Following Dick Schwartz's first trips outside the US in the 1990s, IFS trainings began to be organized in different countries. Although a multitude of trainings were organized outside the US in those years, particularly between 2010 and 2020, we did not have a partnership infrastructure allowing us to have a stable presence in any specific region.
In 2020 we strengthened our relationship with local International Partners (“IPs”) and granted exclusive rights to deliver official IFS trainings in their countries. Initially, a group of 9 IPs was formed, which allowed IFS trainings to begin on a regular basis in the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, Russia, Spain, South Korea, Australia, Poland and Israel.
Having a solid IP network has been a key factor in consolidating our presence in each country and energizing local IFS communities. The IPs have contributed to the global expansion of IFS through official trainings, a variety of introductory programs, as well as website and community development in local languages.
The initial structure of 9 IPs remained stable until the second half of 2022, when we began gradually expanding our international footprint. In 2025 our global reach will expand to include regions such as Canada (through our US operations), New Zealand (through our partner in Australia), Germany, Denmark (with programs specifically open to residents of the Nordic countries), Japan (in collaboration with our partners in South Korea), Ireland (in collaboration with our partner in the UK), Egypt, Jordan (with programs specifically open to residents of Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine), Ukraine, and Mexico, the latter program also through our US operations and open to any Spanish speaking resident of the more than 20 countries that make up Latin America. It is also worth noting that our IP in France organizes regular trainings in Belgium and the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and that our organizer in Germany does the same in Austria and the German-speaking part of Switzerland.
Our new international educational offerings for 2025 will also include a Level 1 Training we have recently designed specifically for residents of Palestine, arranged with our organizer in Jordan.
For 2026 and 2027, we have plans to continue expanding to regions such as The Netherlands, China, Italy, South Africa and Eastern Europe.
As a result, in the period 2022-2027, our network is expected to provide greater accessibility to our programs for individuals from over 60 countries in our aim to accomplish the Institute’s mission: bringing more Self leadership to the world.
Although we don’t envision appointing many more IPs in the next years, we expect to be able to reach those 60 countries based on the existing IP network, new capabilities at the Institute and through potential new forms of partnership that we are currently exploring.
At the IFS Institute, we are very grateful to our IPs and local IFS training organizers, to those who work at the local level to raise interest in the IFS, and to all those who, day after day, with loyalty to the Institute and confidence in our initiatives, support in one way or another the work we do collectively.
At the end of 2024, we consolidated our presence in the UK by making our first international investment, acquiring the company that, until then, was our official partner in the country. With its integration, we aim to offer a more integrated customer experience aligning with our operations in the US, improving efficiency on multiple fronts by sharing systems, operations and processes.
All of this paints an exciting picture of growth and demonstrates our commitment to our mission to expand Self Leadership worldwide, including in countries and regions where the IFS model is most needed to provide effective tools that contribute to peace, understanding, reconciliation and healing.