Community Engagement - 'Ayambil' Jain Festival @ HereNow4U

So often we fail to experience the richness of Britain's diversity, and as for understanding it, we have so little time. We live on a 'need to know' basis, and even look at people and communities from this lens - 'why do I need to know them?' Real community engagement is about going inside the hub of these communities to see them and understand them from their own reference point, not ours.

On 8th April 2009, Dr. Atul Shah, CEO of Diverse Ethics, invited a range of clients and contacts to experience the ancient 'Ayambil' Jain festival at their beautiful 80 acre Jain temple at the Oshwal Centre in Potters Bar. Volunteers of the Oshwal Association of UK provided exceptional hospitality.

Leaders and managers from organisations like the RSPCA,V & A Museum, British Council, HM Prison Service, Heritage Lottery Fund, Oxford University, Museums, Libraries & Archives Council, and Inter-Faith Seminary. Visitors experienced the beauty of Jain art, the richness of worship, the experience of festive spirituality, and the huge warmth and hospitality accorded to total strangers. In all 200 people participated in this detox festival, and ate a restricted diet of Vegan food for nine consecutive days. The overall feedback of the tour from each visitor was a consistent 5 - an excellent experience.

Resourceful peaceful communities like these enrich the cultural landscape of Britain. Their values and ethics can act as a barometer, helping raise the quality of all life. Diverse Ethics specialises in helping to create 'borderless minds' and improving 'cultural literacy' among leaders and policy-makers. We have a whole host of contacts across various communities all over Britain and a significant amount of cultural intelligence to help organisations improve their performance. You can read about our services, case studies and testimonials on this website: http://www.diverseethics.com