The importance of trust and being present

Neuroscience, our values, the environment? Clive Hyland, one of our long-standing Advisors, was recently featured in a fascinating podcast. Clive has been very influential to us. For example, click here to see our strategy and how he connects neuroscience understanding to our values: courage, creativity, compassion. To gain a raft of insights about what Clive has learnt, follow this link for the podcast.

Along with other very interesting points, Clive explains about how vital trust is to teamworking. Furthermore, how leadership needs to recognise that "there is no shortage of talent"; rather than approaches that need to change to enable people to flourish. At the conclusion of the podcast, he passionately shares his views about the environmental crisis and how essential it is to take greater action.

Building and maintaining trust and focusing on health and well-being are pivotal in organisations. Many people have advocated about this in different ways. The diagram below shows how high amounts of pressure can lead to strain and burnout and reduction in performance levels. People have wisely reasoned - across the world and from different cultures and religions, including Buddhism - the importance of bringing your whole self and being present, and how this leads to optimal performance. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Zen Buddhist monk and peace activist, who died last week aged 95, said: “if we are not fully ourselves, truly in the present moment, we miss everything".

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
"The present moment is filled with joy and happiness. If you are attentive, you will see it." Thich Nhat Hanh

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

Why stretch our collaboration?

Collaboration for transformational change. ‘Increasing collaboration’ is one of our three strategic goals. We believe that through collaboration we will achieve long lasting change and greater impact. Dr Ann (Alder) and Dr Geoff (Cox), two of our Advisors who are both experts in experiential learning, argue that collaboration is a crucial element of effective lifelong learning. This is one of 5Cs of learning (see below). To find out more, read our Chapter 4 of our book!

Collaboration is particularly impactful when you work with 'non-natural' collaborators. Adam Kahane, Director of Reos Partners, proposed that we need to move beyond ‘conventional’ collaboration to what he calls ‘stretch collaboration’ involving the ideas of i) accepting plurality; ii) experimenting new ways forward; and iii) potentially rethinking our own part in the collaboration. To find out more watch this video.

We are very lucky to have Séamus (O'Gorman) leading on our collaboration workstream with several others including Sharon (Turnbull) and Nick (Read). Séamus has a passion for collaboration due to his background as a Jesuit and previous work with Irish NGO Misean Cara. He currently works with Dóchas, The Irish Association of Non-Governmental Development Organisations, helping to build and strengthen the effectiveness and impact of the network.

Taking Collaboration Forwards. On 1st February (11.30-1.30pm UK time) we are holding a webinar titled “A step change in impact on climate change and biodiversity loss?” This promises to be an exciting event on the need for courageous and transformational change which can be catalysed through collaboration. Sign up here if you’re interested.

We're going to fortnightly updates. After receiving your feedback, we have decided to have fortnightly Weekly Updates. We hope that this will enable us to delve deeper into exciting new topics. See you in two weeks!

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
‘If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.’ African Proverb

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

How can we make the most of new beginnings?

A time for reflection. Happy New Year! We hope that you have been able to enter this year feeling renewed and refreshed. As the new year starts, we at Caplor Horizons are reflecting on 2021. We hope to take our learnings forwards in 2022 to build on our successes. To read a paper about how to be a 'Learning Organisation', click here.

Thank You! We would like to thank everyone who has engaged, supported and collaborated with Caplor Horizons in the past year. We look forward to strengthening existing relationships whilst we create new ones.

Celebrating our achievements. William Eccles, one of our co-directors, recently featured on the Zero50 podcast talking about how to use democracy to act on climate change and biodiversity. By making The Commitment your small action can have a big impact. Click here to listen.

We are continuing with our 'Transforming Leadership' webinar series. As part of this we would like to invite you to our upcoming Webinar on the 1st of February at 11:30-13:30 (UK time). This is titled "A step change in impact on climate change and biodiversity loss?" and will explore the opportunities collaboration can provide in scaling up our impact to bring about transformational change. To find out more, click here and to sign up, click here.

New year, new beginnings. At Caplor Horizons we have many partnerships with organisations that span multiple years, for example we have been working with Edmund Rice for 7 years! Others are just beginning. One of those is with the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). EIA work globally to investigate and campaign against environmental crime and abuse. We will be supporting EIA in a number of ways over the course of this year including through mentoring and coaching, team leadership development and work on their strategy.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
“"Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards"- Soren Kierkegaard

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

How can acts of kindness help us reach our goals?

