21st Century tools for social transformation

The Organization for Identity and Cultural Development creates and disseminates tools and interventions that utilize the structure and workings of identities to transform conflict and build cohesion.

Recent advances in the social, behavioral, political and neurological sciences demonstrate that identities are complex systems that operate within their own internal parameters and mechanisms. Understanding and targeting processes within these culturally-determined identities (intra-culturally) unlocks the potential to target destructive identities and regenerate cohesion between individuals and communities.

The Organization for Identity and Cultural Development (OICD) is a group of academics, practitioners and professionals committed to applying this emerging knowledge and practice to conflict transformation and cohesion building in communities and societies around the world.

The OICD’s Goals:

• To engage with governmental and non-governmental agencies and industry to assist in the creation of: multicultural and social cohesion programs/policies; conflict response/prevention/resolution interventions; state rebuilding strategies/programs.
• To create targeted projects for the empowerment of solution-orientated identities in areas of violent and symbolic conflict. To evaluate existing and develop new applied approaches to reduce and prevent the formation of sectarian identities.
• To build curricula which highlight the mechanisms of identity formation for use in schools, universities, NGO, government and industry training programs.
• To establish and support publishing outlets for work which attempts to make academic research on all aspects of identity accessible to the public and policy sectors.
• To conduct and compile innovative research on the formation and maintenance of social identity.
• To create wider networks of professionals, academics and policy makers who share an interest in contributing to the above aims.