ISKCON UK to Create Ombuds Program

There are reports that the International Society for Krishna Consciousness is creating an Ombudsman program for devotees in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Dandavats, an independent website that chronicles Krishna activities and developments worldwide, posted the following update: 

It’s one thing for an organization to say they care for its members, and another to act on such statements. ISKCON UK is establishing an Ombuds program so devotees can raise concerns, dealing with interpersonal conflicts and find clarity on ISKCON policies and practices. 

Vraja Vihari das [Brian Bloch] from ISKCON Resolve, has been training up a team to work in this capacity. They are from different parts of the UK and are a diverse group of devotees, including His Holiness Dayananda Swami, Prabhupada Prana dasa, Chandra dasi, Gomati dasi, Guru Carana Padma dasi and Ananta Vijay dasa. 

The idea is to work towards “zero barriers”- so that members of ISKCON should be able to raise, in good faith, concerns they have, and discuss how they can be addressed. 

ISKCON UK Ombuds are totally confidential (except imminent risk), independent of management in their capacity of Ombuds, neutral, and informal (conversations are off the record).

Bloch is an experienced Ombuds and mediator, who currently works for the U.S. Department of the Interior. He served as a consultant with India’s Supreme Court Mediation and Conciliation Project for a decade. He has served on the IOA Board of Directors, published many articles, and taught conflict resolution at universities and law schools. (Dandavats.)

Related posts: U.S. Geological Survey Creates Ombuds Program; Ombuds Head to Virginia for 2018 IOA Conference