Listening to young people – inspiring and enabling them to change their world!

Paper Boat have undergone a very impressive transformation in recent years. The purpose of this International NGO is ‘to listen to young people - inspiring and enabling them to change their world’. Based in the UK, it works in India and Thailand. We would very much encourage you to visit their new website. This reflects their passionate, robust and forward thinking approach. We have experienced this first-hand as a strategic partner. Congratulations to all at Paper Boat. And many thanks to various Advisors who have contributed so positively to the work of Paper Boat in different ways.

What is happening to one of the world’s most significant movement’s? Click here to read an insightful article about Extinction Rebellion (XR). Launched in October 2018, after just 12 months, hundreds of XR groups emerged in more than 70 countries. The article describes many of the challenges and opportunities faced by XR, for instance, its evolving structure, including how young people have become more involved.
 
Excitingly, we have a new member in our team. Ellie is a recent graduate, having studied International Relations. She is especially interested in environmental ethics. We’re delighted to welcome her into our team. Click here to read her bio.
 
Wallace Stegner quote: "we are the most dangerous species of life on the planet… but we are also the only species which, when it chooses to do so, will go to great effort to save what it might destroy."

Have a great day!

Lorna, Ian, Rosie and Ellie

Is the ‘Decade of Disruption’ an opportunity for transformation?

The Decade of Disruption?! The international development sector is experiencing a period of intense change. This can lead to opportunity. As Tasneem Essop from Climate Action Network urges, “we must take advantage of this transformative moment”. Based on research, Bond, the UK network for organisations working in international development, believe the four main transitions to watch out for are:

1. Climate change and environmental degradation

2. New routes to development

3. Redistribution of power

4. Reinvented charity models

To find out more about the trends, opportunities and risks, read the full report here or watch a short video below.

How is 'power' being redistributed in the international development sector? In light of Covid-19, calls to shift decision making power have intensified. Bond has recognised 3 main trends: 1) the rise of new activism and social media; 2) widening inequalities, political instability and closing of civic space; and 3) shifting the power south and decolonising mindsets. To read more, click here.

Exciting news about a new project: The Great Collaboration! We are excited to be collaborating with the Herefordshire Green Network, Hope for the Future and Fownhope Parish Council and around 7 other main stakeholders in a new project called ‘The Great Collaboration’. This involves the creation of an interactive website that will educate, support and encourage parish communities in the UK on their journey to reach net zero by 2050. Many thanks to Kate (Gathercole), Beth (Williamson), Wendy (Ogden), Mike (Simmons), Gareth (Williams), Deven (Thakkar) and Tom (Stokes) who have been leading on this in the early stages.

Vivien Greene Quote: "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain."

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

What are the 'roots' and 'branches' of advocacy?

What is advocacy? Advocacy is usually about influencing in one form or another. It is directed at the root causes of problems. Advocacy seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to: have their voice heard; defend and promote their rights; and access information and services.

What are organisations doing in the field of advocacy? One of our partners, the International Presentation Association (IPA), actively advocates at the United Nations in New York and at the grassroots level. We are working with them on their emerging advocacy focus. This is “eliminating violence against women and children”. Violence against women and children is a fundamental human rights violation. It is prevalent worldwide and is deepening as a result of the spread of COVID-19. Click here to learn more.

How can a tree be used to represent advocacy?  The IPA has illustrated their approach to advocacy using the image of a tree (see below). Like a tree, violence against women and children has ‘roots’. These roots are the systemic causes of violence such as a lack of education or cultural norms. As with branches of a tree, violence against women and children branches out in different directions, manifesting in different ways in local and global contexts. For example, in some areas human trafficking may be a significant risk for women and children, while in other areas online abuse is more prevalent. This concept of a tree could be adapted to any advocacy focus.

Efforts to reduce Covid-19 in Malawi. Malawi is extremely vulnerable to coronavirus. United Purpose, one of our partners, has been responding to the emergency through improving sanitation and access to safe water, distributing much needed seed to communities, and more. Click here to read a recent report about their efforts so far. We are currently facilitating a strategy development process with United Purpose Malawi.

