Dare to Overcome (DTO)

Advancing Intercultural Understanding for Peace & Unity

Dare to Overcome (DTO, DareToOvercome.org) is the premier global initiative that celebrates and promotes best practices in workplaces with regard to being allies while representing differing cultures, marketplaces and societies, thereby building peace, justice and strong intuitions (SDG 16). Teamwork Arts produces Dare to Overcome in India.

Teamwork Arts is a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world, produces the global edition of DTO annually in New Delhi, India.  For over 30 years, Teamwork Arts has taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers, change makers and visual artists in the knowledge and arts space in India and abroad. Every year, we produce over 33 festivals in 72 cities and 26 countries in the fields of performing & visual arts and literature. We produce the world’s largest literary gathering: the annual Jaipur Literature Festival; JLF international now travels to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Maldives, and Europe.  Even amidst the upheaval and unsettling times of 2020 and through 2021, Teamwork Arts successfully launched the digital series, JLF Brave New World and Words Are Bridges, which were viewed by over 4.8 million people in their first season. Through its digital avatar, the Jaipur Literature Festival reached over 27 million viewers in January 2021.  The digital series Be Inspired was launched in 2021 – a series that crystal gazes into the future with conversations on science, technology, innovation, environment and more. Two on-ground editions of ‘Be Inspired – Festival of Ideas’ were held in 2023 and the first edition of  Sikkim Arts & Literature Festival was launched in May 2023. 

More information at: www.teamworkarts.com 

A.   BACKGROUND and MISSION

DTO Chair Dr. Brian Grim– at the invitation of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) – led and published the first strategic research on how businesses can support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. The resulting UNGC report, BUSINESS: A Powerful Force for Supporting Interfaith Understanding and Peace, was launched in Indonesia with former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon at the 2014 United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) meeting. The report identified key ways that businesses promote intercultural understanding and peace ranging from promoting diverse and inclusive workplaces to incentivising change through awards and competitions.

This research laid the foundation for DTO’s global mission, which is to educate the business world about their power to foster intercultural understanding and peace, to incentivise business leaders in advancing cultures of peace, to help companies benchmark their success in creating diverse and inclusive workplaces, and to model CSR for intercultural peace in action.

This mission is accomplished through four main lines of work.

B.   LINES OF WORK

(1)    Global Events

DTO holds global events for business leaders to share and celebrate best practices, virtues, and values in being allies of differing communities and cultures in workplaces and marketplaces, thereby building peace.

The first global gathering was in Rio de Janeiro (2016) with the support of Brazilian President Michel Temer. It then moved to South Korea (2018) under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s patronage, to Tokyo (2021) with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s active support, and then to Washington DC (2022) when American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, became DTO’s official airline and partner. DTO USA is held annually in Washington DC, and a premier global edition is now held annually in India. The first India edition was held in New Delhi on 4 October 2023. The 2nd edition will be held in New Delhi in December 2024.

(2)    Leader Awards

Dare to Overcome promotes SDG 16 through the King Husein Global Business & Intercultural Peace Awards. In 2023, they were given on 4th October 2023 to CEOs advancing cultures of mutual understanding in their workplaces and marketplaces. The Awards recognise business leaders – current or past CEOs – who have demonstrated leadership in championing intercultural understanding and peace in three categories developed in collaboration with the UNGC:

• Core business. This includes internal procedures, human resources hiring practices, training, product/service development, sourcing policies, supply chains, as well as the development of products and services that promote interfaith understanding and peace.
• Social investment and philanthropy. Financial and in-kind contributions, and strategic social investment support for NGOs, UN and/or multilateral agencies or directly to affected communities and/or contribution of functional expertise through volunteering efforts.
• Advocacy and public policy engagement. Fostering social cohesion and inter-group dialogue and relationship-building in the workplace, marketplace and local community.

The Awards are named after King Husein, the Founding Patron of Dare to Overcome India. The Indian-origin King Husein is Chairman and CEO of Span Construction & Engineering, the largest metal construction company in the US. He received the 2021 Global Business & Intercultural Peace Prize in Advocacy.

(3)    Research & Corporate Awards

The Corporate Religious Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI) Awards is the premier benchmarking survey of a company’s commitment to including culture, religion and belief as part of its overall diversity initiatives. The REDI Index is an international benchmarking survey that companies use to track their progress in (and be recognized for) embracing culture, spirituality, and belief as an integral part of their overall commitment to workplace diversity, equity and inclusion.