What is Rohatsu (also known as Bodhi Day)? Recently, Buddhists celebrated Buddha's attainment of enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. People celebrate the day in different ways such as sharing meals, coming together with loved ones, and performing acts of kindness.

Honouring different pathways to success. In recent updates we have celebrated different traditions, this week Buddhist. Each time we identify links relevant to bringing about positive change in our world, in this instance 'kindness'. Connecting these strands, a soulful approach is part of 'Purpose'; in our '4Ps' (Planet, People, Prosperity, Purpose). This relates to bringing about a sustainable future for all. You can read more about our 4Ps here. Or click here for our paper 'The Soul of Organisations'.

Acts of kindness. We are fortunate to have over 50 people, called Advisors, that contribute on a voluntary or reduced rate basis. Various Advisors have given their time very substantially, some since the date we were established. We are very grateful to all of them. The generosity and kindness of our Advisors creates ripples of change. These ripples help others achieve their goals. In doing so, this helps us to achieve our goals. Click here to find out more about our goals and strategy.

As an Advisor, Ushu (Ladwa-Thomas) has been contributing in very important and much appreciated ways. For instance, alongside strategic and governance levels, she has engaged at a workstream level with a wide range of organisations. This embraces consistent involvement with Children Watch, including very recently. Based in Tamil Nadu, India, Children Watch has been responding to a tragic emergency involving widespread flooding. If you are interested to learn more, or to assist, click here to get in touch.

Christmas Cheer. We recently had a Board meeting with all the Caplor Horizons and The Commitment team. Together we celebrated with festive geese as our backgrounds and Christmas outfits. The geese are not only a symbol of Christmas but also represent our values and culture.

Signing off for the year. We are signing off until January and we look forward to being in touch in the New Year. We wish you and your families a happy and healthy end to 2021. Sending you laughter and cheer throughout the coming year!

Quote of the week
“My religion is simple, my religion is kindness" - Dalai Lama

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

How can dedication guide you?

Happy Hanukkah! From the 28th of November, until sundown on the 6th of December, Jewish people celebrated Hanukkah. Whilst communities around the world mark the festival differently- including with a variety of traditional dishes, songs and events- they are united in the feast of dedication.

Why dedication? The meaning of the word Hanukkah (derived from Chanukkah) means dedication in Hebrew. For instance, the celebrations reaffirm the ideals of Judaism. Whilst many not-for-profits do not follow the Jewish tradition, they share the idea of being dedicated. All are set up to be dedicated to a cause, to make a different in the world, much like Caplor Horizons and our partners Paper Boat.

Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Kemal Shaheen and Jo Bowen, with the support of their colleagues at Paper Boat, navigated a major change of direction. This has been focused on encouraging children in India to unlock their potential through creative activities. This redirection and re-dedication was fundamental: it was felt imperative to recenter the mission to empower young people. If you want to find out why, read this paper on unlocking a child's full potential.

Maintaining Direction during rough seas. This change of direction led to many challenges, both financially and otherwise. It led to engaging their partners and other stakeholders to discern the best way forwards. Due to to their passion and commitment, Kemal and Jo were able to steer Paper Boat to new horizons, including through collaboration with us at Caplor Horizons.

How can we keep dedicated to what we believe during 'VUCA' times? Click here for our paper, written by Professor Sharon Turnbull, about leading change in Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) times. VUCA challenges can be overcome through vision, understanding, clarity and agility. In our leadership model we have identified the following as ways to overcome VUCA times: sense making, relational, stewardship and adaptation.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
“Dedication adds to your positivity towards your goal to success" - Jawad Abid

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

What are the three intelligences?

What are the three intelligences? Various researchers have shared insights about different types of intelligences- e.g., one reasoned that there are seven types. Martin Kalungu Banda gave an inspiring presentation about how to lead from the emerging future by using three types of intelligences linked to 'Theory U': "Curiosity - Open Mind"; "Compassion - Open Heart"; "Courage- Open Will". Click here to watch Martin's presentation (1 hour) or to find out more about Theory U, click here.

