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Kairos Times
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| Our Kairos Times community is growing! While KAIROS is rooted in the Christian faith, we hope and believe that our work is accessible and useful for people of all faiths and backgrounds. In that spirit, welcome to our new list members, who come from a range of faith traditions and nations. We hope you’ll find the information helpful and the reflections meaningful to your own participation in the global community of justice-seekers. |
Join our 2003-4 campaign, Cultivating Just Peace! Contact us for information:info or toll-free 1 877 403 8933, extension 233. New resources are now available for ordering through orders or our website. You can also leave a message at 1 877 403 8933 x246.
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- Federal election= deadline extension for the Just Peace card campaign!
- It’s KAIROS Time at the ballot box—check out the Federal Election Toolkit online
- Check out other organisations’ election kits
Updates
- Sudan: Violence in Darfur even as peace process moves forward
- Third anniversary of the disappearance of Kimy Pernia Domico
- The 2003 Report of the KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund is now online!
- Network update: Evaluation forms are out and about; dates for the Fall 2004 KAIROS regional meetings
- Employment Opportunities at KAIROS: Fundraiser, Middle East Coordinator
- New on our website
Special section: Election, election, election
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Federal election= deadline extension for the Just Peace card campaign! |
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About 5,000 people have signed the Agenda for Just Peace action card to date, with many more arriving daily. Our original deadline—set long before we knew the federal election date- was June 30. The new deadline: September 15. So grab a few cards to take camping and sign up your friends over the summer. Please feel free to send your cards in by mail, or to bring them to your region’s Fall Meeting (see another article below for dates.)
The presentation of the cards to the new government will now take
place some time in the fall, so stay tuned. We know that it takes
considerable thought and care to sign on to the alternative vision
outlined in the cards, so every signature represents a thoughtful
and concerned Canadian. We want to make every card count, and your
ideas for the final presentation are most welcome. For more information
or to send KAIROS your thoughts, please contact Adele Halliday,
Network Coordinator, 1 877 403 8933 x236 or
ahalliday
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It’s KAIROS Time at the ballot box—check out the Federal Election Toolkit online |
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The time before a federal election is a “kairos” moment – a decisive time for action. The election is an opportunity to give issues of justice and peace prominence in the public and political arena and to advocate for positive social change both here at home and around our “globalized” world. This is a time when Canadians think and talk about political issues, and an ideal time to influence decision-makers and candidates seeking our votes. We have responsibilities as citizens, and rights as members of a democracy, to use this time for decisive action.
KAIROS has developed a “Federal Election Toolkit” to help you advocate for positive change over the next few weeks. We are not advocating for a particular person or party – rather, we want to give you to tools to ask questions, discover more, and challenge candidates in your riding. The kit includes:
- Ten Tips for Electoral Action
- Fact Sheets (with election questions) Based on the Cultivating Just Peace Campaign
- Links to other resources and organizations
We urge all KAIROS friends to use these tools to advocate for
justice in the current election. Please download them and keep us
informed of your participation in the election. Send updates or
obtain print kits through Adele Halliday, Network Coordinator,
ahalliday
(Toll free: 1 877 403 8933 x236)
You can access the KAIROS election kit at: http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/action/election/index.asp
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Check out other election kits |
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There are many other groups working on elections and advocacy issues. Here are just a few. Please note that KAIROS does not necessarily endorse all of the advocacy positions in these kits.
