Resources on Social Ethics
How can we
respond effectively to issues of hunger, poverty, etc.?
Catholic Social Teaching
Catholic Justice and Peace
Organizations
Faith-Based Magazines and
Newspapers
World Hunger and Poverty
Poverty and Hunger in the U.S.
Third World Debt, Structural
Adjustment
Central America
Corporations and the Third
World
Economic Globalization,
Free Trade
Fair Trade
Child Labor
Socially Reponsible Investment/Microlending/Alternative
Banking
Alternative Development
Child Sponsorship
Human Rights
Nonviolence and War
Death Penalty
Vegetarianism
Ecology/Global
Warming
Meditation/Contemplative
Prayer
Signs of Hope
How can we respond effectively to issues of hunger, poverty, etc.?
1) Educate ourselves and others. Numerous internet resources for further learning are listed in the sections which follow. To return to the listing of categories, click here
2) Make career, lifestyle, purchasing, and investment decisions with
social and ecological implications in mind.
Follow the links below for:
several career guides
that focus on social change and on incorporating social concern into a wide
array of fields
simple
lifestyle resources
resources concerning socially
responsible purchasing
resources concerning socially
responsible investment
3) Provide financial support for grassroots development and
grassroots social change organizations
Several highly respected organizations that support excellent, inspiring
grassroots projects include:
Oxfam America
World Neighbors
Guatemala Partners
Catholic
Campaign for Human Development
4) Work to influence public policy. Many of the organizations listed in the various categories below undertake such advocacy activities, provide action alerts to give you information on a timely issue, etc.
5) Consider a post-graduation, summer, or school year volunteer
commitment
For an excellent source of both domestic and overseas volunteer
opportunities with Catholic volunteer organizations (including a database that
can be searched by desired location, type of volunteer work, etc.), visit the
website of the Catholic
Network of Volunteer Service
For information on service opportunities available
through Xavier University, see http://www.xavier.edu/cfj/community-engagement/Student-Volunteer-Opportunities.cfm
6) Sponsor a child or elderly person in the
A highly respected Catholic sponsorship
organization is:
Christian
Foundation for Children and Aging
7) Consider giving "gifts of service" as alternative
presents for Christmas, birthdays, etc.
A donation of $50, for example, can cover the cost of an operation to
restore sight to a person blinded by cataracts in Nepal, Tibet, India,
Guatemala, and several other countries. A card will be sent to your gift
recipient (or to you, to give to the recipient) letting them know that a
donation for this purpose has been made in their name. For general information
visit the website of SEVA'a Gifts of Service
program. For specific information on the eye surgery example mentioned above,
click here.
U.S. Catholic Bishops - the website of the "Social Development and World Peace" division of the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference. Provides information on what the bishops consider to be some of the most urgent contemporary social issues.
Major CST Documents - on-line versions of many of the most important documents (papal encyclicals, etc.) of official Catholic Social Teaching.
Catholic Justice and Peace Organizations
Catholic
Worker - information concerning the Catholic Worker movement, a
movement founded in the 1930s by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin.
The Catholic Worker movement is committed to the works of mercy (sheltering the
homeless, feeding the hungry, etc.) and to nonviolent action on behalf of
social justice. There are over 150 Catholic Worker houses and farming
communities in the
Pax Christi USA- the major Catholic peace
organization in the
Network - a national Catholic organization, founded by women religious, which is committed to lobbying Congress on a variety of social justice issues
Maryknoll Global Concerns - information on global issues provided by the Maryknoll missionary society
Faith-Based Magazines & Newspapers Emphasizing Social Justice
National Catholic Reporter - a weekly newspaper devoted to coverage of the Catholic Church and of domestic and global news. Many of its stories are posted on the website.
Sojourners - website of a monthly magazine founded by evangelical Christians committed to work for peace and social justice. A sharp contrast to the evangelical preachers commonly heard on radio and television.
Center of Concern - a Catholic organization providing educational materials on international justice issues, including hunger, poverty, and economic globalization.
