Bald heads are in vogue in the global tolerance office this week, as global tolerance team member Joana Ferreira bravely donated her locks to Matter of Trust this weekend. Her hair is now on the way to New Orleans, where it will be turned into ‘hair booms’ to assist in the clean-up of the Gulf of Mexico.

The program began more than 10 years ago, but since the recent disaster, Matter of Trust has seen more participants join the campaign than ever. Thousands of businesses and individuals have registered with the non-profit each day since the BP oil spill. Joana’s donation joins an estimated 450,000 pounds of hair, fur and nylon now arriving in the Gulf region.

Shaving is a bold but simple way of helping the cause. Hair, as well as being a renewable natural fibre, is absorbent enough to collect oil.

Find out more at http://matteroftrust.org/

We Are Family Foundation has enlisted global tolerance to participate as a Coalition Partner in its innovative teen leadership initiative: Three Dot Dash. Three Dot Dash is a global initiative designed to recognise and support the efforts of Global Teen Leaders around the world who are actively working on projects that promote a more peaceful society.

This March, Three Dot Dash wrapped up its second Just Peace Summit in New York City. Twenty-six carefully selected Global Teen Leaders between the ages of 14–19 years of age travelled to New York from 14 different countries and four continents to learn how to use multiple media vehicles and distribution methods, viral campaigns, and action plans in their work before leaving the Summit as a new global family. The 2010 GTLs joined the GTLs of 2008 to collectively represent 22 countries on five continents – making real change worldwide. global tolerance Founder and Managing Director Simon Cohen was a facilitator for the 2010 Three Dot Dash Just Peace Summit.

Three Dot Dash is a year-round event which creates a sustainable effort consequentially affecting millions worldwide. As a Coalition Partner, global tolerance will now work closely with the We Are Family Foundation and remarkable young social activists to have an indelible impact on global communities and provide positive messages in all forms of communication from teen leaders making the world a better and more peaceful place to live.

The 2011 Just Peace Summit will be held from 25 March – 1 April, 2011.

BP: Bad Press

In the wake of the oil spill, BP’s public relations haven’t exactly been slick. The company’s actions in the Gulf of Mexico were always going to be closely scrutinised in an event of this nature, but several PR disasters have also furthered to draw all eyes to the British company.

So far and somewhat conflictingly, the company’s PR moves have been judged as being simultaneously condescending and naïve. Their actions have been condemned, satirised, and pitied, and PETA is even pushing for animal rights campaigners to submit cruelty charges against them. But their well-meaning actions have not been commended by either the media or the general public.

Firstly, BP has been spending around 10,000 US$ a day on sponsored search engine links to ensure its monopoly on terms relating to the oil spill. Perhaps a sensible PR move to counteract bad press on paper, but BP has been criticised for not directing this large sum of money towards any actual, tangible clean up efforts in the Gulf.

Secondly, BP’s decision to stream live video from the ocean floor – evidently to show the company’s commitment and actions towards capping the oil spill – has only acted to further undermine their relationship with the public. Putting aside the failed attempts to actually cap the spill, the live stream views like a harrowing reality TV show; a visual perception of failure in which the observer can only watch helplessly as gallons of oil enter the sea.

In another well-intentioned PR move that’s fallen flat, the company has hired two reporters to provide updates of the cleanup operations. Tom Seslars writes the following in one of the entries to the ‘Blogs from the Gulf’ section of the BP website:

I was […] planning to seek out and write about some of the people most immediately affected by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. People period, not just BP people

In one update by Paula Kolmar, dated May 28, she writes about how she ‘enjoyed the spectacular ballet at sea.’

Watching the captains weave the long black boom as seamlessly as a professional ballet troupe performs an intricate dance, I found it difficult to believe that the rehearsals only started some weeks ago […] A ballet at sea as mesmerising as any performance in a concert hall, and worthy of an audience in its own right.

Good on them for trying, but it is impossible for any discerning reader to see these blogs as independent or unbiased reports on the situation. Far from placating the public, some have described these blogs as being ‘patronising,’ ‘strange,’ and even ‘lipstick on a pig.’

Most recently, BP has been portrayed as ‘bullying’ satirical @BpglobalPR, a Twitter feed that provides amusing updates from online persona Leeroy Sticks under the guise of a BP representative. This week, BP has asked Leeroy to specify that the feed featuring updates like ‘The ocean looks a bit slimmer today. Dressing it in black really did the trick! #bpcares’ is a fake– if that wasn’t already self-evident.