Assembly of First Nations: Grand Chief’s message
http://www.afn.ca/Assembly_of_First_Nations.htm
Campaign 2000 End Child Poverty in Canada
http://www.campaign2000.ca/act/04fedelec/index.html
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Social Affairs Commission
http://www.cccb.ca
Canadian Council for International Cooperation
http://www.ccic.ca/e/docs/002_2004_elections_questions.pdf
Ceasefire.ca: http://www.ceasefire.ca/campaign
(NOTE: June 12 is a nation-wide day to say NO to Ballistic Missile
Defence. Click on the above link for more information. Project Ploughshares
is the lead Canadian church agency on this issue, and detailed information
on Ballistic Missile Defence can be found on their website: http://www.ploughshares.ca
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Citizens for Public Justice
http://www.cpj.ca/topics/election/fed04.pdf
Common Frontiers
http://www.web.ca/~comfront
Council of Canadians
http://www.canadians.org
Ecumenical Health Care Network
http://www.ccc-cce.ca/english/justice/ecu_health.htm
Mennonite Central Committee
http://www.mcc.org/canada/peace/index.html
Our Canada Project
http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/action/Our%20Canada%208.5x14.pdf
Seven Point Pledge (Focused on Overseas Development Assistance
commitments)
http://www.pointsevenpledge.ca
United Church of Canada
http://www.united-church.ca/election
Vote for a Change (Centre for Social Justice)
http://www.voteforachange.ca
For more information on KAIROS’ related policy positions, please contact Sara Stratton, Acting Team leader for Animation, at 1 877 403 8933 x241 or sstratton
Updates
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Sudan: Violence in Darfur even as peace process moves forward |
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On May 27, 2004, the Government of Sudan signed three protocols of agreement with southern-based rebels, completing another step toward peace in a 20-year conflict that has cost the lives of roughly two million people.
While welcome, these latest protocols must not detract vital attention from the ongoing violence in Darfur. To date, over 30,000 Darfurians have lost their lives in the violence, and nearly 1.5 million have been cleared from their villages and farms. As recently as May 25, armed militias attacked five villages, 15 kilometres south of Nyala, killing 53 civilians and wounding at least nine others.
Authoritative reports indicate that the militias perpetrating these atrocities, the Janjaweed, are backed by regular forces of the Sudanese army, the army of the government proclaiming peace in the country.
Please continue to send letters urging the Canadian government to take steps to assist the people of Sudan and help halt the further loss of life. The urgent action text can be found at http://www.kairoscanada.org/e/urgent/uaDarfur040511.asp
Many thanks to all who have taken the time to support human rights by writing to government officials about this appalling violence. Please send a copy of your letter to KAIROS, and a copy of any correspondence you receive from the Canadian government.
For more information contact
John Lewis,
Program Coordinator, International Human Rights,
jlewis
or 416 463 5312 ext. 224.
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Third anniversary of the disappearance of Kimy Pernia Domico |
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June 2nd, 2004, marked the third anniversary of the abduction of our Colombian colleague, Kimy Pernia. There has been no progress in locating him or bringing the perpetrators of this crime to justice.
A leader of the Embera Katio nation, which is struggling for recognition of indigenous rights, Kimy was forcibly disappeared in the town of Tierralta, Colombia, on June 2, 2001 by three armed men. While no one has claimed responsibility for this act, the way in which the abduction was carried out suggests that members of an outlawed paramilitary group perpetrated this crime.
As attacks against Kimy’s community continue, KAIROS has written a letter to Colombian President Uribe to express our outrage with the lack of progress by the Colombian authorities in halting the violence against the Embera and pursuing investigations into the murders and disappearances of their leaders.
For more information contact
John Lewis,
Program Coordinator, International Human Rights,
jlewis
or 416 463 5312 ext. 224.
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The 2003 Report of the KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund is now available! |
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The KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund is both a fund and a partnership between churches and low-income groups, supporting grassroots projects led by those most affected by poverty and economic injustice in Canada. In 2003, the KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund supported education and advocacy initiatives, laundry cooperatives and community kitchens, in towns and cities across the country, from Harbour Grace, Newfoundland to Dawson Creek, British Columbia.
“Justice, justice shalt thou pursue,” writes the author of Deuteronomy. KAIROS grant receivers take seriously this call to do justice. In PEI, the Injured Workers Organizing Committee mobilized workers to confront unjust compensation policy. In Alberta, the Calgary Coalition for Low Income Review lobbied for increases to minimum wage and social assistance. Meanwhile, the Quebec-based Mouvement Action Chômage Saguenay Lac-St-Jean gathered over 100 people outside a local politician’s office to demand improvements to the existing unemployment insurance regime. Read these stories and more in the 2003 Report of the KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund.
