Keeping up with Friends
New executive summary and infographic explain who profits from Canada’s prisons
$259,654. That’s the cost to incarcerate a woman in Canada for one year. Jaw dropping isn’t it? Incarceration costs much more than effective alternatives. It also fails to reduce reoffending. So then, why does the carceral system persist? Who benefits? Check out our new brief Executive summary and infographic (perfect for sharing our research on social media): https://QuakerService.ca/WhoBenefits
You might have a problem with being too permissive
Many of us want to be kind and are reluctant to tell others what to do. In other words, we struggle to set and maintain reasonable boundaries. Our newest post for Psychology Today explains that boundaries don’t have to hold people down. They can lift us up. The post shares some thoughts on how to agree to and maintain boundaries, even when conversations get heated: https://QuakerService.ca/Permissive
CFSC gives educational bursaries
“Growing up, I faced challenges that tested my sense of hope and belonging. Those experiences taught me the importance of inner peace—not as the absence of hardship, but as the ability to respond to difficulties with courage, empathy to self, and purpose,” says Kate, one of three students who received educational bursaries from CFSC this year to support their peace and social justice education.
She’s studying social work. “I promote peace through my work with youth experiencing mental health issues, substance use challenges, and structural barriers… Rather than viewing people through the lens of their struggles, I seek to understand their stories, recognize their strengths, and work collaboratively with them.”
Paige is doing a Master’s in Peace and Justice. “I hope that by stumbling my way towards embodying peace, I can begin sharing it with others,” she explains.
Emmett is putting the financial support toward a PhD that will look at Hepatitis C (HCV) in Ontario First Nations. “While HCV is broadly seen as curable with access to direct acting anti-viral treatment, 1 in every 14 Indigenous individuals in Canada have had HCV,” Emmett notes, adding that their research will, “account for how settler-colonialism in Canada has led to a system where First Nations individuals must navigate through a myriad of federal, tribal, and provincial healthcare systems, under-resourced on-reserve nursing stations, lack of cultural competency, racial discrimination, and stereotyping around liver cirrhosis and substance use.”
Friends witness against arms
When people arrived for the first day of CANSEC—North America’s largest arms fair held in Ottawa each year—they were greeted by a silent vigil and Quaker meeting for worship. Friends held banners including one that read “War starts here” and another—over twenty feet long—with a few thousand of the names of the children who have been killed during Israel’s war against Gaza. CFSC’s Peace Program Coordinator Mel Burns greeted CANSEC attendees with a sign and message: “You can change your mind.” Friends also handed out leaflets encouraging attendees to question the ethics of the conference. One person later returned to say, “I read your leaflet, and as I walked through the conference I couldn’t get it out of my mind… so I decided to leave. I wanted you to know.”
From the General Secretary’s desk
I am writing from Winnipeg, Treaty One territory and homeland of the Red River Métis. CFSC has lots going on at the annual gathering of Quakers from across the country. One thing is we’re celebrating 95 years of CFSC! As part of our celebration evening Lisa Bowden, who you might know from our Unshackled video series (https://QuakerService.ca/Unshackled) lead us in a beading workshop. This week, in addition to discussions on our substantive work in several areas, we have a proposed minute for the business meeting committing the national Quaker body to financial reparations to Indigenous Peoples. More on this in our new resource https://QuakerService.ca/Reparations
CFSC had some new tee-shirts printed here at Red Rebel Armour, a local Indigenous business. The shirts say “Stand Firm, Stay Peaceful.” Contact us to order yours for $25 plus shipping.
Sarah Bear has been hired as the CFSC’s Indigenous Rights Program Coordinator. We’re super excited to have her on our team, and you will be hearing from her in our next edition of Quaker Concern. In mid-August she will be joining myself and other program staff members on a road trip to visit and learn from our Cree partners in Eeyou Istchee. Follow CFSC on Facebook and Instagram if you’d like to follow our trip.
Recently I was invited to join a dialogue with federal, provincial, and territorial cabinet ministers to discuss Canada’s work on human rights at the international level and implementation of this work. The need for a monitoring body to ensure the implementation of the National action plan related to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples act was the focus of my presentation and that of our long-time partner, Kenneth Deer. Kenneth and I were there representing the Coalition for the Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples https://DeclarationCoalition.com.
These meetings are held every few years for governments to hear from Indigenous Peoples and civil society. Does this dialogue have impact, or is it performative? That may be a glass half full question.
In June I spent two days virtually with 22 leaders of Quaker agencies from many areas of the world in a Global Quaker Convening discussion on what it is to do our work in the world we are in. Under the theme of Salt and Light we shared about our work, our challenges, and what we can bring to a damaged world. Esther Mombo (Kenya) reminded us all that we are the salt for the systemically wounded world and we are the Light, even when it is dim.
We discussed a series of questions and perhaps asked more than finding answers. Coming together with so many sister organizations where we can share courage and look to the groundwork of the future is awesome and inspiring. Some of the questions at the end of our time together:
- How can we do things together so that we are more than the sum of our parts?
- Are there ways we can transform not just ourselves, but the world?
- Is there a way that when we gather, we have more to offer?
Great questions! We will gather again soon and keep this discussion going.
Jennifer Preston is CFSC’s General Secretary.