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Watch to see how OVO fosters a work environment where people of all faiths and beliefs are welcome, safe and productive. Also, learn more here.

Dare to Overcome (DTO) is the premier annual gathering for Fortune 500 company employee resource groups (ERGs), corporate chaplains, and other faith-and-belief workplace initiatives to share best practices and celebrate achievements.

Join us for essential conversations and dynamic presentations on issues companies, leaders and employees are facing in an ever-changing socio-economic environment at home and abroad.

This year’s theme is “United Towards Hope.”

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“Religion and Public Schools: A First Amendment Guide” is an updated version of U.S. guidelines developed by experts at the Freedom Forum. The new edition answers 23 frequently asked questions about religion and public schools with concise statements of current law.

New Resource: “Employment: The Right to Freedom of Thought, Conscience, Religion or Belief of Women at Work” is a new explainer that offers OSCE participating States, businesspeople, unions, civil society organisations and religious or belief groups practical recommendations to ensure respect for, and protection of women’s right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in employment.

Join RFBF’s Brian Grim for “Corporate Responsibility in the International Religious Freedom (IRF) Space: Challenges and Opportunities,” a panel discussion on Tuesday, 4th February, 3:30pm, at the IRF Summit in Washington DC, with Fr. Greg McBrayer (American Airlines) and Simon Billenness (No Business With Genocide).

By Brian Grim

“From Ford to Walmart, some big companies dialed back diversity efforts as activists pressed. Under the next Trump administration, the pressure will grow,” observes a recent WSJ article. In this environment, it is all the more important to demonstrate how freedom of religion and belief in the workplace is not just a diversity issue, it is a bottom line business benefit.

Forbes’ Chief Impact Officer Seth Cohen and I recently had a conversation on the business benefits of faith-friendly workplaces at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York. You can share your views here by commenting on the video about how you business leaders can leverage faith in the workplace to drive innovation and collaboration.

“I have found that to engage the world, you have to have a soft heart, a hard head and ready hands.”

RFBF Board member, Chris Seiple, argues that the way to overcome division, discord and deceit is by loving your neighbor. Easier said than done.

“While there are people of faith (and no faith at all) who stand ready to partner in taking on our most pressing challenges, they are not quite sure how,” says Chris, “particularly when the task at hand requires them to work with someone who does not look, vote or pray as they do.”

Chris provides three keys to loving your neighbor in a multibelief world: having a soft heart, a hard head, and ready hands.

Read full article on RNS.

By Brian Grim

A Music Fast Changed My Life—A Media Fast Might Heal Yours

Fasting from Media

65% say they always or often feel exhausted when thinking about politics according to Pew Research. Fasting from Media can revive us.

Research shows massive numbers of people are trapped in partisan echo chambers. Social and partisan media reinforce bias and polarization by providing a diet of repetitive refrains with limited depth and breadth that limit our spirituality and minds.

In a new article, I trace how a 10-month fast from music changed my life. I suggest that a media fast — be it 10 hours, 10 days or 10 months — can not only open up the creative voices that are in your soul, it can cure exhaustion and curb anger.

Read full article.

Antidote to incivility: Tap virtues that faith reinforces

At the start of 2024, SHRM launched the Civility Index to gauge the current climate of civility across the U.S. This pulse report is part of a continuous effort to track and understand trends in civility within U.S. society and workplaces.

The Index found that incivility carries a hefty price tag for businesses—and it’s getting pricier. According to SHRM, in Q4 2024 the collective daily loss by U.S. organizations is more than $2.7 billion from reduced productivity and absenteeism due to incivility. If that level continues, it would add up to nearly $1 trillion annually ($989 billion).

This is a staggering cost, but the Q4 finding is particularly alarming because it represents an average daily increase of nearly $600 million compared to Q3.

A largely untapped antidote to this rising tide of incivility is to openly tap virtues that faith reinforces.

A useful definition of virtue come from the Vatican’s Catechism, which in paraphrase states that a virtue is an habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows people not only to perform good acts, but to give the best of themselves. Virtuous people tend toward the good with all their sensory and spiritual powers; they pursue the good and chooses it in concrete actions.

This definition draws on this scriptural admonition: “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).

Andrew Abela, dean of the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, is perhaps the leading thinker on the topic of virtue and business. Realizing that many “check their faith at the door” when they enter the workplace and that this incongruity is a widespread phenomenon, not just confined to Catholics, he asks,  “How can we live a unified life, a life of integrity – where our faith and our work are fully integrated?”