Did you miss our recent webinar? On Monday we held a webinar titled: “Challenging today to create tomorrow: purpose, people, planet and prosperity in a Covid-19 world – what difference will we make?” We had over 40 people from a range of countries share their stories and experiences. To learn more, click here to watch the recording, and here to see the PowerPoint we used.

Leymah Gbowee quote: “You can never leave footprints that last if you are always walking on tiptoe.”

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

Challenging today to create tomorrow – invitation to a webinar on Monday

Would you like to join our webinar on a sustainable future next Monday? It will be at 11:30am to 1:00pm UK BST time. It is called: ‘challenging today to create tomorrow: purpose, people, planet and prosperity in a Covid-19 world – what difference will we make?’. We have participants attending from India, Australia, USA, Zambia, The Gambia, Bermuda and more! Many thanks in advance to Shivani (Singhal), Pandiyan (Kamal), Laura (Vickery) and Sharon (Turnbull) who will be leading on different elements. To learn more, click here. To register, click here.

Grief and the pandemic? Drawing on the remarkable insights about grief by the late Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, David Kessler has applied and extended this to the current Covid-19 situation. He reasons that people should recognise the grief that many are facing and help them to heal. He identifies three groups of people that have been deeply affected by Covid-19: ‘the worried well, the affected and bereaved’.
 
Forms of grieving that are not about physical losses? David Kessler explains that it is important to recognise that many people are feeling great emotional and psychological anxiety that leads to a sense of loss and grief, especially about others that they care about who are suffering acute turmoil, even if they are physically well. People might also be deeply moved about the loss of normalcy, the loss of previous opportunities or plans. To read more, click here and here to read an article from The Guardian today about how the implications vary in the UK. 
 
What do we need to learn about cross-cultural communication? We are delighted to announce that our article on ‘cross-cultural communication’ has recently been updated. Many people found the original by Peter (Moore) very useful. Please feel free to share this latest iteration with anyone that might find it helpful. For the English version, click here; for Spanish here and French here.  

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross quote: "the most beautiful people we have known are those that have known defeat, known suffering, know struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation, a sensitivity, and an understanding of life that fills them with compassion, gentleness and a deep loving concern. Beautiful people do not just happen."

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

Challenging today to create tomorrow!

The Coronavirus crisis has challenged all our assumptions about what is normal in today’s world, and what to expect in the future. Although it has disrupted the way we work and live, it has also provided an opportunity for us to reconsider the legacy we want to leave on this planet. And how we need to challenge our practices in order to create a more sustainable future.

In a recent article “Leading our way through change in the Coronavirus World” we wrote: ’our planet is now breathing again. Nature is showing signs of regenerating as a result of this pause in global travel and industrial production. How can we as leaders ensure that when we move into the post-pandemic world we do not destroy the fragile rejuvenation process that has begun?’

Our next webinar will explore the imperative we feel to act quickly and with conviction to safeguard the positive and unexpected progress that has been the by-product of so much loss and heartache during the pandemic. Whilst there has been much that has caused great concern, we have also seen some encouraging signs of a global sense of support, compassion and solidarity across humanity; businesses and not-for-profit organisations reconsidering their purpose and the values that they hold dear; and nature seizing a rare opportunity to regenerate.

Please join us at 11:30am UK BST time on Monday 27th July. The title of the webinar is: ‘Challenging today to create tomorrow: purpose, people, planet and prosperity in a covid-19 world – what difference will we make?’ To learn more, click here; and here to register.

Meanwhile, we appreciate our Advisors for the ongoing and very important contributions that they continue to make week to week with organisations that we work with. For instance, Lynne (Sedgmore), pictured here, is currently preparing for a team development session with everyone at Ella’s. Based in London, Ella’s provides independent, long-term care for women affected by trafficking and sexual exploitation. To watch a short film about Ella’s click here.

Native American Proverb: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

A sustainable future requires greater collaboration – how can we all make this happen?

