From June 13th to 15th, I had the opportunity to attend the G7 Jubilee People’s Forum organized by the ecumenical social justice organization KAIROS and other groups. While the world waited to see what would be discussed and done at the G7 leaders’ meetings, more than 100 people from across Canada and around the world were gathering at Ambrose University in the east end of Calgary to take part in the People’s Forum. As the campus coordinator for the University of Ottawa Student Christian Movement chapter, I was grateful to be able to travel to attend with support from KAIROS and the World Student Christian Federation Canada’s Lois Freeman Wilson fund.

The Jubilee 2025 – Turn Debt into Hope campaign was a central focus of the forum. Building on the work of Jubilee 2000, which cancelled $100 billion of debt for 36 low-income countries, Jubilee 2025 is a global ecumenical initiative calling for:

• Debt cancellation for unjust and unsustainable debts.
• Global financial reform to prevent future crises.
• A debt resolution framework within the United Nations that is transparent, binding and fair.

The forum was intended to help turn the more than 38,000 signatures into a real political movement.

While there, participants had a chance to hear from Peruvian Cardinal Pedro Ricardo Barreto, a friend of Pope Francis and a human and environmental rights advocate. Cardinal Barreto spoke about the global importance of Jubilee and its religious significance. We also had the chance to participate in a multifaith prayer service hosted by the Calgary Interfaith Council. This included hearing about the Jewish roots of Jubilee from two rabbis, the Muslim tradition of debt forgiveness and poverty alleviation, and listening to music and prayer from Sikh, Buddhist, Christian, and Baha’i faith leaders. We ended the first evening with a Sikh langar, a traditional meal often served in a Gurdwara where everyone sits and eats communally, and everyone is served by volunteers. I had the immense privilege of being one of the volunteers given the chance to serve others.

Throughout the course of the forum, we heard from experts on the global debt crisis. Shockingly, more than three billion people in the world live in countries that spend more on trying to pay off debt than they do on education or healthcare. This crisis, as explained by Dean Dettloff, a research and advocacy officer at the Roman Catholic organization Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, is rooted in the history of colonialism and imperialism. Countries were underdeveloped, forced to take on massive debt to develop, and then forced by policies at institutions such as the World Bank to adopt harsh austerity packages to pay off the debt. Ultimately, this led to countries being trapped in a cycle of debt, austerity, and then debt again.

We closed the weekend by joining demonstrators from a variety of causes in a peaceful march through Calgary. Our distinctive flame signs with messages such as ‘hope not debt’ and ‘fund peace not war’ caught the attention of other attendees, the media, and bystanders. Standing with people from across Canada to send a unique, multifaceted message to the G7 leaders was very inspiring. From Filipino activists, Indigenous land defenders, Palestinian peace advocates, Jubilee campaign people protesting for debt justice, and many more causes, our march was a beautiful patchwork of a myriad of social causes.

As a campus co-ordinator for the Student Christian Movement, the forum was a unique opportunity for me as to connect with activists, faith leaders, and others from across the country. The opportunity to meet a dozen or so young people who, like me, had received support to attend reinvigorated my hope for the future of Christianity in Canada. The young people I met were deeply faithful people, but they were also leaders in their campuses, churches, and communities. They were activists, researchers, musicians, photographers, and so much more. If these are the kind of young people who our church makes an effort to nourish, inspire, and develop, our church has a bright future. KAIROS, particularly member relations and network co-ordinator Shannon Neufeldt, and the Jubilee Forum really worked to do that, and I hope it is an example that church organizations will follow.

If you would like to join the global Jubilee campaign with 38,000 Canadians, you can sign the petition here:

https://kairoscanada.org/jubilee-2025-canada/petition-turn-debt-into-hope

Related articles:

Youth internship alumnus starts ecumenical student group at the University of Ottawa

The post G7 Jubilee People’s Forum inspires faith and action appeared first on Perspective.

