New FACTivist Handbook Coming Soon
just Forests is currently developing a series of FACTivist handbooks for a new generation of ACTivists. Send an email to tomroche@justforests.org to get your copy.
Activism & Additional Resources
Development Education is an excellent tool for changing attitudes. It has been referred to by many names, most notably, Global Learning, Global Education, and Global Citizenship. No matter what name you choose to use, if you are educating for a just and sustainable world, you are delivering Development Education. Development Education is an important tool in making sense of the complex issues that prevail in our ever-changing world. It is an active and creative educational process to increase awareness and understanding of the world in which we live. It should challenge perceptions and stereotypes by encouraging empathy, optimism, participation and action for a just world.
Just Forests policy is to deal with issues first and foremost through Development Education. Unfortunately, there are the occasions when Development Education does not work- for example the target entity may refuse to engage with our approach. On such occasions campaigning is often called for. Since Just Forests inception in 1989, we have had to resort to campaigns on a number of occasions in order to influence mis-guided and unacceptable corporate developments/activities.
What to watch our for in 2021
“2020 will go down as one of the most turbulent years in history, but the next year will be remembered for how we either helped or turned away from those suffering the most,” says IRC president and CEO David Miliband. “Watchlist 2021 should serve as a wake-up call for policymakers, government leaders, and concerned citizens around the world about the cost of neglecting humanitarian crises—and how they urgently need international attention.” (This quote taken from here)
What is Development Education?
For me the first task of Development Education has always been to ensure learners know what is happening around them: in their own cities, towns, villages and communities. Through Just Forests Development Education resources learners gain a greater understanding of how our actions at a local level here in Ireland could have negative or positive impacts on people and ecosystems locally, nationally, regionally as well as many thousands of miles away from our shores on other continents.
“Pick an issue. Study it. Figure out who the decision makers you want to influence are. Name the guilty men. Make alliances with experts. Combine activism with the writing. Create a constituency for reform. And don’t stop till you have achieved some progress. This is what I mean by the Joe Frazier method. Keep coming forward. Be relentless. Don’t stop moving your hands. Break the other guy’s will.
Compassion without anger can become merely sentiment or pity. Knowledge without anger can stagnate into mere cynicism and apathy. Anger improves lucidity, persistence, audacity, and memory.”
You can view some of Just Forests work over the years on the videos below
Hear the roar of the crowd of 640 people who attended Just Forests ‘Sound of Wood’ Concert with The Chieftains and Tullamore Pipe Band
Just Forests campaigned to have WOODIES D.I.Y remove illegal Chinese plywood fromtheir stores nationwide. People power works.
Fr. Ray Kelly joins Just Forests to mark International Day of Biological Diversity as part of Just Forests Killarney Celebration of Trees 2016.
Fr. Ray Kelly joins Just Forests public exhibition in Tullamore virtually to mark International Day of Biological Diversity 2020