Everyday Social Justice and Citizenship: Perspectives for the Twenty-first Century, 2017
Citizens’ UK exists to ‘develop the capacity of the people to participate in public life, enablin... more Citizens’ UK exists to ‘develop the capacity of the people to participate in public life, enabling them to be involved in the decisions that affect them and those they love’. In this model of Community Organising, it follows on and builds on the work of Jozef, Cardinal Cardijn (1882-1967), founder of the Young Christian Workers.
Cardijn, from a working-class family in Brussels, studied Social Sciences at Leuven in the year after his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1906. Horrified by the working conditions of textile workers in Belgium and the Rhineland, he was inspired by Ben Tillet (the London Dockers’ Union leader) and Baden-Powell, to empower and enable young workers. The study circles he founded in his parish for young men and women became more than faith-based groups. Using his ‘See-Judge-Act’ methodology, Cardijn encouraged young workers to identify problems in their local environment, places of work, and family life, which they could work together to resolve. Enabling young workers to find their voice included improving their literacy and numeracy skills, in order that they might become ‘workers’ leaders [who could] represent the working class in the structural changes, the committees, in the economic councils, the social security organisations, the workers holiday’ schemes.’
The ‘See-Judge-Act’, Cardijn explained in 1962, was a way of training people to ‘discover, evaluate, and resolve their own problems and those of others.’ The method remains the cornerstone of YCW activities: at a typical meeting, a group will ‘See’ a problem; they will ‘Judge’ the rights and wrongs of the situation; and then they will decide how they may most appropriately ‘Act’ to resolve the issue. The process is completed by a period of reflection and ‘Review’. This methodology continues to be at the forefront of social justice campaigns. This chapter will show how Cardijn developed the ‘See-Judge-Act’ as a methodology to enable the voiceless young workers of his time to change the world around them for the better, through participation and action in public life.
International Eucharistic Congress 2012. Proceedings of the International Symposium of Theology, 2013
Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers, insisted on the lay apostle’s need for a profoun... more Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers, insisted on the lay apostle’s need for a profound life of prayer to underpin their evangelisation of their peers. This would be centred on the Eucharist: attendance at Mass, frequent reception of communion, Eucharistic adoration. Understanding the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, Cardijn sought to show his Young Workers how their work was to become as pure, holy and living a sacrifice as the Mass itself.
We spend much of our lives engaged in 'work' – whatever that work may be for us – and yet theolog... more We spend much of our lives engaged in 'work' – whatever that work may be for us – and yet theology is remarkably silent on the subject, particularly so when it comes to the question of incorporating work with leisure and worship. We tend to see work, leisure, and worship as three different aspects of life; the aim of this short article is to suggest that they are in fact closely interconnected.
Everyday Social Justice and Citizenship: Perspectives for the Twenty-first Century, 2017
Citizens’ UK exists to ‘develop the capacity of the people to participate in public life, enablin... more Citizens’ UK exists to ‘develop the capacity of the people to participate in public life, enabling them to be involved in the decisions that affect them and those they love’. In this model of Community Organising, it follows on and builds on the work of Jozef, Cardinal Cardijn (1882-1967), founder of the Young Christian Workers.
Cardijn, from a working-class family in Brussels, studied Social Sciences at Leuven in the year after his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1906. Horrified by the working conditions of textile workers in Belgium and the Rhineland, he was inspired by Ben Tillet (the London Dockers’ Union leader) and Baden-Powell, to empower and enable young workers. The study circles he founded in his parish for young men and women became more than faith-based groups. Using his ‘See-Judge-Act’ methodology, Cardijn encouraged young workers to identify problems in their local environment, places of work, and family life, which they could work together to resolve. Enabling young workers to find their voice included improving their literacy and numeracy skills, in order that they might become ‘workers’ leaders [who could] represent the working class in the structural changes, the committees, in the economic councils, the social security organisations, the workers holiday’ schemes.’
