Rita Payne - Women and Success – Is Hard Work Enough?

Rita Payne, a former Editor of BBC Asia and currently the Chair of the Commonwealth Journalist’s Association, reflected on the status of women in current developments and her own experience in the media in her speech, Women and Success – Is Hard Work Enough? ‘2010, on the face of it, is not a bad year for women’, she said, for example pointing to Katherine Bigelow’s Oscar success on the eve of International Women’s Day but 'the battle for stronger representation for women is far from over.’  (more) This was a joint WFWP - UPF event.

Women Initiating Change: The Strength of the Outsider by Kat Callo

During the International Women's Day event Kat Callo, a 17 year former Reuters correspondent, explained the tragic cause of her work as a Trustee of Project Mosaic. Her cousin, a New York City firefighter, died in 9/11 trying to save those within the World Trade Towers when the buildings collapsed. She began Project Mosaic, a UK-based educational charity that helps teach young people to be more tolerant of those coming from a different background – whether that’s a different race, ethnicity, religion, nationality or culture. She said, 'Violent extremism … plays on the theme of  “the outsider” – but it combines it with fear and ignorance, to creates a poisonous cocktail for our young people. With a conversation, over a cup of tea or at a youth club or at a gathering of mothers at a refugee centre or talking with family members and friends. We are working to amplify the voice of the outsider – that person that takes a weakness and transforms it into a strength.' (read more) This was a joint Women's Federation for World Peace and Universal Peace Federation event.

Immigrant’s Contribution to the UK

'I am described as the most hated man in England’ said Keith Best, the Chair of Immigration Advisory Service UK (IASUK), referring to a BNP website as an illustration of the controversy and confusion that surrounds the immigration debate. (Press Release link here.) Yasmin Alibhai – Brown commented that the media had surrendered the debate to the anti – immigration lobby. Lord Parekh explored how to frame an effective discussion on immigration (full speech link). Video of Seja Majeed's talk.

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UPF Bristol Celebrate Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday

It has become our tradition to celebrate Gandhi’s birthday every year. The 3^rd year celebration was organized mainly by Dr Krishna, one of our Ambassadors for Peace, sponsored by UPF Bristol. Dr Krishna was very happy to organize the event when we invited him to, as he thoroughly enjoyed organizing Father and Mothers Moon's birthday earlier this year.

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Pilgrimage – Interfaith Perspectives

What can we learn about pilgrimages that are common to all religions? On September 3rd we heard about jumping queues and ‘culturally determined’ mind sets that are challenged when we join a pilgrimage. Mother Theresa’s conception of a castle with seven rooms in our inner world. The entrance to each room is guarded by those who check whether you have really learned all there is to learn from that room before passing to the next. Read More ...

Lawence Bloom and Murad Qureshi AM ‘Green Economy Initiative’

Lawrence Bloom and Murad Qureshi AM discussed the alternatives facing London as a city and the world as a whole due to climate change. Lawrence Bloom, is the Chair of the United Nations Environment Programme and the former chairman, current Council Member, of the World Economic Forum, Global Agenda Council on Urban Development, Davos. Murad Qureshi AM is the Chair of the Environment Committee of the Greater London Authority’s London Assembly. See the video and Lawrence Bloom's paper, Reclaiming Tomorrow.

There were a number of notable contributions from the audience including Nicky Gavron AM who, as the former Deputy Mayor, was leading the climate change response on behalf of London during the Ken Livingston Mayoral administration. Read More...

Murad Qureshi report on evening.      For photos click here.