Bread for the World - an ecumenical Christian organization addressing issues of domestic and global hunger
Food First - a leading "think tank" on issues of global hunger, economic globalization, etc. Publishers of such ground-breaking works as "World Hunger: Twelve Myths," widely considered to be the best introductory book on the topic of world hunger.
World
Hunger Notes - good source of hunger information
Poverty and Hunger in the
Children's
Defense Fund - well-known organization, founded by Marian Wright
Edelman, that focuses upon a variety of issues
concerning children in the
National
Center for Children in Poverty - a research center focusing on
children and poverty, located at
Food Research
and Action Coalition - another good source of information and action
suggestions concerning hunger in the
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless - information on homelessness in Cincinnati and constructive ways to address the problem.
FreeStore/Foodbank - Cincinnati-based organization providing free food and clothing to those in need in the tri-state area.
Over-the-Rhine Community Housing - Organization based in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati which works on issues of affordable housing.
Drop Inn Center – shelter for homeless located in Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati
Contact Center – Cincinnati-based group that undertakes community organizing to end poverty
Third World Debt, Structural Adjustment
Jubilee USA - The U.S. branch of the Jubilee campaign for Third World debt relief
Global Issues – good resources on poverty, hunger, structural adjustment, etc.
Share the World’s Resources – more resources on poverty, hunger, harmful IMF and World Bank policies, etc.
World
Bank and International Monetary Fund - official
websites of the IMF and World Bank.
Rights Action - organization providing support for human rights and grassroots development projects in Guatemala and elsewhere. Also a source of educational materials.
Guatemalan
Human Rights Commission - Up-to-date information concerning human
rights in
Corporations and the
Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights (formerly the National
Labor Committee) - one of the most prominent anti-sweatshop organizations
Corporate Watch - an excellent source of information, action alerts, etc. concerning the activities of corporations throughout the world. Devotes attention both to the impacts of individual corporations and to the broader systemic impacts of structural adjustment and neoliberal economic globalization.
Multinational Monitor - website of a monthly magazine devoted to monitoring corporate activity and abuses. Founded by Ralph Nader.
Economic Globalization, Free Trade
(Also see the entries above under "world hunger and poverty,"
"third world
debt, structural adjustment," and "corporations and the
Global Issues - one of the best websites on globalization and many other global justice and ecological issues
Share the World’s Resources - another excellent website exploring many global justice issues
Global Exchange- works on a wide array of campaigns against 'free trade', in favor of 'fair trade,' etc.
Focus on the
Global South - provides
Public
Citizen Global Trade Watch - information concerning the World Trade
Organization (WTO), NAFTA, and other "free
trade" issues.
Fair Trade Federation - resources concerning fair trade and how to purchase fair trade products
Green America (formerly Coop
Ten Thousand Villages - an online source for many different types of fair trade goods
SERRV - A Greater Gift - another source for fair trade goods
Modern Slavery
Free the Slaves - a leading anti-slavery organization; connected with Kevin Bales, one of the world’s foremost authorities on modern slavery
Anti-Slavery - another prominent anti-slavery organization; in existence since 1839!
Not for Sale Campaign -
anti-slavery organization led by David Batstone,
author of Not for Sale: The Return of the Global Slave Trade - and How We Can Fight
It
Child Labor
Free the Children - an organization of young people working to end child labor and to improve the lives of children around the world
Child Labor Coalition- stresses education and action to overcome child labor
Child Rights Information Network - excellent source of information on child labor issues
Socially Responsible Investment/Microlending/Alternative Banking
Community Investing - excellent clearinghouse of information on community investing, including community development credit unions and banks, community loan funds, etc.
Cooperative Fund of New England - opportunity
to invest in worker owned businesses, food and housing cooperatives, etc.
Calvert Foundation - offers investments in anti-poverty projects around the world
Self-Help Credit Union - one example of a community development credit union; a good place for investing in socially responsible, federally insured certificates of deposit (CDs), etc.
