Ikeda Center Newsletter
October 2016
2016 Ikeda Forum
Crisis or Opportunity? A Dialogue on Democracy, Inclusion, and Community


Please join us on the evening of Thursday, October 27th, for a timely dialogue with Dr. Ceasar McDowell, President of the Interaction Institute for Social Change, and Professor of the Practice of Community Development at MIT. Together we will examine the challenging but vital democratic endeavor of fostering inclusive, equitable, and just communities. As part of the discussion, we will also explore respectful and peaceful ways to address difficult issues. We look forward to a wide-ranging conversation on the great potential for unity within our communities. See you then!

Learn more and RSVP for this free event here!

Read an interview with Dr. McDowell on democracy and the centrality of voice. 

Generative Ideas
Check out these peace, learning, and dialogue resources for Fall 2016

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September 2016 marked the 25th anniversary of Center founder Daisaku Ikeda's address at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government called "The Age of 'Soft Power' and Inner-Motivated Philosophy."
Did you know that Mahatma Gandhi advocated Montessori-style education? The Center's Mitch Bogen explores what Gandhi admired about Montessori pedagogy in a new essay called "Growing Peace: Gandhi, Montessori, and What It Means To begin With the Children."

Our Spring 2016 Northeastern University co-op program intern, Natalie Evans, composed an essay for our website examining Daisaku Ikeda's concept of "human revolution" and its relationship to social change. Her piece is called "The Personal Is Political: Inner Transformation As the Foundation for Helping Others."

Our approach to learning is based on the educational philosophy and pedagogy known as Soka, or "value-creating" education, developed by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi in Japan in the early 20th century. We have recently updated our annotated bibliographic guide to Soka Education. It serves as a great introduction to and overview of the subject.