Ross Tutin is a Scout from Brisbane, Australia. Currently, he is the Unit Leader of the Spiritual Development Working Unit and a Global Consultant for the World Organisation of the Scout Movement (WOSM), as well as the International Commissioner of Scouts Australia’s Queensland Branch. Ross has participated in a variety of interreligious and dialogue activities for the Scouts over many years, including the 5th World Scout Interreligious Symposium in 2017 and the 24th World Scout Jamboree in 2019. Both events included collaboration between WOSM and KAICIID on Interreligious Dialogue and the Dialogue for Peace Programme. After receiving the Queen’s Scout Award in 2000, Ross gained experience in leading and advising program teams which has improved the spiritual development program within the Scouts Australia educational program, particularly after holding roles as Branch Adviser (Chaplaincy Support) and Branch Leader (Spiritual Development) in both Queensland and Victoria Branches of Scouts Australia. Ross is a member of the Anglican Church of Australia, having experience from his family’s ministry with churches in various parts of Australia. He has also been committee member on various church committees and has been a Lay Representative on the Anglican Synods of Brisbane and Melbourne Dioceses. Professionally, Ross currently works in municipal government with an extensive career in government, travel and tourism industries. He holds a Bachelor of Business and a Graduate Certificate in Tourism Futures.

Lakshitha Saji Prelis is a Co-Chair of the Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security and the Director of Children & Youth Programs with Search for Common Ground. Mr. Prelis has over twenty years’ experience working with youth movements and youth focused organizations in conflict and transition environments in over 35 countries throughout the world. In 2010 he co-founded and has been co-chairing the first UN-CSO-Donor working group (Global Coalition on Youth, Peace and Security) that helped successfully advocate for the historic UN Security Council Resolution 2250 (in 2015) and a second Security Council Resolution (Res 2419) was unanimously adopted in June 2018. Mr. Prelis is also the director of children and youth programs at Search for Common Ground (SFCG), an international conflict transformation organization. Prior to joining SFCG, Mr. Prelis was the founding director of the Peacebuilding & Development Institute at American University in Washington, DC. Over eleven years at the university resulted in him co-developing over 100 training curricula exploring the nexus of peace building with development. Mr. Prelis received the distinguished Luxembourg Peace Prize for his Outstanding Achievements in Peace Support. Mr. Prelis obtained his Master’s Degree in International Peace & Conflict Resolution with a Concentration in International Law from American University in Washington, DC.

Nyambura Gichuki is committed to building leaders, influencing authentic service and sharing hope. She has over 10 years progressive experience in youth programming, focusing on developing youth leaders, building networks, fostering interfaith cooperation, advancing peace and advocating for sustainable development. Her service has encompassed providing programmatic support to over 40 grassroots organisations in more than 25 countries globally; as well as leading and participating in community activities in 17 countries. Nyambura is well versed in engaging faith communities and civil society, having worked for institutions such as One Hope—Kenya, the African Council of Religious Leaders—Religions for Peace, and currently, Arigatou International —Nairobi. Her most recent work includes initiating the East Africa regional youth #ILeadPeace online media campaign. “I believe in investing in people and enabling them to live a meaningful life, because every person matters”, she says.

Dr Mark Owen is Director of the University's Centre for Religion, Reconciliation and Peace. He gained a First Class BA in Theology and Religious Studies; he holds an MA in Death in World Religions and a PhD in Tibetan Buddhism. He has carried out extensive fieldwork throughout South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Mark also runs the charity Freedom to Learn, which works to provide the opportunity of education to children from some of the remotest regions of the Himalayas and South Asia. In Oct. 2017, Mark was appointed Secretary General for the European Council of Religious Leaders which, as a mechanism for peace building, brings together senior religious leaders from Europe’s historical religions. His research interests include; religious peacebuilding; religion and conflict analysis; Buddhism and peacebuilding; and he has also published in the areas of Buddhist ethnography and the Tibet/China issues.