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KAIROS Times, December 2024
Spread hope this Christmas

YOU are invited to read our Christmas letter and share its message of joy and hope with your family, friends, and community. Please post it on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Share it in your church or forward it to your e-list.

As the year draws to a close, the need for your support has never been greater. Your generosity is more than a gift; it’s an act of hope that transforms lives.

Please take a moment to make a difference today. Together, we can bring light to so many this Christmas season.

Thank you for being a beacon of kindness and hope!
Please Donate Today
Join us during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence is on the rise worldwide, and women are rising up against it! 

Join KAIROS for the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, which began on November 25 and ends on December 10. KAIROS is amplifying the work of global partners, Indigenous communities and migrant networks, and other allies who tirelessly address gender-based violence year-round. This 16-day campaign highlights their voices, advocacy, and actions. 

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Jubilee 2025: A call for lobal debt justice

In 2025, KAIROS will lead a Canadian Ecumenical Jubilee campaign, in step with a global debt relief effort, inspired by the Jubilee tradition from the Book of Leviticus. Rooted in faith, Jubilee calls for the release of debts, liberation from servitude, and the return of seized lands—principles that resonate deeply in today’s world. Stay tuned for ways to join KAIROS and its partners in this vital mission to create a more just and sustainable world.

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Feeding a movement

Four unique gatherings fed the faithful movement for justice this fall. Like twigs and bark lay the foundations of a warming fire, ideas of new stories, old stories, a place of retreat, a conversation on spirituality, a commitment to solidarity, a quest for knowledge, all laid the foundation to oxygenate and spark new thoughts and connections and renew strong longstanding networks.
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Community dialogue on sustainable futures in Unama'ki-Cape Breton 

On November 5, KAIROS and the Climate Change Task Force – Unama'ki/Cape Breton (CCTF) co-hosted a community dialogue on sustainable futures and just transition in Sydney, Nova Scotia. The dialogue was convened as part of KAIROS’ Strengthening Voices for a Just Transition project, which aims to nurture dialogue on the social, economic and environmental dimensions of the energy transition.

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KAIROS urges Canada to halt free trade negotiations with Ecuador 

On November 25, KAIROS sent a letter to the Prime Minister urging Canada to halt the proposed free trade agreement with Ecuador. The letter highlights concerns that the agreement is negotiated without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of Indigenous peoples in Ecuador, and that Canada has included investor-state dispute settlement provisions that will allow Canadian companies to sue Ecuador for strengthening its environmental and human rights protections.  
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Call on Canada to scale up its climate finance pledge for loss and damage 

Wealthy countries like Canada have failed to address climate change adequately while  countries in the Global South, which have contributed the least to the crisis, are feeling the brunt of it most acutely and struggle to adapt. Please take a minute to send a letter to the Prime Minister and other key Ministers to scale up Canada’s climate finance for climate-related loss and damage.
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Take action

KAIROS actions to build a better world, such as e-petitions, letters to elected officials and advocacy events are housed on the KAIROS Advocacy page. 
Take Action Today!
2024 KAIROS Blanket Exercise reflection

Just as the snow begins to blanket the land and create a picturesque backdrop, there is much going on under the snow that remains unseen. Fallen seeds nestle into place and prepare for the coming year.

Like seeds, the KBE team prepares for the year to come and much of their current work is hidden from view. Here are a few exciting highlights from the KBE understory in 2024:

  • We are receiving expressions of interest for The KBE Advisory Circle;
  • KBE Global and Newcomer Coordinator, Alfredo Barahona, visited with KBE partners in Alaska;
  • An Indigenous Identification verification process is now in place for Indigenous KBE partners whose annual licensing fees are being waived;
  • We welcomed two new members to the team: Taylor Bate is our Education & Training Coordinator and Susan Bujold is our Partnership Coordinator;
  • The search for a new database is nearly complete and we hope to have it in place for 2025;
  • More than 100 people participated in information sessions for Phases 1 and 2 of 3 of the new model;
  • We are very close to launching training of new instructors. Our goal is national coverage for KBE partner facilitator trainings;
  • Caroline Sharp, the KBE Admin Associate and previous KBE facilitator, joined Audacious Hope in July to facilitate a KBE with some of the youth and leadership in attendance; and
  • Currently, 30 partners in Canada are providing KBEs to those wishing to host it for their organization or community.

The energy of the team’s excitement and joy of what’s to come match that of the seeds of hope and renewal. As we walk into 2025, the KBE team will be launching Phase 3 of the new model with more than 300 potential partners in the queue nation-wide and internationally. We are also hoping to be a presence at the World Indigenous Peoples’ Conference on Education (WIPCE) 2025 in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland in November.

In this season of joy and hope, the KBE Team would like to express their gratitude to the KBE community for their steadfast loyalty and support. We wish you all a very safe, happy holiday and joyful New Year. We look forward to walking alongside you in 2025.

The KBE Team:

Connor, Alfredo, Caroline, Susan, and Taylor

 

For more information, visit our websites: www.kairoscanada.org and www.kairosblanketexercise.org.
 
KAIROS Canadian Ecumenical Justice Initiatives
80 Hayden Street, Suite 400
Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2
Canada

Tel: 416-463-5312 | Toll-free: 1-877-403-8933|