Laudato Si’ Goal 7: Community Engagement and Participatory Action

Community Engagement and Participatory Action encourages the development of regenerative cultures and policies that protect our common home and all who share it. To care for creation at the local, regional, national, and international levels by promoting advocacy and people’s campaigns, encouraging rootedness in local territory and neighbourhood ecosystems. This would be carried out through our Institute’s advocacy framework, the work already begun locally in the former congregations, and through engagement with Mercy Global Action initiatives and processes.

What have we achieved?

• Established an Institute-wide water advocacy taskforce, aligning with the goals of Mercy Global Action and addressing our own local water issues in parts of Australia and Papua New Guinea
• Established an Institute-wide refugee and asylum seeker advocacy network, sharing information and experiences between those members who are walking with people in their locality and leading campaigns on behalf of the Institute
• Developed numerous resources such as Waste Recycling Guide, Simple Daily Gestures Booklet , Simple Daily Gestures Video , Sustainable Living Procurement guide and Multiple video recordings of webinars and events
• Development of a number of Information sheets such as Bokashi Bins , Car Costs and Emissions , Carbon footprint , Investment / Divestment , Solar energy
• Development of a number of case studies such as Adamstown- first “Sustainable Energy Project” , First Capital Solar project – Far North Queensland ‘Fossil Fuel Free Divestment , Infographic – Fossil Fuel Free Divestment
• Development of a monthly Indicator Infographic of key Environmental Sustainability indicators to share with the Leadership each month. This is also shared on a quarterly basis throughout the Institute
• Accompanying the above, regular updates are provided through Sisters Institute newsletters, eco conversion email group, Mercy Matters and Just Mercy along with occasional stories in Mercy E News.

What are we doing?

• Updating the ISMAPNG website to reflect Laudato Si’ Strategy and framework within our Integral ecology policy
• Engagement – Identify and implement campaigns to support Laudato Si’ goals – can link from integral Ecology calendar of events and Simple Daily Gestures
• Engaging the wider public by organising advocacy events with CRA ecology alliance committee, regularly exploring the global issues as we experience them locally.