John Walkey of the Urban Ecology Institute and young adults planting trees in a park during last month's Young Adult Ecumenical Forum in Boston. Photo: Lynne West/CWS Liz Morel, a graduate of the University of Kansas, picking up CWS literature at the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum in Boston last month. Photo: Lynne West/CWS

Young adults engage environmental justice

August 27, 2007

On July 20, 2007, approximately 50 young adults received the following email message: “Dear YAEF Participants, The forum is rapidly approaching and we are looking forward to having each of you with us next Thursday-Sunday!!!!!”

This level of enthusiasm was reflected in the purpose statement of the Young Adult Ecumenical Forum (YAEF) 2007: “YAEF recognizes that there is no time to waste in challenging the forces that degrade our earth. Disasters like Hurricane Katrina and tsunamis around the world reveal an earth crying out for justice and the restoration of balance. That is why, this year, the YAEF planning team chose to focus on environmental justice in a Christian framework. We believe that, like the freedom rides and voter registration drives of the 1960's, mobilizing energetic young people of faith is key to effecting social change.”

CWS seeks to link local efforts with global issues concerning peace and justice and is committed to supporting young adult study and action initiatives, such as YAEF, which CWS has been co-sponsoring since 2005. The 2007 Forum, held at Boston University's Marsh Chapel from July 26-29, focused on issues of environmental justice in light of YAEF topics in the last three years: poverty, hunger and violence.

"I really enjoyed the speakers,” said Michelle Brooks, a young adult from Washington, D.C. “They were thought-provoking and informative. Whether the information was new or validated your current viewpoint, the speakers presented information that generated dialogue."

Speaking on environmental justice and violence, the Urban Ecology Institute's Sherri Brokopp presented studies demonstrating that trees have a calming effect and reduce violence. During the Forum, young adults worked with the Institute to plant trees in Boston as a part of the City's effort to plant 100,000 trees.

Using contemporary paraphrasing of Biblical parables, young adults discussed relationships between the environment and poverty, hunger and violence and shared what they planned to do when they returned home.

"I am going to talk to my pastor and my church about what I learned at this Forum,” said Shanon Ingram, a student at Union College in Barbourville, KY. “We are Missionary Baptists and we are interested in overseas and home missions, service and the sociology of people -- but not ecology. I think they would be interested in what they can do personally about the issue of ecology."