Beginnings….

Believing Women for a Culture of Peace originated in Brisbane in the latter part of 2003.  A handful of women began meeting and decided to develop a vision for bringing together women in the greater Brisbane area interested in building understanding and relationships across faiths and cultures.  The membership grew initially by word of mouth and chance encounters, and all new members contributed to shaping what eventually emerged as the group’s vision, goals and scope of activities.  One of the distinguishing features of its activities is the fact that it draws predominantly on the resources within the membership, rather than relying on outside ‘experts’.  This has had a significant impact on the quality of relationships that have developed among the members.

Vision

Living in a world where people of diverse faiths and cultural backgrounds mingle together as
never before, believing women find themselves called to

• cultivate deep mutual respect, understanding and appreciation across faiths and cultures;
• develop relationships based on what we have in common, and celebrate the bonding power of religious faith and Indigenous spiritualities;
• fashion the diversity of our spiritual and cultural resources into a power for the good of society as a whole;
• counteract the potential of religious and cultural differences for divisiveness and conflict, and contribute to a lasting culture of peace.

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Goals

Believing Women for a Culture of Peace (BWCP) aims to
• promote respectful relationships and mutual support among women of different faiths and spiritual paths;
• develop the capacity of members to engage confidently in sharing their faith and spirituality with others and in interfaith dialogue;
• provide opportunities for personal spiritual development and growth in intercultural awareness;
• serve as a resource for other community groups and organisations seeking the contribution of women from diverse faith and spiritual traditions;
• build partnerships with other local organisations or projects committed to addressing prejudice and intolerance and promoting peace;
• network with other local, national and international women’s interfaith and peace initiatives.

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Funding

This project is proudly supported by the Australian Government's Living in Harmony initiative, which aims to promote community harmony.
For more information, visit www.immi.gov.au/harmony

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