He suggests that the answer lies in the concept of “virtue” – simply put – good habits, with the opposite being a vice, a bad habit. Things like lying, cheating, stealing and gossiping are bad habits, or vices, while being kind and being trustworthy are good habits, or virtues.

But, he asks, “What is the connection of virtue to religion?” From a religious point of view, people are created in God’s image, and therefore, living by the dictates of God to not lie, cheat, steal, and so on are not only harmful to others but also harmful to ourselves. The good news, according to Abela, is that virtues can be practiced, and as such, become our operating system. And the more we practice them, they become a habit.

The good news is that virtues can be practiced whether one is religious or not, but religion provides not only extra incentives to live up to the ideal (e.g., approval of God), but also resources that reinforce the habits (e.g., prayer, meditation, accountability to a congregation).

For more, see his keynote at our first Dare to Overcome Faith@Work conference:

Dare to Overcome 2024 Roundtable Discussion: Advancing Human Rights and Business Skills Education

The Dare to Overcome 2024 roundtable discussion focused on advancing the Dare to Overcome Human Rights, Business Skills & Peace Secondary School Curriculum, an innovative initiative aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16. This program, piloted in India, combines human rights education with business skills to foster inclusive peace and prepare students for future challenges.

Key Updates from the Roundtable

Opening Remarks by Dr. Brian Grim (DTO Chair): Dr. Grim emphasized the potential global impact of the curriculum, highlighting its origin in Geneva and desired adaptations in Fiji, Ghana, Nigeria, the Philippines, and beyond. He noted India’s pioneering role in integrating this curriculum, supported by institutions like the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) and MIT World Peace University (MIT-WPU). He called for corporate support to fund and scale the project, emphasizing the curriculum’s alignment with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) mandates.

Pilot Curriculum Highlights

MIT-WPU’s Contributions: The Global Harmony Initiative at MIT-WPU bridges human rights education and business skills, aligned with the university’s mission of fostering global peace. The pilot began on September 30, 2024, involving five schools and 368 students across rural, urban, and semi-urban demographics. Dr. Shalini Tonpe and her team highlighted the transformative potential of targeting 9th-grade students, a critical age for developing abstract thinking and addressing ethical dilemmas. Using the Dare to Overcome curriculum, they crafted lessons combining human rights knowledge, like the right to equality, with business skills such as networking and critical thinking. Additionally, students co-created music and stories to enhance emotional engagement and reinforce the curriculum’s themes.

Outcomes and Challenges

Positive Outcomes

• – Increased awareness and understanding of human rights.
• – Enhanced empathy and critical thinking skills among students.
• – Creative outputs, including 10 original songs promoting equality and unity.
• – Engagement across diverse student groups, showcasing the curriculum’s adaptability.

Challenges Identified

1. – Curriculum constraints include limited depth in certain topics.
2. – Cultural and social barriers, with some minority schools hesitating to share perspectives.
3. – Limited availability of trained teachers.
4. – Sensitivity of certain topics, requiring careful handling.

Recommendations

• – Integrate human rights education into existing curricula.
• – Provide multilingual resources and teacher training.
• – Foster industry collaboration for resource sharing and volunteer engagement.
• – Utilize innovative pedagogies, such as storytelling and music.

Q&A and Future Directions

Participants raised several important questions, including:

• – Parent Engagement: While teachers’ feedback was reviewed, involving parents emerged as a priority.
• – Expansion to Younger Age Groups: Interest was expressed in adapting the curriculum for younger students, acknowledging developmental differences.
• – Longitudinal Studies: Tracking long-term impacts was suggested to measure the program’s efficacy.
• – Corporate Involvement: Companies like Salesforce and Dell expressed interest in supporting the curriculum through volunteer programs and tools.

Future Goals

• – Expand the pilot to underprivileged schools.
• – Propose the curriculum to India’s Ministry of Education for nationwide adoption.
• – Develop a scalable, online version of the curriculum to allow crowdsourcing and continuous improvement.
• – Strengthen global partnerships, positioning India as a leader in CSR and human rights education.

Concluding Remarks

Dr. Aleena Sebastian emphasized the importance of national and global relevance, advocating for collaboration among researchers, educators, policymakers, and communities. The roundtable concluded with a collective commitment to refining the curriculum and exploring innovative ways to amplify its impact. As a unique intersection of human rights and business skills education, the Dare to Overcome curriculum holds promise to shape a generation of empathetic, skilled leaders dedicated to peace and inclusion.

Read full notes from Roundtable here.