THE Salvation Army is hosting an online conference about advocacy and social justice from 22-28 March 2010 via a specially prepared website. The conference – called 'Speak Out' – will be sponsored and managed jointly by The Salvation Army's International Social Justice Commission (ISJC) and the Canada and Bermuda Territory's Ethics Centre (www.salvationarmyethics.org).
One of the major goals of the ISJC (www.salvationarmy.org/ISJC) is to 'raise strategic voices to advocate with the world's poor and oppressed'. The online conference has been given the title 'Speak Out' to emphasise its main topic: Christian advocacy in the public arena by Salvationists on matters of social justice.
Commissioner M. Christine MacMillan (Director, ISJC), believes advocacy has an important role in the mission of The Salvation Army. 'By working for transformative change,' she states, 'advocacy is an important tool in fulfilling the mandate of The Salvation Army to serve suffering humanity and to be a transforming influence on the communities of the world.'
According to the commissioner the 'Speak Out' online conference will raise the awareness of Salvationists to the strategic use of advocacy in addressing social injustice. It will also offer them a means of building their capacity to do so and, by employing new technologies, engage a younger generation in positive action for social justice.
Three main streams – Theory of Advocacy, Theology and History of Advocacy, and Promising Practices of Advocacy – will be addressed in depth by leaders in these fields. Presentations will be in a variety of formats, and may include documents of various types, audio and video.
The 'Speak Out' e-summit website is designed to be thoroughly interactive, enabling registered participants to post their own contributions and share in online discussions with presenters and others delegates. The e-summit will be open to the public but much of the content will be accessible only to registered users of the website. Registration is, however, free and unrestricted.
