Annual Review 2022
1. Welcome from our Executive Director
Looking back on the many activities of 2022, what I feel most inspired by is how people all over the world have adapted and shared with others what they have learned. Together with many other non-profits and justice movements that are working towards peace, the FDCW community is helping contribute to a kinder, more compassionate and more courageous world.
For me, FDCW’s teaching and methods feel like wisdom water seeping naturally into many different aspects of our lives - flowing, transformative and enriching - reminding us of our true nature of compassion and wisdom. I am so grateful to those facilitators, educators, presenters, volunteers, parents, and teachers who have shared these methods with such skill and care.
Community is at the heart of FDCW. By developing a stable compassionate attitude towards challenges aligned with the wise courage of knowing how to act, we can transform ourselves and become a source of comfort and strength to those around us. Being part of a community that serves others, nurtures us too by giving our lives more meaning and joy. That is what I have discovered.
I hope that the stories we share here from our community will make your heart smile.
I offer heartfelt thanks to FDCW trustees, staff, consultants, facilitators, volunteers, funders and community members who have contributed to a happier, and more meaningful world for so many others.
Big love,
Victoria Coleman
FDCW Executive Director
2. Message from the Chair of the Board
2022 was an exciting and fulfilling year for FDCW. Our resources and programs were able to engage a wider audience around the world.
Our third Big Love Summit in November showcased inspirational speakers who explored the four themes of love, compassion, joy and equanimity with translations into 7 languages.
We launched the Compassion & Wisdom in Action Webinar Series, inspired by our Honorary President, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, to encourage people to bring compassion into every aspect of their lives. The fifteen speakers shared their perspectives on how we can open our hearts more fully, to bring in compassion while remaining joyful.
A new online 16 Guidelines facilitator training with an interactive Study Platform was launched with 25 new facilitators trained. We partnered with Science and Wisdom on an event in October that explored consciousness and embodiment and also with the Council of Europe.
Throughout 2022, we focused on expanding our free resources to support those wishing to introduce compassion and values into their community. An online collection of over 100 videos is available on our website. Audio and video meditations on a large number of topics such as joy, and forgiveness are also now available. A brand new resource called Conversations That Matter designed as a simple guide to inspire conversations about values is available for download. It is a great way to structure group discussions on values and what matters most to us.
FDCW Trustee, Jason Briggs retired in 2022. The Board thanks Jason for his years of enthusiastic service to FDCW. We are delighted to welcome two new trustees to the Board; Geshe Tenzin Zopa and Ven. Trin-la (Julie Costello).
Throughout 2022 and still ongoing, the board have been involved in ensuring our policies for the organisation are adequate and complete. Safeguarding training has been made mandatory for our facilitators, team and board. In autumn 2022 the Board began a process of strategic review under the guidance of an independent consultant.
We were delighted and honoured when our partner, FPMT Inc., announced that FDCW would become the official hub for secular activities for its centres worldwide. It was a strong endorsement of the work we do to promote secular programs for inner development and social engagement.
We could not have done all that we do without the support of our audience, members of the FDCW global community, facilitators, sponsors, team and board. Thank you to each and every one of you!
May all your plans to make this a better world be fulfilled!
Oi Loon Lee
Chair, FDCW Board of Trustees
3. Compassion Webinar series
Lama Zopa Rinpoche
FDCW’s Honorary President
During 2022 we held six online events exploring how to bring more compassion into different aspects of our lives. Eleven presenters from all over the world shared very practical advice on how to Face Problems with Compassion, how to Practice Self-compassion, how to bring Compassion into the Workplace, how to Meditate with Compassion, how to Face Death with Compassion and how to Enjoy with Compassion. All these events are available to watch on our website under video resources.
4. Teaching Values to Children
During 2022, FDCW supported teachers in India, Mexico, Mongolia, Nepal, Argentina, UK and Italy to share methods for mindfulness, developing resilience and practising values. Here are some highlights:
i. Akshay School, India
Akshay School in Bodhgaya opened in 2008. It has 245 children, 98% of which belong to the most socially and economically depressed and marginalized community in India, known as the Dalits or “Untouchables.” Since 2013, the School’s Principal, Raquel Mason has incorporated the 16G into the curriculum. Every month a Guideline is chosen and the children, teachers and staff work on implementing it in their school life. There is a monthly study group for teachers to discuss different aspects of the chosen Guideline and how it can better be applied to help students. For the full story see our blog article, Akshay School.
ii. Comunidad Educativa la Tierra, Mexico
Laura and Maricruz began building a school, literally brick by brick. In 2010 they discovered the 16 Guidelines program and Comunidad Educativa la Tierra School finally opened. FDCW Facilitator Martha Cabral visits the school annually to train new teachers in 16 Guidelines and as a refresher for existing teachers. 260 students have worked with the 16 Guidelines since the school opened. And today, they have 14 teachers involved in the 16G program. The first generation of children who finished elementary school have just graduated this year. To share the success of the impact of the 16 Guidelines, the school interviewed children about the 16 Guidelines. You can watch the video and read the full story on our blog, Comunidad Educativa la Tierra.
