On the last weekend in February, campus teams from six different universities attended the Living Global Connections on campus program sponsored by the Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry and Canadian Catholic Students’ Association.

The group was warmly hosted by the Redemptorists at Redeemer house. Rooted in their Catholic faith, they shared stories of how God planted a desire for social justice in us. Many were inspired by interactions with people around the globe, and by parents and teachers.

The group met members of Our Place, a community of people facing mental health challenges. This exchange further strengthened our commitment to promoting human dignity.

One powerful witness was the development and performance of street theatre on the issue of agrofuels. Anna Weber of Campion College shares her experience below.

Throughout the weekend, students had the opportunity to act for social justice and to reflect on that experience. Karlene Flemming-Fortune from Ryerson remarked, “You can truly have a connection between your faith and social justice. A small group really can make a difference.”

A short video developed during the weekend will be premiered at the CCSA national student leadership conference October 28-31 in Saint John, NB. Campuses in attendance were Ryerson, Campion College, St. Thomas More College, King’s University College, St. Thomas University and Carleton University.

- Lori Neale, Canadian Catholic Campus Ministry/Canadian Catholic Students’ Association

Street Theatre: Saturday night in downtown Toronto

When I was first informed that I would be doing street theatre in Toronto as part of a Global Connections weekend, I instantly began dreading the experience. I had been involved in different drama productions in high school, but the thought of performing some sort of theatre production on the streets of a big city was extremely intimidating.

Positioned at Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown Toronto, surrounded by aggressive advertising and crowds of people, we were able to gather over 100 signatures for the Development and Peace campaign against agrofuels.

It was so powerful to proclaim our message to the people passing by, and I was incredibly proud to shout, “Life before Profit!” at the end of each skit.

I absolutely loved doing street theatre, and found it was a fun and unique way to raise awareness about important issues. While I was involved in the acting and not in collecting signatures, it was so encouraging to see people stopping to watch, talking to members of our group for more information, and signing our petition.

Street theatre was a much more effective tool than simply handing out pamphlets. We were able to capture the attention of curious onlookers, many of whom were new Canadians who had experienced conflicts over agrofuels in their home countries.

Despite my initial uneasiness, participating in street theatre was one of the highlights of my weekend in Toronto, and I would definitely do it again.

Anna Weber, Regina, Saskatchewan