REFLECTIONS ON WHAT WE LEARNED, AND THE TASKS AT HAND FROM THE

INTERNATIONAL JOINING HANDS CONSULTATION AT CHAPMAN UNIVERSITY,

JULY 13-18, 2008

LEARNINGS STRENGTH CHALLENGES/OBSTACLES IMPLICATIONS/NEXT STEPS

1.- Issues are inter- 1.- Power in 1.- Opponents strong and well 1.- Eagerness to sharpen skills, get
related networking / entrenched additional resources
connection  Training for CFs and Coordinators
2.- There is a design 2.- Powers that be protecting own and  Resource sharing
for the exploitation 2.- Transformation investors interests, not citizen’s  Language skills
and corporatization & mutuality  Research
of land, water, 3.- How to mobilize effectively in the 2.- Global Campaigns to be effectively
resources 3.- People eager to midst of differences of languages, launched or connected:
learn at all levels cultures, as well as of great distances  Water (Point person-Andrew)
3.- Focus start with & rising costs.
 Food sovereignty (Andrew)
one issue 4.- Information
about available 4.- Facing fanatic fundamentalism  Trade Justice
4.- Value of life resources while churches and Christians are  Extractive Industries
timid and/or terrified.  Land is Life (Sri Lanka, India, S.
5.- Faith traditions 5.- Peacemaking Africa)
have abundant / context has 5.- Fear of being perceived as un- (desire to make connections between
critical values to broadened and patriotic these campaigns and impact on
commit to long term enriched JH event HIV/AIDS)
6.- Feeling of inadequacy 3.- Becoming comfortable with campaign
6.- Opponents are 6.- Bringing JH building methodology
highly organized, partnership together 7.- Church and/or Partners are afraid 4.- Becoming comfortable with conflict
have overwhelming especially foreign of conflicts situations
forces, delegates 5.- Articulate our spiritual grounding
8.- We are often willfully ignorant re 6.- Renewing / strengthening/ broadening
7.- Broadening the depth of issues (GMOs, contracts the organization of networks in US and
7.- Security issues,
/deepening context etc) abroad
from Peru, Egypt,
for partnership 7.- Refining criteria for campaigns
Cameroon, Lesotho
issues 9. – Accountability 8.- Developing and implementing holding
each other accountable
8.- Discovery of 10.- Maintaining continuity and 9.- Desire to have these joint meetings every
common issues momentum amidst change and 2 years since they are effective for learning
between networks leadership shifts and planning
10.- Developing overarching them for JH,
9.- JH partnership 11.- Network strength and such as THE RIGHT TO LIFE (Bolivia-
connecting as effectiveness Joining Hands for Life for whole
global campaigns network? And quality of life.)
12. – Limited resources 11.- Clear message
10.- Security issues, 12.- Using JH Newsletter to stay tuned to
from Peru, Egypt, 13.- Challenge of connecting to our activities, issues etc in other networks
Cameroon churches and our various
constituencies WISH List and other Comments:
11.- JH Newsletter • Need for more exchange visits to learn
how other networks do what they do
• Pool resources and do things/network
regionally
• CF want more time with each other
• Meet in one of the network countries
• Network coordinators to gather
together for sharing during these
meetings
• $ to make this all happen; JH deserves
this. Together we should hold that
intention. Coalition building to help
make this possible.
• Connect with artists in the US to get the
word out – to break loose in a new way
• Fanfan-Haiti happy to participate in JH
meeting; happily surprised with this
approach; many possibilities for this to
work in regards to Haiti; MPP already
been talking about this, but will look
for other orgs in Haiti to join together
in this – e.g. 4 peasant orgs already in
conversation with and can introduce
this idea, plus others; many themes
from this conference that we too are
working on (food, water, land…); will
return and work to develop such a
network and once formed will get back
to us for possible joining with Joining
Hands for Life. Like focus on making
government responsible for doing what
it should be doing for the people.
Neoliberal policy pushes the other way.
• More involvement with kids in the
work
• All of this is the responsibility of all of
us.