Going Global with Youth

Volume 7, Issue 1

September, 2006

In this issue:

Travel with CRS Overseas

Travel with CRS

Resources for teachers and youth ministers.

Food Fast

Food Fast

To order free educational materials, visit FoodFast or call (800) 222-0025.

CRS Launches New Education Website: "CRS Education: Going Global with Youth"
To further our commitment to fostering education for US Catholic youth around Catholic Social Teaching, and in particular issues of global solidarity, Catholic Relief Services announces the launch of its website for high school educators and youth ministers. Visit education.crs.org to access lesson plans, prayer services, retreat models, stories, and additional resources and links for CRS and its partners. Check back regularly for continued updates, new resources, and featured ideas from educators and youth ministers across the country.

Conflict is a natural part of life. From the most personal level of our lives to our national wrangling with complex issues like immigration to the international differences in and with regions that are seemingly far removed from us, we as individuals and a global family encounter conflict each day. It follows that we also bear responsibility for our response to conflict. Yet, looking around the world these past few months, it is easy to give into despair about the alarming level at which conflict persists, polarization continues to divide and violent response becomes the norm in numerous situations.

We, as church, are called into the fray — not to avoid conflict, certainly not to contribute to it. Indeed, we, as church, are called to follow Jesus into the murkiness, discomfort, and terror and bring with us a commitment to discern God's voice in the midst of conflict and a response rooted in Jesus' commandment to love. As Christians, we see throughout scripture a God who invites us into community. When the community is broken and fragmented, God never abandons, but invites us into the reflection, reconciliation and work that restore right relationships. With such a model, conflict itself becomes a moment of grace, an opportunity for a greater goodness than what was known before to enter the world.

In our broken world, young people are often the prophetic voice that challenge us out of complacency and lead us to the path of restoration. Still, young people need the guidance, resources and companionship to uncover the courage it takes to speak and the wisdom to know how to respond in a way that engages reconciliation and transformation. This issue of Going Global with Youth invites you to learn more about the regions of the world affected by violent conflict, to explore some of the stories of the young people with whom CRS works, and to survey resources through which we can invite and engage young people into the tough but transforming work of the gospel.

Life in the Field

Stories of Young People
The following stories not only give you a glimpse of CRS' work with young people, but provide insight into the realities, insights and resilience of young people in regions and situations torn with conflict.

Healing Psychological Scars - In times of war, children are vulnerable both physically and psychologically. Read about CRS' efforts to help the children of Lebanon deal with the stresses of war.

Through the Eyes of Lebanon's Children - David Snyder has spent the last decade covering natural disasters and war, yet he is always struck by the impact on children. Read some of David's reflections on the children he's met this month in Beirut.

Bridges to Peace - Nicolas, like many other young people living in the Palestinian territories, longs for a peaceful world. Through the CRS-sponsored Cyber Bridges program, he has found a way to work toward that dream. Learn how CRS is bringing hope to youth in the Middle East.

Afoyo, Afoyo Ba . . . Thank You! - To escape abduction and ongoing violence in northern Uganda, thousands of children leave their homes every night and gather in places like the CRS-supported Rural Focus Center, which provides a safe haven and educational opportunities. CRS staff writer Krista Threefoot visited the center and met some of the amazing children who stay there.

CRS Work Amidst Conflict
For more than 50 years, CRS has worked to promote peace, human development and solidarity in regions torn apart by war and conflict. Through a broad scope of programming that includes peacebuilding, education, agriculture, micro-financing, and community development to name a few, CRS strives to protect the most vulnerable, enhance human dignity, empower the people that it helps and prevent continued conflict by fostering a deeper commitment to interfaith relationships and understanding.

Young people often ask what can be done in the face of violence and conflict. Educating them about the responses of CRS and other humanitarian agencies is important in helping young people to see authentic alternatives to violence and to understand the larger challenge to change the systems that lead to oppression and war. You can obtain an overview of the history our work through the links provided here. Be sure to read the stories on the right sidebar of each page: Lebanon, Jerusalem, West Bank & Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Uganda, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, and Colombia. Latest news and updates on these and other crises can also be obtained from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs.

CALLED TO ACTION

Step Up Leadership in Sudan
You and the young people with whom you work can encourage President Bush and members of Congress to increase leadership in helping to bring an end to the crisis in Sudan. Take action now or contact Tina Rodousakis for more information.

