MetroVancouverAlliance

Organizing Metro Vancouver’s Institutions for the Common

Good

MVA is…

• A broad based alliance of community groups, labour, faith and educational institutions working together for the common good.

• We are non-partisan

• Built around relationships, not issues

• Supported by the dues of our member organization

Catholic Social Teaching calls us to

• “… unite (our) efforts with those of all men and women of good will, with the followers of other religions and with non-believers, so that this world of ours may effectively correspond to the divine plan: living as a family under the Creator’s watchful eye.”  

-- (57:136 Caritas in Veritate)

Catholic Social Teaching and Broad-based organizing

1. People before profit

2. The principle of gratuitousness

3. Solidarity

4. Preferential option for the poor

5. Made in the image of God

1.Common good

2.Strengthening civil society

3.Stand for the whole

4.Power before program

5.Development of leaders

Our challenge

Governmentsector

Civil society

Marketsector

Goals of Metro Vancouver Alliance

• Strengthen key civil society institutions– Religious

– Labour

– Education

– Community non-profits

• Build power around shared values and interests

Key elements

• Broad-based - diverse institutions ‘stand for the whole’

• Relational – building respect and trust by finding common values and interests

• Learning through action and negotiation

How do we work?

• Build RELATIONSHIPS through face to face meetings

• LISTEN to hear our members’ concerns and agree on issues that can be worked on together

• Develop and train new LEADERS

• ACT together to serve the community for the common good

Catholic Matters

• Working with parishes to build leadership teams that will revitalize their own institutions and work with others in the community towards social justice. 

• This work has the full backing of the Archdiocese and the support Vancouver Archdiocese Office of Service and Justice.

Parishes in MVA

• Downtown Eastside Parishes

• St. Mary’s

• St. Joseph the Worker

• St. Augustine’s

• Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Next steps?

• To find out more: go to www.metvanalliance.org or email metrovancouveralliance@hotmail.com

• Invite MVA to make a presentation to your parish

• Sign up for Community Leadership training

MetroVancouverAlliance

MVA’s sister organizations are campaigning for:

• Living wage

• Migrant rights

• Safer neighborhoods

• Affordable housing

• Fair lending

• Better education

• Food security

• Green jobs

• Sustainable cities

• Accessible transport

• Protection from home repossession