I left the Advocacy Commission yesterday feeling energized about the work of the movement. This is why (or at least one of the reasons)we're here! We are called to live out our faith by working for justice.

At this point in the work of the Commissions, we're still taking in information - stories, examples and advice from speakers that will inform our upcoming discussion. The session included inspiring accounts about the current situations in Zimbabwe and the Philippines. While acknowledging that there are many other countries in the world where the WSCF is, or could be, involved in advocating for justice, these two examples served as models for the Commission of actions that can be taken by students on the ground and the type of advocacy that SCMers abroad can take in solidarity.

In the case of Zimbabwe, the WSCF acted in response to requests from SCM-Zimbabwe (both from students within the country and Senior Friends abroad) to mobilize ecumenical support for the struggles of SCM-Z. The IRO hosted meetings between international organizations to share information, organized public actions and held worship services and vigils.

SCM-Philippines has been very active in the student movement in their country. Protesting the rising costs of basic needs, the privatization of education and the violent repression of dissenting voices, SCM-P has acted as an "alert centre". When someone is abducted or killed they respond immediately with urgent appeals for support from the international community, issuing statements to the media and organizing rallies in protest. It shocked me to hear that the military does presentations on campuses, warning students not to join certain groups - including SCM-P - because of their status as "terrorists" and "troublemakers". School administrators are more sympathetic to the government than to students and some who have participated in "Red Shirt Days" to protest tuition increases have been suspended.

The work of this Commission, to set the direction for WSCF advocacy in the next quadrennium, feels real and important and urgent. When Rev'd Chris Ferguson, our resource person from the World Council of Churches, asked us whether it would be possible to be the WSCF if we didn't engage in advocacy, no one in the group hesitated to confirm that this work is a fundamental part of who we are and what we believe.

Rev'd Dr Paul Oestreicher drew on his experience to provide some advice for our movement going forward. His key message was that building alliances is an essential part of any human rights struggle.

We need to identify what we can offer as a smaller organization and then seek out partner organizations that have greater capacity than the WSCF but would benefit from our unique contribution. He encouraged us to explore the potential for partnerships with Amnesty International, global networks of academics, refugee organizations and those who work for the rehabilitation of torture victims.

As the WSCF, what we have to offer is the presence of local groups, on the ground, who know what they need. As a global body, we need to ask our brothers and sisters around the world what they need and then be prepared to respond. I appreciated the framework that Rev'd Ferguson laid out for us around what advocacy might mean for the WSCF. He reminded us that the original meaning of the word is to "add the voice to".

Advocacy for our movement is about not only pointing out the gap that exists between the world as it is and the world as God wants it to be, but then being engaged in the work required to bridge that gap.

Rev'd Ferguson reminded us that Jesus spoke truth to power, holding the institutions of his day accountable for their actions. This is important work for us too and so we need to use the avenues that we have access to in order to call on the centres of power in our world, at the very least, to uphold the standards they set for themselves.

But we must not confuse this work with the work of transformation that Jesus also modeled for us. As a movement, we need to consider how we balance our energy between the work of defending human rights within the existing structures and the work of transforming these structures from the ground up.

Erica - SCM Canada