Kiva.org - nonprofit organization that
enables you to make small loans (as little as $25) to specific
Microplace.com - another organization that provides the opportunity to make small investments (minimum $100) in micro-lending. Unlike kiva.org (see above), you have the opportunity to receive interest on your loans. Microplace.com is an EBay company.
Grameen Bank- organization which pioneered the making of tiny loans to poor people as a way of empowering people to improve their lives. Emphasizes especially loans to poor women. This organization recently won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Oxfam America - one of the most respected international grassroots development organizations. Focuses on projects that empower the poor, are ecologically sustainable, and respect the positive features of local culture.
World
Neighbors - another excellent organization that supports grassroots
alternative development projects in the
Christian
Foundation for Children and Aging - highly
respected child sponsorship organization founded by lay Catholics that works
closely with local Catholic churches in the
Human Rights Watch - perhaps the best source of information concerning human rights around the world. Publishes an annual overview of human rights abuses in each country, which is available on their website, along with numerous other special reports, action alerts, latest human rights news, etc.
Amnesty International - another excellent organization working for human rights throughout the world
Speak
Truth to Power - companion website to a play which dramatizes the
work of human rights defenders from around the world (including Rigoberta Menchu, Maria Teresa
Tula, and many others). The website provides profiles of these human rights
defenders, gives action suggestions, etc.
International Center on Nonviolent Conflict – excellent site with extensive resources on nonviolent action as a tool for overthrowing dictatorships, bringing about positive social change, etc.
Albert Einstein Institution - organization committed to the study of nonviolent social change. Publishes in-depth reflections on the history of nonviolent action and nonviolent strategy, including many case studies of the successful use of nonviolence to overthrow dictators, resist occupation, etc. Founded by Gene Sharp, the world's foremost theorist of nonviolent action.
A Force More Powerful - companion website to the recent 3-hour PBS documentary of the same title which highlighted numerous cases of successful nonviolent action in the 20th century - including, among others, Gandhi's campaign for Indian independence, Denmark's resistance to the Nazis, the Polish Solidarity movement, and the nonviolent campaigns which brought an end to the Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. The website provides information on these and other cases.
Iraq Veterans Against the War, Veterans Against the Iraq War, Military Families Speak Out - organizations of US military personnel and their families who are critical of the war in Iraq
September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows - family members of persons killed in the attacks of 9/11 who support alternatives to war
U.S. Department of Defense -
official
Vegetarianism, Animals
Christian Vegetarian Association- explores the biblical and ethical bases for Christian vegetarianism
FactoryFarm.org and FactoryFarming.org - websites with extensive information on the treatment of animals in modern “factory farms”
Vegan Outreach - information on the many reasons for choosing a vegan diet
Society of Ethical and Religious Vegetarians - explores the bases for vegetarianism in the world's religions, etc.
International Vegetarian Union - international organization providing extensive resources concerning vegetarianism
Vegetarian Pages - another source providing a vast amount of material related to vegetarianism
In a Vegetarian Kitchen - website with many excellent vegetarian/vegan recipes
Simple Living Resources
Center for a New American Dream
Simple
Living with Wanda Urbanska
Global Warming articles - lots of excellent articles on global climate change
Answers to Global Warming Skeptics - good resources that respond in detail to the arguments of global warming skeptics
Worldwatch Institute - excellent resource on various ecological and social justice issues; publisher of the annual State of the World reports
Union of Concerned Scientists, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club - information on numerous ecological issues
Meditation/Contemplative
Prayer
Zen meditation
instructions - introduction to
Zen meditation by Zen Master John Daido Loori
Buddhist Meditation - free online talks and interviews on Buddhist
meditation, by a variety of teachers
World Community for Christian Meditation - website of an international community of Christian meditators, meditating in the tradition of the Benedictine monk John Main. Lots of good information and articles concerning meditation.
Centering Prayer - extensive resources concerning the Christian practice of centering prayer.
Contemplative
Outreach - another website devoted to centering prayer.
Yes! Magazine - magazine that focuses on positive, hopeful stories in the struggle for social justice and ecological sustainability throughout the world