A Message From the Dalai Lama Center Trustees

The Trustees of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education wish to thank all who participated in the inaugural Connecting for Change Dialogue. We are thankful for the valuable feedback and are especially pleased to learn that Connecting for Change has generated a number of exciting connections that have led to unanticipated projects and initiatives. 

As part of the 2006 Vancouver Dialogues, Connecting for Change was a seminal event in the early development of the Dalai Lama Center, and we are now looking for the best ways to build on its impact and develop its potential.  We have commissioned Charles Holmes to follow up on the event and to present recommendations for the continuation of Connecting for Change.   

The success of the Dalai Lama’s visit gives us great optimism about the future of the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. The feedback and many thoughtful comments we have received confirms our sense of the direction that the Center will take. The task of implementation now begins. Since the events of September we have been working to put the key building blocks in place:

• A highly regarded consultant in non-profit governance is working with us to put in place an organizational structure that can serve the Center well into the future.
• We are working to refine and articulate the vision of the Center. This is an ongoing process that has been much influenced by the Vancouver Dialogues of September, which focused on three key themes that are central to the Dalai Lama’s universal teachings: Education – cultivating a warm heart; Science and Spirit – enhancing mental and emotional well-being; and Universal Responsibility – bringing people together. 
• A key group of advisors will work with us to create a clear programming framework for the Center, one that can guide programming choices and external expectations for the time until the building is operational. 
• A professional fundraiser is helping us to plan and bring focus and discipline to an initial major gifts campaign.
• We have added to our distinguished advisory panels.  Three additional Nobel Peace Laureates have agreed to join our International Advisory Board:  Rigoberta Menchu Tum; Jody Williams; and Betty Williams, bringing the total to eight. The Right Honourable Kim Campbell has agreed to serve as a Canadian Advisor, along with Gwyn Morgan.
• Negotiations to acquire a key site in downtown Vancouver for the eventual construction of our own building continue to advance.
• We are nearing a successful outcome of discussions with the Canada Revenue Agency regarding charitable tax status. (We have an arrangement with the Tides Foundation to receipt donations until our own charitable registration comes through).  

We value your continuing support for the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education.