"It's not about charity; it's about justice."
Bono, Make Poverty History Campaign, 2005

Before Bono made fighting poverty hip, our rich heritage of Catholic Social Teaching had already been challenging Catholics to take action on behalf of justice. While it does not hurt to have someone like Bono advocating for the poorest in our global family, we must help Catholic youth understand the Gospel call to work on behalf of and live in solidarity with the poor. To echo Bono, we must help young people embrace a larger vision of engaging global poverty issues, moving beyond mere fundraising and collecting used clothes to give away. Catholic Social Teaching calls us to examine our actions as consumers and as citizens, recognizing their impact on the lives of the poor overseas. More importantly, we must recognize that the primary vehicle for all of our action is that we see the poor as more than just objects of our largesse but consider them as brothers and sisters, treating them with the same dignity with which we want to be treated.

So, how can we move young people to work to end poverty, not simply because it is hip, but because our faith demands it?

Catholic Relief Services has several resources that integrate faith and action on behalf of our global family, challenging Catholic youth to live counter-culturally and to consider how their engagement of the world, their perspectives and lifestyles, can make a difference. All of these resources are free and can be ordered by phone or online.

• Food Fast
  Food Fast is a hunger awareness program for youth in grades 8-12. What sets it apart from other hunger programs is that it raises awareness on the issues of global poverty and hunger through Catholic Social Teaching. Food Fast also just released Journey Against Hunger, a DVD that highlights how the people of Niger are involved in long-term action to ensure food security in their community.

• Going Global with Youth
  Going Global with Youth is an e-newsletter for teachers and youth ministers. The e-newsletter identifies resources, opportunities for involvement, and information on Catholic Relief Services' work in the field.

• Fair Trade Coffee Project
  Catholic Relief Services works overseas to provide assistance to struggling low-income coffee farmers. Here in the United States, CRS supports those farmers by promoting Fair Trade, an alternative system of international trade that is rooted in the principles of human dignity, economic justice, and global solidarity. So when you purchase Fair Trade coffee, you are not just buying great coffee, you are helping to build a better world one cup at a time!

• Fair Trade Chocolate Program
  Divine chocolate is one of the world's best-tasting brands of chocolate and it is also the world's first farmer-owned Fair Trade chocolate company! Great chocolate for you; economic justice for cocoa farmers overseas. And you can make the world even sweeter for these farmers when you participate in the CRS Fair Trade Chocolate Program: buy Divine Fair Trade chocolate for yourself, give it as a gift, sell it as an ethical fundraiser, and encourage store managers in your community to carry it wherever chocolate is sold.

• Work of Human Hands
  Through the Work of Human Hands program you get high quality, fairly traded handcrafts and gourmet food items from low-income producers all over the world. The people who produce them earn a fair price, get access to credit and training, and maintain long-term relationships with CRS partner, A Greater Gift, rooted in the principles of human dignity and economic justice. Parishes and schools are invited to hold a Work of Human Hands sale. Crafts are ordered on consignment. By building an educational component around themes of economic justice, you help ensure that people all over the world have the productive resources to earn a decent living and be dignified members of the community.

• Solidarity with Africa
  The Solidarity with Africa web page includes an Africa Retreat, a School-Wide program and a one-week curriculum for high schools and youth group—Africa and HIV/AIDS.

• A Catholic Call to Justice (128 KB)
  CRS and the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) developed an interactive obstacle course that walks participants through the core themes of Catholic social teaching. Participants assume roles as refugees and experience life in a refugee camp before crossing back to the United States to engage in a simulated community-building activity.

• Prayer without Borders
  Prayers, wisdom stories, and reflections from more than 25 countries where Catholic Relief Services works are set among stunning photos of the people the agency serves in the book Prayer Without Borders, Celebrating Global Wisdom. Published in 2004, this resource can be used for retreats or youth meetings.