Opportunities to gather young people from across our diocese will be offered on a seasonal basis, in conjunction with the life and work of our parish ministries. The overarching aim of ADOy will be the building of meaningful and trusting relationships through experiential learning. The vision for ADOy is to intentionally cultivate spaces of safety and creativity in parishes across our diocese, where young people can explore and test their vocations, exercise leadership, grow in their baptismal faith, and—most importantly—have fun!

ADOy will be for young people ages 12 to 18, broadly speaking—recognizing that age is a spectrum and that some participants in ADOy activities may be slightly younger or older. To ensure continuity, we will establish ADOy+ to enable and support those in their 20s to self-organize, connect, and gather. A resource hub and a knowledge network will also be developed for those providing ministry to young people.

Please mark your calendars for the ADOy Meet and Greet at Christ Church Cathedral on Saturday, Oct. 19th from 10 am to 2 pm. It will be a fun day of getting to know one another and our Cathedral. Watch our website and social media platforms for more details.

The post New youth ministry for the diocese coming this fall appeared first on Perspective.

Youth animator Donna Rourke asked them to share some of their thoughts and impressions.

“It was really wonderful to get to go to Synod as an observer for the first time,” said Evan Desilets. “I really learned a lot! What stuck out the most to me was Dean Richard Sewell’s opening and closing statements. It really brought the reality of what is happening in Israel and Palestine a lot closer to home. His statements about how we display our faith here, as opposed to people in Israel was really food for thought.”

He added, “I loved hearing about the plans for contextual ministry, I’m excited to see how it gets implemented across the diocese over the next year.”

Both he and Madeleine Gomery, who attended as a delegate from Christ Church Cathedral, said that the Rev. Canon PJ Hobbs’ presentation about the difficult challenges the Anglican Community Ministries are facing right now inspired them to get involved and volunteer.

Gomery attended Synod last year and said she noticed a more subdued energy in the room this year – “very reasonably – because of the heart-wrenching recent events in Gaza and Israel. “I was very moved by Dean Richard Sewell’s reflections and impressed with the balance he managed to strike in speaking about a contentious recent event,” she said.

Cailleen Dolan, who was representing St. John’s Kanata North, was also mulling these difficult issues over. “It is easy to get so caught up in the bad news that we don’t know where to begin to help,” she said. “Fortunately, especially among the other young adult attendees I got to meet, I sensed a deep desire to make a change.”

Gomery and Desilets both said they enjoyed the fellowship with everyone at Synod too. I really enjoyed being able to connect with “young” (i.e., 18-30s) Anglicans from across the Diocese, said Desilets.

“As always, it was lovely to interact with people from all over our diocese over the three days of Synod—some whom I recognized, some of whom I was meeting for the first time. I am so grateful for the friendliness, collaboration, and knowledgeability of my fellow Anglicans.” – Staff

The post Youth view reflects a deep desire to make a change appeared first on Perspective.

This YIP year we welcome nine new interns and have welcomed back one. Please meet:

Daniel is taking a gap year this year and is interested in psychology, business, leadership and coaching soccer. He is fascinated by the psychology of trauma. He wants to help people improve their psychological state as he believes in equality on more than a materialistic level—that we need to establish equality on a psychological level, so that everybody can have the ability to be happy. 

Deborah is a Grade 12 student and a second-year intern with YIP. With a passion for visual expression and a new interest in architecture, Deborah is interested in creating art by manipulating the viewer’s space using forms, colours, and sizes. She is looking for more opportunities to explore art in her community. This year, Deborah chose to continue her placement at Extendicare Starwood so she can interact with more people of diverse backgrounds. …Being a new member of All Saints’ Westboro Anglican Church, she has quickly engaged with volunteering at the food bank and the New-to-You shop. These opportunities are helping to develop a deeper sense of empathy for those living in different circumstances and recognition of her own privilege. Deborah’s goal with YIP this year is to acquire mediation and facilitator skills in conflict management and organizational strategies in time management between hobbies, commitments, and school responsibilities.

Emmet is an active member of his faith community St James Carleton Place. Emmet is currently attending Confederation College and is taking the social service worker program with a bridging program into a bachelor of social work. 

