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Migrant Workers Exploitation: Learn and Act (16+)

with Leah Watkiss + Sabrina Chiefari + Varka Kalaydzhieva

For years, migrant workers coming to Canada have been subjected to exploitation by employers, landlords, supervisors. Many are underpaid, overworked, abused. This experiential exercise leads participants to experience the exploitation migrant workers face when they arrive in Canada. Through a role-play, participants are guided through some of the exploitation workers experience at various stages of their migration, such as recruitment debt, dangerous work conditions, unlawful pay deductions, and crowded and unsanitary living conditions. After a debrief, the participants are asked to engage in various forms of support, advocacy and reflection.

about the facilitators

Leah is Ministry Director of the Sisters of St Joseph of Toronto’s Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care. She has over 10 years of experience working for social justice with Christian non-profits. She holds an M.A. in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego. Sabrina (she/her/elle) is a Catholic Environmental Educator from Tkaronto/Toronto. As Creation Care Animator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she’s a long time proponent of Deep Ecology and Integral Ecology. She holds a certificate in Community Arts Practice and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from York University. Varka is Project Manager in the Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto. She has in interest and experience in various social justice issues, including migrant justice and human trafficking.

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Housing Justice and Multi-Tenant Co-operatives – Past and Future

with Tristan Laing

The Student Christian Movement (SCM) played a crucial role in the founding of the Student Co-operative movement in the 1930s. How did the values of SCM become central to this part of the Co-op movement? How has that movement evolved to become a means of providing affordable and community-oriented housing across the continent, to both students and non-students? In an age of $2000+ one bedroom rents in Toronto is it time for a return to multi-tenant co-operative housing – not just for students this time?

about the facilitator

Tristan (he/him) first attended a meeting of SCM after his research on Student Co-op History led him to discover the important role the SCM had played in starting the Student Co-op movement. Tristan’s main focus is on supporting and creating multi-tenant housing co-operatives that are organized democratically and contain elements of intentional community. He is involved with North American Students of Co-operation and he is a co-founder of HOUSE (Housing Ontario Students Equitably), a non-profit startup aiming to build co-operative housing for students and youth around Ontario Universities.

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JourneyDance of Manifestation-Dance Your Dreams into Being

with Sheilagh McGlynn

Are you seeking something different in your life? What change do you envision for yourself or the world? Spend some time in the JourneyDance flow to bring these dreams and intentions into your body and into your life. After our dance we will spend some time collaging your vision board of change. No dance or art experience is required. This workshop is open to all.

about the facilitator

Sheilagh works for the Anglican Church of Canada as the Animator for Youth Ministries. She is also a Registered Psychotherapist and JourneyDance Facilitator. She discovered dance and movement as a self care and healing tool and is excited to offer that tool to others.

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Watershed Moments – Learning about the Water Around Us (All ages welcome, though little ones will benefit from being with an older carer.)

with Sabrina Chiefari + Leah Watkiss

Incorporating the “Project: Wet – Blue River” activity, this active session will encourage participants to better understand how water moves around them and what lasting – often unseen – consequences (whether positive or negative) our activities can have. While respecting and being sensitive to different world-views, group discussion will include questions around the more intrinsic relationship Christians have with this essential element.

about the facilitators

Sabrina (she/her/elle) is a Catholic Environmental Educator from Tkaronto/Toronto. As Creation Care Animator for the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto, she’s a long time proponent of Deep Ecology and Integral Ecology. She holds a certificate in Community Arts Practice and an undergraduate degree in Environmental Studies from York University. Leah is Ministry Director of the Sisters of St .Joseph of Toronto’s Ministry for Social Justice, Peace, and Creation Care. She has over 10 years of experience working for social justice with Christian non-profits. She holds an M.A. in Peace and Justice from the University of San Diego.

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Propose a Session for 2022 Cahoots

Cahoots Festival: May 26-29, 2022

Propose A Session by Dec 31: LINK

What IS Cahoots?

Imagine a campsite where people and communities gather to rest, play, work, pray, learn, laugh, and think through what we need to do and who we need to be to create a world of justice, joy, and great food… that’s what Cahoots is trying to be, with God’s help, and with your participation!

We are so delighted to be planning a return to an in-person festival for May 2022! Tickets will go on sale in the new year, but please save the date and think about what you would like to offer. Will you volunteer in the kitchen? Offer to carpool? Prepare a workshop to share a skill, craft, game or exercise that you know? Lead a time of prayerful contemplation?

Cahoots is our attempt to be faithful to the needs of the world today. Learn more about our vision on our website https://www.cahootsfest.ca/about/so-what-is-cahoots/

Join us!

We are looking for your skills, passions, questions, hobbies, weird ideas and fun games – what do you want to teach? What do you want to learn? Propose it!

Propose Your Cahoots 2022 Session At This Link

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Landback and Residential Schools – Settler solidarity actions – Cahoots in Quarantine!