How can we embody them? By being curious, leaders can open their minds. By acting with compassion, leaders can open their hearts. Finally, by being courageous, leaders can overcome any fears they might have and open their will to embrace new experiences and ideas.

These three "intelligences" reflect our core values: Creativity, Compassion and Courage. To find out more about our values and their links to the three intelligences, click here. As Clive Hyland, one of our Advisors and a specialist in neuroscience, says “The values of Caplor Horizons represent a state of total engagement, where we are instinctively, emotionally and intellectually invested in a cause that is greater than any one of us.”

What is the Big Give Campaign? This week The Commitment is part of the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021 which goes live today! From today until 12pm on December 7th, any donations made will be DOUBLED through match funding.

Why is the Big Give important? As the world reflects on COP26, the need for The Commitment has never been so crucial. By showing politicians how much their voters care for the climate and natural world, The Commitment gives them a powerful reason to match their words with action. Our target of £22,500 will help us keep up the momentum after COP26 and ensure a healthy planet is at the top of the political agenda. Together, we can. Learn more and donate now.

Change Maker of the Week

Tamil Nadu is currently facing extreme challenges, such as flooding linked to climate change. This has particularly affected the Irula tribe, if you want to support them please get in touch.

Quote of the week
“That is what I consider true generosity: You give your all, and yet you always feel as if it costs you nothing." - Simone de Beauvoir

Best Wishes,

Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

How can NGOs be actively anti-racist?

The international NGO (INGO) sector exists against the backdrop of colonial history. This has been considered in different ways, especially in recent decades. It is currently very prominent for many organisations. Some INGO practices have perpetuated some of the characteristics that are often linked to colonial times, such as inculcating dependency. This is contrary, of course, to what definitions of “development” normally set out.

It is crucial that INGOs keep questioning the models that they use, including to look into how strategies can be decolonial and anti-racist alongside other crucial considerations like gender and the environment. One organisation that we are working with is very proactively doing just this - ActionAid Ireland. This week, we attended a workshop ran by ActionAid Ireland to explore “decolonisation” and what it means for their new strategy which we are supporting them to renew.

Changing women's representation through photography? Stories and images in INGOs are often shared- e.g., to help raise money, profile or influence. However, more often than not, they can reproduce negative cultural stereotypes. This is what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls the “danger of a single story”. Watch a 2-minute clip of her speaking here. In the workshop mentioned, representatives from ActionAid UK shared their Women by Women exhibition which gives women and girls agency and dignity over how their stories are told. One photographer from this project, Habiba Nowrose, said:

“For the longest time, the history of the people of this part of the world has been told by some supposedly ‘superior’ voices… or somebody who is in power or somebody who does not look like us. So, the telling of stories, by the people who have experienced and lived our lives is really important.”

See one of her photographs below:

What are we doing? We are on a journey to become an anti-racist organisation. As part of this we have held internal discussions and reflections which have encouraged us to unlearn any prejudices, recognise our privileges and relearn how we can do more to become an anti-racist and decolonial organisation. We embed and live our Culture for Justice in everything we do. We recognise we can always do more. As Maya Angelou said “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better do better.”

Change Maker of the Week

To find out more about this pioneering anti-racist education project watch this short 2-minute video.

Quote of the week

“What if we focused our human and fiscal resources on changing power and policy to actually make society, not just our feelings, better?” Ibram X. Kendi.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

How can technology improve efficacy?

We believe that next generation organisations will be increasingly connected. One source recently stated that 57% of the global population is now connected to the internet, spending an average of 6.5 hours per day online. This demonstrates just how integrated technology and the ability to be constantly connected has become in our lives. To find out more, read “Chapter 6: The Connected Organisation”, from our book.

How can Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) benefit from technology? Technology can ensure that processes can be efficient, particularly the most basic and necessary. Simplifying tasks such as handling expenses, calendar management, or updating records can mean that people can focus on bigger issues and explore new projects and ideas, as well as encouraging a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. Furthermore, cloud-based solutions enable team members to work more collaborative and remotely from around the world.

