The Match Factory | Aug - Oct 2009

Here are a few of the many key moments in our global calendar from August to October.  Use them to reflect on some of the issues facing our world and  let the people behind the statistics inspire you to take action. You can spend one day or one minute on these things - but do something!

August
12 | International Youth Day

In the brilliant article, Why Stories Matter, by community organiser Marshall Ganz, he says

“…There’s something very particular about young people, not just that they have time. Walter Brueggemann writes in The Pro­phetic Imagination about the two elements of prophetic vision. One is criticality, recognition of the world’s pain. Second is hope, recognition of the world’s possibilities. Young people come of age with a critical eye and a hopeful heart. It’s that combination of critical eye and hopeful heart that brings change. That’s one reason why so many young people were and are involved in movements for social change.”

International Youth Day is a superb opportunity to not only celebrate the huge positive impact young people have had on society but also to take a chance to encourage it amongst the young people you know. Here in the UK it is our young people who are leading the way in ensuring political will for climate change action- they are utterly convinced that we must find urgent solutions for the world’s poorest who are suffering the effects.

Pray it: There is a beautiful “Prayer for our young people” here. Spend some time praying by name for the youth you know.

Dream it: Plan a “Dream Date” with your youth group/ young people you know. Plan in some time to think about issues and problems that affect your community, choose one to research further and begin to dream up solutions. Don’t leave until you have an empowering plan of action! Email the team at the Regent Hall Number 9 Project for a model of how they run theirs.

Encourage it: Spend some time researching some of the ventures young people in your town/ country have embarked on. Send them an email with a few words of encouragement - this has the potential to energise some fantastic people and their work.

Feature it: Take 5 minutes at your service/ youth group to share one or two local examples of great youth stories and one or two historical examples (What about the youngsters who began the Salvation Army in New Zealand?)  Together, celebrate the way that God continues to reveal God’s kingdom through young people and children.

September
24-25 | G20, Pittsburgh, US
For the second time this year leaders of the world’s twenty wealthiest nations are gathering. It was hoped that the earlier summit would deliver the tools for an effective global deal on climate change but it fell well short. These meetings are often hailed as being key for global solutions to global problems, but far too often fail to produce any visible results. With only a few days together each time many issues can get sidelined. It is vital that these leaders realise the importance of reflecting not just the needs of countries present but those of the many countries not represented.

Pray it: Here is a website dedicated to praying for wise decisions at September’s G20. Keep your eyes peeled here for prayer events and guides.

Read it: Global Call to Action Against Poverty have written an interesting article entitled “Why we need a G192 not a G20″ that summarises some of the debate around this.

Host it: Host your own G20! At the time of the G20 organise a gathering of twenty friends/ colleagues/ youth group members. Plan yours to be a model of democracy and justice. Talk about some of the global issues impacting our world and spend some time praying for the leaders at the summit. Get some ideas from We20.

October
2 | International Day of Non Violence

This day falls on the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi and is meant to be a celebration of non violent solutions to conflict. In a world so ravaged by war and battles on a smaller scale it is important to take the chance to reflect on peace whenever we can.

“Non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. It is mightier than the mightiest weapon of destruction devised by the ingenuity of man”. Gandhi

Do it: Research the conflict in your own community. Explore the local peaceful solutions already occurring and find out how you can support non violence in your neighbourhood.

Pray it: Spend some time focusing your weekly service or youth group night on the importance of peaceful solutions. Look at Francis of Assisi’s Peace Prayer and reflect on situations in your locality and in our world that need peaceful action.

Read it: Peacebuilding 101
5 | World Teachers’ Day

The relationship between poverty and lack of education is explicit and often cited, but the connection is a complex one. It is simply not a case of building schools to break the poverty trap. A main issue is the huge lack of educators in poorer nations. Poor education systems do not turn pupils into teachers and teachers that are found can not be retained with 100 pupil classrooms for little or no pay. There are options however; a key one being the management of overseas aid budgets - ear marking money for schools and teachers. Global Campaign for Education have been doing a sterling job in the last few years in creating awareness of the complexities and also providing solutions.

Did you know:

• 72 million children are out of school (over two-thirds are girls)
• 771 million adults worldwide are illiterate (64 per cent are women)
• Two million new teachers are needed today to provide kids with a decent education - and 15 million will be needed by 2015 to achieve education for all

Share it: Some things can only be portrayed visually. Have a look at this world map with a twist.

Do it: Take Oxfam’s Big Promise to play your part in ensuring the world’s poorest nations have enough teachers for education.

Join it: Get together with your friends/ colleagues/ youth group and create a Campaign for Global Education Group - there is an array of ideas and resources available for you at this website.
8 | International Day for Disaster Reduction

This day is devoted to raising the profile of the absolute need to mitigate against natural disasters. With the looming threat and reality of climate change, this date is taking on a significant prominence. One of the defining needs of a world with climate change is the need to help countries that are being hit hardest with adapting to these new circumstances. Very few governments in the world deny climate change, most have plans to lower emissions, yet what virtually all get stuck on is the idea that wealthy nations should help poor nations mitigate. It is deeply unfair that many of the countries that have caused climate change rarely experience the disaster that comes with it - it seems it is only right that we help reduce the impact in countries that suffer dire consequences.

You may agree- or not! Why not use this day to have that conversation?

Oxfam’s Right to Survive Report suggests:

• We need $42 billion more now each year in humanitarian aid to help meet people’s basic needs and another $50 billion now each year to help developing countries adapt to the effects of climate change.
• Rich countries, most responsible for the problem, must stop harming by rapidly cutting their carbon emissions and start helping by providing more money and support to help vulnerable countries adapt.
• National governments and the international community must provide more and better, more flexible aid. Aid should be provided on the basis of need – not tied to strategic or political interests, or favor one affected group over another or cherry-pick high profile emergencies.
• To avoid the most extreme potential impact of climate change in the longer term, developing countries must give greater priority to responding to emergencies and reducing people’s vulnerability to them.

Read it: The powerful report that perfectly outlines current and upcoming climate related disasters and their impact on developing nations.  Right to Survive:  Humanitarian Challenge in the Twenty First Century

Watch it: Franny Armstrong’s “Drowned Out” is a powerful film about traditional Indian families choosing to stay at home rather than move to the slums due to increasing flooding. A clip of this truly powerful film is available here.

Host it: Hold a film night screening Oxfam’s Sisters on the Planet. This DVD / online video selection has four separate stories of how women across the world are responding to increased natural disasters bought about through climate change.

Feature it: Spend some time in your service/ youth group reflecting on and praying for victims of recent natural disasters. Catholic Relief Service have a beautiful resource for a church service here.

You are always more than welcome to add your own ideas and links to this resource.

Tags: g20, international day for disaster reduction, international youth day, social action, world teachers day