By Kathy Shaw – SPARK Manager
SPARK and the Justice and Peace Commission are members of Leeds Citizens and at their Accountability Assembly at the end of April we heard from the potential Mayoral candidates for West Yorkshire.
I went with Anthony, one of our SPARK supporters and John Battle Chair of the J&P Commission also attended. Leeds Citizens is an alliance of organisations across the city, enabling community priorities to be represented to local politicians, to drive change on priority issues like local bus transport, mental health support and responding to racism. It was great to feel a part of a wider community working for the Common Good in the greater Leeds area.
The Citizens Organising movement also has much to offer in ways of working – it is a very bottom-up organisation and that is very much the approach we have taken with the SPARK project. I try to react to what people in our target age range have been telling me they would like to do about issues of social justice and am doing my best to facilitate that happening.
Having made good links with Leeds Trinity University, the University of Leeds & Mary Mother of God parish in Bradford I would also be interested to hear from any other parishes that are interested in talking with me about building a relationship with the project to better engage with people in the 18 – 30 age group.
Just email me at Sparks.jandp@dioceseofleeds.org.uk