The challenges require us to transform our approach. How can we do better?

Maya Angelo inspired many people in many ways. She once wrote: “do the best you can until you know better; then when you know better, do better.” How can we do better? How can we transform our approach given the challenges facing our world?

We stand in solidarity with people affected by the Ukraine Crisis. As we have seen the Ukraine conflict unfold, millions of lives have been profoundly affected. In response, so much has happened, including many people generously opening their homes and contributing resources to help those in need. So much is influenced by the stories that are told. Click here to read an article about how stories of dignity and solidarity – stories about “a larger us rather than a them and us” - can help to positively change attitudes and behaviours.

Governments can do better. Women and children are disproportionately impacted by humanitarian crises. In conflict situations, gender-based violence, limited access to education and reproductive health services means many women and children suffer. E.g., you can read this article on the impact of UK government cuts.

How can the NGO sector do better? How can we at Caplor Horizons do better? This week, we have our next “Strategic Change and Development Group” (SCDG) gathering. The SCDG helps us to develop and deliver our strategy. It comprises “experts by experience” of our work. We hold two gatherings per year and consider emerging strategic priorities. To learn more, click here.

This SCDG gathering will focus on the current and future roles of the not-for-profit or NGO sector. The role of the NGO sector has always been to bring about positive societal change. But how does the role of the sector need to change going forward? For instance, should NGOs be advocating for change differently and in a much bigger way? How are NGOs affecting systemic change? How can all of us do better? And what are the implications for Caplor Horizons and others that we work with?

If this sounds of interest, please watch this space: we will reflect on the discussion this week and most probably offer a similar event more widely to people within and beyond our community. Many people have said that this is an important and timely conversation to have.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
“I wish we'd be able to deliver our message at the global level on the need to recognise the past genocides to prevent new ones. Our message of peace and justice will hopefully reach every corner of the world.” Widad Akryeia

Best wishes,
Lorna, Rosie, Ian and Megan

What does Charles Handy say about partnerships and collaboration?

Bringing stories to life. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with Charles Handy, a leading thinker of our time and our Thought Leadership Advisor. Charles has been proactively involved with Caplor Horizons since we were established. The conversation centred on partnerships and collaborations. Charles said that the secret to bringing about collaborative change is "talking together in meaningful ways, building relationships and trust, then finding common measures of success". To find out more, read the full conversation here.

We have a new video hot off the press! Charles Handy states, "what Caplor Horizons is very good at is entering into the spirit of an organisation, finding its soul and giving expression to this; then being there to remind them of it." To find out more about what Caplor Horizons does, watch our short 2-minute video here. A huge thanks goes to Gareth (Jones), our Communications Advisor, for putting it together and our various partners for being involved.

Centring farmers and workers in climate conversations. Fairtrade fortnight ran from the 21st of February to the 6th of March. Fairtrade is about social, economic and environmental justice. This year focused on the role that Fairtrade has in centring farmers and workers in the conversations on how to tackle the climate crisis. These insightful and inspirational two weeks showed how everyone has the power to drive systemic change through support and visibility.

How is Caplor Horizons bringing about sustainable transformational change? We are working in many ways, both internally and externally, to deliver a sustainable future. A central theme that runs through all our sustainability work is our commitment to the 4Ps (Purpose, Planet, People and Prosperity). For example, we are currently updating our Sustainability policy to be guided by these. This policy, which will be supported by a Ripple Paper and Action Plan, will inform and underpin all our choices as an organisation.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
“Small scale farmers deserve to be at the top of your list of environmental superheroes." Marike de Pena

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

International Women’s Day and the role of Allyship

International Women's Day is on the 8th of March. This year it focuses on #breakthebias. This campaign celebrates women’s achievements, raises awareness, and hopes to bring about action for gender equality. Click here to read our Ripple Paper focused on Feminist Leadership.

Hot off the press! Two very impressive people, Jade (Dalton) and Dr Lynne (Sedgmore), have written our latest Ripple Paper titled "Allyship-Journey to Justice". Being an ally is a form of relationship that helps others to grow and to reach their full potential. More specifically, allyship is conscious and deliberate about tackling injustices. This involves the role that an ally can play in addressing the challenges faced by patriarchy, hence it is timely that we are able to share this now. We hope that you find this paper useful, and it encourages you in your journey to being an effective ally!

We are fortunate to have some inspirational partners that are committed to making a transformational difference regarding gender equality. Some are pictured in the collage above and include organisations such as: Ella’s, United Purpose The Gambia, An Cosán, TechnoServe, ActionAid Ireland, International Presentation Association (IPA), United Purpose Malawi and De La Salle. Here are some more specific examples of what they are doing to tackle gender equality…

United Purpose Malawi have enabled women to diversify their income and become more self-sufficient. This has been impactful as it has increased communities’ resilience in the face of changing weather patterns. Read this article to find out more.

ActionAid Ireland has been continuing its activities to end the practice of female genital mutilation (FGM). With the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, ActionAid Ireland has adapted this to create an online project where participants can use resources to become more informed.

The IPA has contributed to several initiatives involving indigenous women: e.g., it has been working with the Guarani people in Bolivia, supporting women to protect their local environment, gain access to education and employment and have the right to own land. To find out more click here.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” Audre Lorde

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

How to keep ourselves accountable

Our learning this week. We have been inspired by the “Access to Inspiration” podcast hosted by Sue Stockdale, one of our longstanding Advisors. During her podcasts, Sue speaks to people from a diverse range of backgrounds as they share their stories of how they have transcended day to day challenges and ignited new possibilities. During this particular 17 minute episode podcast, Celia Garland, a glass blower and naturalist, talks about her experience and learnings from completing the Appalachian mountain trail (which is over 2,000 miles long) with her family. 

What was the key to their success? Before setting out Celia researched the factors that contributed to the successful completion of the trail. She found that it wasn’t about being the fittest or having the best equipment, the key to success was based on the number of people the hikers had told about undertaking this adventure: “The more people you told, the more likely you are to finish it because if you have to go home and explain 1,000 times why you were home early that was going to keep you hiking". We can use this analogy in our own lives.

This learning about the importance of communication is particularly relevant to organisational strategies. By telling your stakeholders about where you want to go and how you’re going to get there it shows commitment to your goals whilst also creating a support network. This form of accountability is incredibly powerful. 

We have been working with Hope for The Future to support their strategy development process. Hope for the Future is a climate charity which works to equip communities, groups and individuals across the UK to communicate the urgency of climate change with their local politicians. In order to support their work, they are currently seeking an interim senior support. If you are interested in the role, please see the job description here.

Hot off the press! We are excited to publish our fourth research paper for The Commitment. The paper is titled “Climate Change and Biodiversity: Using social media advertising to inspire action”. Special thanks go to Kibbo Kift Agency and Sam Narr for co-creating this project which ran for 9 months and explored the use of social media advertising in expanding The Commitment’s reach and inspiring action for a healthy planet. To read the report here.

Change maker of the week:

Quote of the week
"Things never happen by accident. They happen because you have a vision, you have a commitment, you have a dream.” Oscar de la Renta

Best wishes,
Ian, Lorna, Rosie and Megan

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