From the Solomon Islands to South Korea, 136 delegates from over 17 countries gathered on Phillip Island, near Melbourne, Australia, for the 17th in a series of Asia Pacific Youth Conferences (APYC) organized by Initiatives of Change, 18-24 July 2011.

Keith Mills tells the story of two young men from Afghanistan who have been staying at Asia Plateau, the Initiatives of Change centre in western India. Despite the great suffering they have endured, along with their fellow countrymen and women, they have returned to Afghanistan with hope and a vision for the future.

For the 21 young adults who participated in the Life Matters course in Melbourne, Australia, it was a life-changing experience. Over nine days in February, they examined issues of culture and identity, the wounds of history, forgiveness, conflict transformation and the moral and spiritual qualities needed to become a change-maker.

Yoko Hisano, originally from Japan, now works in the field of interational education in the USA. She writes about what she learned through the Life Matters course and how it has affected the way she lives now.

A Life-Matters weekend workshop, based on the full nine-day Life Matters course, took place in Sydney, 17-19 September for a diverse group of young adults at the Granville Community Centre.

The sixth Basketball and Life-skills camp took place on Victoria's Philip Island, 9-11 July, bringing together 42 from 10 different communities, ranging in age from 14-27 years.

Mike Brown from Adelaide joined Rajmohan Gandhi and his wife Usha for a week hosted by IofC Japan, as part of the IofC International President's 14-nation “Voyage of Dialogue and Discovery”. Mike writes:

Over the last few weeks Creators of Peace Circles have been formed all over Australia...

For the last seven years, interfaith dialogues between Muslims and Christians have been held in different parts of Sydney, sponsored jointly by the Catholic Diocese of Parramatta, the Islamic Friendship Association of Australia (IFAA), and Initiatives of Change (IofC)...

The idea to have a “Life Matters 2” follow-up training weekend came originally from James McIvor, Youth Justice Manager for the Gippsland region, and in recent years a keynote speaker at Life Matters courses. Rob Wood reports...