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Greetings!

Steven Greisdorf I didn't realize it at the time, but 1993 was an important year:
  • The Maastricht Treaty took effect, creating the European Union.
  • Vaclav Havel was elected President of the Czech Republic.
  • F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
  • South Africa adopted a majority rule Constitution.
  • The U.S. Congress approved the North American Free Trade Agreement.
  • The Mosaic browser is developed, opening the door to the World Wide Web.
As if that isn't enough, it was also the year I attended the Caux Scholars Program!

It is hard to believe that this was 20 years ago. A lot has happened over the intervening years, including getting married, having two children and moving into and out of three different career tracks.

U.S. transcendentalist author Henry David Thoreau wrote:

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

This is a nice thought (and appears on many college graduation cards!), but it is somewhat lacking in substance: How do you advance confidently in the direction of your dreams? How do you endeavor to live the life that you imagine? I believe this is the value of the Caux Scholars Program.

Not only has the Caux Scholars Program equipped me with practical skills that I have been able to use in my professional life in government, consulting and education, but my experience at Caux and with Initiatives of Change has provided a framework for engaging with my family, with my community and with the world.  The ability to see the world through the eyes of another, the ability to listen deeply and to empathize, the ability to tell one's story in meaningful ways, the ability to reach out to others in times of need, the ability to trust and be trust-worthy, the willingness to engage and the ability to sit quietly to reflect on one's power and how to use it are just a few of the remarkable skills that CSP promotes in its scholars.

Each year, CSP welcomes scholars to its program who come from conflict situations and from areas of the world mired in deep poverty. CSP equips future change-agents with the skills, the motivation and the relationships to return to their countries as leaders and as problem-solvers.

We need your help!  

Remember, 20 years ago, the Internet was just becoming a reality. Today, you can use your social networks to help resolve conflict by supporting a Caux Scholar. Post the link on Facebook, Tweet about it, SnapChat about it, post a photo on Instagram about it, and produce a YouTube video about it! Our goal is $20,000. Please join me in supporting the Caux Scholars Program this year. Would you consider giving $5 per year since you participated as a Caux Scholar? Giving on-line through the website or Indiegogo is fast and easy. Will you help us get there?

With thanks and best regards,

Steven D. Greisdorf
CSP 1993