The REDI Monitor allows us to assess the state of faith diversity inclusion in all Fortune 500 corporations. For the first time, we also published the 2024 FTSE 100 REDI Monitor in a separate report. In 2024, we will publish the REDI Monitor for the 100 largest companies listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE).

Under this umbrella, top-scoring companies are recognised in prestigious awards ceremonies in Washington DC, USA, London, England, and New Delhi, India.

(4)    Modeling CSR

One of the outcomes of Dare to Overcome 2023 was that the Office of the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India invited Dare to Overcome to curate Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16 — Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions — on their Manthan platform. Through this platform and in partnership with others, Dare to Overcome will initiate and promote Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives addressing SDG 16, and begin with influencing young minds by piloting the Dare to Overcome Human Rights, Business Skills & Peace Secondary School Curriculum.

Dare to Overcome Human Rights, Business Skills & Peace Secondary School Curriculum

In 2024/25 we will pilot our Dare to Overcome Human Rights, Business Skills & Peace Secondary School Curriculum in India. The curriculum will teach soft business skills that reinforce both knowledge of human rights and inclusive peace. The curriculum has ten 30- to-60-minute lessons on 10 distinct human rights categories and associated business skills.

Providing a foundational knowledge of ten important human rights guaranteed by the laws and the Constitution of India as well as recognised by the United Nations will be goal under the curriculum. Each right will be explained in combination with an introduction to soft skills on business communication and analysis and a demonstration of how these skills promote inclusive peace.

For example, the knowledge portion of Lesson 3A is Freedom from Discrimination, and the associated soft business skill is networking. The activity of trying to find someone “just like you” teaches the value of connecting with others no matter their differences. The step towards peace happens as students recognise and experience the good that comes from knowing and networking with people who are different from us.

C.   UNIVERSITY COLLABORATION

We are taking these projects to universities along with companies, as universities play a vital role in preparing the next generation of the work force and leaders in the global economy. We already have partnerships with the National Institute for Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA), and the Maharashtra Institute of Technology World Peace University (MIT-WPU) in Pune. New Delhi

Mansarovar Building, Plot No 366 Min, Sultanpur MG Road, New Delhi – 110030

Phone +91 9643302036

Global

1A Perry Circle, Annapolis, MD 21402 USA

Phone +1-814-574-8672

Tokyo

1-2 12-107 Shinkawa-cho, Higashikurume-shi, Tokyo 203-0013

Phone +81-(0)42-458-7107

By Brian Grim

I’ll make a presentation, Unity in Diversity: Daring to Overcome the Barriers that Divide. Indeed, polarization is on the rise In countries around the world often fueled by narratives that suggest minorities are a threat to historic majorities. Such narratives view diversity as a liability rather than an asset. What is often overlooked is the economic benefits of engaged pluralism, which we refer to as covenantal pluralism. 

In societies where people’s right to belief and behave according to their beliefs are protected and respected, development is much more sustainable largely because such societies are not only more innovative, but are more peaceful – a critical condition for sustainable development. These findings not only apply at the macro level, but at the micro level. Specifically, a growing number of businesses are embracing culturally inclusive workplaces, celebrating the backgrounds and cultural identities of all employees.

Indeed, in a business (or any organization), a culture of belonging and inclusion is associated with high performance, less attrition, better recruitment of talent, and bottom line success. This presentation will give examples from some of the biggest and best global corporations, showing how these principles work and can position any organization, community or country for success.

Bio

Dr. Brian Grim is an “applied academic” who has lived and worked globally since 1982. He established some of the early student and teacher exchanges between the US and China, and he helped found the first western-style business school in the former Soviet Union. He has also held teaching and curriculum design positions in the Middle East, such as the redesign of the first-year curriculum for UAE University, the country’s flagship university. 

Dr. Grim holds a Ph.D. in quantitative sociology from Penn State University, specializing in demographics, survey research, and the “religious economies” approach to the sociology of religion. Dr. Grim currently has research affiliations and/or cooperative projects with Boston University, Baylor University, Brandeis University, Notre Dame University, Brigham Young University, The Catholic University of America, and Georgetown University, where he recently chaired a doctoral committee. 