James is a second-year student at the University of Ottawa doing a major in political science with a minor in public administration. He applied to YIP to gain practical experience in areas he is passionate about [politics, environmental justice, writing (especially essay writing), and social justice], to strengthen his connection with the Ottawa and Anglican community, and to deepen his connection with his Anglican faith and God. Those aims are difficult to fulfill in environments where learning is often deeply impersonal and very theoretical. His work placement is with Citizen for Public Justice. 

Li Xiu is a student at the University of Ottawa and a returning YIP intern. Li looks forward to actively participating in group events as well as the new work placement. Li is the YIP intern for the Anti-Racism Forum organizing team. Li enjoys wandering the city and finding delicious food spots or cooking with friends.

Malachai is a high school student and member of the LGBTQ+ community who enjoys reading and the creative arts.

Nana is the YIP intern for St Columba Anglican Church. In this role, Nana will act as their outreach resource coordinator, researching, analyzing and identifying outreach activities to determine if existing programs should be maintained, expanded or dropped; and if new outreach activities would have a more expansive and positive impact on the surrounding community.  

Rebecca is currently in her fourth and final year of a Human Kinetics degree at the University of Ottawa. A member of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, she is honored to serve on their Parish Council and to be the Diocese of Ottawa’s youth delegate to General Synod this summer in Calgary. Originally from Vancouver she was very involved in her childhood parish as the Head of the Server’s Guild, a youth delegate to Diocesan Synod, an Outreach Committee member and a church-school teacher. She is looking forward to participating in YIP to make connections with other youth throughout the diocese and gain new skills and experiences through her placement. 

Thomas is a first-year student at Carleton University and wants to become a social worker. He applied to YIP to develop leadership and communication skills. Social justice is important to Thomas as he wants to live in a society where everyone is respected, included and safe. He would like to see high quality and affordable therapy to be available to everyone who needs it. Thomas also loves learning about new topics and having in-depth discussions with people. Thomas will be doing his work placement with Centre 454.

Zara (AKA Theodora) is a first-year student at the University of Ottawa studying finance. She is the second daughter in a family of four siblings. Zara is doing her work placement at the Glebe Wellness Centre. Her older sister Alexis was a YIP intern for the last two years. 

If you have any questions about the Youth Internship Program, please email me at donna-rourke@ottawa.anglican.ca

Youth Ministry:

The KAIROS blanket Exercise has been re-scheduled to Saturday Feb. 25 at St Aidan’s Anglican Church. For information and to register please email donna-rourke@ottawa.anglican.ca 

The post A new year and another great line up of interns appeared first on Perspective.

The Rev. Dr. Mary-Cate Garden, who is part of our Youth Internship Program (YIP) team of advisors, offered this proud reflection:

“The YIP representatives ‘won’ this year’s Synod. In a year which saw a very full Synod—a very mindful Synod—where delegates had worked hard on the Diocesan discernment process. In a room full of people continuing to work together, thoughtfully and faithfully, the YIP representative stood out. In a room full of delegates who brought their A game, the YIP folks brought their A+ game.

As I listened to the thoughtful, loving, challenging reflections that each of these young(er) Anglicans offered I was in awe. A group that is so often labelled as ‘youth’ and so often thought of as an homogenous group called on the Church to be their best selves and begin to listen to younger voices. To recognize the diversity of experiences that the youth bring to us and to make sure that not only were they invited to the table but that they were invited as full participants.

The YIP presentations were brave and hopeful and full of promise If this is what lies ahead and if the church is wise enough to listen to these voices, then it is a church that will be in good and exciting hands for a long time to come.”   

Here’s a sampling of the thoughts they shared with Synod or reflections on the experience afterwards. 

Deborah said that she was born and baptized in Geneva and confirmed in Ottawa in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. … As an artist, she created a piece of art Friday night to reflect on Synod and the church. It spoke to her desire to feel like she belongs; that there were people who look and sound like her.

“Thank you very much for letting me come to my first synod. My message to you is ‘Try something new.’ Try new music or a new prayer in service because you don’t know how much that means to [a person who might be new to the church or to Canada].

