Links to Justice Organizations

Links to Justice Organizations

10 days for Global Action: This site promotes the work of a Canadian inter-church coalition and community groups working for global justice. Its purpose is to empower people to take action to build a better world. It believes that education is most effective when linked to action. The homepage includes links to their 2001 Program, Events Across Canada, Taking Action, Youth Initiatives, Worship Resources, Contact Information, Getting Involved, List of Resources that can be ordered for free, Workshops and other organizations promoting social justice. This web site will serve teachers well in developing strategies and initiatives to engage young people in education and action on global justice issues.--L.De Biasio; This site contains information on how a network of communities can work together for global justice. It offers dates and events across Canada. It would be helpful to the Catholic educator because it teaches students to put people and creation first. Read up on the cause and take part in the action with your class! --Antonella Ali
Amnesty International: This site contains recent news releases and features a report called "Human Rights Abuses With Small Arms". This report illustrates the range of world-wide human rights abuses carried out with small arms. It gives information about what amnesty international represents and hopes to accomplish.
A good site for raising awareness in students regarding abuse of human rights, children subjected to violence, gun control, etc. -- A. Savo Fiorini; This website promotes the protection of human rights worldwide as stated in the Universal Declaration of Human rights. This website contains information on this organization's political activity to free all prisoners of conscience, ensure fair and prompt trials, and address political killings and human rights issues. This site allows teachers and students to become politically active by donating money, writing letters to our government and by protesting. This is a great subject to discuss with intermediate and senior level geography, religion and politics courses. - Filomena Ferraro
Bread for the World: Bread for the World is a Christian citizens movement seeking justice for the world's hungry people.
This web site is beneficial to teachers and students. It discusses various things we can do as Christians to stop world hunger. -- Mary Bellissimo
Call to Action: This website is based on an organization of 22,000 people who believe that the Spirit of God is at the work of the Church. It is based on the concept that Catholics are responsible from servicing the needs of the world and for promoting peace and justice. By clicking of the title "sitemap," you will be directed to a simplified list of subtitles. The site includes a description of the organization and what they represent. The organization produces three different monthly publications. These publications can be downloaded and are archived. They discuss current evens, reform and include reflection and prayer articles. A calendar of events is also included for conferences etc. There are discussion rooms and links to promoting "Women in Church Leadership." I believe that the publications are the most useful for teachers. Copies can be printed and included on prayer centers. Articles can be used for lesson and discussion in religion classes. -- Mary Muscoiona
Call to Renewal: This site begins with a mission statement that includes four primary values - overcoming poverty, dismantling racism, affirming life, rebuilding family and community. This organization helps to shape social policy and asks us to commit ourselves to service for our communities.
Excellent for social justice issues, making students aware of how they can contribute to rebuilding community. -- A. Savo Fiorini
Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace: Development and Peace was launched by Canada's Catholic bishops, laity and clergy to educate Canadians about North-South issues and to support initiatives by Third World people to take control of their lives. Both the web site and the organization are excellent sources of educational material. The yearly campaigns, films and activities are very useful resources for social justice. They are grounded in our Catholic traditions and fit well in our religious education programmes. I have been using their material for twenty years and the web site merely makes it all the more accessible. --Sean O'Connor
Catholic Relief Services: This website promotes assisting the poor and disadvantaged by providing direct assistance and then encouraging these people to help with their own development. This site also educates people to fulfill their moral responsibilities by helping the poor, working to remove the causes of poverty, and promoting social justice. This website will serve teachers well as there is a Kids Site link that has puzzles, interactive games, a kids newsroom, word games and activities that promote social justice in the world. The Kids Section is appropriate for elementary school students.
-- C. Armani
Center For Concern: This website is a most useful resource when teaching about social justice issues on a global scale. It is founded on Catholic Social Teaching; however, it emphasizes global solidarity through the sharing and respect of the diverse religious values. It is a non-profit organization with its primary focus being the transformation of inequitable social and economic structures and social systems. It is centred on the principles of education and advocacy. That is, central to its mission is the dire need for people to become aware of the global social injustices and to be a voice for those who have none. Furthermore, it strongly promotes the notion – “strength in numbers”. That is, it welcomes and encourages the various faith-based communities to come together for a common goal – upholding the needs, rights and dignity of each human being. This website is an excellent resource for intermediate and secondary students as it addresses and provides articles that contain geographical, economic, social and demographic characteristics of different nations around the world. It would also be useful for any school that has a Luke 4:18 Committee as the articles can be used to educate the students about social issues. Finally, it is useful for teaching world religions as it has a link (Religious Social Values) that provides information and articles about their foundational values.--Nancy DiRenzo

