Recent International News
First ever Common Purpose programme in the Asia-Pacific region to launch in Hong Kong
2010 will see the launch of the first ever Common Purpose courses in the Asia-Pacific region. Run from Hong Kong, pilot courses are likely to start in April and will include both Meridian and Frontrunner.
The courses will be based in Hong Kong and will build links with mainland China. Modules will take place in Beijing and Shanghai to give participants access to some of the key players in mainland China, and some of these days will be open to Common Purpose participants and alumni from across the world in form of Quests or International Exchanges.
The Hong Kong Meridian will be a truly international Common Purpose offering where participants will have the opportunity to achieve some of their mandatory 60 hours in London, Bangalore, or any other country in which the Meridian course is running.
With a Meridian course also due to start in Shanghai, these are exciting developments for Common Purpose.
Common Purpose continues to grow in India
Following a very successful launch in Bangalore last year, there has been continuing interest in and support for growing Common Purpose across India. So less than a year after Bangalore began, Common Purpose launched a second Indian course in Chennai in June 2009.
The diverse, cross-sector group of participants are demonstrating that the public, private and NGO sectors can be brought together in India to work on combined initiatives to tackle the challenges facing Indian cities today. Given the difficulties of bringing together people from across the different sectors in India, the mixture of participants on the Chennai course is quite unique.
The success of these initial courses and the subsequent interest means that a course in Mumbai is almost a reality, with the potential for further development in new cities and for running new courses designed for younger age groups.
Berlin and Cologne - the two newest cities to host Common Purpose programmes
Despite the tough economic times, Common Purpose continues to develop rapidly in Germany. Following the start of two new courses (Stuttgart and Essen) in 2008, the first ever Common Purpose Matrix course in Berlin started in January 2010.
Development work is being generously supported by the BMW Foundation, which has recently relocated its headquarters from Munich to the German capital.
Also relocating are major European Insurance company Generali, moving from Aachen to the city of Cologne. To mark their arrival as Cologne’s newest corporate citizen, Generali will be working with the city to help set up a Common Purpose Matrix course (also due to start in 2010).
Frank Truemper, Chief Executive of Common Purpose Germany, is excited about the developments: "Growing interest in Common Purpose in Germany reflects both increasing dissatisfaction with the established modes of problem solving as much as the rising awareness that there is no such thing as a 'grand design of perfect solution' for today’s intricate and multilevel challenges. Common Purpose adds a rather specific flavour to the German sense of community (‘Gemeinschaft’) - although our approach very much fits Germany’s decentralized and federal structure, it also runs counter to the rather etatist tradition."
South African and UK participants "buddy up"
The intense learning environments that Common Purpose courses create now feature several opportunities for international “local-to-local” experiences.
Participants on Meridian in South Africa are taking part in an international “buddies” initiative with their counterparts in Northern Ireland, holding fortnightly conversations via phone, Skype or other method to extend their learning experience.
Common Purpose International Navigator launched in 2009, in which participants from London, Edinburgh, the north of England and Johannesburg started coures simultaneously. As well as extending the buddies initiative, UK participants gathered in London on one of the core days to link up live with the participants in Johannesburg.
International Quests bring together participants from Turkey, the Netherlands, Germany and the UK
“I came away with a strong impression of how different people in the city were all working together with a shared sense of purpose and enthusiasm to drive things forward in their area. Their positivity and different way of viewing challenges was inspiring”. Participant on the recent Common Purpose Quest to Stuttgart
What does it mean to be a “Swabian”? And what role has Arts and Culture played in the innovative processes which have taken place in Amsterdam over the last decade?
These were the questions explored on the recent Common Purpose “Quest” days to Stuttgart and Amsterdam.
In Stuttgart, participants explored the region of Swabia in South West Germany, meeting and exchanging ideas with key local decision makers (including fellow Common Purpose participants and graduates). They looked for insights into the cultural identity of the region, how leaders face local challenges, and why apprenticeships are so important to the people there. The group visited the Robert Bosch Company and Foundation, the Mercedes Benz museum, and even had time to sample the Bier at the Spring Festival!
