Climate Change and Human Health Webinar

Have you wondered how climate change is impacting our health and what steps we can take to reduce these impacts? Catholic Climate Covenant invites you to register for their upcoming webinar:

The Growing Crisis: Climate Change’s Impacts on Human Health


   Tuesday, November 22 from 3:00-4:00 pm (EST)

The webinar will explore:

• Why climate change is an issue for people of faith.
• How climate change is impacting health.
• Steps we can take to reduce our impact on climate change and address health problems related to climate change.

Presenter: Laura Anderko, Ph.D., RN, the Robert and Kathleen Scanlon Chair in Values Based Health Care at Georgetown University School of Nursing & Health Studies. She is a scholar and educator in the fields of epidemiology, public health, and environmental health.

REGISTER HERE

Register for the 2016 Catholic Institutions and Immigrant Integration Conference

The 2016 annual gathering on Catholic Institutions and Immigrant Integration (CIII) is planned for November 28-30, 2016 in San Diego. The first two days will consist of keynotes and interactive workshops at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego. The last day will include site visits in San Diego and Tijuana.

The project seeks to identify, study, and support a growing network of diverse Catholic institutions that are implementing successful programs and ministries with immigrants. The project’s overall goals are to improve and expand the work of Catholic institutions on immigrant integration, empowerment, and well-being. The conference will:

• Speak to the theological vision that underlies the Church’s work on immigrant integration;
• Lift up important research on the work of Church institutions with immigrants, and link academics/researchers with leaders from diverse Catholic institutions;
• Promote effective models of immigrant integration; and
• Dialogue on Catholic advocacy opportunities and strategies in light of the Presidential election.

 

Save the Date for Feast of St. Francis 2016

On October 4, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assissi. This year, Catholic Climate Covenant (CCC) invites us all to join them in making the Feast even more special, in honor of the one-year anniversary of Laudato Si’.

By registering with CCC, individuals, parishes, schools, and universities will have access to the following to the Feast of St. Francis program guide, which includes the following:

• Prayers and scripture readings
• Short video with discussion questions
• Activities
• Advocacy
• Resources

Registration will be available later this summer; however, it is never to early to begin plans to host events in honor of the Feast. CCC offers event resources just for colleges:

• From St. Francis to Pope Francis to You! Creating a Climate for Solidarity
• Melting Ice, Mending Creation
• Sun Come Up: Educational Initiative

Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis is a wonderful way to continue practicing the call to care for our common home. Be sure to continue checking CCC’s website for more details!

How will your college or university celebrate the Feast of St. Francis? Let us know! 

Interfaith Youth Core to Fundraise for Refugees with ‘Better Together Day’

As people of faith, we are called to dialogue and cooperation with people of faith traditions different from our own in order to work for the common good of society; as Interfaith Youth Core writes, “Knowing something about another person’s religious or non-religious background helps you connect with that entire group.” For this reason, IFYC will host again its annual Better Together Day on April 7!

Better Together Day participants are encouraged to take a day to learn about another person’s religious traditions or values. All are welcome to participate by joining Twitter events, planning or attending an event in their area, or submitting a quote, a verse, or a simple personal statement about interfaith literacy to IFYC’s fundraising campaign for the International Rescue Committee. When the campaign receives 5,000 submissions, IFYC will donate $10,000 to IRC, which is committed to responding to global humanitarian crises by “helping people service, recover, and reclaim control of their futures.”

Be sure to submit your quote, verse, or statement by April 7, and read more about creative ideas for campus events, service projects, and other ways to participate.

How does your college or university promote interfaith literacy, dialogue, or cooperation? Let us know! 

Make Your Finals Fair Trade!

Looking to squeeze in one more Fair Trade event this semester? Why not make it a Fair Trade Study Break and get your materials for free? Tell Fair Trade USA about your event plans and receive a free event kit!

How to get hooked up:

1. Provide a short explanation of your plans and your mailing address at the bottom of this blog in the comment box.
2. Register your event on the Fair Trade Campaigns website.

What you’ll get:

• Fair Trade Coffee
• Fair Trade Chocolate from Alter Eco
• Fair Trade Tea from Numi Organic Tea
• Informational 1-pagers on coffee, tea and chocolate from Fair Trade Campaigns

Happy Fair Trading and best of luck during finals!

 

Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Moves to December

In March, 2014, thousands across the country participated in the Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath. The next event was originally listed as March 19th-22nd, 2015, but moving forward, the annual Gun Violence Prevention Sabbath Weekend will now be in December on the anniversary of the tragic shootings in Newtown, Connecticut. This new partnership between the Newton Action Alliance and Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence will help build bridges with other groups, consolidate resources and effort, and ease some of the pressure being placed on faith leaders across the country. The Alliance hopes to have events in all 50 states. They can be small or large, as in March last year. The March Sabbath website posts multi-faith resources.

Member colleges are encouraged to hold an event on December 11th, 2014 or the following weekend. If you plan to participate, please sign up in order to publicly show your support!

Catholic Higher Education Mission and Identity Database

Need fresh ideas for embodying Catholic identity in your work? Looking for a successful Catholic mission-related program to replicate on your campus? ACCU has launched a searchable inventory of promising practices in Catholic higher education mission and identity. This database includes programs, events, curricular designs, department structures, publications, and other practices that foster a greater sense of the institution’s Catholic mission and identity in the campus community.

If you have a practice to share, please complete the online form, and we will be glad to promote your good work!