The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund: Stories

Off the Grid Helps Youth to Pray, Act, and Give! July 26, 2008

PWRDF

Off the Grid Event

Since its release in late 2007, the Off the Grid resource has helped young Anglicans across the country to explore issues of energy consumption, justice, and international development.  Youth from as young as 9 years old to those in their twenties have raised more than $4,000 for PWRDF through their electricity “fasts”. 

The Off the Grid package contains resources to help youth leaders to plan and run a 24 hour electricity fast program with a broad range of activities including worship, cooking together, calculating their carbon footprint, and fun.  One activity, called “The Amazing Race”, has participants completing different fun and educational activities ranging from filling a bucket with sponges in a relay to discovering which countries have the most wind energy production.  Laura Swanson, a youth leader in Collingwood, Ontario, said, “The youth really enjoyed Amazing Race.  Their favourite part of amazing Race was Alaska where they mimicked the oil pipeline.”

Melissa Green, a youth group leader in Savona, BC, ran an Off the Grid event with her senior group, and said, “I look forward to continuing to use the materials and ideas in the Off the Grid program and in other resources put out by PWRDF for a number of years to come with the Savona youth groups.”  Other groups have invited guest speakers to come and present at their events.  Two members of the PWRDF Youth Council attended one Off the Grid held in Beaconsfield, Quebec about their experiences on an education and immersion trip to Mexico with PWRDF.  Jennifer Otto, an organizer of that event, said “We were so lucky that the speakers were available to join us for our event!”

If you are interested in running an Off the Grid event in your parish, college, region, or Diocese, please contact Simon Chambers,  or visit www.justgeneration.ca , where you can download the resource for use in your community!