Universal Day of Prayer for Students 2012

3 February 2012

The WSCF global theme for 2012 is Economic Justice and this theme is reflected in this year’s UDPS. From the time of the establishment of the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) in Vadstena in 1895, WSCF has revisited this theme time and again. John R. Mott, one of the founders of the WSCF, was deeply concerned to promote a just life for all as we can see by his writings, his involvement in the Life and Work Movement, and the role he played in founding the World Council of Churches in 1948.

Economic Justice is concerned with the equitable sharing of God’s given resources in production, consumption and distribution on the one hand and caring for the Earth on the other. It is a call for the eradication of poverty, advocating for just policies in international trade, just and ethical financial policies, promotion of decent work and just remunerations. It is about bridging the gap between the rich and the poor while recognizing the limitless economic growth within a finite planet.

As we wrestle with the issues of economic justice and consider how we may ourselves be complicit to unjust economic systems, we should be convinced that there are alternatives. The Occupy Wall street movements and other youth movements stemming from those who suffer from unemployment are signs that there are alternatives.


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