The D&P Schools Program helps Catholic schools and youth groups engage social and global justice issues through the lens of their faith.
Inspired by Pope Francis’s encyclical Laudato Si’, the program encourages Catholic communities to nurture three fundamental and interconnected relationships: to God, to each other, and to the natural world. Pope Francis says that when we nurture these relationships, we promote an integral ecology that “takes us to the heart of what it is to be human.”
The D&P Schools Program provides youth with concrete (and fun!) ways to take you there.
Registered D&P Schools will be connected with their local animator who will accompany you and your students as you complete the world-changing challenges listed below.
Each challenge corresponds to a badge so you can track your progress. Earn as many as you can during the school year!
The program consists of a series of challenges for which schools earn badges. Each badge corresponds to a particular theme of global/social justice. The aim of the program is to earn as many badges as possible in a year, but we welcome any level of engagement.
Schools register for the D&P Schools Program via a teacher supervisor by using our online registration form. You will then receive an email from your local D&P animator who will accompany you throughout the year.
Note: If you signed up in a previous year, no need to register again! Just say hello to let us know how we can support you this year.
Most badges can be done at any time during the year. However, a couple badges are tied to participation in events that take place at a particular time of year (Party for Peace and Happy Badger).
After you’ve completed a challenge, award your students with a badge.
Be sure to send a photo to youth@devp.org (or tag us @devpeace) so we can share your amazing work!
Your local D&P animator (who will contact you following your registration) is your primary contact for all questions related to the program. Be sure to make a note of their name and contact info!
For other questions about the program, including questions about enrollment, contact Emily Bowman-Lukasik, Youth Programs Officer at: Emily.Lukasik@devp.org
We look forward to supporting you on your D&P Schools journey!
Note: You can also check out our “Flip the world flipbook”, a visually-engaging version of this list designed with students in mind!
NEW BADGE! Organize a solidarity meal to raise awareness about where our food comes from and who produces it.
Display an “upside down” map somewhere in your school.
Plant a tree in your schoolyard or community and raise awareness about the benefits of trees.
Contribute to reconciliation in your school community.
Choose an everyday product and learn about how it's made.
Gather signatures for our fall campaign petition.
Join or plan a demonstration, rally, or march to raise awareness about an issue important to your school community.
Use our retreat package “On Earth as it is in Heaven” for one of your school retreats.
Attend the Caritas Christmas Party for Peace online event Monday, December 2, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. ET and share your school’s commitment to Peace.
Hold a non-uniform day to raise awareness about the impacts of sweatshops and fast fashion.
Learn and promote all 10 Catholic Social Teachings (CSTs) in your school community.
Spread the good news of #GlobalJustice on your school’s social media accounts. Follow @devpeace and tag us in your world-changing posts!
Make your school a Bottled Water Free Zone.
Read one of our graphic novels and engage in the call to action.
Write an essay about why you support the work of Development and Peace – Caritas Canada.
Write and record a new verse to add to the Laudato Si’ Song!
Plant a mustard seed and watch it grow.
Run a THINKfast at your school.
Raise money to support our partners’ work in the Global South.
Use any one of our prayers and reflections in your school setting.
Incorporate themes of Laudato Si’ and global justice into one of your school liturgies.
Carry out a social justice activity from our database!
Join us online Monday, June 3 @ 3:00pm EST to celebrate with all the other D&P Schools!
Check out and download a variety of educational and theological resources that may be interesting to you.
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555 René-Lévesque Blvd. West, 8th Floor
Montreal (Quebec) Canada H2Z 1B1
Phone: 514-257-8711
Toll-free: 1-888-234-8533
Fax: 514-257-8497
Email: info@devp.org
Charity number: 1 1882 9902 RR 0001
Our international cooperation program is carried out in part with the financial support of the Government of Canada acting through Global Affairs Canada.
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international solidarity organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis.
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