‘You know the best way to get the public to respect your brand?’ asks Leeroy in his blog. ‘Have a respectable brand.’ He may have a point. But the BP oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico is much more than a PR crisis. It’s a full-blown industrial and environmental disaster. 

Instead of appeasing the public with the flowery language of the blogs, or the live video stream from the base of the ocean, BP’s efforts just seem to just be pouring oil onto troubled waters. What practical actions could BP take to bridge the gulf that they have created? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Steph Davies

Photography by Meriana Guerra

“There is still much work to be done in building democratic and pluralistic societies, where diversity is fully protected and respected in practice…Freedom and tolerance must be taught and practised.” OSCE Summit Declaration 1992

Last Tuesday saw the winning entries of the ‘Tolerance, Transparency, Tradition, Trust: OSCE photo contest 2010’ unveiled at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) High-level Conference on Tolerance and Non-Discrimination in Astana, Kazakhstan. The international photography competition had over 100 entrants from 35 OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation.

global tolerance was a finalist selected by an international jury, with Simon Clark’s captivating photograph ‘The Imam and the Pastor’ (London, 2006). The photograph depicts former adversaries, now friends and partners championing peace and interfaith work in Africa and across the world.

In the 1990s, Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa led opposing, armed militias, dedicated to defending their respective communities as violence broke out in Kaduna, northern Nigeria. In pitched battles, Pastor James lost his hand and Imam Ashafa’s spiritual mentor and two close relatives were killed. Now the two men are co-directors of the Muslim-Christian Interfaith Mediation Centre in their city, leading task-forces to resolve conflicts across Nigeria.

gt’s photograph is a powerful expression of this moving story of forgiveness and a testimony of the ability to rebuild communities torn apart by conflict.

The full list of the contest winners and finalists, and a gallery of their inspiring photos can be found at the contest page.

The drama surrounding the 2004/2005 Orange Revolution in the Ukraine, which grabbed the worlds attention with the promise of a massive people’s revolt over an oppressive authoritarian regime, raised the flag of democracy high at the beginning of the new century. But the Ukraine remains a country at battle with the shadows of its past and present.

Black Public Relations (BPR) or negative Public Relations is a process of destroying someone’s reputation and corporate identity. This is where the term ’smear campaign’ comes from, a term that so tangibly communicates the dirt and filth that it associates with. While the Ukraine is by no means a lone wolf in the use of this dark form of communications, it is most certainly a leader in the field, and Black PR, propaganda, lies and character assassination are simply everyday accepted and expected ways of doing business in the country.

Over the past couple of days both Simon Cohen, founder and visionary behind global tolerance, and Lance McPherson, Senior Accounts Manager, were invited to make separate presentations to a select group of influential communications professionals visiting the UK from Kyiv (Kiev) and Kharhiv, the second largest city in the Ukraine. A group of 8 made up of Parliamentary Assistants, Media Students, Press Officers and Government Communications interns have come here to witness and explore a new perspective in communications, one that sidesteps ruthless competition and concentrates on connecting people to messages that are compelling, positive, and hopeful. Simon and Lance were hand picked to speak of their experience establishing global tolerance, swimming against the tide of UK PR tradition and operating ethically in an frequently hostile PR environment and media landscape.

The group are in London for seven days, and their itinerary includes a visit with the COI, The BBC Bush House for a live link to Kyiv (Kiev), The Foreign and Commonwealth Office for a briefing and the Swaminarayan Mandir at Neasden.They will also hear from Colleen Harris, Former Press secretary to HRH The Prince of Wales, and Farzana Hakim, Former Senior Political Adviser to Tony Blair whilst PM, as well as receiving training in the UK context for political and social engagement.

This Saturday saw the occasion of the first annual Great Drag Race in London— a spectacular fundraising event that aims to radically increase the public’s awareness of prostate cancer. In the lead up to the event, global tolerance was able to offer pr and communications support to the X Foundation in their mission to persuade a thousand men of all shapes and sizes to take part.

The fabulous participants were required to wear a wig and a frock as they embarked on a 10.2km run or walk in order to drag the issue into the spotlight. According to the X Foundation, that’s one long stride for each of the 10,200 men lost to the disease each year.

For pre-event coverage from The Metro click here.  

