Vandana Saxena Poria, Founder CEO of Get Through Guides (GTG) and Co Chair of the British Business Group in Pune, India said, "David Cameron launched Dishaa to help build networks between the next-generation of leaders of UK and India, which genuinely leads to innovation, collaboration and sharing. It in effect catalyses business for both countries and beyond. Through the people I met on the  Dishaa Venture, GTG now has a growing publishing presence in Africa, providing affordable materials to pass exams.  If this is just the result of 3 years since the start of Dishaa Ventures, imagine the success stories we will have in the next decade.'

Raj Gilda, Co Founder, Lend-A-Hand India and Dishaa alumnus said "being a Common Purpose alumnus has already helped me to establish the NGO Lend-A-Hand India in the UK and also find British partners for the skill development program for youth that we carry out in rural India. Having David Cameron as a patron provides a great role model for international leadership and helps raise the profile of this important Venture."

Watch video highlights now, including speaker sessions, post-session conversations with the speakers, and daily participant video diaries.

Over 8 days they will receive briefings from global leaders on global trends, and in small groups will visit different UK cities to investigate the challenge: How do people from communities which have spread across the world become bridge-builders in the global networks of the future?

Through proven Common Purpose techniques and the innovation process, participants will overcome the inevitable barriers and start to form into high performing diverse teams that develop responses to address the challenge which are presented to a Dragons Den panel, and are then reviewed three months later in very different environments: Mumbai and Johannesburg.

The participant group so far is impressive in its seniority, diversity and just as importantly, the mix: a Presidential adviser from Malawi, a gold-medalled Australian paralympian, the CEO of a Malaysian bank, a senior Jamaican diplomat, a poet from Bangladesh, the CEO of an international NGO, an NHS consultant, the Canadian Director of a global agricultural firm, a private Prison governor, a trade unionist from Sierra Leone and a well-known British actor of Pakistani origin.

You can follow the outcomes on the CSCLeaders website, Twitter via @CSCLeaders and #CSCLeaders, YouTube and Vimeo.

This is the end of my first year as CEO of Common Purpose in the UK. It has been a long year!

Keeping focused as the UK has struggled, delivering our courses which seem ever more relevant as we continue our efforts to connect leaders locally and nationally across UK cities and taking advantage of the growth of Common Purpose internationally to forge new links for the UK around the world.

It's incredibly exciting that in my first year as CEO of the UK, we successfully launched two new Ventures - Dao Xiang (between London and Shanghai) and Itijah (between cities of the Arab world and cities of Europe) in addition to Dishaa (between India and the UK) - to link leaders in the UK with leaders in other countries. I am truly delighted with the continued support of Prime Minister David Cameron as Patron of Dishaa and Mayor Boris Johnson as Advisory Group Member of Dao Xiang.

All this could not have been possible without the help of our alumni, Advisory Groups and supporters giving us your valuable time to speak and contribute on our courses. Thank you very much, and all of us at Common Purpose UK look forward to working with you in 2013.

Adi

• David Lobo, Chairman, Deejay Group
• Clare Woodcraft, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Foundation
• Konstantin Mettenheimer, Former Global Co Chairman, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer

Each session lasted an hour, during which they explored how successful leaders can make positive change happen even when operating in unfamiliar territory.

To watch the sessions back, visit the Common Purpose 360 website.

Throughout the three day course the students met a wide range of senior leaders from organisations including ITN, Big Lottery Fund, Princes Trust, NHS East Midlands and HMP Lowdham Grange who shared their leadership stories and insights with the group. Visits included YMCA, Geldards LLP, Groundwork and One Nottingham, exploring the real life leadership challenges those organisations are facing with the students challenged to find possible solutions to help them move forward.

We were lucky enough to welcome one of the participants of the first Frontrunner for Disabled Students course as a contributor on the last day, Suzi Rees, who has won several awards for her groundbreaking campaign to improve the accessibility of adventure sports. Her charity iDID hosts events all over the UK introducing disabled people to a myriad of different sports. Suzi and three other participants on the course came up with the idea for the charity during the course itself, and it was formed shortly afterwards.

The feedback from the participants was excellent and it included:"This course has been the best thing I have done in my adult life. I can honestly say I have never felt so positive about myself. I have to say I have never met such a group of inspirational speakers and I know I have made friends for life. I can't thank you enough for this opportunity."

The Frontrunner for Disabled Students campaign aims to develop the leadership capabilities of disabled students, empowering and inspiring people who have faced difficult obstacles in their lives. In a recent survey of alumni of this course, 98% said they would recommend the course to other disabled students. The next course will be taking place in Liverpool in February 2013 and we are already excited about continuing to reach out to students with this fantastic opportunity.

American Express, in partnership with Common Purpose, are running the American Express Leadership Academy in the UK as part of a 5-year initiative to develop emerging leaders who have the potential to become senior leaders in the not-for-profit sector.

"At American Express, we appreciate the impact that talented leaders have on business, the community and society," said Timothy J. McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation. "We are committed to providing current and future not-for-profit leaders with opportunities to build and hone leadership skills that are critical to the sector."

Laura Smith, Acting Head of Global Xchange, VSO, attended the 2010 Academy which was also run in partnership with Common Purpose. She described it as "a valuable opportunity to reflect on your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and identify clear goals for development, both professionally and personally, with the opportunity to build a network of support and contacts".

This programme financed by the European Union's Instrument for Stability was set up to respond to early Libyan requests for support with training on leadership, organisational and other management skills.

Twenty eight courses and workshops have been run over the first twelve months of this programme and over 1,000 people have participated.  Of the people who attended the courses 58% were men and 42% women. Courses have been run in Benghazi, Derna, Tripoli, Al Bayda and most recently Misrata.

For the most recent update on the programme, please download the report.

Why not read the article published in October 2012 in the Libya Herald on the project?

For more information about the project, please email Alison Coburn, CEO of Common Purpose International.

For press enquiries, please email Isabella Betkowski or call +447958560943.

A fantastic day all round!