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Welcome to the Forum Festival – open to the A Rocha Worldwide Family
and friends, broadly defined.
On 19 & 20 June, we’ll gather for devotions, ‘Big Questions’, workshops, film screenings and drop-in times for prayer and conversation – a chance to learn together, listen to one another, pray together and get a flavour of each other’s work, places and hopes.
Every session will be offered twice, with the same content repeated, to cover all the time zones as best we can. The exceptions are the two one-hour Prayer & Chat sessions, offered for one hour on each day.
See you soon on a screen near you!
Sessions
| DATE | CONTENT |
|---|---|
| June 19 |
Big Question 1: What are we all up to? Engaging with A Rocha's family-wide agreed areas of work So much is going on around the A Rocha world. And so much more is still to unfold! Building on the A Rocha Covenant and the Five Commitments, the A Rocha Worldwide Family now has a shared strategic focus on building our conservation impact, engaging with Christian communities and young people, and growing our geographical reach. How does this fit with your context? How do you fit within that? Ed will share his insights as Executive Director and looks forward to connecting on how we can move forward together and individually. Ed Walker, ARI Big Question 2: Waging Peace: Transforming Conflict Is there one thing in particular that should identify us as children of God in today’s world? Jesus states that it is the peacemakers who are described as children of God. This is mission. How do we wage peace today, thereby transforming conflict, building a less binary world and making friends who disagree well? Stephen Ruttle, mediator |
| June 20 |
Big Question 3: What does conservation have to do with church anyway?
Why should A Rocha be involved with churches? Aren’t they a distraction from our urgent conservation work and a lot of extra effort? Or should our aim be just to work with churches and work ourselves out of a job? Come and discuss! Kuki Rokhum & Dave Bookless, ARI Big Question 4: Conservation and climate change How does climate change interact with conservation? Is climate change the biggest threat to nature? How does climate change and our response to it affect biodiversity? And what’s to be done about it, including by A Rocha? We’ll dig into these big questions together. Jeremy Lindsell, ARI |
Workshops
| DATE | CONTENT |
|---|---|
| June 19 |
1. Exploring technology in wildlife conservation: Over the 30 minutes, we will offer a brief overview on the subject with references to some case studies and invite you into the conversation. How do you view technology? How do you see it helping your work and A Rocha’s? What are the possible drawbacks and barriers? We look forward to insightful discussions! Nicholas Warren, ARI & Avinash Krishnan, A Rocha India |
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2. Eco-anxiety and youth: Youth world-over are managing rising eco-anxiety by taking environmental action. Christian youth have a vital role to play. A Rocha's global EE family is empowering youth in schools, universities, and communities to make nature positive changes. This session is for anyone who is eco-anxious, or interested in and enabling youth to be a generation of hope. Sarah French & Camille Allan, ARI; A Rocha EE Officers |
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3. State of the Ocean and A Rocha's contribution to its flourishing: This workshop will highlight the great work many A Rocha Organizations do locally to conserve marine species and habitats and include opportunities to join the Marine Conservation Programme. We will also examine our contribution to combatting major ocean threats and what part A Rocha plays in marine conservation globally through the lens of SDG14, the recent UNESCO State of the Ocean report, and the upcoming UN Oceans Conference. Bob Sluka, ARI |
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4. ARO team leaders focus group: Calling any available team leaders! You are invited to join Ed in this focused session, a chance to connect with peers and begin our summer discussion on family strategy. Ed Walker, ARI |
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| June 20 |
1. Communicating hope: The reality for many habitats and species is grim. But as A Rocha we believe God loves and is committed to his world, and created a universe where everything can flourish. Come and explore how to tell stories that are both truthful and hopeful, and which inspire and empower audiences to join the conservation effort. Jo Swinney & Autumn Ricksecker, ARI |
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2. Why EE matters: EE matters! As Lenar and Charles see it, EE fosters an understanding of our interconnectedness with the natural world and the need for sustainable lifestyles. Come and focus together on how and why EE matters in Kenya, in Ghana – and to you in your context. Lenar Akoth, A Rocha Kenya & Charles Agyakwa, A Rocha Ghana |
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3. Measuring impact: How does measuring impact amplify your conservation efforts? Join us to discover how assessing the impact of your work can unlock the power of stewardship. We'll discuss simple yet practical tools to evaluate and enhance your efforts in conserving and caring for God's creation. Jacqueline Mbawine, A Rocha Ghana |
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4. ARO board chairs / members focus group: This session is a two-fold opportunity for ARO board members as we continue to build unity amongst diverse ARO contexts: to share governance practices with one another, and to participate in feedback to ARI’s board on governance as we begin the next season of ARI’s strategic plan and the A Rocha Worldwide Family’s strategic direction. |
Forum Festival Schedule (British Summer Time):
| TIME | Wednesday, 19 June | Thursday, 20 June |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00-8:10 | Devotions 1 | Devotions 2 |
| 8:10-8:45 | Big Question 1: What are we all up to? Engaging with A Rocha's family-wide agreed areas of work. | Big Question 3: What does conservation have to do with church anyway? |
| 8:45-8:50 | Break | Break |
| 8:50-9:25 | Big Question 2: Waging Peace: Transforming Conflict | Big Question 4: Conservation and climate change |
| 9:25-9:30 | Break | Break |
| 9:30-10:00 |
Workshops 1
1. Use of technology in conservation 2. Eco-anxiety and youth 3. State of the Ocean and A Rocha's contribution to its flourishing 4. ARO team leaders focus group |
Workshops 2
1. Communicating hope 2. Why EE matters 3. Measuring impact 4. ARO board members focus group |
| 10:30-12:30 | Film festival 1 | Film festival 2 |
| Break | Break | |
| 14:00-15:00 | Prayer & Chat 1 | |
| 18:00-18:10 | Devotions 1 (repeat) | Devotions 2 (repeat) |
| 18:10-18:45 | Big Question 1 (repeat) | Big Question 3 (repeat) |
| 18:45-18:50 | Break | Break |
| 18:50-19:25 | Big Question 2 (repeat) | Big Question 4 (repeat) |
| 19:25-19:30 | Break | Break |
| 19:30-20:00 | Workshops 1 (repeat) | Workshops 2 (repeat) |
| 20:30-22:30 | Film festival 1 (repeat) | Film festival 2 (repeat) |
| *1:00-2:00 (next day) | Prayer & Chat 2 |
Film screenings
| Wednesday, 19 June | Thursday, 20 June |
|---|---|
| Netherlands | Uganda |
| Sweden | Czech Republic |
| Ghana | Aotearoa New Zealand |
| Philippines | France |
| Lebanon | Friends of A Rocha in Germany |
| Kenya | Climate Stewards |
| Canada | A Rocha International |
| Australia | Portugal |
| USA | India |
| Switzerland | Peru |