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
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
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
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 Agency 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 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
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
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. It is now united with Education for Justice.
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
This site provides “news, analysis, research tools and action resources to respond to corporate activity. It dialogues with people who are affected by corporate abuses and those striving for corporate accountability, human rights, socialand environmental justice. The site has three main functions:News, information, analysis and first person accounts; Tools for research; Activist alerts.This is an excellent corporate responsibility site that would be of use in any religion, social studies or business class. It is a great resource to help teachers and students combat the tremendous influence and power of transnational corporations.
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 is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting social, economic and environmental justice since 1988. “We’re changing the rules across the globe from a profit-centered global economy to thriving people-centered local economies; from the politics of greed to a living democracy that respects the rights of workers and nature; and from currency to community.” -from their website.
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
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
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 Note: Sadly the harmony Movement closed in 2019.
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 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
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
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
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.
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
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
Renfrew CDSB Social Justice Links
An extensive list of social justice resources.
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 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
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 connects teachers to information and each other to create local change on a global scale. At over 59 million, teachers are the largest group of trained professionals in the world. As transmitters of knowledge and community leaders, teachers are powerful catalysts for lasting global change. However, teacher professional development is often irrelevant, inconsequential, or missing entirely. Teachers must therefore have a support network to provide the resources, training, tools and colleagues they need to fulfill their important role. Teachers Without Borders offers that support. – from website
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 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
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
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
Links from York Catholic DSB teachers
See also Abortion Links
Other CARFLEO Social Justice Pages
Other CARFLEO Links pages