As KAIROS Network groups, we interact with people who share our passion and compassionately lift us up through the most difficult times. The sense that we are a community of like-minded individuals, who are all working to achieve similar and related goals, strengthens us as individuals and as groups. These relationships bring joy even when working in social justice is often challenging and sometimes discouraging.
KAIROS Network groups have cost-free easy access to all available prepared print materials, which saves individuals and groups money, time, and energy to dedicate in other ways to the work. In addition, as members of a KAIROS Network group, we have access to knowledgeable speakers and technological resources (professional grade power point presentations and video resources). Moreover, since the majority of Canadians identify with a faith tradition, the prophetic witness and ecumenical Christian worship materials KAIROS Canada offers provide a relevant spiritual base for advocacy and education. As KAIROS Network group members, we have access to more in depth learning through member to member discussion and the use of resources, which can be used to reach out to local churches and schools. As an ecumenical national organization, KAIROS Canada can successfully dialogue with members of different Christian churches and with federal politicians. Our membership in a local KAIROS Network group provides access to a much wider social justice community than we have as individuals or independent groups. Trying to “go it alone” is commendable, but it is not always the most practical use of scarce resources. KAIROS Canada, as a national body with charitable status from the Canada Revenue Agency, receives funding to which all groups have equal access. Once annually, KAIROS Canada’s national office provides a regular grant to regional KAIROS Network coordinating committees. Each group has autonomy to choose the social justice areas in which members want to work. The areas of KAIROS Canada’s work are ecological justice, gender justice, Indigenous Rights, migrant justice, and prophetic witness. Each group works in the areas that most closely relate to their geographic focus. For example, migrant justice is a bigger concern for groups located within the agricultural belt of Ontario than it is for groups in Canada’s north. As we become better acquainted with one another, we make friendships that validate our efforts in social justice work. This is priceless food for the journey! |
