"To make sense of the defining crisis of our time. To get ready for the defining adventure of our time."
These are the words that greet you when you explore the website theweek.ooo. The idea is to take some time with friends and colleagues to face difficult challenges of the climate crisis, explore options, and then to help more groups do the same. And so when First Unitarian's Environmental Justice Ministry participated in the experience and found it very positive, it spread to RAICA.
Recently ten RAICA members, from 8 congregations, met on a Sunday, a Wednesday and a Friday of the same week. We watched a difficult video about how the climate crisis got started and what could happen if we do nothing. We found that 10 people were too many for the discussion and so for the next video, about what can be done, we broke into groups of five. The last video explored what actions work best for different people, and lead to a library of suggested resources.
Reactions to the experience varied a lot. Some thought it was a valuable, inspiring tool. Some found it depressing. Some thought for a group like RAICA we were preaching to the choir. Some would like to see it again. At least two houses of worship are planning to offer The Week to the general congregation, in hopes of finding 5-10 individuals to try it out. It will be interesting to see how people who are not as active in climate work view the experience.
This project began with a couple, Frederic and Helene, and friends during the Covid pandemic. It grew as they shared what they learned with others. They began to make films and to spread the word further. Now there is a multinational working group as the practice continues to spread. There are three versions of the video presentations, one for friends and family, one for businesses, and one for faith communities. There is a fee for the business version and for the others a suggested donation.
If you are interested in bringing The Week to your congregation contact us or come to a Steering Committee meeting, and join this adventure!