She shared a moving story about her mom, the Rev. Chung Yan Lam. “Something special about my mom. She’s a priest here… She sings a beautiful Mandarin song at the end of her services…My grandma always asks her ‘Why do you sing in Mandarin? ‘Nobody understands.’ It’s so that she also feels like she is wanted in that service, that she has a part of herself in that service. …I hope that in the future we continue to grow and we continue to make our church like a home because it is not only a house of God, it is a home with God.”

Maritsa wrote that “as a new Canadian, she thinks that the Diocese is heading in the right direction with Motion P3A and P3B and welcomes the idea of creating new worshipping spaces particularly for Global Christians. She feels very strongly that creating spaces where new Canadians feel welcome and included and can feel like they belong is so important. She would like to be able to hear the language and music of ‘home.’ She also feels that anti-racism education at a parish level is crucial. She understands that many people don’t realize their words are unwelcoming to people who are new to Canada and she would like to see everyone working towards self-awareness.  

Learning about the National Church’s plan to have an Indigenous church under the umbrella of Anglican Church of Canada, she was concerned that the Anglican Church will still have the final say, which would defeat the point. She is proud, however, that we are moving in the right direction and that we seem to have an open mind about this issue. 

Rebecca is a member of Synod for St. John the Evangelist, a YIP intern, and the General Synod youth delegate from the Diocese of Ottawa. Hearing the aim of engaging more young people in Anglican communities discussed, she offered this advice: “Youth and young adults …are people like everyone else and we have the same core desires including to belong, to be respected and to become our best selves. But we are different in one key way: We are figuring out who we want to be and what we can do for the first time in our lives. We need spaces to learn and grow through new experiences and opportunities. We need to feel that who we are, our ideas, knowledge and perspective, is respected and valued. This is not achieved through token gestures and acknowledgement but through deep engagement and connection. A starting place for this is having youth members of Diocesan Synod. This is far from a token gesture, youth member votes have equal weight to every other member of Synod; equal standing, equal voice. 

She added that the work that the Indigenous church is doing to make the gospel explicitly part of their founding documents is a model that we should all think about when we make policy and documents within the church.” 

Aimerance and Alexis were unable to attend all of Synod because of exams and assignments, but they both said they liked what Deborah had shared about incorporating different kinds of music to allow the church to feel like home. They are both in favor of Motion 3A and encouraged everyone to seriously consider global worshipping spaces.

Robert wrote: “I was really happy to hear about the pathway that our diocese is looking to follow. I think that the focus on new parish structures is an excellent opportunity to use our creativity to help restructure. I am happy to see that parishes will be guided to make the changes that are in the best interest of their parishioners and communities. Robert also wondered what more could be done to help guide younger people in their own personal spiritual development within the church. 

Robyn, a young adult member of Synod for St Albans, said the Shape of Parish Ministry motions fill her with hope; especially motion three….Robyn feels that we must learn to trust our abilities and trust that the Holy Spirit is working in us and our parishes. 

Robyn admired the Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls’ willingness to candidly address tensions at the Lambeth Conference regarding same-sex marriage. “She provided some helpful context and reminded us that we are part of the wider Anglican Communion. Being part of this Communion, like being part of a diocese, means that we choose to come together and acknowledge our connection in Christ, despite the many differences we have. This is a beautiful thing. However, we are also in communion with all the many LGBTQ+ folks around the world who are continuously harmed by our religious leaders, and I think that the Primate could have been a bit more pastoral toward these people. I am thankful to be part of an affirming Diocese that is relatively safe for LGBTQ+ folks, but it can still be so painful and heartbreaking to see this fight still being fought in other places around Canada and the wider Communion. I want to remind all members of the LGBTQ+ community within the Anglican Communion that they are beloved even when their leaders fail them.”

Heather Maclachlan, a member of Synod from Trinity, echoed the Archbishop Nicholls pronouncement: “These youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are the leaders of today.”

Donna Rourke is Animator of Youth Ministries and YIP. 

The post Young adults shine bright at Synod 2022 appeared first on Perspective.