Church Council on Justice and Corrections: This web site can be used in the sub-category of Social Justice. The Church council on Justice and Corrections is a national coalition of faith based individuals and churches, who act as a shining light of a more humane way of doing criminal justice. This site revolves around the theory of "justice of the soul".This web site would be useful for teachers who are unfamiliar with the latest issues concernng the church. Teachers can use these links and news updates, to famiiliarize themselves with the social issues and ethics and see what is the stance the Catholic Church takes towards them.
Catholic Fund for Overseas Development: CAFOD is a major British charity that has been fighting third world poverty since 1962. CAFOD believes that all human beings have a right to dignity and respect and that the world resources are a right to be shared by all men and women, whatever their race, nationality or religion. This is a good site to consider ways and means to get involved in Catholic action.--Francis Hill
The Catholic Worker - link not working as of July 27, 2005: The Catholic Worker Movement founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933, is grounded in a firm belief in the God-given dignity of every human person. This organization is committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, exiled, hungry, and forsaken. Useful in examining how Catholic values are operationalized in the world today by some members of the catholic community. --Francis Hill; This website is based on The Catholic Worker Movement, which was founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin in 1933. The movement now includes over 175 Catholic Worker communities who remain committed to nonviolence, voluntary poverty, prayer, and hospitality for the homeless, etc. The site includes jumps to information about the creators themselves, communities throughout North America, discussion papers, and volunteer opportunities. This site can be used in the classroom as an inspirational tools in which students can visit in order to grasp a better understanding of leadership and service. -- Mary Muscoiona
Catholics United For Life: This is a United States organization with branches in a number of cities. People come together to pray and give witness for the protection of all unborn babies. A series of documents on pro-life issues can be found on the website. It also includes a list of links on pro-life organizations, partial-birth abortions, prayers and Catholic websites. There is also a "perpetual web rosary", an ongoing rosary in which everyone on the web can participate. -- W. Sum
Center of Concern: This site focuses on global justice and provides information on human rights, racism and Catholic social teaching. There is a myriad of information on this site. In the Catholic social teaching section you can find lists of books related to the topic. These lists include a description of each book. This is a good site for locating written resources on the topic of Catholic social teaching for older students. The information is very current and the website is updated regularly.

Christian Aid: Christian Aid is an agency of the churches in the U.K and Ireland. Its goal is to empower the poor so that they can break the cycle of poverty and injustice in their countries. The site contains updates regarding regions/countries that are faced with natural disasters, political turmoil, or other emergencies. There is also a 'learn zone' for teachers and students so that they can familiarize themselves with the work of the organization. -- J. Koprianiuk; This is an online newspaper with the following sections: news, jobs, information and resources for executives, staffers, donors, and volunteers. It provides links to all of the above plus more, such as up coming conferences, career development and academic programs. -- Macrina Salvino
Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger

