Charter for Compassion – FAQs from globaltolerance.com
Questions
The Charter for Compassion initiative:
- What is the Charter for Compassion initiative?
- What is the purpose of the Charter for Compassion initiative?
The Charter:
- How was the Charter written?
- What will the final version of the Charter for Compassion look like?
- Who is writing the Charter for Compassion?
- Who makes up the Council of Conscience?
The Launch:
Existing Partners:
- What organisations around the world are involved with the Charter?
- What’s the role of global tolerance?
- What is the TED prize and why is it so amazing?
Becoming a Partner:
- How does my organization get involved?
- Who can become a partner?
- How are partners for the Charter selected?
- Can non-faith organization be involved?
- I want to be a partner, but I am not sure what I can do?
Benefits of Being Involved with the Charter for Compassion:
- How will the Charter and its launch be beneficial to my organization?
- As a partner for the Charter, will I gain access to the Charter for Compassion private online network?
- As a partner for the Charter, will my organization be recognized?
Planning for the Launch:
- I am a partner organization, will I be able to see the Charter before it is publicly launched on 12 November 2009?
- Is there funding available for my partner activity?
- If I am a representative of a house of worship and I want to deliver a message of compassion for the Charter launch, who do I contact?
- Will Karen Armstrong or a member of the Council of Conscience be available to speak at my event?
- I am a partner - who is responsible for planning and executing my Charter activity?
- I am a partner - who is booking the venue for my event?
For More Information:
- If I have questions about partner activities, who do I get in touch with?
- Will there be promotional literature available to hand out?
- I have run out of promotional literature, what do I do?
- How do I find out what is happening in my area?
- I can’t find the answer that I am looking for, what do I do?
Answers
The Charter for Compassion initiative:
What is the Charter for Compassion initiative?
The Charter for Compassion is a collaborative effort of people and organisations of all faiths and nations to build a compassionate global community.
The Charter for Compassion is the wish of TED Prize winner Karen Armstrong, who was granted ‘One Wish to Change the World’.
In order to realize this vision, the initiative will create a written Charter for Compassion that seeks to remind the world that while all faiths and traditions are different, they all share common principles, one of which is compassion.
In other words: ‘all the great traditions are saying the same thing in much the same way, despite their surface differences. They each have in common an emphasis on the overriding importance of compassion as impressed in the Golden Rule – do not do to others what you would not have done to you.’
The Charter for Compassion brings together 1000s of peoples’ messages, ideas and stories from around the world who contributed to its development on the website www.charterforcompassion.org.
The Council of Conscience then crafted the words of the world into the final version of the Charter.
The Charter will be unveiled in November 2009 with the help of TED and the collaboration and activities of its global network of partner organizations.
With its partners, the Charter for Compassion initiative will then build upon the extensive global grassroots campaigns and media spotlight generated by the launch to continue encouraging compassion and the Golden Rule and shifting conceptions of religion for all people.
What is the purpose of the Charter for Compassion initiative?
The Charter for Compassion is not a new organization. There are hundreds of existing organizations around the world already working tirelessly in the name of compassion and interfaith dialogue. The initiative’s goal is to highlight these groups in an effort to raise the profile of their work.
The Charter will show that the voice of negativity and violence so often associated with religion is in the minority and that the voice of compassion is in the majority. Through the participation of the grassroots initiatives, people from around the world will expect more out of religious leaders and one another.
The Charter:
How was the Charter Written?
Using the innovative group decision-making technology on charterforcompassion.org, people of a diverse range of faiths and traditions, from all across the globe, contributed their words and stories about compassion.
The Council of Conscience, made up of religious thinkers and leaders, then crafted the world’s words into the final version of the Charter.
The document will not only speak to the core ideas of compassion but will also address the actions that all segments of society can take to bring these ideas into the world more fully.
The Charter for Compassion will then be signed by religious leaders, along with non-religious high profile individuals, before the unveiling at a high profile press launch, followed by a series of other events to publicize and promote the Charter around the world.
What will the final version of the Charter for Compassion look like?
