On June 13th 2015, the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) hosted a JUST Retreat / Roundtable discussion themed The Future of JUST. The purpose of this Roundtable discussion was to discuss among close friends and members of the JUST Family, about the future of the organization and the possible challenges that needs to be addressed by the organization.
A total of 18 people had attended the Roundtable discussion. The participants consisted of many JUST members, JUST EXCO members, as well as the JUST Administrative team. The Roundtable discussion officially began from 8.30am and ended at 1.30pm. Reflections on JUST’s previous activities, its successes and shortcomings, as well as challenges which are being faced by the organization today were among the various topics highlighted during the 5 hours discussion.
Most importantly however, the forum served as a reaffirmation of JUST’s mission and vision, which is to address in both a peaceful and critical manner, the many injustices that are continuously perpetuated by an increasingly ruthless global system.
JUST recognizes that the nature of these challenges are continuously evolving in accordance to recent trends within various social discourses. As such JUST’s own response must also be able to address them on the same basis in order to effectively provide a counter-narrative as well as room for alternative ideas and critical thinking.
With this vision and JUST’s guiding principles in mind, many recommendations were drawn up from the rich and diverse backgrounds of the participants. Their insights and contributions highlighted the importance of the importance of taking into account contemporary phenomenon such as the advent of Social Media technologies, evolving generational cultures, and an ever changing socio-economic landscape. These are among the challenges and opportunities which JUST will boldly engage with.