We live in extraordinary times. These call for extraordinary responses to major issues of injustice that might otherwise seem overwhelming, such as those connected with climate change, biodiversity loss, the coronavirus pandemic, racism, poverty and more. Collaborative responses can help us all to respond effectively.

There is a constant stream of learning about collaboration and the best ways to bring it about. For instance, in a London Business School webinar in June 2020, called ‘How to build Collaboration and Innovation’, Professor Lynda Gratton shared her latest research. She underscored the importance of nurturing a collaborative culture, energising networks, developing collaborative capacity and having a compelling strategy.

Professor Gratton described the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, including the difficulties of developing energised networks that might lead to innovation. At the same time, she set out the opportunities of thinking differently about spanning boundaries between people and creating novel collaborative relationships. Click here to hear her speak.    
 
What are the ‘Essentials of Collaboration’?! How can we initiate different ways to collaborate in order to bring about a transformation? Recently we have updated our Thought Leadership Paper on the subject. Click here to read an English version; here for Spanish; and here for French. Collaboration involves taking risks. The first step is often the hardest. Hopefully this paper will provide some useful insights and tools.

Save the date. Our next webinar is on Monday 27th July, 12 to 13:30pm UK/BST time. This will be about the vital challenges and opportunities of bringing about a sustainable future. You are very welcome. More details to follow in coming updates. Please register here if you would like to attend.

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

Are you committed to voting for a healthy planet?

Global temperatures are rising faster than ever and species are going extinct at alarming rates. Reducing the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss requires immediate and ambitious action to prevent the worst effects it can have on people and wildlife all over the world. The scale of the challenges facing our planet can seem daunting, but we can all do something...

What can we do to take action on climate change and biodiversity loss? Through research, we know that UK citizens want the Government to do more about climate change and biodiversity loss, but that they don't necessarily trust them to take bold enough action. The Commitment, a project within Caplor Horizons, is focused solely on speeding up local and national government action in the UK for a healthy planet, where the climate is stable and nature recovers. 

Are you committed to voting for a healthy planet? The Commitment are looking for 500 people to make The Commitment, share it amongst their networks, and give them feedback on how to improve. If you are committed to vote with a healthy planet at the heart of your decision-making, make The Commitment here. All the Commitments will help demonstrate the strength of the mandate for change and encourage politicians to act. To find out more, visit our Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram pages.

Jane Goodall quote: “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

The Essentials of Strategy?!

Strategy – the process is as important as the result! Most people know that strategy is important, but many find it daunting for various reasons. We encourage a dynamic, proactive and emergent approach where strategy is a regular and uplifting conversation across an organisation.
 
We define strategy as: 'where an organisation is going to and how it is going to get there.' In our newly updated ‘The Essentials of Strategy’ paper, we concentrate on three practical tools: ‘The Voyage’, the ‘Caplor Islands’ and the ‘Culture Tree’. Click on the links to read this paper in English, French or Spanish.

One of the most important parts of strategy is that it is communicated. As a result, the organisations we’ve worked with have, of course, written it down; however, they’ve also sung, danced, roleplayed, drawn and made videos in order to communicate it effectively. Here you can see the Sosolaso Marketing Federation in The Gambia dancing and singing their strategy.

We facilitate strategy development virtually. Since the coronavirus outbreak we’ve been doing more and more of this. For example, we’ve recently started a process to develop a new 3-year strategy with the Africa Province of Edmund Rice. Last week we held our first forum. This involved bringing people from Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia, Ghana, Tanzania, Kenya, South Sudan, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Australia and Ireland to participate online.
 
Chinese Proverb: “When the winds of change blow, some people build walls whilst others build windmills.”

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

Valuing our partners!

Valuing our partners. In updates in coming months, we will highlight the work of our partners. Here are some insights about Paper Boat.   

What is ‘Paper Boat’? Based in the UK, Paper Boat is an excellent NGO that primarily draws its inspiration from the work of its partners and communities in Tamil Nadu, India. The focus is on ‘unlocking the infinite potential of children’. Click here to visit the Paper Boat Facebook page where you can learn more and subscribe to a newsletter.