Fellowship of Reconciliation (new)
Free the Children: This site is wonderful for students to work with on a school level. Free the children was founded by Craig Keilburger. This site educates students about child labour and current campaigns they can become involved in. It is uniquely Canadian and students can see the difference on young person can make. What I loved about this site is that is provides students with a campaign to make their own schools sweatshop free. It shows them how to set up meetings etc. It not only educates but empowers. -- Lori Tutt; This is a great site and resource for teachers. In the Bible, Jesus talks about the poor and our main reaction is hunger, no money, food, shelter, etc. However, it includes this and more; child labour, education, children in war, child abuse and children?s rights. Free the Children is an organization founded by a then 12-year-old student from Thornhill, Craig Keilburger. He is an inspirational speaker and advocate for children?s rights. This web site contains a home page, information on Free the Children, You can help ? find out how to get involved; Campaigns ? learn about child labour, education, children's rights; Projects ? school and health kits, school building; Voices ? view artwork, stories, poems from children; Leadership ? leadership programs; and Merchandise ? purchase books and videos or sit down and listen to the official Free the Children song. There is a Summer Leadership Academy program being held in Toronto between August 5th and 12th, 2001 which offers young people the opportunity to take part in a remarkable one-week leadership training program. From this site, you learn about children?s rights and the abuse of children in different countries around the world that are the ages of students in your class. Together we can become leaders in our class, school and community to help Craig Keilburger and his mission. -- Tina Castellano
Friends of the Earth: Friends of the Earth (FOE) Canada is a charitable, non-profit organization. Their mission is to serve as a national voice for the environment, working with others to inspire the renewal of our communities and the earth, through research, education and advocacy. This site is divided into different campaign sites, for example, clear air, real food, ozone protection, environmental enforcement. It is also broken down into sub-headings such as: history of FOE, earth angels, outreach, volunteering. This is a great resource for teachers because one can begin with the creation story found in Genesis and discuss with students about the story and how things have changed today. Keeping in mind, that the land was given to us, by God, to use as necessary and not to abuse the land, water, and environment. -- Tina Castellano
Global Exchange
Global Nonviolent Peace Force: The mission of this website is to mobilize and train an international nonviolent, standing peace force. The Peace Force will be sent to conflict areas to prevent death and destruction and protect human rights, thus creating the space for local groups to struggle nonviolently, enter into dialogue, and seek peaceful resolution. This site contains: a proposal for a nonviolent peace force, endorsers, Peace Force news, papers and articles, and a response section. This website is primarily for those who wish to support and explore the idea of joining or supporting a nonviolent army in fighting global social injustice. Information on this site can be used for intermediate and senior level religion, business, and social studies courses. -- Sergio Bertolo; This web site allows the reader to view their proposal for nonviolent peaceful intervention. On the site the viewer can read the proposal in any of 5 different languages, as well, the viewer can see the list of supporter of this proposal. There are also related papers and articles that can be accessed from this site. The site also keeps the keeps the viewer up to date with any recent peace force news that may be of interest. -- A. Mitchell
Good Shepherd Centre: This organization seeks to provide services that will assist clients in regaining freedom for homelessness. At the centre, each person’s inherent goodness and potential for growth are valued. Their goal is to reach out and promote dignity in meeting the needs of the homeless, the elderly, people who are developmentally challenged, as well as those living with H.I.V./A.I.D.S. The site provides valuable information about the centre, other organizations that are part of the Good Shepherd Ministries – Toronto, and can be used by teachers in the classroom when discussing social justice issues. The web site also provides opportunities for service within the city (for example, the drop-in program or the holiday meal service).--Lucia Vani

Hands of Hope for Children: A school based charity dedicated to educating students regarding social justice and humanitarian issues. This is an organization that was established by myself, Rick LeBlanc and Gord Kinahan. Take a peak and if you are interested you can get your school involved next year.-- Sean O'Connor
Harmony Movement: A Celebration of Cultural Diversity: Harmony Movement is a non-profit, charitable organization founded in 1994, that encourages Canadians of all racial, cultural and religious origins to embrace and promote harmony, diversity, as well as equality. This website has a wealth of information for teachers on developing Student Leadership programs, Art contests to fight racism, Harmony Ambassordors program to give students a voice and get involved in interactive workshops at a community level. They can organize school assemblies to teach students how to respond to prejudice. -- Lina Raposo
Harvest Time International: Established in 1991 in the United States, this non-profit, humitarian organization reaches out to those in need all around the world. It is a food bank that collects and distributes supplies where needed. It also distributes to and works in conjunction with other aid organizations. This site is useful because it provides links to websites for other aid organizations, which makes it helpful when researching this topic.-- Armando Brusco
Human Rights Watch: Human Rights Watch is an organization that is based in the United States, with offices worldwide, including Toronto. They are a watchdog that monitors all violations of human rights that are occurring around the world. They are made up of a vast cross-section of people rom all professions and walks of life. They use the information that they gain during their investigations to lobby governments, as well as the United Nations and the EU to elicit changes, as well as attempt to cause international embarassment, and hopefully reform, by the perpetrators of the human rights violations. This site would be useful to teachers in a variety of ways. It allows students to explore human rights violations by country, as well as violations against women, children, religious and cultural groups. They also have a wide range of media which would allow teachers to integrate films, on human rights, as well as audio recordings and photos.This would be useful in various subject areas, likely for internediate and senior level students.-- Cynthia Bettio