The Charter for Compassion is a concise and evocative document that captures the meaning, relevance and urgency of a call for a more compassionate world. The purpose is to redirect attention to the principle of the Golden Rule, which is
crucial to the ethical and spiritual vision of every single one of the religious traditions: “Do not do to others what you would not like them to do to you.” The Charter will be a cry from the grassroots for a return to this central principle that is so often overlooked in our violent world.
The Charter does NOT assume:
- all religions are the same
- compassion is the only thing that matters in religion
- religious people have a monopoly on compassion
The Charter DOES affirm that:
- compassion is celebrated in all major religious, spiritual and ethical traditions
- the Golden Rule is our prime duty and cannot be limited to our own political, religious or ethnic group
- therefore, in our divided world, compassion can build common ground
Who is writing the Charter for Compassion?
The Charter for Compassion is a global collaborative document involving the participation of people of all nations, backgrounds and religions. Throughout the fall and winter of 2008-2009, thousands of people around the world wrote submissions to the website -charterforcompassion.org - to add their ideas and messaging into the collective conscience that would form the heart of the Charter.
From 24-26 February 2009 the Council of Conscience gathered together outside Geneva to discuss and write the final version of the Charter. Each Councilor received workbooks filled with the world’s submissions and comments to read and remark upon. The submissions served as the basis of the meeting and the writing.
The Councilors determined the words and insights that best served the vision of the Charter for Compassion and ensured that the messaging is truly reflective of the world’s diversity.
Who is in the Council of Conscience?
Salman Ahmad
Ali Asani
Rev. Dr. Joan Brown Campbell
Sadhvi Chaitanya
Bishop John Bryson Chane
Sister Joan Chittister
Sheikh Ali Gomaa
Mohsen Kadivar
Chandra Muzaffar
Baroness Julia Neuberger
Tariq Ramadan
Rabbi David Saperstein
Rabbi Awraham Soetendorp
Rev. Peter Storey
Tho Ha Vinh
Tu Wei-ming
Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Jean Zaru
You can view all council members and their biographies here: CLICK http://charterforcompassion.com/about/council
The Launch:
When and what will be happening?
The Charter for Compassion will be unveiled and shared with the world on 12 November 2009. A large global press launch is scheduled to take place to publicize the Charter for Compassion. An internationally renowned public relations agency is leading the PR and communications work around the launch in November.
Organizations and individuals around the world are in the process of planning their own events to publicize and celebrate the Charter launch during the following week, 13 – 17 November. Anything from large concerts, art exhibitions and themed walks to small lectures and talks are being committed, whilst a tool kit will be available for clergy wishing to speak on the theme of compassion in their houses of worship that weekend.
For more ideas on events and initiatives that you and your organization can organize to celebrate the Charter for Compassion see here http://charterforcompassion.com/ . If you are interested in organizing an event, you will find other answers in the FAQ section helpful. You may also get directly in contact with the global tolerance team responsible for coordinating partner activities for the Charter launch. compassion@globaltolerance.com
What happens after the Charter launch on 12 November 2009?
The launch on 12 November 2009 is only the beginning of the Charter for Compassion initiative. The challenge is to make the compassionate voice of religion heard clearly and on an ongoing basis. The longer-term aims are to restore compassion and the Golden Rule as central to religious life and practice as well as daily non-religious life.
It is crucial that the signing of the Charter will not simply be a “feel good” moment. Like any religious teaching, it cannot remain theoretical. It must be translated into concrete action that brings compassion from the sidelines to which it is often relegated in modern culture to centre-stage.
Many people think compassion means, “pity” or “to feel sorry” for somebody. Somehow the ideal of compassion that is the pivot of every great world tradition has been submerged, and a worrying number of people no longer know what it is.
The Charter seeks to counter the strident voices of extremism and heartless, judgmental orthodoxy in order to show that religion can be a force for peace and compassion.
Existing Partners:
What organisations around the world are involved with the Charter?
