SOCIAL JUSTICE EDUCATION PROGRAMS

[For more information on any of Concern America's Social Justice Education programs, to schedule an activity, or to explore the possibilities with your organization, call 1-800-CONCERN (266-2376).]

Click on the name of the program you are seeking to jump to that section, or scroll down to see all of Concern America's Social Justice Education Programs:

1. "Training for Transformation" Workshops: "Developing a Heart that Yearns for Justice"
2. "Walk Out of Poverty"
3. "Infusion Methodology" Workshop
4. "With Eyes to See" Social Justice Education Newsletter
5. "St. Nicholas Project"
6. "Setting the Table" Campaign
7. "Lending Library" and Additional Social Justice Education Programs

"Training for Transformation" Workshops: "Developing a Heart that Yearns for Justice"
Witnessing the profound change that happens within communities in Central America and Mexico when the "Training for Transformation" model is employed in projects designed for materially poor communities, Concern America sought to bring this opportunity for "radical change" to people here in the U.S. with the hope that leaders would find the courage needed to bring the values of civil society into all sectors of life. The result has been the creation of a three-day workshop entitled "Developing a Heart that Yearns for Justice," taking place twice a year at Concern America's "Anam Cara (Soul Friend) - Transformation and Justice Center" in Santa Ana, California. "Training for Transformation" is a model of formational education, based on the vision of a new, more just society. It was originally designed and successfully used for years in diocesan leadership training programs in Kenya, Africa, and is based on the Brazilian educator Paulo Freire's work with adult literacy in his country and around the world. It is an effort to build participatory democracy and civil society rooted in the values of cooperation, justice, trust, mutual respect, and concern for the common good. (click on the following links to download the Developing a Heart brochure and application form.)

Advanced "Training for Transformation" Workshops
Due to an overwhelming desire on the part of participants in Concern America's "Developing a Heart that Yearns for Justice" workshops, advanced trainings are being held:

• PAULO FREIRE: The Paulo Freire workshop takes a closer look at the great Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and his educational beliefs. Though he worked predominantly with economically deprived and often textually illiterate adults in "developing" countries, his concept of liberating education has a powerful potential for revolutionary change in this unjust world and inspires the hope to obtain it. By studying Freire's writings and ideas within the context of one's own life, organization, work, etc. in this country, exciting insights and opportunities for transformation and social justice emerge.

• TEAM BUILDING: The Team Building workshop is based on the belief that organizations with team-centered administrative structures promote healthy and energized environments which are better able to respond to the needs of both its members and constituents. Participants in the advanced Team Building workshop are challenged to further explore the meanings and possibilities of "team" in their organizations through a lens of social justice.

"Walk Out of Poverty"
Every year Concern America holds its five-mile "Walk Out of Poverty" in Orange County, California. The Walk has been designed with two major goals: 1. to accompany those who are materially poor as they walk out of poverty by raising funds to help their communities have access to necessary resources; and 2. to demonstrate to our local communities that we take seriously the challenge to end poverty in our world.

Interested groups can receive pre-walk educational talks, walk packets, and/or more information by calling the Concern America office.


"Infusion Methodology" Workshop
The "Infusion Methodology" workshop is designed for school faculties and could be used for a faculty in-service program. As a way to bring more peace and justice education into classrooms, teachers learn to "infuse" such concepts into their curriculum without changing the content. Six hours are needed to present the workshop in full to faculties. To schedule a workshop, please call Concern America.





With Eyes to See Social Justice Education Newsletters
The faculty of each school that participates in the "Infusion Methodology" workshop will receive the quarterly newsletter entitled With Eyes to See. As a way to help teachers connect their curriculum with peace and justice issues, each newsletter focuses on a peace and justice concept, providing information, stories, classroom activities, and lists of resources relating to the concepts. Recent newsletters have explored The Earth Charter, Peace, Nonviolence, Conflict and Conflict Resolution, Communication, Cooperation, Stewardship, and others.

For more information about the With Eyes to See newsletters and to download copies (pdf format), click HERE.







"St. Nicholas Project"
As a way to connect the struggles for clean water in rural communities in Mexico and Central America to water abundance in the United States, the "St. Nicholas Project" has been created. For use as a service learning experience with a focus on, but not limited, to Catholic schools, the Project kit comes with a teacher's guide, water game, activity sheets, woven bags for collection, a handmade Guatemalan Christmas stocking, and a prayer service.







"Setting the Table Campaign"
The Outreach and Education Committees of Concern America thought of a simple and fun way to get friends and acquaintances interested in participating in the work of Concern America and raising funds for the field projects. Here's how:

You would host a meal, inviting friends, using the C/A invitation pictured here. C/A would supply you with the following:
• a wooden bowl and spoon (made by health promoters in a C/A project) to set at the empty place at your table, representing those in our world in material need;
• a placemat for each guest, with a photo and information about the country where the person represented by the empty place lives;
• information about the work of C/A in that region;
• a video describing the work of C/A, produced by students of Cypress College as a class project.

If you would like to host a Setting the Table meal, please contact Sandra Williams at Concern America at 1-800-CONCERN (266-2376), sandra_concern@earthlink.net. To host a Setting the Table meal in the greater Chicago area, contact John Straw, (773) 772-9523, jstraw_concern@earthlink.net. Thank you for giving this request your consideration!

Click HERE to download a power point presentation on Concern America's Setting the Table program (11.3 mb).

"Lending Library" and Additional Social Justice Education Programs
As a service to organizations, schools, and groups working for social justice in southern California, Concern America has available a growing number of social justice publications that can be borrowed. To obtain a list of titles, schedule a visit with Concern America, or to discuss social justice education possibilities with your group, please CONTACT the Concern America.