Learning to Give: An Action for the Heart, a Project for the Mind.: This American website is dedicated to maintaining and enhancing a civil society through the concept of philanthropy. It seeks to educate students about the importance of giving to the less fortunate in society, developing philanthropic skills (including entrepreneurial skills), and empowering youth to take voluntary citizen action for the common good. Teachers will find a wide variety of K-12 lesson plans, units, and teaching materials which have been field-tested by educators and designed to foster a sense of community and philanthropy in students.—Anthony Arcadi
Maquila Solidarity Network: MSN is a labour and women’s rights advocacy organization that uses public campaigns to expose sweatshop practices. The site provides information about initiatives in the area of promoting humane labour practices to support workers' efforts in Canada and internationally. It can be used in the classroom to promote awareness of social justice issues. More specifically, the “Campaigns” subheading providesup-to-date information as to what can be done to pressure retailers to take responsibility for the conditions under which their products are made. A very extensive list of annotated links can also be found on this web site.-- Lucia Vani

Metro Network for Social Justice: This site was created by a non-profit coalition of organizations that are committed to promoting social and economic justice for everyone in the city of Toronto. The site has the following sections: About the MNSJ; Working Groups; Initiatives; Calendar of Events; Member Groups; Publications; Discussion Groups; Contact Information; Links.This site is an excellent resource for the teacher to expand their own knowledge base or to find out what others are doing in the community (to know that you are not alone). The MNSJ has a number of working groups from which to draw resources or information:Economic & Political Literacy; Women Against Corporate Globalization; Media; Access & Equity Workshops; Corporate Rule Action Network; Workfare; Community Labour Solidarity; Coalitions; Initiatives; Community Budget Watch --Sean O'Connor
National Conference of Catholic Bishops/United States Catholic Conference Social Development and World Peace: This website has been specifically designed to be used as an educational resource. It outlines a summary of Catholic teaching on the economy titled, A Catholic Framework for Economic Life. It provides suggestions and a sample lesson plan focused on the framework that can be adapted for use with intermediate and secondary students, as well as with adults. Although, it is written from an American perspective, it is extremely useful in making the students aware of the paradox of the current state of the economic structure in North America – “survival of the fittest”. The moral and social concern -fewer are surviving. From the bishops’ perspective, the economic structures are promoting a disconnected rather than an interconnected world. As Catholics we have a moral and ethical responsibility to assure that the basic needs of the whole society are satisfied through economic structures that are shaped by moral principles and protect the life and dignity of the human person, support the family, and serve the common good. As Catholic educators, we have a responsibility to empower our students through awareness.--Nancy DiRenzo
The Newman Centre of Toronto Community Outreach: This website contains a homepage with a reflection on Christian outreach and a list of links to five outreach programs that are directly affiliated with the Newman Centre: Basilian Fathers Residence (Infirmary), Missionaries of Charity, Out of the Cold Program, Lay Pastoral Visitors of the Sick and Dying, St. Francis Table. Each link offers an outline of the type of service and volunteer needed by that program and a short inspirational article. It would be useful for educators to search for ways to actively involve students in Christian outreach to others. --Pat Cooney
Office for Social Justice. Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis: This site is committed to changing hearts and changing social structures on behalf of justice. It endorses legislative advocacy, parish organizing and a campaign for human development. The contents of the website encompass social teaching, issues, parish tools, educating for justice, and various web links. This site would benefit intermediate and senior level teachers and students in the areas of religion, business, or social studies. -- Sergio Bertolo; This web site has excellent resources for Catholic Social Teaching. It has an index of resources and topics for educators who are committed to educating for justice. The four major programmes that are accentuated are: Sowers of Justice, Legislative Advocacy, Parish Organizing and Campaign for Human Development. Issues of welfare reform, just wages, housing, landmines, and child labour are discussed. The site has also a link on tips on how to make your parish and effective agent for justice. -- Tony C.
One World Global Education (new): One World is an experiential learning program. It's objective is to provide participants in its programs with the opportunity to “live themselves into a new way of thinking”resulting from cross-class and cross-cultural immersion experience—or, as our mission statement puts it: “To help North Americans discover that their lives are interconnected with those of developing nations by immersion living and working among the Third World poor.”--Website
oneworld.net: guides: The aim of this site is to "challenge and inform, questioning assumptions and suggesting alternatives" on major world issues. It many topics including adis, land issues, child labour, globalization, chemical and nuclear weapons, consumerism etc. Each subject area contains reports and reflections by experts in the field, which allow readers to get and overview of the subject in terms not biased by the corporate world. It can serve as an excellent resource for students and teachers and has hundreds of links. --Lori Tutt

