Why friendship needs to underpin our action
Rebecca WalkerWoo reflects on the final chapter of the Exploring Faith and Climate Justice programme: the power of friendship and solidarity.
I recently heard peacebuilder Scilla Elworthy talk of observing "what breaks your heart", as there you'll find the anger and energy to act. I love that idea. But I want to add to it. If we want to take action, we not only need to find what breaks our hearts, we also need to seek and nurture friendships. They open our minds, nourish our souls and sustain us.
I was curious to see what significance friendship had to others, so I asked some of the people who have been taking part in our year-long climate justice journey. Below, I share a few of their reflections on friendship alongside my own. I refer to them as 'friends', as we often do in the Quaker community. It's a practice that derives its roots in the origins of the Quaker faith: we speak to each other as equals. Which has its own resonance in the context of acting in solidarity across social justice movements.
Friendship as our guiding star
When I asked one friend what importance friendship had in their life and whether it was a good idea to be friends with the people we take social action with, they shared:
"Friendship has given me a sense of purpose and community. I know I am loved despite being alone and disabled.
It is very important to find your people... When ideas arise often just a mention of something is enough to seed growth and exploration with them."
These words resonated with me deeply: friendship is a huge part of many of our lives too. My friendships have been like bright stars offering me warmth in moments of frustration, difficulty or despair. They have so often guided me when I didn't know which way to turn and reminded me I am not alone.
Friendship as the tea and cake that sustains our activism?
But friendship doesn't just show me the way, it also nourishes me.
When I'm not working as Climate Justice Lead, I am part of a team of people who run a local solidarity fund. At the moment, this is my activism (along with trying to raise the tiny human we welcomed into the world last August).
We launched the Newham Solidarity Fund in the winter of 2020. Our Covid-19 mutual aid group organising had shown us that what people needed was money and the dignity to be able to spend it as they sought fit, without having to jump through hoops or justify themselves. Our ethos has been 'give what you can, take what you need', whether pooling money for grants or hosting community plant and book swaps.
Three years on, we're still going, and we have raised and redistributed almost £45,000. But it's the new friendships we have forged and the many moments of solidarity that stick in my mind. I am deeply grateful for those friendships and the way our community has continued to show up for each other – they enrich my life, and they keep me coming back to the work of keeping a solidarity fund afloat, with joy in my heart.
This idea of friendship as sustenance was echoed in the words of another friend I asked the same questions. He reminded me that "no man is an island of himself". Working together to tackle issues not only allows "sharing knowledge and experiences", it also allows "volunteering to support each other's activities" and "tackling emerging problems together to overcome challenges as they come...".
Friendship as a way to connect our struggles
"I have learned and shared a lot with people who may look different from me, I have learned that we are the same struggling with life matters of survival although in different geographical and status positions."
It is this dissolving of divides, in favour of what connects us and what is important that I think is so powerful about friendship. It reflects a deep desire we have as human beings to connect with one another. To be in community with one another.
So as we draw this year of learning and reflection on climate justice to a close, I want to leave you with a question too – what does friendship mean to you and where might it lead you in your activism?
If you are in search of friendship, join us. On 17-19 November 2023, Woodbrooke and Quakers in Britain will be hosting a residential Climate Justice Gathering. Bursaries are available for anyone who would like to participate in the gathering but needs financial assistance to do so. More details about this can be on Woodbrooke's financial support webpage. You can also email the Quakers in Britain Faith in Action team at faithinaction@quaker.org.uk to find out more about options for accompaniment.