Autonomously, the images of the media and the church have been much maligned over the years. The relationship between religion and the media has also often been a source of misunderstanding. In our new age of technology, the importance of trust and understanding towards these organisations of power is more apparent than ever.

The Church and Media Network’s objective is to forge a connection between the media and faith communities and create foundations of understanding and resolution. One attempt to generate discourse is the annual Church and Media Conference in Derbyshire, which provides a unique opportunity for professionals to engage in a lively debate about the impact of the media on society. This Monday 7 June saw the opening of the three-day conference at the Hayes Conference Centre. More than 200 attendees gathered to discuss the contemporary issues associated with their work and explore the current challenges and opportunities facing media and faith communities.

Amongst the speakers this year were journalist and broadcaster Roger Bolton speaking on the state of the industry, Mumsnet founder Carrie Longton on the power of social networking, Humanist leader Andrew Copson on religion and atheism sharing public space, Caroline Diehl, David Holdsworth and Duncan Williams on the future of local media, and Simon Cohen, founder of global tolerance, speaking on social media ethics.

The emphasis of this year’s conference was on human factors in a digital environment. How do changes in the way we use media affect content producers and consumers? What about those of us who work with traditional forms of media? Where can voices of faith and integrity be found, in this constant barrage of technological white noise? At a time when previously defined forms of media are becoming blurred, it is easy for broadcasting, print and online media to spread an unclear message. If treated with great care, however, the new media holds the prospect of becoming a cohesive, profession and spiritual platform of social change. As Simon Cohen stated in a three-way dialogue with Carrie Longton and Miles Giljan, “The humanising potential of social media is overwhelming.”

In the wake of the Church and Media Conference, global tolerance will continue to strive to use its unique brand of inspired communications and ethical media to challenge intolerance on a worldwide scale.

Steph Davies

With the summer months upon us, the global reality of global tolerance has sprung five new buds as we opened our doors to five new team members, each ‘chomping at the bit’ to learn more about the arena of ethical, conscience led business.

Coming from a diverse, global range of backgrounds and bringing with them a wealth of different experiences and knowledge the new team is bursting with energy, inspired by the amazing range of gt projects that they will be working on. They are all excited to be learning from global tolerance founder, Simon Cohen and the wonderful gt team.

As Muhammed Baraje, a gt placement from Nigeria said, “The sense of family here is amazing. It really makes you feel like you are part of the team.” Muhammed is starting his Masters in International Business at Brunel University and will be completing a research paper on “Media Ethics” through his experiences here.

Becky and Gosia, both students at The University of Westminster will be working with Simon in his objective to reframe the term PR and forge a new communications paradigm, emphasizing personal relations over agenda driven public relations.

Dayo Popoola and Shrey Garg are are two more Masters students from Brunel University. Dayo, who is also from Nigeria, will be completing a research paper on “Online and Social Media” and Shrey, a business student from India, is here to learn from and explore the area of “Social Business and Entrepreneurship.”

global tolerance is about living the values that we profess and ones that we work hard to help our clients communicate. We believe deeply in our work and treasure the trust that we inspire in others. It’s no wonder that our newest members have already expressed their gratitude for team members like Joana, who created our “gt Love and Compassion initiative” which leads the gt team to be conscious of sharing small, meaningful acts of love and compassion for each other. After all the change that you want to see happen starts under your own roof. As Joana put it, “sharing the gt environment of inspiration with our new members is part of the inspiration that we want to share with the world.”

At the beginning of this year, global tolerance partnered with the interfaith charity Interact, and the environmental charity Groundwork, to organise and help run an environment and photography training course for 14-25 year olds from different faith communities.

global tolerance invites you to the remarkable final exhibition, which takes place on 3 June from 10am-5pm in central London. Please click on the image to find out all the details.

global tolerance has been hired by UNESCO to work on an exciting project exploring innovative media, ICTs and creative new media solutions for peace building. This new work follows on the heels of UNESCO’s recent invitation for global tolerance’s founder Simon Cohen to speak at the Second Global Forum on the Power of Peace, organized by UNESCO and hosted by the Government of Thailand, where Simon addressed the theme of “Conflict management through Media and ICTs: New Opportunities for Collaboration”.

Innovative ICTs and oganizations engaging social media and new media solutions in forwarding causes of peace and understanding are invited to contact our Digital Media Manager at deiren@globaltolerance.com