Please note that all parts of this book are available in .pdf format on our website www.justgeneration.ca (in the “Off-The-Grid” section). You might find it useful to download these so you can print directly, rather than photocopy – as well as to make use the email links embedded in the text, rather than re-typing them into your web browser. Please note that this resource is printed on 100% post-consumer, post-recycled paper with vegetable-based inks. PWRDF gratefully acknowledges a grant from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to assist in the work of PWRDF in Canada and abroad. Charitable number: 866434640RR0001 Le FPSDM remercie l’Agence canadienne de développement international (ACDI) pour son soutien financier au travail du FPSDM au Canada et à l’étranger. Numéro de charité: 866434640RR0001 Side-By-Side: OFF-THE-GRID An Introduction Welcome to Side-By-Side: OFF THE GRID. We are excited that you will be organizing this event in support of the work of the amazing partners who are supported by PWRDF, and hope that you find it to be an exciting and rewarding experience. Side-By-Side is a chance for youth to come together and learn about global justice issues, and we hope this program will motivate youth in your faith community to become more involved. This version of Side-By-Side is a complete 24 hour (plus) program which focuses on the environmental and social implications of our dependence on: electricity, resource extraction, climate change, warfare, and pollution by challenging participants to go off the electricity grid for 24 hours. It is designed to be a fun, informative and exciting opportunity for youth to become engaged in the issues from a variety of perspectives, and to use what they have learned to make positive changes in their communities. Side-By-Side is... • A chance for youth to come together and explore the underlying causes of environmental and social justice issues • An opportunity for youth to learn how they can make a difference in their community and in their world • A forum to empower youth to make socially responsible decisions about how they will live their lives • A place for youth to learn and take back to the community solutions to make positive changes for the environment and social justice • A time to pray, act and give (by raising funds) for the development, relief, refugee and justice work of PWRDF / justgeneration.ca Thank you for taking the time to organize this event – it is through your support that you’ll be able to work with PWRDF partners to create a more just society. CONTACT US AT ANY TIME DURING BUSINESS HOURS WITH ANY QUESTIONS [email protected] or call 1-866-308-7973 x 366 1 Side-By-Side: OFF-THE-GRID Leader’s Guide: Getting Started We’re grateful that you’ve decided to run Off-The-Grid. Organizing an event such as this can seem overwhelming at times. Remember that all the activities and possibilities in this book are just ideas! Feel free to adapt, scale up or down, and make Off-The-Grid your own. And don’t hesitate to drop us a line or give us a call! We’re here to help!!! Here are some tips to get you started: BEFORE STARTING - THINGS TO THINK THROUGH: 1. Which age group will your event be directed towards? While intergenerational events can be a great success, consider one of the following age ranges: 13-16, 16-24 or 24-30+. With a younger audience, more role-playing and active games may work well, while more discussion and reflection may be best for a “more experienced” crowd. 2. Where will your event take place? A church hall, community centre, gymnasium or auditoriums are all possible. If you are aiming for a 100% fast from electricity, consider a camping trip, or a space with lots of windows. 3. When will your event be? Pick a time when youth aren’t too busy with exams or other activities – the summer may seem like a good idea, but youth often have other commitments during this time. A weekend during the school year outside mid-term or exam time may be best. Consider one of the following dates: • Day to Eradicate Poverty - Oct 17 of every year • Earth Day – celebrated by some on April 22 or on the Vernal Equinox (around March 21) • Feast Day of St. Francis (Patron Saint of animals & the environment) - October 4 • World Fair Trade Day - Second Saturday of May • During the Season of Lent • International Development Week - First Full week of February – see http://www.acdi-cida.gc.ca/idw 4. How many participants will you have? Aim high! However, make sure to pick activities and locations that are suitable for your actual audience size. If you need more participants, encourage youth to invite friends. Or, consider holding an “Ecumenical Challenge” – where groups from other local Churches are invited to participate (they may choose to raise funds for organizations within their own Church). 