How does United Purpose (UP) use technology to empower farmers in The Gambia? UP’s Market Information Service (MIS) is a mobile phone based tool that provides farmers, who are mostly women, access to reliable price information for their chosen markets in local languages. This empowers the farmers to make better decisions about when to sell their vegetables and for how much. Caplor Horizons are supporting this project in The Gambia through capacity development training. Bringing technology through initiatives like this, helps reduce the ‘digital divide’ (those that benefit from technology like this and those that do not have access).

How are Caplor Horizons using technology to be more effective? As we continue to grow, we are improving the ways we use technology to support our work. This involves adopting a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. A very big thank you to Eamon (Stack), Patricia (Higgins) and Deven (Thakkar) who have been supporting us through this journey.

The Big Give: The Commitment is part of The Big Give's Christmas Challenge. By donating it is a powerful way to show that you are voting for a healthy planet. Help them reach their target of £22,000 between 30th November and 7th December.

Change Makers of the Week

Quote of the week

“Information and Communications Technology unlocks the value of time, allowing and enabling multi-tasking, multi-channels, multi-this and multi-that.” Li Ka Shing

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

Celebrating resilience

What is Diwali? Diwali is the 5 day Hindu festival of light that celebrates the victory of light over darkness and knowledge over ignorance. This year it started on the 2nd of November with Dhanteras and ended on the 6th of November with Bhai Duj.

How can we all celebrate finding light after the darkness? The past couple of years have been challenging for many people for a variety of reasons. Despite these difficult and challenging times communities have come together and demonstrated true resilience. To find out more, read our paper on resilience here. One of our partners Misean Cara has been doing exactly that.

Who is Misean Cara? Misean Cara is an international not-for-profit based in Ireland. Misean Cara works to empower some of the most marginalised communities, including by increasing access to education, healthcare and fighting for their human rights.

How have Misean Cara celebrated knowledge and light? Misean Cara has worked in over 25 countries to bring about transformational change. Working with missionaries and communities, they have developed effective ways to collaborate and accompany people and bring about lasting change. To know more about their work in India listen to this 5-minute podcast or read the 2020 Annual Report here. We have recently been working with the Misean Cara team facilitating sessions to renew strategy.

New team members at The Commitment! The Commitments’ team is quickly expanding with several new team members. Stirling Spowers as Political Engagement Advisor and Amber Lauder as our new Partnerships Coordinator and Lara Shirra White as the new Communications and Engagement Coordinator. Welcome to the team!

Rethinking our connection to nature through natural capital As a climate and biodiversity organisation, Partha Dasgupta’s recent report on natural capital’s exclusion from current economic models has proved to be insightful and an interesting way on how to rethink our connection to nature.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Ian and Megan

Can COP26 bring about change?

How can governments come together to tackle climate change? Having been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 26th COP will take place in Glasgow, Scotland. It hopes to bring together politicians and representatives from various sectors to tackle climate change and protect biodiversity.

What are COP26’s goals?

The COP26 are:

1. Secure global net zero by mid-century and keep 1.5 degrees within reach.

2. Adapt to protect communities and natural habitats

3. Mobilise climate finance

4. Work together to deliver

How can you get involved? COP26 is going to be held from today until the 12th November 2021. It has events that can be attended virtually or in person. You can read about these here. You might like to consider the Global Day of Action (6th November) plus the People’s Summit for Climate Justice (7th-10th November) and this map of local hubs or actions may be helpful.

Can’t go to COP26? Here’s how else you can take action...The Commitment is a climate and biodiversity organisation. We amplify the voice of citizens to their local politicians to encourage them to do more for the planet. So, if you make The Commitment, you can call on politicians to do more. Here is the link to the website. Alternatively find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. Caplor Horizons also has an upcoming webinar on Climate Change and Biodiversity loss, if you’re interested sign up here.

Climate action requires collaborative action! Tomorrow our Strategic Change and Development Group are gathering to discuss important priority areas for the future. A key area of discussion will be around “climate change” and “collaboration”. We recently attended a webinar about this topic hosted by Reos Partners. One of the speakers talked about the value of “courage” and its importance in collaboration for systemic change. This is one of our values. Click here to watch a recording of the event.

Our updates: thank you for those who have provided feedback already to our survey. We are interested to know more about how we can make our updates as relevant and useful as possible so, if you have not yet responded, please click here to access our quick survey.

Best wishes,

Rosie, Lorna, Dan, Ian and Megan