1492 Landback Lane

The Canadian public are again learning the truth about the Residential School System, but few are joining the dots to see how supporting Indigenous land defence and sovereignty movements like 1492 Landback Lane is a concrete response to the genocidal violence of the Residential School System – a legacy that all people on these lands called Canada must respond to.

A brief address will outline these facts, specifically looking at the responsibilities of Christian communities, followed by a series of actions. There will then be time to discuss questions that arise. Register here –> https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwscOGsrjIoGtTKzsk_jsZOAIGVWxQNeSle.

Guiding us through our thinking and action is Peter Haresnape (he/him), member of Christian Peacemaker Teams (Turtle Island Solidarity Network), Cahoots festival organizer, currently a student and pastor of Toronto United Mennonite Church

Peter Haresnape

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When you’re hopeful, where do you put it? – Cahoots in Quarantine for kids and youth!

Our beloved friend Jonathon Reed, is heading up a workshop during our Cahoots in Quarantine series geared towards youth. Join him on June 3rd for his workshop titled “When you’re hopeful, where do you put it?” You can register for the workshop at: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsdO-srDkpHdJZByuDF31AtHUrq50T89jW

Here’s his description:

First priority: Reconnect with the love of the powerful young people of Cahoots, wear silly hats, say hi and share a bit about the past year plus a favourite memory from past Cahoots. Second priority: Talk about hope. Make some meaningful art inspired by the natural world and put it in the MAIL to the grassroots activists at the heart of The Wasteland Plan. Third priority: Learn to teleport.

~ Jonathan Reed
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Cahoots in Quarantine!

Cahoots Take Action Series

Hello everyone! As much as we tried and prayed and hoped, we realized that we just couldn’t do an in-person Cahoots Festival this year. But never fear, we are still striving to engage with you, our beloved community.

This year we are embarking on some new online adventures. The one coming soon is our Take Action Series. The first in this series is an online workshop lead by Jesson Reyes called “Migrant Rights During The Pandemic”. Join us on May 27 @ 7pm (est)

The Migrants Rights During the Pandemic is a call to action for migrants who face health and safety risks due to their immigration status. Jesson Reyes, managing director at Migrants Resource Centre Canada, will talk to us about what MRCC and Migrants Rights Network have been doing to put pressure on the government for permanent residency status for so called “temporary foreign workers,” who stay in Canada for years and work for unfair wages in dangerous jobs. Jesson will also be talking about COVID concerns amongst migrants during the pandemic, and the overall structure of why this systemic issue exists. Canada is lucky to have migrant workers, not the other way around. Join us as we advocate for those who farm the foods that end up on our tables, take care of our children, and do more essential jobs. The workshop will contain 15 minutes of speech, 5-10 minutes of Q&A, and 25 minutes of action. 

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Cahoots Christmas Leftovers

Inspired by the crowd of people left out, left over, left behind, and gathered by God around a manger in a sleepy small town, we imagined Cahoots Christmas Leftovers, an online gathering to allow our community to connect during Christmas this year.

But wait, I’m busy at Christmas! – Don’t worry, friend! Christmas is a season, not just a day! We’re meeting on Tuesday December 29, at 6:30pm (Eastern), and we hope you’ll be there!

I’ve never gone to Cahoots festival, will I feel awkward? – yes, you’ll definitely feel awkward, we’re a bunch of awkward people. It’s built in. Come be awkward with us – share some silly and profound activities. It would be a real gift – welcoming new people at Christmas is a whole stable vibe, after all.

So I don’t get it, is this a church service or a hangout? – YES! We love going beyond binaries! We’ll sing some songs, pray some prayers, maybe make a craft, invite people to play a game. You can decide how and how much you participate.

How is this helpful? Sounds self-indulgent to be praying & playing while people are facing sickness & eviction. – Good challenge! We resist the myth of superhero labour; that the problems of the world are the result of us not working hard enough, or caring enough. We know that many of us are burnt out and exhausted, and stuck without their usual ways of recharging. This is our way of helping bring some restful, festive power. For us, prayer produces action – and action is rooted in spiritual work. Come pray with us – whatever that means to you. And then let’s work together to change this system!

Do you have a super duper poster and maybe a registration link? – you betcha! Click https://tinyurl.com/cahootsxmas to register, and then tell your friends. Can’t wait to see you.

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Workshop vid – Entitlement & Gratitude

Are you entitled? Have you ever been entitled? This is one of those questions that lands very differently depending on your social location – the particular balance of privileges and oppressions that any given individual can be assigned by social power.

To help us think through these questions, Lane Silas Patriquin adapted their workshop, originally intended for the in-person Cahoots, into an online session Cahoots Transfigured. we were blessed with several workshops originally pitched for the in-person festival.

Now we are pleased to present the full workshop video, to help us consider these important interpersonal/communal dynamics. Many thanks to Lane, to Emma for facilitating, and Lyf for editing!

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