The ‘See-Judge-Act’, Cardijn explained in 1962, was a way of training people to ‘discover, evaluate, and resolve their own problems and those of others.’ The method remains the cornerstone of YCW activities: at a typical meeting, a group will ‘See’ a problem; they will ‘Judge’ the rights and wrongs of the situation; and then they will decide how they may most appropriately ‘Act’ to resolve the issue. The process is completed by a period of reflection and ‘Review’. This methodology continues to be at the forefront of social justice campaigns. This chapter will show how Cardijn developed the ‘See-Judge-Act’ as a methodology to enable the voiceless young workers of his time to change the world around them for the better, through participation and action in public life.
International Eucharistic Congress 2012. Proceedings of the International Symposium of Theology, 2013
Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers, insisted on the lay apostle’s need for a profoun... more Cardijn, founder of the Young Christian Workers, insisted on the lay apostle’s need for a profound life of prayer to underpin their evangelisation of their peers. This would be centred on the Eucharist: attendance at Mass, frequent reception of communion, Eucharistic adoration. Understanding the Church as the Mystical Body of Christ, Cardijn sought to show his Young Workers how their work was to become as pure, holy and living a sacrifice as the Mass itself.
We spend much of our lives engaged in 'work' – whatever that work may be for us – and yet theolog... more We spend much of our lives engaged in 'work' – whatever that work may be for us – and yet theology is remarkably silent on the subject, particularly so when it comes to the question of incorporating work with leisure and worship. We tend to see work, leisure, and worship as three different aspects of life; the aim of this short article is to suggest that they are in fact closely interconnected.
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Cardijn, from a working-class family in Brussels, studied Social Sciences at Leuven in the year after his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1906. Horrified by the working conditions of textile workers in Belgium and the Rhineland, he was inspired by Ben Tillet (the London Dockers’ Union leader) and Baden-Powell, to empower and enable young workers. The study circles he founded in his parish for young men and women became more than faith-based groups. Using his ‘See-Judge-Act’ methodology, Cardijn encouraged young workers to identify problems in their local environment, places of work, and family life, which they could work together to resolve. Enabling young workers to find their voice included improving their literacy and numeracy skills, in order that they might become ‘workers’ leaders [who could] represent the working class in the structural changes, the committees, in the economic councils, the social security organisations, the workers holiday’ schemes.’
The ‘See-Judge-Act’, Cardijn explained in 1962, was a way of training people to ‘discover, evaluate, and resolve their own problems and those of others.’ The method remains the cornerstone of YCW activities: at a typical meeting, a group will ‘See’ a problem; they will ‘Judge’ the rights and wrongs of the situation; and then they will decide how they may most appropriately ‘Act’ to resolve the issue. The process is completed by a period of reflection and ‘Review’. This methodology continues to be at the forefront of social justice campaigns. This chapter will show how Cardijn developed the ‘See-Judge-Act’ as a methodology to enable the voiceless young workers of his time to change the world around them for the better, through participation and action in public life.
Cardijn, from a working-class family in Brussels, studied Social Sciences at Leuven in the year after his ordination as a Catholic priest in 1906. Horrified by the working conditions of textile workers in Belgium and the Rhineland, he was inspired by Ben Tillet (the London Dockers’ Union leader) and Baden-Powell, to empower and enable young workers. The study circles he founded in his parish for young men and women became more than faith-based groups. Using his ‘See-Judge-Act’ methodology, Cardijn encouraged young workers to identify problems in their local environment, places of work, and family life, which they could work together to resolve. Enabling young workers to find their voice included improving their literacy and numeracy skills, in order that they might become ‘workers’ leaders [who could] represent the working class in the structural changes, the committees, in the economic councils, the social security organisations, the workers holiday’ schemes.’
The ‘See-Judge-Act’, Cardijn explained in 1962, was a way of training people to ‘discover, evaluate, and resolve their own problems and those of others.’ The method remains the cornerstone of YCW activities: at a typical meeting, a group will ‘See’ a problem; they will ‘Judge’ the rights and wrongs of the situation; and then they will decide how they may most appropriately ‘Act’ to resolve the issue. The process is completed by a period of reflection and ‘Review’. This methodology continues to be at the forefront of social justice campaigns. This chapter will show how Cardijn developed the ‘See-Judge-Act’ as a methodology to enable the voiceless young workers of his time to change the world around them for the better, through participation and action in public life.