More organisations are constantly signing up to become partners for the Charter for Compassion. Below you will find a list of some of the organizations involved:
Al-ghazzali Centre
American Society for Muslim Advancement
Cordoba Initiative
European Muslim Network
Global Peace Initiative for Women
global tolerance
Interfaith Center of New York
Interfaith Youth Core
International Movement for a Just World
Intersections International
Malaysian Interfaith Network
Moses & Aaronkerk
Muslim Presence
National Council of Churches USA
Religions for Peace
Soliya
St Ethelburga’s Centre for Reconciliation and Peace
Tanenbaum Center for Interreligious Understanding
Temple of Understanding
The Coexist Foundation
The Peace and Collaborative Development Network
Three Faiths Forum
UN Alliance of Civilizations
Union Theological Seminary
United Religions Initiative
World Council of Religious Leaders
What’s the role of global tolerance?
global tolerance is an international communications organization specializing in intercultural and interfaith communications and is a partner of the Charter for Compassion.
global tolerance is working closely with the team at TED to engage organizations to become partners with the Charter for Compassion.
What is the TED prize and why is it involved in the Charter for Compassion?
The TED prize is designed to inspire collaborative action that transcends borders. Uniquely, the prize grants the winners ‘One Wish to Change the World’.
The prize is awarded annually to three exceptional individuals who the judges consider best able to spark a powerful response from the global TED community. The winners are urged to think big. Be creative. And apply no restrictions.
In 2008, Karen Armstrong wished that ‘the TED community could help with the creation, launch and propaganda for a Charter for Compassion…based on the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect’.
Hundreds of individuals and companies inspired by the wishes offer their help to make them come true. Pledges take the form of business services, hardware, software, publicity, advice, connections and donations. Working alongside each of the winners, TED seeks to coordinate pledges and efforts into an action plan. Each winner is given $100,000 while TED allocates another $1m each year to realize the wish of each of the winners. Many of the projects go far beyond what money alone can buy.
Becoming a Partner:
How does my organization get involved?
Getting involved with the launch for the Charter for Compassion is easy. Check to see if your organization fits the partner criteria by reading the two sections below on Who can become a partner and How are partners for the Charter Selected. Then send us an email that includes a one or two sentence summary of your organization, and a preferred mode and time for us to contact you. Please contact global tolerance by email at compassion@globaltolerance.com or call +44 (0) 845 054 0064
Who can become a partner?
There are no strict or rigid criteria for becoming a part of the Charter for Compassion. To be considered to become a partner for the Charter for Compassion, we ask that your organization, group, house of worship or business support the vision and aims Charter for Compassion, the fundamental principles of universal justice and respect, and are able to follow this up with action around the Charter for Compassion launch in November.
How are partners for the Charter selected?
After checking that the basic criteria (above) are met, we have a dialogue to establish all parties that would like to establish a partnership, exactly what this means, and what category of partner is the most relevant for your organization. You can view categories of partnership and their benefits here.
Can non-faith organization be involved?
Yes, non-faith organizations are more than welcome to become partners of the Charter for Compassion. We see compassion not only as a virtue limited to religious life, but essential to our society at large. global tolerance, for example, is a partner and they are not affiliated to any faith!
I want to be a partner, but I am not sure what I can do?
As a partner, you can first of all tell all your friends and networks what the Charter for Compassion is all about and what activities will take place during the week after launch.
You may also want to host a small or larger event to mark the launch of the Charter. Use your creative and innovative side to develop ideas of how to celebrate compassion.
We would like to see that media, educators, and faith leaders consider the Charter and find ways of exploring the concept of compassion and its implications. The Charter would like students to create Compassion Clubs on school and university campuses. The Charter would like to call upon scholars to explore the notion of compassion in various traditions and on educators to find ways of presenting compassion as an attractive and essential virtue to the young.
Events proposed so far range from concerts, compassion essay competitions, compassion educational toolkits for teaching compassion in schools, forums with faith leaders, policy advocacy at UN, Capital Hill and EU Parliament and a New York pilgrimage of artworks on the theme of compassion. You can view more of the activities that are planned here: LINK
Benefits of being involved with the Charter for Compassion:
How will the Charter and its launch be beneficial to my organization?
In order to shine the brightest light on your work for the Charter and provide the loudest microphone to the positive contributions being done by these organizations, a large global press launch will take place led by an international public relations agency.
The launch will provide a platform for the Charter to introduce the global media to organizations that may not have the resources to spend on high profile media and marketing activity, a unique opportunity to engage the media and raise the profile of their work. To help partners make the most of this opportunity, the international public relations agency will assemble a media engagement toolkit that will be available to all partners to help them deal with potential local press opportunities.
