On Tuesday April 25th, 2017, students from Blessed Cardinal Newman participated in the Canadian Jesuits International’s fifth annual “Youth 4 Others” Social Justice Day. CJI is an international development agency of the Jesuits of Canada; they support poor and marginalized people in developing countries through the work of Jesuits and other partners. Over 60 students and educators partook in the event and students were encouraged to consider how they could be agents of change.
Keynote speaker Loae Almously shares his experience as a refugee. (Photo: C. Hincks/CJI)
We started the morning with an eye-opening call to action message by the CJI Director, Jenny Cafiso, and also had the opportunity to hear a moving personal reflection on the crisis in Syria from keynote speaker Loae Almously. He came to Canada in 2015 from Syria, via Jordan, and today he works as a settlement counsellor, assisting refugees adjusting to Canadian life.
Following the speakers, workshop sessions were provided in the morning and afternoon on a wide range of international social justice issues. The workshops focused on countries such as India, Nepal, Philippines and Syria. We ended the day with a final chance to reflect through an interactive group exercise where we shared the new knowledge learned throughout the day.
It was an extraordinary day of learning and reflection and an excellent way to start our lives as social justice revolutionaries.