Dr. Grim is also founding president of the Religious Freedom & Business Foundation and Global Chairman of Dare to Overcome, which brings together CEOs, Fortune 500 companies and major universities in support of mutual human understanding, open-mindedness, and peace. He lives in the Washington DC area at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis with his wife, Julia Beth, who coordinates study abroad for the Naval Academy. They have four grown children, each with advanced degrees in medicine, physics, and law. They have 16 grandchildren!

Join is for a conversation with Seth Cohen, Chief Impact Officer @ Forbes, hosted by RFBF’s Brian Grim, on the new community created by Forbes to share ideas and discuss how faith, business, entrepreneurship and creativity can work together to help make the world more prosperous.

• Thursday, January 25
• 11am ET, 4pm UK
• Zoom (registration required)

The Forbes Faith + Business Community recently launched a LinkedIn Group for a global network of individuals applying their talent and time to the intersection of faith, business, entrepreneurship and creativity. The community is open to any individual who is interested in sharing and exploring content, ideas, opportunities, and initiatives that are faith-focused. Community members include executives, educators, entrepreneurs, investors, NGO leaders, policy makers, content creators, and many others.

This community is open and inclusive, the common denominator among all Forbes Faith + Business members is the willingness to share ideas, opportunities and solutions, all in a respectful and open-minded way. This isn’t a place for overly insistent self-promotion (although sharing your work and efforts is invited), its a place to discover new approach an allies, while also sharing stories and learnings we can all grow from.

Now, more than ever, leaders are grappling with all of these issues and more as they struggle with talent shortages, high rates of turnover, disengaged workers, a wobbly economy and the escalating pace of change. That’s why we created this digital forum — so ideas can be heard, partnerships can be nurtured, and solutions can be found. We are glad you found us, and we are looking forward to helping the world work better – together.

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The Forbes Faith + Business Community is an initiative of the Forbes Impact Lab. The content posted herein is the opinion of the individual posting the comment and is not to be deemed the opinion of Forbes Media. For questions, comments and collaborations, please contact Seth Cohen, Chief Impact Officer, Forbes Media.

Nehmé Y. Taouk is the founder of VALOORES Group, a high-end technology Company founded in France, 1987, that has expanded to more than 20 countries, in North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, and Far East. It offers Life-Cycle Solutions, to Tier 1 Corporates in Financial Services, Government, Law Enforcement & Counterintelligence, Retail and Supply Chain, Multi-Media and Communication. In early 1980, Nehme built the first Worldwide DataBank (HALYAT) that covered more than 30 years of events, with smart indexing technologies in English, French and Arabic, 20 years before Google existed.

The King Husein Global Business & Intercultural Peace International Award in Advocacy goes to Nehme Taouk. Nehme Taouk is Founder and CEO of Valoores, one of Lebanon’s most successful software development companies. With many Lebanese abandoning the country for work abroad, Nehme has been unrelenting in his efforts to support the younger generations by providing them with gainful employment opportunities and financial aid for education, with the ultimate goal of retaining their talent within their beloved homeland. This includes establishing several regional branches of his business in remote villages equipped with cutting-edge technology to empower these communities with jobs and a future. Mr. Taouk underscores the significance of spiritual values in the heart of business and the importance of a work culture that upholds the principles of intercultural engagement by actively employing people of diverse faiths, demonstrating his commitment to uplifting not only his own faith community, but all communities in Lebanon.

Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, spearheads social development projects within the JSW Group, emphasising education, health, skill development, rural BPO, environment, water, sports, and art. She holds various roles including Eisenhower Fellow, World Monuments Fund – India Chapter Trustee, Khoj Board Advisor, Tate International Council member, UN Women Business Sector Advisory Council member, and ‘Mumbai First’ Governing Board member. As Art India Magazine’s publisher since 1996, she’s dedicated to heritage preservation, notably for her award-winning restoration of the Hampi temple complex and Keneseth Eliyahoo Synagogue in Mumbai. Currently, she’s involved in restoring Srinagar’s iconic Shalimar Bagh. Globally recognised for her philanthropic contributions, her leadership at the JSW Foundation positively impacts over a million lives in 11 Indian states across 22 locations.

The King Husein Global Business & Intercultural Peace India Award in Social Investment and Philanthropy goes to Sangita Jindal. Sangita Jindal is Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, which drives social development projects within the JSW Group. She works for a positive change across India by improving the quality of life of vulnerable communities through philanthropic work in many fields including health and nutrition, education and learning, as well as in art, culture and heritage. Her work in this area led to the restoration of historic temples in Hampi and Uttarakhand, and beginning renovation of the Mughal gardens in the Kashmir valley, as well as restoration of the David Sassoon Library and Reading Room, named after Sir David Sassoon, a Baghdadi Jewish merchant, who funded its original construction, and restoration of the iconic Blue Synagogue in Mumbai, after which Jews from around the world said, “And, JSW’s support made us realize that even today Mumbai is looking after us like its own children.”

