Encompass Mission Statement

Our story

Encompass came about thanks to the inspirational work of the Braden Family and Jun Hirst – Dan’ girlfriend. Daniel Braden was amongst the 202 people killed in the terrorist atrocity on Bali on October 12th 2002. He was blown apart by people who saw him as a Westerner and therefore, the enemy.

Jun and the Bradens concluded that while one group of people is able to dehumanise the faith or the culture of another, events like the one that killed Dan would go on happening.

They wanted to show that such indiscriminate killings could be prevented by opening the minds of young people to the value and humanity of the other.

And so Encompass was formed.

What we do

Encompass works to empower young people to make positive changes in their local communities through promoting tolerance and intercultural understanding. The first step in this process is taking part in a ‘Journey of Understanding’, the name Encompass gives to the residential programmes we run which bring together 24 young people from Indonesia, Israel, the Palestinian Territories, the US and the UK for a jam-packed week of outdoor activities and facilitated discussions at an Outward Bound® centre.

Rock-climbing, raft-building and hill-walking are used as an effective method of breaking down barriers between the young people, which may exist due to different geographic, religious, ethnic or social backgrounds. Building up trust between individuals enables the young people to feel comfortable with one another and gives them confidence to express their opinions during the facilitated evening discussion workshops, run by experienced Encompass staff, which use a range of non-formal education methods to focus on controversial issues including identity, stereotypes and conflict as well as wider global and local issues.

“The programme was an experience that is going to stay with me, not only because of the friends that I made, but because I learnt a lot about people from other cultures and I learnt a lot about myself. Seeing as we live in such a multicultural society, I think that this programme is really good in helping us understand and become more tolerant of other cultures.”
Rebecca, 21, UK

Taking it Further


As the week progresses, both the outdoor activities and the discussions become more demanding, challenging the young people both physically and mentally. Throughout the week, participants are encouraged to think about practical ways to take their experiences on the programme further to promote tolerance and inter-cultural understanding within their own communities. The young people are supported by Encompass in developing their ideas which they can start putting into practice once back at home.

The participants are Encompass’s most important assets and, after they return from a ‘Journey of Understanding’ programme, the Encompass team is there to support them in pursuing all kinds of routes to share their experiences with the people around them. As well as running workshops at schools, universities and youth groups, they have produced films about their experiences with Encompass, organised events bringing together young people from different backgrounds, set up discussion groups, and raised money for Encompass.

By encouraging participants to stay involved, we aim to grow friendships around the world, and rely on our Encompass ambassadors to speak up for tolerance and peaceful co-existence.

Staying Connected

How better for our participants to stay in touch with the new friends they have made on their ‘Journey of Understanding’ than on the Encompass FACEBOOK page?

Check it out for stories, photos, events and more…

Just go to:
www.facebook.com
and search for:
Encompass Trust

Who We Are

  • Dan

Staff
  • Eric Appleby (Chief Executive)

Eric oversees strategy and operations in the London office. He joined the Encompass team just over 2 years ago, bringing with him over 20 years of charity management experience.
Contact Eric for questions about Encompass management and strategy issues.

Contact Eric: eric@encompasstrust.org
Tel: 0207 493 9739

  • Steve Hallam (Fundraising Manager)

Steve is responsible for securing the valuable funds that enable all of the Encompass programmes and activities to happen. Steve is looking forward to organising a series of music events for Encompass, starting this Spring, so keep your ear to the ground and come and join in!
Contact Steve with any fundraising-related questions.

Contact Steve: steve@encompasstrust.org
Tel: 0207 493 9739

  • Erika Moisl (Programme Manager)

Erika is responsible for organising, coordinating and leading the ‘Journey of Understanding’ programmes and everything related to our international activities, and is the main point of contact for anyone interested in getting involved with Encompass.
Contact Erika with any questions about our programmes and activities.

Contact Erika: erika@encompasstrust.org
Tel: 0207 493 9739

  • Naseera Kassam (Youth Development Coordinator)

Naseera supports the young people who have been on our ‘Journey of Understanding’ programmes with training and opportunities to help develop their ideas to promote tolerance and intercultural understanding in their communities. Still relatively new in the Encompass office, Naseera is already getting stuck into devising an exciting programme of activities for our young people.

Contact Naseera: naseera@encompasstrust.org
Tel: 0207 493 9739

UK Trustees

  • Alexander K Braden
  • Amanda M Braden
  • Claire R Braden
  • Peter Meekings
  • Angus MacKirdy
  • Andrea Miles
  • Neville Pressley

Encompass Middle East

  • Amit Lavi
  • Ashraf Ashkar

Encompass Indonesia

  • Heroe Soeprapto
  • Bina Yuanita
  • Bambang Sarasno

US Trustees

  • Nicholas Braden
  • Edward Acker
  • Alexander K Braden
  • Claire R Braden
  • Kevin Merrigan
  • Jun Hirst

UK Office: Contact us!

7 Gee’s Court
London
W1U 1JG
info@encompasstrust.org
Tel: + 44 (0)20 7493 9739