Renewing Our Minds

Mission Statement
Renewing Our Minds Project, launched by the Life Center International in 1999, has now become a recognized long-term project focused on developing a new generation of leaders with integrity and renewed minds, equipped to impact their environment together as friends in the spirit of Jesus of Nazareth. ROM seeks to foster unity among future leaders in high-risk conflict regions of the world, especially Southeast Europe, by transforming their intellectual outlook, emotional well being, and spiritual and emotional maturity. It is about helping prospective leaders break away from the old paradigms of division, nationalism and corruption, and embracing a worldview of forgiveness, reconciliation, inclusion and hope. Likewise ROM is about building lasting relationships as a prerequisite for reconciliation, trust rebuilding, and spiritual renewal.

How Does ROM Work
ROM students learn how to become leaders in reconciliation as well as of different local and national initiatives that will help processes of reconciliation and social and moral restoration. Presently three times a year prospective young leaders from diverse backgrounds and countries are invited to the peaceful, safe, non-threatening, and friendly environment of Fuzine, in the mountainous Gorski Kotar of Croatia, to begin building friendships; and to share their life experiences, worldviews, beliefs, and visions with others from diverse religious, ethnic, and racial backgrounds by living, working, socializing, and studying together. The same is then further cultivated throughout the year by means of regional mentoring, networking andfollow-up programs and reunions. During the whole process ROM students learn how to become leaders in reconciliation and live with integrity, as well as how to become leaders of different local and national initiatives that will help processes of reconciliation, and social and moral restoration. The whole process is strengthened by groups of high quality speakers, mentors, and counselors: an international team of leaders known as people of integrity and experience in the fields of art, business, education, legal professions, media, politics, and religion.

ROM Facts

• The first Leadership Development & Peace Gathering was in the summer of 1999 and it has met for 3 weeks each summer since then
• 450 participants (exclusive of speakers) from 30 countries in the ROM Leadership Development & Peace Gatherings and Economic Diplomacy Seminars (which began in 2006)

• 40 speakers/mentors from 17 different countries

• 300 participants from South East Europe
• 100 previous participants in positions of leadership in all sectors of society, including business, government, non-profits, and churches
• 10 previous participants now serve as senior political and government leaders in five different countries in Europe

Out of the original ROM Leadership Development & Peace Gatherings:

• Six different programs are now operating under the direct supervision of ROM staff and affiliates:

• ROM Jr. – “Inclusion & Embrace” – for Serb and Croat high school students
• Economic Diplomacy Seminar
• ROM Regional Reunions in Southeast Europe
• Fuzine Youth Festival (emphasizing respect for all persons)
• Fuzine Community School of English (emphasizing conflict resolution)
• Tuzla Community School of English (emphasizing inter-ethnic reconciliation)
• Over 700 participants in all ROM programs and projects
• Initiatives in 7 countries inspired by ROM and undertaken by ROM participants or speakers, include:
• "Building Broken Bridges” – Croatia
• Albanian Free Forum – Albania
• “Walking Differently” – Kosovo
• Dialogue groups in Macedonia
• Mentoring and chaplaincy to political leaders – Serbia
• Minority relief project in Montenegro
• The Institute for Sustainable Peace – USA

 
Learn more about ROM's work in the Why the Balkans? section.