DTO builds on India’s G20 success

Dare to Overcome India (DTO) is a unique event that emphasises the core values that business leaders must engender and espouse in order to create an inclusive, diverse and peaceful work environment. It is the premier global event for business leaders to come together and share best practices, moral virtues, and corporate values as allies belonging to differing cultures, who have to function cohesively in workplaces and market-places – with the one collective goal of building sustainable peace and prosperity. Teamwork Arts is producing DTO’s next flagship international event, along with awards for business leaders and companies advancing peace and allyship among diverse communities, which will take place in New Delhi, India, on 4 October 2023.

DTO-India 2023 will also be the first-ever international gathering of Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) committed to fostering intercultural understanding in corporate workplaces, including representatives from MNCs Salesforce, PayPal, Equinix, American Airlines, etc. A call will be made for all companies to consider adding such ERGs to their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. DTO’s Unity in Diversity global gathering will be held at the Taj Mahal Hotel in New Delhi.

Brian Grim, Global Chairman, Dare to Overcome, said, “With India’s dynamic socio-economic rise on full display for the world during its G20 Presidency, I am thrilled that we can keep the positive momentum going with Dare to Overcome. At DTO India, we are showcasing how India’s rich diversity is a business asset, giving India a national and international competitive advantage.”

Sanjoy K Roy, Managing Director, Teamwork Arts, said, “India exemplifies unity in diversity, boasting a vast workforce stemming from varied backgrounds, beliefs, and cultures. Through our initiatives, we strive to build inclusive platforms that empower people to explore ideas uniquely. DTO India aims to celebrate this diversity in the Indian corporate arena, recognising it as our source of strength, where diverse talents come together to foster innovation and achieve success.”

Syed Shams Jawaid, Producer, Dare to Overcome India, said, “We’re excited to present the first annual Dare to Overcome Conference in India, dedicated to celebrating Unity in Diversity. The conference will delve into how India’s abundant cultural and spiritual diversity serves as a significant business asset for the nation. Our mission is to foster great minds working together from various walks and beliefs of life in harmony by bringing together business pioneers and thought leaders, paving the path to a more inclusive and promising future.”

Dare to Overcome has previously hosted a series of global awards and signature events to advance this cause. It was first held in Rio de Janeiro (2016) with the support of Brazilian President Michel Temer, then South Korea (2018) under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s patronage, in Tokyo (2021) with former Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama’s active support, and Washington DC (2022) with American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, being the partner.

At the event, the “King Husein Global Business Intercultural Peace Awards” will recognise corporate leaders who are advancing allyship in three areas:

Core business: This includes internal procedures, human resources hiring practices, training, product/service development, sourcing policies, and supply chains, as well as the development of products and services that promote interfaith understanding and peace. The 2023 award-winners include Nadir Godrej (Chairman of Godrej Agrovet and Managing Director of Godrej Industries), Louis D’Amore (Founder and outgoing President of the International Institute for Peace through Tourism (IIPT-USA), with Ajay Prakash (Incoming IIPT President) receiving it on his behalf.

Social investment and philanthropy: This includes financial and in-kind contributions, strategic social investment support for NGOs, UN and/or multilateral agencies, direct aid to affected communities, and the contribution of functional expertise through volunteering efforts. The 2023 award-winners include Sangita Jindal (Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, which drives social development projects within the JSW Group) and Dr. Maurizio Bragagni OBE (Chairman and CEO of Tratos Ltd-UK and Chairman of the Esharelife Foundation).

Advocacy and public policy engagement: Fostering social cohesion and inter-group dialogue and relationship-building in the workplace, marketplace and local community. 2023 award-winners include: Nehmeh (Nehemiah el’Meaaz) Taouk (CEO, Founder, VALOORES, Lebanon) and Zainab Patel (Lead, Inclusion and Diversity, Pernod Ricard India; formerly Director, Inclusion and Diversity, KPMG India).

