Let's khordiafy !

Create amity, new hope and a conflict-resistant society through our school children

The story of how

khordiafy was conceived and a new word was born

This is how one person's seed of an idea grew into an audacious plan to create new hope and positive attitudes throughout Europe, connecting all primary and elementary schools to do simple activities, generating understanding and friendliness, without travel or direct pupil contact. To start from here and make the next 80 years far better than the last.

In January 2020 Brexit changed Europe and 2020 also marked the 75th anniversary of end of WW2. In the decades since 1945, how well had the many formal pan-European projects and schemes that were created to keep Europe from further conflict succeeded? Had they created the confident unity and the enduring security intended?

In the UK, with these questions weighing on his mind, father of three young adults and with the prospect of grandchildren, Ian Hilton-Turvey considered what the future of Europe might hold for them. Could something yet be done to make hope happen, to ensure friendliness?

Poignantly as it would turn out, he grappled with these issues when walking three dogs on a long-disused WWII munitions railway line in the Shropshire countryside.

Meet Jenner, Bindy and Ted

First step: Focus in on the core problems, the roots of the dilemma

The source lies back in late1945 when the world war ended and the challenge was all too clear:

How to act to prevent the ages old cycles of conflict and devastation occurring again in the future.

What to do to enable all the peoples of Europe to think and act towards each others in positive ways, that would develop a conflict-resistant society.

Sadly, eighty years later, these noble aims remain largely unfulfilled.

Second step, decide that starting from here we can still rectify this.

An entirely fresh approach and a totally new method would be needed, challenge the status quo with a massive reset of expectations.

From Ian‘s international experience he carried one crucial insight that many people who travel would recognise:

Good results normally happen whenever ordinary folk from different nations meet one-another informally. Positive perspectives and warm attitudes are formed. Lasting bonds may develop.

This insight shows that we must multiply such connections exponentially. He saw that we could achieve this if we could give all Europe's children an opportunity to connect, to relate and grow amity themselves, doing so explicitly through their schools, doing this every year so that eventually everyone will have done this.

Thirdly, recognise that such ambitions need an audacious visionary approach.

Enabling every individual person of every future generation to interact with the maximum possible number of people of other nationalities and societies
Giving school children the experiences that provide ways to form amity.
Ensuring that they have this powerful opportunity whilst they are still at school.

Clearly an entirely fresh initiative would be required:

A new movement for good throughout Europe

The dogs had much more exercise than expected up and down the old railway whilst the vision was formed into a clear initiative

Ted

Now, let's khordiafy !

Fourthly, and crucially, such an initiative must be structured to be both simple and strong to succeed.

Every single child in each country in Europe must get the chance to interact with children from every other European country at an age when they can both understand and retain the experience.

Every single child must be directly involved, not a lucky minority or a limited number of successful applicants.

Getting involved and interacting with others internationally must be done without any travel or needing to speak each others' languages.

All opportunities for interaction between schools must be positive, appealing and fun, simple and cheap or even cost free.

To take hold and to endure, the initiative must grow as a movement. It must organic and dynamic. It will not be a formal or institutionally disseminated or funded program.

Safeguarding and security is paramount. Children will only be involved via their school's involvement safeguarding protection.

The geographical scope will not be constrained by how Europe is formally or politically defined. After all, the birthplace of Khordiafy is the UK after Brexit!

The movement will start with UK schools firstly extending an invitation to schools of other countries in Europe. From this ignition Khordiafy will then continue to spread organically.

The WW2 80th anniversary in 2025 will remind us to make the next 80 years much better, growing amity to the year 2105 and beyond.

Once the new concept was rounded off, the dogs could head home from the old military railway line and Ian would develop these ideas into a practical initiative.

The birth of such a movement needs the birth of a new name.

A momentous scheme such as this requires an equally powerful name. This called for something more: for an entirely new word to be born. A word which would be both a noun and a verb, which when seen and spoken would embrace and echo many languages.

To forge this new word a linguistics research project was conducted, looking into relevant words and phrases in modern and ancient source languages world-wide.

By deriving and blending their meanings and phonics

the new word was finally forged:

'KHORDIAFY'

Starting from here, acting together we can build something exceptional - a far better next 80 years to the year 2105 and beyond.

The invitation to schools to participate, to khordiafy, is now going out from the UK to schools across Europe.