Summer Programme

One of the comments we received as part of our recent away day (full report coming soon) was that members wanted more information ahead of time on when our gatherings were happening and what they were going to be about. In response to this, we have sought to develop and share our summer programme in good time. I think you'll agree, we have an exciting and action packed term ahead of us. We hope you will join us over the coming months as we "learn to do right, seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless and plead the case of the widow". First, some information about our main, structured gatherings. These take place on the third Wednesday of the month at Coffee Republic. Refreshments available from 7:30pm.

16 May: Activist networking evening

It is said, "if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." With that in mind, this is an evening designed to meet and get to know other activists, through sharing stories and exploring the inspiration of our passion for justice. Our members told us they wanted more opportunities to get to know each other better - this is you opportunity to do just that.

20 June: Human trafficking and modern slavery

More people are held in slavery right now than during the entire course of the trans-Atlantic slave trade - a market that generates profits in excess of £6bn annually. Come and find out more about this injustice and how we can tackle it from anti-trafficking charity, International Justice Mission.

18 July: Older people

Like it or not, we are all getting older. However, in a society obsessed with youth, the experience of ageing is not always positive. Join us to learn more about the challenges facing older people from Justice Matters founding member and AgeUK policy officer, Lizzie Feltoe.

In addition to these structured gatherings, we will continue to hold informal discussion sessions on the first Wednesdays in the month. These start at 8pm and take place a various venues around the Finchley area. The next one of these will take place on 2nd May and will look at democracy and the London elections. Further sessions will take place on the 6th June and 4th July (venues TBC). We look forward to seeing you!

New study, old news?

A recent study has warned people to eat less meat to prevent climate disaster:

"Fertilisers used in growing feed crops for cattle produces most potent of the greenhouse gases causing climate change."

This is not really a new discovery - indeed, it was the subject of some discussion at our recent session on Sustainability. Some of our members have responded to this and other shady truths about modern industrial agriculture by giving up meat, or at least reducing their consumption.

What do you think?

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page

Why is community important?

"Social connections, including marriage, of course, but limited to that, are among the most robust correlates of subjective well-being. People who have close friends and confidants, friendly neighbours and supportive co-workers are less likely to experience sadness, loneliness, low self-esteem and problems with eating and sleeping... Subjective well-being is best predicted by the breadth of depth of one's social connections. In fact, people themselves report that good relationships with family members, friends or romantic partners - far more than money or fame - are prerequisites for their own happiness."

From Helliwell and Putnam, 2004 cited in the ONS report on Measuring National Well-being - Our Relationships, 2012.

Justice Matters Update

Thanks to those of you who have responded with comments and ideas - we had an excellent away day planning, conspiring and dreaming about how to develop and improve Justice Matters over the coming months. We'll share some reflections from the day shortly. In the meantime, if you haven't yet responded but wanted to, please feel free to share your thoughts by email, on the Facebook page or the website. As we often say, Justice Matters is a network for activists, optimists and ordinary radicals, so we want your active contributions and participation in shaping the community!

One simple idea from the away day discussions was to provide a clear list of dates for future meetings. As you know, we meet every first and third Wednesday in the month, so the dates up to the summer break will be as follows:

18th April // 2nd May // 16th May // 6th June // 20th June // 4th July // 18th July

So there you are, get them in your diaries - now you have no excuse to be double-booked! We will circulate venues and themes for these sessions as soon as we know them, plus details of any additional activities.

Don't forget that this Wednesday we are meeting at the Guy Chester Centre in Muswell Hill from 7:30 for a session on the Persecuted Church. See you there!

Have your say

Tomorrow, members of the Justice Matters core team are having an away day to think about a plan for Justice Matters over the coming year. In light of this, we'd like to invite any comments you might have on the experience of being part of our network up to now.

What have been the highlights? 
Where could we improve?
Do we communicate what's happening well enough? 
Do you like the website, the Facebook page, the email updates? 
How do you find the different sessions - those in the pub and those at Coffee Republic? 

You don't need to answer all those questions, or any for that matter, but if you have an opinion or an idea about how we can make the network better than it already is, to be more engaging, welcoming and empowering, then please let us know.

Thanks for coming on this journey with us thus far. We'll share our discussions from the away day here on our website soon.

See you next Wednesday for the session on the Persecuted Church. Don't forget its at Guy Chester House, not Coffee Republic as usual...

Volunteering opportunity: Volunteer Centre Barnet

Any of our members interested in helping at the Barnet Older People's Assembly? You'll need to be available during the day...

"Looking for enthusiastic, friendly volunteers to volunteer at an event organised by Barnet Older People's assembly, on 17th April at Hendon, from 9.45 am onwards. Voluntary roles include helping out with registration, serving refreshments, facilitating during workshops etc. For further information & to register please call us on 0208 3648400 ext 223, 222 by 13th April."

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page

50 Ways to Avoid 'Slacktivism'

"Are you a slacktivist? 50 ways to make a meaningful difference..."

Despite being well intentioned, not everything we do on the internet to help make a difference in the world does. Awareness raising and passing on encouragement and support ARE all important, but we must also take real action ourselves and encourage it in others. 50 tips for avoiding 'slacktivism' !

http://nextstarfish.com/?p=5924

Shared from the Justice Matters Facebook Page

The Persecuted Church

Around the world, millions of people are imprisoned, persecuted and killed for their faith. In this month's main session, Justice Matters will be learning about the situation for Christians in different parts of the world and the organisations working to support believers in the face of persecution.

Please note that this session will not be taking place at our usual meeting place but at the Guy Chester Centre on Pages Lane in Muswell Hill (N10 1PR). We hope you can join us!