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Regional Social Fora
KAIROS believes that people of faith have much to contribute to this vision and to these Fora, and we encourage local faith communities and ecumenical groups to join with others in organising a local or regional event. Please tell us about your plans, and as KAIROS receives information about Regional or Local Social Fora, we will post contact information on our website, or connect to other event lists. Below are three brief examples of Fora designed by groups across the country. In November groups in Victoria, BC came together to host a three-day “Small World Forum” which covered the themes: Towards a peaceful and just world; Towards a democratic, healthy and sustainable world; Towards a democratic, just and healthy world. Organisers made sure that analysis, action, and the arts balanced one another throughout the agenda. Groups in Quebec have already held a Quebec Social Forum, which drew together a very wide range of civil society groups. See the full outline of their event at http://oqp2001.org/forumsocial/ (This site is available in French only, but it includes an English press release that explains the goals of the gathering.) Folks in Sackville, NB are planning an event for their immediate region. They write: “We have a vision of a one-day event at possibly a local school or meeting hall where there will be a “marketplace” of displays, wares, music and culture, reflecting our region. Punctuating this huge community gathering/celebration, we would have various presentations/discussions/panels/etc on timely regional topics/issues which relate to the WSF and also to our region. We hope that church people will find that they share many concerns with, for example, environmentalists, and that we will cross-pollinate among many who might not have known each other before. And maybe we will be able to form a KAIROS group at the end of it too.” These planners will be sending out an open invitation: “ On (DATE), a local/regional planning committee will be hosting an event for people of the Tantramar region, inspired by the World Social Forum, held in Porto Alegre, Brazil (January 2003). This international forum will bring together concerned world citizens and non-governmental organizations to re-envision our world and our relationships, based on a global community, rather than globalization dominated by economic and military interests. In this region, we would like to re-envision our lives together, to discuss ideas democratically, formulate proposals, share our experiences freely, network for effective action, and celebrate life on Earth. The themes we hope to pursue, with a regional perspective, are:
This regional initiative has also been sparked by KAIROS - the national, ecumenical justice coalition of the Canadian churches - in concert with similar events that will be taking place in many other communities across Canada. This will be a one-day event which will include an open invitation to partners and participants from this region. There will be workshops, discussion forums, films, art, music, exhibits, and a marketplace. A final gathering will help to bring our common ideas, experiences and concerns together, which may result in social justice initiatives in our region.” |
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