Power to the Peeple

A while ago our young friend Tim was asked what he might like to do as a job when he was old enough to have accrued massive student loan debt and needed to pay it back. I was quite pleased to hear that he might like to become a social justice activist like me.

So I thought, with the help of some of my colleagues, both human and yellow marshmallow, I'd show you a day in the life of a do-gooder. Or as our nephew Jeff once said, a "peacemaker." I liked that.

It all begins with signing in:


Then we check the mail. There might be something really exciting, like the Guardian or even the Presbyterian Journal:


Nope, just the paper. But it's good to discuss Doonesbury and Dilbert with colleagues.


There's always email. And the spam! Man, you need several peeps to stay on top of it.


Then, being a church-based bunch of do-gooders, we might check for some divine inspiration. And being Canadian, we like to do it bilingually and biculturally.


Zut alors! It's time for a coffee break:


Now it's time to head back for heavy duty research. Note the stylish file folders -- not only do they keep the landfills empty, they also leave your files smelling like a spring breeze. An erstaz spring breeze.


There are more mundane tasks, such as workplanning:


Keeping up to date with collective bargaining and other union matters:


As well as learning how to reconcile your Visa each month (this is hard -- notice the whiteout on that journal form):


Thankfully, the union makes sure we get a one-hour lunch break. These peeps are vegetarian.


In the afternoon, we turn our attention to other matters -- say, for example, marketing fair trade Palestinian olive oil to educate people about the Middle East conflict. In the NGO biz, this is known as "peeplic engagement."


We meet with Southern partners to get their take on what's happening:

Okay, Che was not one of our partners, but you get the idea.

Then we go and demonstrate in our own little way:
As Margaret Mead said, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed peeps can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."


But justice-seeking is a tiring business, and even thoughtful, committed peeps need a little relaxation at 5:00 on Fridays.