Enabling and inspiring children: in our recent update we highlighted our new ‘Caplor Boat of Learning’; in relation to this paper, we would also like to add our huge thanks to Deborah Wetherall for her inspiration. Deborah is a Paper Boat trustee and a member of Paper Boat’s new Strategic Education Community. Her unique and valuable contribution has been to adapt the language of the ‘5 C's of Learning’ into a more accessible format for use by children and young people, with the aim of enabling even the very youngest of learners to embark on a journey of effective lifelong learning.

How is Paper Boat sailing to a new future? Over the past two years, all the key stakeholders involved have undergone a major and highly successful period of change and transition. The trustees and staff have worked very effectively and tirelessly. They have kept a relentless focus on the children that they ultimately serve, mainly from marginalised communities in India. These include people from the Kuruvar and Irula communities.  Click here to see a short film.

How is Caplor Horizons involved? We’re delighted to have a long-standing collaborative relationship with Paper Boat. It is an illustration of how collaboration between two partners can develop in deep, mutually positive ways to enable both to be more effective in the work that they do with communities and other organisations. This has manifested itself in various ways: click here to read an extract from our recent impact report.

Sailing together. Another example of our partnership relates to work that Deborah has been making tremendous progress on – Paper Boat is currently developing a toolkit to deliver innovative learning approaches for use in their children’s hubs in India. Two of our Advisors Vicki (Howe) and Ann (Alder) are working closely with Deborah to build on the 5 C's of Learning and other ideas as part of this work. We will keep you posted about how the Paper Boat learning toolkit develops through this collaboration. Watch this space!

Did you miss a webinar? Last week we held a webinar. Its title was ‘are we in danger of losing our female talent’. We had over 40 people from a range of countries engaged with some important discussions. To learn more, click here to watch the recording; and here to see the presentation (which summarised various learnings from recent research).

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian

Opportunity for change!?

Opportunity for change?! In the context of huge anger, frustration and turbulence arising from the death of George Floyd, Barack Obama gave a message about ‘the opportunity of the current situation to awaken us all - to help us all live up to higher ideals’. As the inspirational Wangari Maathai encouraged us, we can all challenge ourselves to make a difference, to take whatever steps we can in relation to this acute situation; and indeed to all the major global challenges that are holding us back from achieving a world where justice, dignity and respect prevail for all.
 
Perhaps ‘Humanocracy’ is relevant to this? Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini want to propel a movement. One in which ‘organisations are as amazing as the people within them’. They have a new book called ‘Humanocracy’. They reason for a change to traditional power structures that maintain hierarchies that stem opportunities for wider voices to influence and be heard. They argue that in organisations of the future, everyone should ‘be like an activist’ where change emerges from community level; where ‘strategy is an organisational wide conversation’.
 
Similar to what we believe at Caplor Horizons, they reason that it is about people ‘learning, thinking and acting differently’. They argue that it is time to have a better management model: one in which everyone has the opportunity ‘to be their best and do their best at work’; one in which the core values are about ‘courage, compassion and community’; and with principles that enable ‘experimentation, meritocracy, openness, community building and shared sense of ownership’. Click here to watch a webinar and learn more.  
 
What are we learning from lockdown? Many thanks to everyone that took part in our very constructive and positive get together on Friday to discuss this topic. If you’d like to see a very creative summary that Ben (Oldroyd) kindly drew, click on the image below.

A watershed moment? Click here to read a INSEAD blog by Zoe Kinias and Vinika Rao: they talk about ‘a watershed moment’ and state: ‘the pandemic may disproportionately affect women around the world, but it need not imperil the hard-earned progress toward gender balance’. Click here to read about a webinar that we are holding tomorrow to explore this; and here to register.  
 
Wangari Maathai quote: "if we all do what little we can, collectively we can make a big difference. There are very many little things that we can all do. And even though we think that a particular action at an individual level may be very small, just imagine if it is repeated several million times."

Have a great day!

Rosie, Lorna and Ian