Listing Information:

• Date: 4^th October, 2023
• Time: 9:00 AM Onwards
• Venue: Taj Mahal Hotel, Mansingh Road, New Delhi

About Teamwork Arts:

Teamwork Arts is a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world.  For over 30 years, Teamwork Arts has taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers, change makers and visual artistes in the knowledge and arts space in India and abroad. Every year, we produce over 33 festivals in 72 cities and 26 countries in the fields of performing & visual arts and literature. We produce the world’s largest literary gathering: the annual Jaipur Literature Festival; JLF international now travels to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Maldives, and Europe.

Even amidst the upheaval and unsettling times of 2020 and through 2021, Teamwork Arts successfully launched the digital series, JLF Brave New World and Words Are Bridges, which were viewed by over 4.8 million people in their first season. Through its digital avatar, the Jaipur Literature Festival reached over 27 million viewers in January 2021.  Art Matters empowers artistes across India to collaborate by commissioning them to create new works. The digital series Be Inspired was launched in 2021 – a series that crystal gazes into the future with conversations on science, technology, innovation, environment and more. The first on-ground edition of ‘Be Inspired – Festival of Ideas’ was held in April 2023.

More information at: www.teamworkarts.com

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For more information, please contact:

Teamwork Arts:

• Manash Pratim Deka
• Associate Vice President – Public Relations & Corporate Communications
• M: +91 9953970829 | E: manash@teamworkarts.com

Zimisha Communications:

• Imtiaz Alam
• M: +91 98102 27818 | E: imtiaz@zimisha.com
• Santosh Kumar
• M: +91 9990937676 | E: santosh@zimisha.com

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Salesforce’s Faithforce shines light on service & celebrating each other’s festivals

By Brian Grim

The highlight of my trip to India has been a visit to the Hyderabad headquarters of Salesforce. I met the president of Faithforce India, members of their leadership team as well as the Executive Vice president for Faithforce Global, who’s based there.

The Faithforce Business Resource Group (BRG) India is a network of 1,500+ members spanning multiple cities. In addition organizing inclusive mindfulness yoga in locations across the country as well as celebrating each other’s festivals and gaining knowledge of each other’s beliefs, they also collaboratively engage in community service.

For example, during last year’s December holidays and their champion month, each office put up a sustainable Christmas Tree through which they collected donations for children in need across India. The donations for this #BeAFaithSanta Drive included hygiene kits, educational kits, clothes, sports equipment and toys. Faithforce members planted the trees afterwards, in partnership with their environmental Business Resource Group – Earthforce.

Each floor also has a purpose-built mindfulness room for meditation and prayer, just as Salesforce offices do worldwide.

To learn more about the inclusive and cross culturally engaged Salesforce communities in India, watch the recent Indian “Economic Times Now” episode profiling Salesforce on “India’s Finest Workplaces,” which also features India’s Faithforce story (beginning at 5:45 mark)!

And what’s the business impact of all of this? It improves collaboration and engagement, increases retention and recruitment, and ultimately increases the bottom line. Indeed, Faithforce is a Business Resource Group (BRG)!

Companies in India and worldwide are invited to checkout Dare to Overcome, Oct. 3-5, 2023, to learn more about the positive role BRGs play in business success!

Dr Abbas Panakkal joins as a Senior Advisor for Dare to Overcome.

Dr Abbas Panakkal is a member of the advisory board of the Religious Life and Belief Centre at the University of Surrey and the director of the International Interfaith Harmony Initiative, which has been organizing international interfaith conferences in collaboration with the United Nations Interfaith Initiatives, the Malaysian Prime Minister’s Department for Unity and Integration, and the International Islamic University Malaysia for a decade. Dr Panakkal was awarded a research fellowship in 2016 by Griffith University in Australia. His research is wide-ranging, focussing on the history of law, language, religion, interreligious integration, intercultural cooperation etc. He is also a fellow at the King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Lisbon, Portugal.

Dare to Overcome: Unity in Diversity

With India’s dynamic socio-economic rise on full display for the world during its G20 Presidency, Dare to Overcome’s next global gathering is in New Delhi October 17-19, 2023. The event’s theme is Unity in Diversity.

Dare to Overcome (DTO) is the premier global event for business leaders to share and celebrate best practices, virtues, and values in being allies of differing communities and cultures in workplaces and marketplaces, thereby building peace.

DTO’s signature events are the Global Business & Intercultural Peace Awards and the Business & Peace Symposium. American Airlines, the world’s largest carrier, is DTO’s official airline and partner.