5. 16 Guidelines in Israel
FDCW partnered with a non-profit called Dreamers Home in Israel to train 25 new facilitators. The 16 Guidelines are now available in Hebrew and Arabic and the 16 Guidelines program has been approved for use in Israeli schools. During 2023, the 16 Guidelines program will be introduced to parents and children in schools throughout the Netanya district.
The 16 Guidelines course we hosted in Israel enabled Arabic women to join in because of the universal, non-religious presentation. The women had a safe space to explore, inquire and express themselves honestly and openly.
- Ofir Levit, I16G Facilitator, Israel
You can read the full story here.
6. Compassion and Wisdom in Ukraine
In March 2022, one of our facilitators, Margarita Kozhevnikova, shared how she adapted one of our courses Unlocking Your Potential to support people in Ukraine. Margarita also recorded guided audio meditations in both Russian and Ukrainian. She sent these materials to a psychotherapist in Ukraine. You can read the full story here.
Since then a network of people has grown to share these resources and support the emotional and mental well-being of people living in Ukraine and also refugees outside Ukraine. More than 2,200 people have now used these resources. For the full story please read here.
We also worked with groups in Mongolia, Germany, Spain, France, UK, USA, Canada, Kenya, Australia and Russia.
7. New Resources Launched
We offered several “live” courses and webinars throughout the year exploring topics such as compassion, the mind and mindfulness. In May we launched a new Conversations That Matter free resource to inspire conversations about values. This 28-page document offers 60-minute structured sessions with conversation starters, inspirational quotes and guided reflections. Based on the 16 Guidelines, a theme is chosen for each week eg Kindness. We designed a new practical resource called The 16-Day Challenge and launched a new video series called UE Shorts which is a collection of short videos with inspirational advice. We created a 16 Guidelines video to introduce people to 16 Guidelines in a new format.
i. Deerfield Beach, Florida
Nicole Zito led weekly discussions about values and what matters most at a Centre in Florida. She used FDCW’s new resource Conversations That Matter. She sent us a short 5 minute video describing her experience. You can watch this video here.
ii. Adelaide, Australia
Annette French describes what it was like for her leading a weekly discussion group based on the 16 Guidelines and what she learned, see the full story in Tools for Happiness in Adelaide.
8. Expanding Our Audiences
In 2022, we sadly said goodbye to Comms Manager Michaela Kirchem and welcomed Matt McArthur. Matt has focused on expanding and improving our digital resources including uploading many videos and guided meditations on topics like compassion, kindness and mindful awareness. This has resulted in significant growth in our audiences. We reached an audience of over 50,000 people this year, through our events, videos and meditations (and an even larger audience if you include the networks of all our 100+ global facilitators too!).
We’ve put a lot of effort into developing our social media channels as we strive to deliver UE to an even wider audience and have seen over 500% growth in our reach compared to last year. We launched a new Instagram account, revived our LinkedIn account and have been working hard to organise our ever-growing Youtube channel. In our efforts to make our video content more available to the world, this past year we’ve nearly doubled our video reach!
We’re continuing to work hard on improving our media content and search engine optimisation (SEO), and we’re seeing the results - with over 120% growth in our Q4 traffic year on year. It’s exciting times for FDCW and our mission to spread compassion and wisdom to the world. A huge thanks to all of you for supporting us.
9. Big Love Summit 2022
The year concluded with our third annual online conference, the Big Love Summit 2022, bringing together fifteen speakers over six days who shared their advice, inspiration and tips on Love, Presence and Embodiment, Reclaiming Joy, Embodying Loving Awareness, Breathing in Equanimity, Heart Practices for Difficult Times, Compassionate Activism, We Are All One Family, Spreading Joy and Gratitude in Your Community, We Are All Connected and The Power of Resilience.
10. Some Final Words…
“I feel like I became happier and more content in my life since I met 16G. I came to appreciate more about what I have and try to accept myself and others who I am and who they are. I try to see my life broadly.” —Khongor from Mongolia, 16G Facilitator
"I felt it was very professional, intensive with a lot of information and a depth of experience, very pleasant and attentive facilitators and a very motivated group." —Anon, 16G L3 Participant
"Thank you for putting together this webinar. Please extend my gratitude to the speakers for their warmth, sincerity and joy presenting death." —Mabel from France, Die with Compassion Webinar
"The experience deepened my connection with my soul and who I really am and what I came to do in the world." —Ohad from Israel, 16G L1 Participant
“I have just completed the 16 Guidelines Self-Study Course and have found it excellent. It is incredibly accessible, clear and practical in terms of honing how we think, act, relate and find meaning to experience and spread more happiness.” —Heather from Australia, 16G Study Kit
