods of quiet. These periods of being silent together provide a spiritual foundation and connection while also allowing for and honoring the religious diversity and individual expression and experience.

Peter Block and Werner Erhard, internationally recognized as experts in their fields and areas of expertise, lead these Conferences. Rather than lecturing, they engage in a very open, intense, and interactive dialogue with the participants throughout the three days.

Working at the local level

In 2002, the Ireland Initiative began a second phase of work to further the results produced by the Conferences. The programs in this phase are designed to be offered at the local level either in partnership with community organizations or independently.

The purpose is to further build and develop the skills of participants and transfer knowledge and tools they can then use to create new possibilities for themselves and their communities. Led by trained Mastery Foundation consultants and volunteers, these offerings focus on areas such as community empowerment, leadership, and communication.

Funding

The Conferences/Intensives of the Ireland Initiative are directly funded by a small, select group of Sponsors. These Sponsors are invited to attend the Conference they sponsor to learn more about the situation in Northern Ireland, the work being done to promote peace and reconciliation, and the possibilities for the future.

Sponsorship monies not needed for the Conferences, along with grants obtained by the communities and groups working in partnership with the Mastery Foundation, go toward funding the local programs of Phase Two.

For more information on supporting the Ireland Initiative, visit How to Contribute.

New possibilities lead to new conversations

"When there are times during the year that I despair over our situation, I think of the Mastery Foundation. There's a well we can still come and drink from."

Participant in 2002
Leadership Training