Ontario Tenant Toronto Tenants: That non-profit site provides tenants' legal rights, help in finding housing, information on discrimination, tenant health and much more.
Oxfam’s Cool Planet for Teachers: Cool Planet is a website designed and intended for use by teachers in England, Wales, and Scotland. It uses the concept of Global Citizenship to promote greater economic equity for poorer nations. The website focuses on three main areas: trade justice, debt relief, and more and better aid. The site contains many teacher-friendly resources, including fact sheets and articles which succinctly summarize concepts dealing with poverty for students from grades 7 to 12. It also contains detailed lesson plans that are current and relevant to issues in the news, including such units as “Water for All,” and “Change the World in Eight Steps.”—Anthony Arcadi
Red Cross: Here you can access Red Cross web pages for various branches of the organization (i.e. Canadian, American branches). The Disaster Relief section explains how the Red Cross responds to thousands of disasters that occur each year (hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous wste spills, accidents, and even apartment fires). The Canadian branch provides assistance free of charge, which is made possible through donations and the many volunteers who provide their time and expertise. This site is useful for researching current issues and world issues in general. It can be used by students in a number of divisions (i.e. junior, intermediate, senior). -- Armando Brusco
Sharelife: ShareLife has been raising funds to support those going through some very difficult times. ShareLife conducts parish, corporate and community campaigns across the Archdiocese of Toronto. Money raised from their annual appeal goes to support ShareLife's 33 agencies, helping more than 100,000 people each year. There is also a Youth Zone which provides students with the opportunity to respond to and reflect on featured questions. There is also a program called “Share the Spirit” which is an opportunity for High School students to get involved in their community. They also provide fundraising event ideas for schools as well as promotional materials to help promote your event. They also provide links to the charities through which they support as well as links to their favourite sites.--Elisa Aquino


Social-justice Issues Index: This site is a resource guide created by the Claretians, missionaries devoted to social justice issues all over the globe. Articles contain information gathered from the sites creators, numerous secular news releases, or religious publications and news stories. This site would be especially useful for both teacher and older students in research. The site is easily accessible, educational, and informative. -- Danielle Madden
The Social Edge: a monthly Social Justice and Faith Webzine
Social Justice and Peace-Resources for Catholic Educators: This web site includes many useful links for the catholic educator that relate to Catholicism in general as well as church teachings. It also offers information on Christian social ethics-internet theology resources. It takes a look at Catholic social teaching and has a theology library. This site also offers an index of quotations regarding catholic social teachings, and has featured articles written for catholic educators. This site may be used in the classroom to have students familiarize themselves with the teachings of the church (i.e. catechism searches), or this web site is a great resource for catholic educators to use as a reference for their own personal knowledge. -- Teresa Foti

