The Human Family School as a project is embraced by the Human Family Initiative (HFI) of The Intercivil Society.

The Human Family School (School) has been implemented by the Intercultural Communication and Leadership School (ICLS), since 2002 (www.intercivilization.net). It has brought together and trained in communication and leadership skills hundreds of young people from different backgrounds and subsequently developed local Networks of Trust with these young leaders in cities of ethnic, religious or cultural diversity in Asia and Europe. The cities where the ICLS has carried out seminars and established Networks of Trust have been so far, in chronological order: Bradford (United Kingdom), Cilegon (Indonesia), Leicester (UK), Rotterdam (Holland), Rome (Italy), Berlin (Germany), Lyon (France), Karachi, Islamabad and Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Peterborough and Walsall (UK).

The aim of the School is to develop good and sustainable governance of contemporary diversity through cooperation, interactive communication and the emergence of shared local and international leadership. All activities, structures and networks of the School are governed by seven principles of the ICLS (see website). The President of the European Parliament wrote in 2003: "I believe that the Intercultural [Communication and] Leadership School could play an important role in the development of international relations and the promotion of our common values." The School was recognised by the European Commission in 2006 as best practice in Europe in active citizenship and intercultural dialogue.

The positive attitudes and young energies coming out from the School's projects, regardless of the location of these projects, inspired many people, young and less young across local divisions. It has also been a life-changing experience to some of the participants. The School is quietly winning the 'minds and hearts' of a lot of young people who were expected to hate or just not to talk with each other in cities of conflict, tension or segregation. There are examples when alumni of the School made significant contributions to calm down the nerves and local tensions after violent events elsewhere. The School has managed to transgress local divisions and to work inclusively with local young people in deprived areas, different local faith groups, the media, local authorities and the police. In this way, human bridges are being built over troubled and less troubled cities, between local minorities and majorities.

The School has begun to facilitate international communication and cooperation on the basis of shared principles between its alumni in the various cities where Networks of Trust have been established. A new breed of human diplomacy is in the making.



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