Preparation for Session 5
Prior to the session, participants should read Deep Reflecting Part 3 from the Self-Study Guide. The following section, Contemplative Reflection, will be reviewed as a group during the session, so there is no need to read it beforehand..
Invite each participant to explore one of the issues that intersects with the impacts of extractivism: Earth (the environment), immigration, nonviolence, racism and women. Participants should be prepared to share their learnings with the group.
Access the interfaith prayer that concludes Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home.
Prepare to show the images of extractivism, which you will reflect on as a group and are available here (PowerPoint / pdf). Ideally, if your meeting is in person, you can share the images in a slide show. Other options include inviting participants to slowly scroll through the images on their own devices or printing the images and passing them around.
Outline for Session 5
Welcome and Prayer
After a welcome and any initial business, lead the group in opening prayer. Invite participants to share anything that came to them during this time of prayer.
Discussion
Remind people of where we are in the process: the third part of Deep Reflecting, where we will explore the intersections of the impacts of extractivism and other current issues in our world. We will use the issues that the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas have identified as their “Critical Concerns:” Earth, immigration, nonviolence, racism and women.
Invite participants to silently reflect and review their journals on their exploration of the intersection of the impacts of extractivism and these other issues.
Last session, each participant committed to focus on one of these issues. Name each issue in turn and invite the participant(s) who explored that issue to share their learnings.
Use these questions to stimulate sharing and discussion:
- What new information did you learn from this document? Were there examples shared that you were not aware of?
- How does this exploration of intersections help you frame your individual and communal, current and future, engagement with extractivism?
Explore together as many intersecting issues as time and interest allows, making sure to save time for the final section.
You will end this session reflecting on and discussing images related to the impacts of extractivism. Choose the number of images that time allows. After a short period of silence with each photo, invite brief sharing from anyone who wants to respond to the following questions:
- What do I see in this photo? How does it make me feel?
- What do I see differently now than I would have six months ago?
- What questions does this image cause me to ask of myself? Or ask of my community or my organization? Where would I go to find answers or to learn more?
Preparation for Session 6
Prior to Session 6, participants should read Deep Transformation from the Self-Study Guide, paying particular attention to the definition of transformation and to the cases of transformative action. We will explore the Case Studies section as a group.
Additional Resources to Go Deeper
Pax Christi International promotes nonviolent responses to extractivism conflicts
Report examines “fossil fuel racism”