Reflections on the forum

Afaf Mahfouz

Some of the major points we have discussed today are capacity building, parenting, education, the place of the individual in sustainable development, and the need to reinterpret history. I wanted to mention the importance of fathers as well as mothers in parenting and the link between parenting and education.

Basically, our goal is to decrease violence, at least in the short term, and to eradicate it eventually. For me and for many of us here poverty is violence. Inequality is violence. Prejudice is violence. Let us work together to see how we can go from the melting pot, which did not succeed, to a beautiful mosaic, this metaphor from my own culture. A mosaic is always beautiful when it is done well.

Let us work together to determine how we can share our experiences to projects to improve parenting, incorporate the points we talked about into educational systems, and improve leadership. A parent is a leader, and an educator is a leader. Every one of us is a leader in his and her own sphere. How can we improve leadership through parenting and education? This is a question I leave with each of you as we 8° our separate ways, enriched by a day of listening, learning, and reflection. ·

Let us work together to determine how we can improve leadership through parenting and education -Afaf Mahfouz