They will also be looking to select a handful of the best projects and events that Charter partners are organizing to mark the launch. These case studies of work and events by partner organizations will form the basis for the global media campaign, which makes it a one of a kind occasion to showcase your organization’s work to a global audience.
return to questions
As a partner for the Charter, will I gain access to the Charter for Compassion private online network?
Becoming a partner for the Charter for Compassion allows you to access and use the Charter for Compassion online private network (under development). The network connects the leaders of partner organizations around the world, allowing for better communication, co-ordination and collaboration between organisations. The goal of the network is to facilitate and stimulate the positive work being done for the Charter and beyond for compassion in society – and give you fantastic networking and collaboration opportunities.
return to questions
As a partner for the Charter, will my organization be recognized?
Yes. Depending on your organization’s engagement, the Charter will promote your event on the official Charter website, and help promote your activities to the local, national and international media through the PR partner. All partners will have their profile on a dedicated partner page on the new Charter website.
Planning for the Launch:
If am a partner organization, will I be able to see the Charter before it is publicly launched on 12 November 2009?
We will share the Charter for Compassion with a designated staff member(s) at our partner organizations in September 2009. Partners are the welcome to read the Charter on the condition that the information is not shared as the Charter will not be available publically until the launch for November 2009.
Is there funding available for my partner activity?
There is no funding available for partner activities around the launch of the Charter. The Charter for Compassion and the global launch in November 2009 will be of immense benefit to many organizations working in the interfaith arena as the launch provides a platform to speak and the chance to engage with the media This is truly a unique opportunity for your organization to speak about your work and how religion and compassion can bring together people of different faiths.
If I am a representative of a house of worship and I want to deliver a message of compassion for the Charter launch, whom do I contact?
Please get in contact with the team at TED. TED will send you information and a toolkit that you may find useful for your preparation. armstrong@ted.com
Will Karen Armstrong or a member of the Council of Conscience be available to speak at my event?
Unfortunately, global tolerance will not be able to arrange for a member of the Council of Conscience or Karen Armstrong to be able to speak at your event.
As you can appreciate, the Charter is receiving a large number of requests for speakers, but if you have a specific ask please submit your request with the team at TED casson@ted.comarmstrong@ted.com.
return to questions
If am a partner, who is responsible for planning and executing my Charter activity?
As a partner you and your organization have the freedom but also the responsibility to design, organize and execute activities around the launch of the Charter. This could be telling your contacts and networks about the Charter or planning a live event. TED and global tolerance are on hand to coordinate efforts and communicate the aims of the Charter, but do not have the scope to take on assisting or planning aspects of the activities or events.
If am a partner, who is booking the venue for my event?
As a partner of the Charter for Compassion your organization is responsible for organizing all aspects of your event including finding and liaising with venues for your event.
For More Information:
If I have questions about partner activities, who do I get in touch with?
The FAQ section that the Charter have put together here will hopefully answer many of your questions about becoming a partner of the Charter and organizing your own events to celebrate the launch of the Charter. If you can’t find the answer to your questions please get in touch with the team at global tolerance. Please include enough background information on your organization and your inquiry to allow us to provide the best answer for you. Please contact us at compassion@globaltolerance.com or call us at +44 (0) 8450540064.
Will there be promotional literature available to hand out?
Yes, an information and promotional literature toolkit will be available. As soon as it is available the Charter will notify all of the partners and provide the information about how to receive a pack. If you have any additional questions please email the team at TED. Casson@ted.comarmstrong@ted.com
return to questions
If I run out of promotional literature, what do I do?
The Charter is happy to send you additional materials as long as they are available. Please contact the TED team armstrong@ted.com
return to questions
How do I find out what is happening in my area?
Finding out what is happening in your area is easy. From September onwards the charterforcompassion.org site will list all events that are taking place to celebrate the launch of the Charter for Compassion. The new website will also make it easy for organizations and individuals to post information of the events that they are staging.
return to questions
I can’t find the answer that I am looking for, what do I do?
If you haven’t been able to find the answer to your question in this section, please get in touch with the team at global tolerance. compassion@globaltolerance.com
