This year the theme for Earth Day is #InvestInOurPlanet. Whether we are considering government policies, corporate responsibilities, or personal choices, how we choose to invest our resources has a dramatic impact on the ecological stability of the whole world. We are also conscious that there are many social and cultural groups who have more sustainable, less destructive relationships with their environment. Indigenous and first peoples, rural and farming communities, and island communities (among many others) have a great deal to teach us about living in harmony with our environment and investing in our planet for everyone’s sake. At American Jesuits International, we are investing in our planet by continuing to support projects that work with these groups and care for our common home.
One great example is the work of our partners in the International Federation of Fe y Alegría (FiFyA) who accompany and learn from these communities and incorporate their unique perspectives into the pedagogical activities and political advocacy of the organization. The “Integral Ecology and Pan Amazon” initiative of FIFyA is inspired by Pan Amazonian communities who are dramatically affected by the destruction of their local environment and, also, have profound experience with multicultural education. While the work of this group has implications throughout the FIFyA they are focused on three central themes:
The destruction of and threat to the Amazon, its ecosystem, and the people that live in the region.
Access and educational relevance in territories of global ecological importance with special attention paid to situations of Education in Emergency (school exclusion, weakening of educational processes, digital divide, loss of native languages and cultural manifestations).
Defense of the right to quality education based on local input, which developed in dialogue with educators and also work toward joint advocacy action.
In recent years, this initiative has published Newsletters and Pedagogical guides to help bring the care and defense of our common home into the classroom. As we prepare to recognize Earth Day this year, we encourage you to learn more about this important initiative (here). With your help, we continue to support the work of FIFyA and all of their initiatives around the world.