5. What is your goal for fundraising? $30 per person? $100 per person? $1000 total? Pick a realistic goal and get youth excited to achieve it! 6. We’re here to help! Contact justgeneration.ca staff (at [email protected]) if you need more pledge forms, t-shirts, information on incentives, facilitator guides, or even some ideas on what would work well for your group. We can also provide you with further information on making Off- The-Grid an “Ecumenical Challenge”, including which organizations we work with ecumenically on a national level. 2 THE EVENT ITSELF – GREAT POSSIBILITIES! 1. Prizes: To thank participants for supporting our work, PWRDF will provide environmentally conscious prizes to participants who collect certain levels of pledge support. Show these prizes to participants when they sign up for Side-by-Side: Off-the-Grid! (Please see Appendix 11, page 62-64) for prize categories and order forms. 2. Pledges: Before the event, participants may collect pledges to show their support for PWRDF and the work of partners around the world. It is up to you to decide if participants will need to collect a minimum number of pledges (say $10, $20 or $50 each to participate). Please find enclosed reproducible pledge collection forms. After all forms are completed, please send them along with a cheque (made payable to PWRDF, indicating Side-By-Side on the cheque) in the amount of your fundraising total (please do not send cash) to: The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund Attn: justgeneration.ca 80 Hayden Street Toronto, ON M4Y 3G2 3. PowerPoints: In many of the exercises in Off-The-Grid, we have included ways that teams may earn ‘PowerPoints’. PowerPoints are meant to encourage friendly, non-violent competition between smaller teams within your larger group. It’s important to note that some leaders may wish to try alternatives to this more ‘competitive model’. A few suggestions might be to set a goal for how many PowerPoints the whole group could earn, rather than doing team competition. Alternately, a leader might also set a group fundraising goal (with a prize), or set a goal for how many ‘pledgers’ the whole group might find. Whatever the case, we encourage leaders to assess the best model for your group in order to make things fun, engaging, and nonviolent. We also encourage leaders to select teams with pastoral care and group dynamics in mind. However you approach PowerPoints, try not to let the competitive aspect override the whole message of Off- The-Grid! 4. Incentives: In order to encourage fundraising for PWRDF, we’re offering incentives. For a certain amount of funds raised, Off-The-Grid participants are eligible for incentive prizes, which we’ve hand-picked from 10,000 Villages and several ‘green’ stores. We’ll ship the ‘goods’ in 4-6 weeks after we’ve received your order form for them. You may wish to start your fundraising early – even several months before the actual event in order to receive prizes in time for the end of the event! 5. Free T-Shirts: If you let us know that you’re running an “Off-The-Grid”, we’ll send you 2 free fair- trade t-shirts (The order form for these is in Appendix 11, pages 60-61). You may wish to use these ‘freebies’ as prizes or else as promotional tools to let folks know about Off-The-Grid. You may also order extra t-shirts if you’d like to! 6. Extra Resources: PWRDF and it’s Youth Initiative justgeneration.ca have a whole range of resources that can boost the educational potential of your event. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line. Perhaps you want link Off-The-Grid with another focus such as HIV and AIDS, emergency response, or refugees. We can help. Let us know what you’re thinking, and we’ll let you know what we have. So, now that you’ve thought these things through it’s time to consider what your event might look like. The next page offers a suggested schedule, followed by a checklist, and a step-by-step guide to get your creative juices flowing! Good luck! Our thoughts and prayers are with you! 3 Side-By-Side: OFF-THE-GRID Suggested Schedule Time Activity 9:30 am Arrival (with light refreshments) 9:45 am Welcome, Explanation of day and earth prayers 10:00 am Icebreakers 10:45 am Presentation about power issues AND/OR Watch power-related movie 12:15 pm Go Off-the-Grid! 12:30 pm Brainstorming 1:00 pm Calculate your Carbon footprint 1:30 pm Lunch 2:30 pm Spiritual reflection and discussion 3:00 pm Role-playing: either Amazing Race or Reverse Creation 4:30 pm Design and Build Challenge 6:00 pm Supper 7:00 pm Develop a take-home action plan 7:45 pm Create a power-related skit or God, St.