Global Solidarity Schools Initiative

Catholic Relief Services and Catholic high schools across the country are partnering to educate and engage young people to learn more about some of the most pressing global issues of our time and to take faith-filled action on behalf of people around the world who are poor and vulnerable. CRS, like your school, is motivated by the Gospel of Jesus Christ to cherish, preserve and uphold the sacredness and dignity of all human life, foster charity and justice, and embody Catholic social and moral teaching as we, together, act to create change and build peace.

Five Components of the CRS Global Solidarity Schools Initiative

1. Faculty and Staff Workshop - During a full-day workshop, CRS staff help add a global dimension to your schools mission to service. CRS invites faculty and staff to come to a deeper understanding of who CRS is, what we do, where we work and how students can be a part of our global work. By the end of the workshop, faculty and staff have an opportunity to share their expertise and plan for the school's Global Solidarity Week.
   
   
2. Global Solidarity Week - CRS Global Solidarity Schools designate a week during the academic year to focus on education and action around a global theme. During the Global Solidarity Week, schools implement the plan they developed during the Solidarity Workshop. To assist the Solidarity Week planning team, CRS shares a packet of ideas, including: planning tips, background on the global theme, prayers, suggestions for school-wide activities, media tips and more.
   
   
3. Solidarity Action - CRS Global Solidarity Schools take at least one school-wide action on behalf of the global poor. This culminating action adds a global dimension to the school's mission to engage students in service.
   
   
4. Idea Exchange - - Through the CRS Global Solidarity Schools website, faculty have the opportunity to share ideas with other Catholic high school faculty across the country whose schools are focused on the same global theme.
   
   
5. Discerning Becoming a GSSI Development School - Each July, CRS engages three schools who participated in GSSI to partner with us to create content on a new global theme. CRS invites a delegation of Catholic high school faculty and staff (presidents, principals and teachers) to visit one of our country programs over the summer. Delegation participants gain a better understanding of the global mission of the Catholic church and the work of CRS, so that we at CRS, might in turn understand better how to resource and accompany Catholic high schools who want to live out the call of our faith to serve our global family.
   

We hope you consider partnering with us in this exciting initiative!

Interested in learning more? If so, please fill out our simple contact form and we'll be back in touch. Or, you can contact Angela Pollock at angela.pollock@crs.org or call 443-955-7137.