Social Justice Month
Throughout the month of March, JIMS focused on various issues of social justice that people all around the world face. We spent each Wednesday night looking at a different issue: the facts about it and what we could do to help. The month wrapped up with our Homeless for a Night event that raised over £400 for the Simon Community.
The first week we watched the film “Invisible Children” that deals with the issues of child soldiers fighting in Uganda. We heard how thousands of kids live in fear of being abducted and about the effect it has on them. Through the film, we met children who had been abducted, forced to do terrible things, escaped, and were now living in fear of being found. Even though we were overwhelmed by the stories of the people we were seeing, we also learned what people are doing to help and how we can join them.
Wednesday, 10 March we heard from a speaker from CARE about the issue of human trafficking. We learned how huge of an issue it is and how far it reaches. Though this issue is harder to directly affect, we learned how to recognize signs of someone being trafficked and that raising awareness of the issue itself is a big step towards stopping it.
A speaker from Tearfund took our third week as we spent the evening discussing AIDS. We heard the story of a woman in Mozambique who, with the help of Tearfund, was able to receive treatment for AIDS and begin caring for her children again. Through a interactive quiz, we discovered how much we knew about the issue…and how much we didn’t know. We again looked at practical ways to get involved and make a difference. Even if it only affects one person, a little effort can go a long way.
Our final Wednesday night event was led by a speaker from Christian Aid. He also took us through a quiz, this time about poverty. We learned how poor some parts of the world, even our own country, are and how rich others are. A video showed us all the different effects poverty has on someone’s life, from a lack of education and clean drinking water to hunger and homelessness. At the end of the evening, we brainstormed various ways to address the issue.
The goal for this month was not to overwhelm people with information about issues they had no control over. We wanted to open their eyes to things going on in the world and give them the knowledge to get involved. Each night we tried to suggest big, medium, and small ways to make a difference. Everything from putting on a fundraiser, to spreading the word about an issue, to joining a facebook group can be a tool towards facilitating change. Our last event was a fundraiser to give the kids at least one practical way to jump into social justice. They got sponsors and slept outside in cardboard boxes to simulate being “Homeless for a Night”. Hopefully all these events raised an awareness in the kids of social justice issues as well as encouraged them that they can make a difference, no matter their age.