Be a part of the anti-poverty work of KAIROS! For those interested in making a grant application to the KAIROS Anti-Poverty Fund, check our website under Anti-Poverty for an online application form. Check with your provincial representative for information on application deadlines and send the completed form to your provincial committee.
For more information, contact the Team Leader for Global Justice,
John Mihevc: toll free 1 877 403 8933 x228 or
jmihevc
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Network update: Evaluation forms are out and about; dates for the Fall 2004 KAIROS regional meetings |
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All KAIROS ecumenical groups should have received an evaluation form for this year’s Cultivating Just Peace program. If any individuals, churches, or community groups would like to use the form too, please contact Adele Halliday ( ahalliday ) Or, if you have general thoughts on the campaign, network, or resources that you want to share, simply write them up and send them in to Adele. Your thoughts are very important to the ongoing campaign work of KAIROS. Please take the time to share them with us as we prepare for the second year of the Cultivating Just Peace campaign!
It may feel too early to mark your fall calendars—but you don’t want to miss the 2004 KAIROS Fall regional meetings:
Prairies-North Regional Meeting:
September 17 – 19
Gull Lake Baptist Camp and Retreat Centre; Lacombe, AB
Dick Peters,
dickpet
, ph. (306) 697-3354
BC-Yukon Regional Meeting:
September 24 – 26
Camp Alexandra; White Rock, BC
Sandi Evans,
sevans
, ph.(250) 763-0708
Cambrian-Agassiz Regional Meeting:
October 1 – 2
Villa Maria Renewal Centre; Winnipeg, MB
Doreen Lankshear-Smith,
doreenls
, ph. (807) 577-3345
Atlantic Regional Meeting:
October 1 – 3
Tatamagouche Centre; Tatamagouche, NS
Tim Devlin,
devlin
, ph. (506) 466-4685
Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Regional Meeting:
October 15 – 17
Mt. Alverno Retreat Centre; Caledon, ON
Joy Warner,
jw4peace
, ph. (905) 521-0017, or
Jim Lindsay,
jnm.lindsay
, ph. (519) 942-2952
A PDF flyer on the meetings is now available on the KAIROS website
under Network/ Regions. Please print and spread widely!
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Employment Opportunities at KAIROS: Fundraiser, Middle East Coordinator |
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See our Employment Opportunities section for more details.
Fund-raising Coordinator
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives seeks a creative,
experienced fundraiser to join a dynamic team working for social
change in Canada and globally. KAIROS works ecumenically on behalf
of 11 national churches and church organizations in a wide range
of program areas including corporate responsibility, economic justice,
ecological justice, human rights and peace-building. You will plan
and carry out a diversified fund-raising program to increase revenues
from member denominations, religious communities, individuals, organizations,
government and foundations.
Application deadline: June 30th. Full details available here
or call 416-463-5312 x232.
Program Coordinator - Middle East Partnerships (half-time position)
KAIROS: Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives seeks a creative, dedicated program coordinator on half-time basis to work with our human rights staff and Middle East partners in promoting human rights and a just peace. Working ecumenically on behalf of 11 national churches and church organizations, you will oversee partnership relations, program development and coordination, project management, policy development and advocacy on Middle East issues. Application deadline: June 25th. Full details available here or call 416-463-5312 x232.
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New on our website |
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In addition to the new materials noted above, see these new postings:
Middle East site section: KAIROS has added a new site section on the Middle East, focusing on the work of partners in the region, and on a recent church leaders’ visit to the area. A report on the delegation was recently added. The section is found under Partnerships/Middle East.
Check out the new photo gallery of the Middle East delegation—the first photo gallery of many.
Updated debt briefing note: For all who follow the ups and downs
of global campaigns to cancel developing countries’ debt,
here’s
an updated primer on recent developments.
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