Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation: May 2016

Wednesday, 18 May 2016

Appeal: Help Us Build a New Generation of Leaders

Dear Friends,

With our recent refugee relief missions in Serbia and Croatia we demonstrated that the young leaders emerging through our leading ROM – Renewing our Minds and EDI – Economic Diplomacy and Integrity Forum projects are more than ready to apply in real life situations the principles of radical leadership of service inspired and modeled by the person of Jesus.

Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation (Forum) is now moving forward with seven international leadership projects planned for 2016. However, at this time we would like to draw your attention to the 2016 Renewing Our Minds (ROM) Gathering of young leaders, that will take place in Fuzine, Croatia, August 11^th – 28^th. We are expecting 60 young leaders from at least 15 countries to take part this two and a half week long intentional learning gathering.

For many years ROM has been an impacting international mission advocating radical leadership of service, peace building and reconciliation. ROM teaches young leaders how to embrace each other across various ethnic, racial, national, religious and political divides. It challenges paradigms and assumptions, and refines the characters of young leaders according to the teachings and example of the person of Jesus.

A group of participants attending ROM 2015

For the hundreds of young leaders from 50 countries, becoming a part of ROM community over the past seventeen years has become a defining and life transforming experience. Many ROM alumni have emerged as leaders of influence in their countries, who are today making a difference in the political, social, humanitarian and religious arenas. Likewise, over those years ROM has given birth to a number of new leadership projects and initiatives.

Since most of the ROM participants who will take part in the 2016 ROM Gathering of young leaders live in the countries that are economically challenged we need your help. Most of them are not able to cover the conference expenses. We never allow financial limitations to be the factor that will decide if our program candidates should not attend our programs. This is why we are now asking you to help us help those who are not able to cover the expenses of the 2016 ROM Gathering.

Thank you for partnering with us in this important initiative of peace building, reconciliation and development of leaders transformed by the person of Jesus in a divided world. I am sure we will all agree that our work is becoming increasingly needed in the world that is becoming more fragile each day, and in need of leaders who are willing to serve and love their neighbors radically and in the Spirit of Jesus.

We will keep you informed faithfully about the progress of this fundraising action and the development of the 2016 ROM Gathering as we move closer to August 2016.

Love and blessings.

Tihomir Kukolja, Director, Renewing Our Mind

Forum for Leadership and Reconciliation

Video Feature

Meet the Renewing Our Minds Core Group Leaders: Heather Staff is a director for the youth leadership board of Christians in Politics UK. She is a legal associate with a conflict resolution think tank and a consultant with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. She works on Conflict resolution, human rights, political engagement and rule of law programs. Heather is a regular speaker at events around the UK and Europe and a panelist for national and international media. She is often on Christian media channels UCB, TWR, TBN. Most importantly she is a committed follower of Jesus. Heather Staff serves also in the Renewing Our Minds Core Leadership team. She was also one of the key speakers at the 2017 ROM Gathering in Fuzine, Croatia, and at other ROM events in the past few years. This is what she said about the ROM Gathering 2017.