Thank you for guiding a group in reflection and conversation around the harms of extractivism on Earth and human communities. We hope this experience deepens the participants’ understanding and leads you to responses rooted in personal and communal transformation.
The material is organized into three movements:
- deep listening in which we hear personal and communal experiences that bring the effects of extractivism to life;
- deep reflection on these experiences and on the root causes and effects of extractivism that is grounded in our theology and our social analysis; and
- deep transformation as we discern how to act at this moment in time.
Facilitator Guides
The process is divided into six sessions, each lasting 60-90 minutes, depending on what you include and how much participants share. Feel free to combine sessions if it makes sense for your group or to slow down the process by dividing some sessions into shorter, additional sessions.
We have provided a facilitator guide for each of these sessions. Each guide includes:
- Links to the resources you will need to share with participants before each session, so they can review and reflect on them before group discussions. We suggest that participants record their feelings, wonderings and questions in a journal during this process.
- Links to resources to be shared during sessions. (Note: Some sessions include viewing a video or slides together.)
- A suggested prayer to open the session
- A guide to walking through the material with participants
- Suggested discussion questions
- A list of additional resources for some sessions
You may contact justice@sistersofmercy.org with any questions or concerns as you prepare to guide your group through these resources. We encourage you to let us know insights that emerge from your groups, the firsthand experiences of extractivism that participants are willing to share, and commitments that your group has made to address extractivism.