Strategic Pastoral Action Network (new)
SojoNet: This website is an excellent resource for teachers and students. It is the online voice of Sojourner's Magazine which proclaims spiritual renewal within the context of social justice. In addition to its own publication on these issues of faith, politics and culture from a biblical perspective there are links to interactive conversations on the articles and topics in the magazine. Other links include: events listing for active participation or speaking forums on the above issues, registration for internship programs with the magazine, alternative media on the same topics and a "store" offering resources from audiotapes, videos to mugs and kits. This is a useful site for research on current issues and a forum for students (Gr. 6 and up) to respond. -- Cathie Furfaro
Teachers Without Borders
Ten Thousand Villages: Ten Thousand Villages is an organization that provides income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and selling their stories in North America. This organization has existed since 1946. This is a great organization because the income that the Third World people receive from the selling of their crafts and stories allows them to pay for food, housing and healthcare-the basic necessities of life. This organization helps improve the lives of those that live in poverty. This is a great classroom resource because it can be a real eye-opener for children. Many children don't realize that there are other children in this world who don't have food and clothes. This site will show them what othersmust do in order to survive. --Rose Di Cresce
Target Earth Canada: Target Earth Canada is an organization involved in helping the earth and the poor around the world. The website is divided into the following categories: By location, Volunteer, Job Postings, News Book Reviews, Photo Gallery, Info Request, Links and Search. This site could be useful to Catholic educators as a tool for providing examples to the students on how people are being "Ministers of God". -- S. Campagna
Teachers Without Borders: The website of "Teachers Without Borders" consists of a wide range of educational and religious resources that can assist in giving a global perspective in both a theoretical and practical way. This website also provides a forum for students to interact with other students around the world. Catholic teachers can find an abundant amount of modern day issues, resources and classroom ideas that can be easily implemented. The website also deals with political and economic issues which have an impact on education around the world. Hence, all grade levels can benefit from this site! -- AL; This organization develops and provides resources and connects teachers with each other. It generates online support and learning packages to meet locally developed goals and works on various projects such as such as teacher mentorship, youth leadership programs, and cross-cultural online courses. J. Cocchetto
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: The U.N. website for refugee issues. It contains the following sections:; An excellent resource for the classroom teacher. I have used this site extensively and have found it to be a useful tool for social justice initiatives. The classroom ready lessons are an excellent way to look at the plight of refugees. The material is divided into junior, intermediate and senior categories with plans for a variety of subject areas (language, history, geography, art). The Witness and Images sections are very good visual sources for the children to view. -- Sean O'Connor
United Nations Teaching and Learning Project CYBER SCHOOL BUS: This site offers quizzes and games for students, and provides information about world events. It also provides information about the United Nations in a format that students will find easy to read and understand. It provides a feature which highlights a book selection that promotes equality and justice. The site also profiles projects that are going on around the world (i.e. kids helping kids). The site also has a photo gallery which contains artwork from students around the world. This is a great site for teachers to use to familiarize their students with the work of the United Nations. Teachers can also use the many games and puzzles provided in the classroom. -- Teresa Foti
Uniya: Jesuit Social Justice Centre: Uniya seeks to respond to situations of structural injustice through links with marginalized people by: research and practical support to the poor; influencing public opinion and promoting effective action; seeking law and policy reform; encouraging Christian participation in government and society; training in social justice issue; providing technical advice and assistance to marginalized groups.This Australian site is excellent for those who wish to understand more about structural injustice and perhaps becoming more closely involved in specific areas of Catholic and social action.--Francis Hill
World Vision Canada: World Vision Canada is a Christian organization that attempts to provide awareness, education, relief and development to those suffering in Canada and worldwide. This site contains many elements including support and donor programs e.g. “Child Sponsorship”, “Hunger Crisis in West Africa” and the emergency situation in “South East Asia”. World Vision Canada also provides many opportunities for the general public to get involved in by clicking into various charities, programs, campaigns and movement links. Example links include the “30 Hour Famine” and “Make Poverty History” programs. This website is beneficial to teachers as it provides a link to “Education and Justice” which focuses on various global social justice issues and offers teacher resources for grades 2-12.-- Rosanna Pistilli

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