Immigration
The immigration issue continues to be in the forefront of the national debate, in part due to prophetic voice of the Church and to the tireless work of many. It is critical to keep the debate going in your communities. Write to your local newspapers; organize press conferences or demonstrations supporting Comprehensive Immigration Reform. For more information about the US Catholic response to immigration and for resources in education, prayer and ministry, refer to the links below or contact Chris West at 410-951-7454.

Active Solidarity

A Window into Afghanistan: Introduce your students to Afghanistan with this one-week high school educational unit. Five in-depth lessons cover history, culture, Islam, women and rebuilding a nation. The resource includes power point presentation, ready-to-print student handouts, assignments and teachers' keys.

"Save Lives in Sudan" T-shirt: You can purchase a t-shirt to help support our response to the crisis in Sudan. All proceeds from t-shirt purchases will support the CRS Sudan Emergency Fund and assist the Nueva Vida Women's Sewing Cooperative in Nicaragua, the world's first worker-owned export processing zone.

STAND UP Against Poverty: Invite young people to STAND UP for the Millennium Development Goals on October 15-16, 2006. Resources include education, sign-up information, contests for youth, and more.

Global Thoughts

Under the Tent of Abraham, Atonement and Renewal
We are called to return,
To return to the health of the whole,
To return to our legacy,
To be reunited under the tent of Abraham. We are called to move into holy time,
To recognize we are in sacred space.

We are called to fast so we may
More clearly see our neighbor. We are called to fast so we may know
the hunger for justice and the thirst for peace.

Only together can we fully atone. Only together can we authentically break the fast
and move into a new year, a new time and space
Where peace is possible,
Where all are gathered around the festive table,
Where all are welcomed and embraced.

Written by Jane M. Deren, Education for Justice.

MEDIA WATCH

This new section introduces resources relevant to the theme of each issue of Going Global with Youth.

Promises: This academy-award winning documentary chronicles a group of Israeli and Palestinian adolescents over the course of three years. The film underscores the effect that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has had on their lives. Both the film and an educational guide are available for purchase through the Promises Project.

Hotel Rwanda: This powerful film explores the Rwandan genocide from 1994. An accompanying discussion guide from Amnesty International helps students explore and understand such catastrophes and develop a deeper awareness of both the causes of and responses to conflict today.

Announcements

Called to Witness Trip Announced: Called to Witness is an overseas program co-sponsored by CRS and the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM). It is designed to provide a short-term, firsthand experience of the developing world for adults serving and working in Catholic youth ministry. Through Called to Witness, CRS provides youth ministry professionals with an opportunity to enhance their ministry to young people and strengthen their ability to promote global justice in the Catholic educational community. The 2007 Called to Witness trip is scheduled to take place in Ecuador from March 14-27, 2007. Download an application to be part of this unique opportunity. Registration deadline is October 29, 2006.

CRS Customer Relations Center: Did you know that CRS has a toll-free line you can use for general information and assistance. For all general information on programs like Fair Trade, Operation Rice Bowl, and other US Operations programs for youth and education, call 1-866-608-5978.

Now on DVD: THE LINE IN THE SAND: Stories from the US/Mexico Border is now available on DVD! This dramatic theatre performance tells the story of migration through the eyes of 9 different characters, each one based on a real person. The DVD also includes special features such as discussion questions, suggested web links, and an interview with Erica Dahl-Bredine from the CRS Mexico country program. Use THE LINE IN THE SAND as a powerful educational tool for your school, parish, or home.

Education for Justice offers numerous educational and prayer resources on Catholic Social Teaching and related topics and issues. Education for Justice is rich in resources and provides opportunity to share, dialogue and connect with colleagues across the nation. Contact EFJ directly to sign up for a free 30-day trial membership.

CRS REGION NEWS

Visit the CRS Education website to obtain the contact information for your regional youth program officers and additional information about CRS resources and events in your area.

CRS West
Register Now! The Point 7 Conference to Make America's Poverty History is being held at St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco, CA. October 27-28, 2006. The event promises speakers, dialogue opportunities, resources, and opportunities to mobilize American Catholics to join the fight against extreme global poverty.

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