EDS 2011 was exceptional this year! Around 30 people, participants, leadership,
and speakers, came to Fuzine to learn, discuss and live in the principles of
Jesus applied to Economic Diplomacy. For
10 days we gathered to listen to lectures on the EU, economic diplomacy,
politics, discrimination and a different kind of economics.
At the
beginning of the seminar, we heard from Leo van Doesburg, from Holland, who
gave an introduction to Economic Diplomacy, Milan Pavlovic, Co-director of EDS
from Serbia, who spoke about the current economic crisis and how we got to this
point, and Justin Kagin, Co-director of EDS from the US, who spoke about following
Jesus as a new way to practice economic and political development. Later on there were fun games played by all
of us around the lake in the beautiful tourist town of Fuzine. The mayor himself gave an introduction to the
town and projects initiated, opening himself to questions from the
participants. And that evening a
stirring movie of corrupt businessmen in Romania motivated the participants to
immediately confront the problems in their own countries.
EDS was
especially privileged to have the Trinity Forum partner with us again, for the
4th time. Jack Fallow, from
the UK, moderated discussions on the life journey you pursue as well as
character in this modern age. He helped
participants engage with the material, discussing significant texts from Greek
philosophy, biblical texts, to modern day essays. This material is usually dialogued in forums
with top business and political leaders but was made freely available to our
young leaders by the Trinity Forum. Jack
also stayed to talk more about his extensive experience in business, for
private one-on-one mentorship, and to just generally be a friend to those who
participated in the seminar.
After
the Trinity Forum we devoted a full day to discussing discrimination in the
region and abroad. Mihaela Kovac and Aurora Martin spoke about ethnic and
gender discrimination, how it can damage our economy and the relationships we
have with one another. Mihaela, herself a Roma, pointed out the negative
images people think about when they hear the word Gypsy and how these
prejudices affect the way the Roma perceive themselves. Aurora emphasized that discrimination is a
violation of Human Rights and illustrated with the relationship between
discrimination and the direct, structural and cultural violence. After that she
demonstrated how certain approaches of the religion and of the traditions could
promote and maintain discrimination, she looked over the different types
of gender discrimination promoted by Communism, Nationalism and Capitalism,
concluding with the effects of the migration and of the economic crises on the
women's role in the society. In the evening we had an
experimental night where participants had to play roles of discriminators and
those being discriminated against. It was humorous but also very powerful
when people felt how it is to be a victim or victimizer.
During
the second half of the seminar, Nolan Sharp gave us the DISC test, a personal
development exercise, and a lecture on how Jesus confronted the powers of his
time, and how we can confront the powers of our time. Drazen Glavas talked about the theology of
work and how work is no longer a curse but a blessing. He also inspired people with vision and
purpose and directed people to write down their goals and vision. Another inspiring lecture was from Tihomir
Kukojla who followed up the movie about William Wilberforce “Amazing Grace” to
talk about servant leadership following the example of Jesus.
During
the last few days of the seminar, Rita Poppe spoke about belief in politics and
practical ways to involve yourself in the political process. Her lectures were both motivating and
informative. And Leo van Doesburg
complemented these lectures by asking about identity within the EU and the
relationships between society, politics, human dignity and principles of Jesus.
After these lectures there were some
heated discussions on the role of government, the corruption involved and how
we can change things.
During
the seminar we used small groups to build friendships and to discuss the issues
raised during the lectures. We also had
workshops for giving practical skills and friendship/mentorship walks to give
participants one on one help. These were
complemented by a trip to the beach in Crkvenica, panel discussions, a talent
night, and a couple dialogue cafes. The
team which facilitated these events and worked hard were especially tightly
united and worked diligently on behalf of the participants and each other. During the 10 days, all of our relationships
grew into bonded networks, and our bonds into friendships, which will truly
last forever.
Throughout
the seminar we also got to know who Jesus is and what his plan was for the
economy, for politics, and for life. In
“the love economy” Justin Kagin spoke about Jesus’s emphasis on giving, his
view on interest and lending, and how he saw corruption and paying taxes. He attempted to convey that these principles
were worth following and can have a powerful impact. Later he spoke about the amazing horse
“Secretariat” who had a 22lb heart and gave glory to God, and how much more God
wants to give glory to people who follow Jesus and have the love he did.
Finally,
participants gave their five minute presentation either alone or in a group on
economic diplomacy and the principles of Jesus, and their vision for
change. They were very creative in their
approach and it was interesting to listen to the variety of thought and view
the considerable efforts put into them.
Each of them were truly inspired and we hope to see them bear fruit.
To end
this report it is best to write a response from one of the many participants
who rated the seminar highly. He wrote
“EDS was one of the best seminars I have ever attended to, not only the content
was surprising to me but also the surrounding and the people around
me. It certainly gave a spirit to the seminar, it provided joy and knowledge.
Every activity was designed to fulfill the gap that our educational
system had been missing for decades or so. I'm glad I was a participant and I
encourage every candidate, without any doubts, regardless of their ethnic
and religious background, to apply and attend a seminar of such character.”
Thank you again for joining us or being a part of us from
abroad, it truly was an exceptional experience.
Love and Blessings,
Justin Kagin and Milan Pavlović
EDS Co-Directors
FB: Economic
Diplomacy Seminar
http://edseminar.blogspot.com/
