Sunday May 17th: 

The PEOPLE'S PILGRIMAGE goes live!

Dear Eco-generation members,

This Sunday, we launch the People's Pilgrimage, and we'd love you to be part of it.  

You may know already that Yeb Sano is embarking on a climate journey and we want to make sure his story, your story, and the journey of thousands of other pilgrims for climate action around the world are heard, far and wide. This is the chance for the faith world, around the world, to be seen in action in its own very special way.

These pilgrimages are to places at risk, to sites causing man-made climate change (coal mines, oil pipelines, etc.), to sites of resistance where communities are fighting back and to sites of inspiration which show how we can live free from fossil fuels. Pilgrims are taking both long and short journeys - anything from a few steps if they find walking difficult, to a few miles, to across continents. They are travelling on foot and by bike. Anyone,anywhere can take part at anytime between now and the Paris COP21 in December to show that climate matters, and their yearning for a meaningful global agreement this year

All of these journeys will be shared online through a special map-based storytelling platform – http://peoplespilgrimage.org/ - showing the incredible diversity of faith climate concern and action around the world.  Every step counts. Our aim is for the total number of steps taken to represent a walk at least once around the world—let's show our leaders how small and precious our planet it.

Yeb's Journey - Your journey                  

Yeb Sano is the catalyst for the People's Pilgrimage.  As many of you know, Yeb is the former Filipino climate envoy and inspired the creation of the #FastfortheClimate movement. This year, Yeb will be traveling across the globe to sites of climate risk, resistance and inspiration, to share the stories of those facing climate change on the ground.  

On Sunday May 17th 2015, he returns to Tacloban, his family's home town and ground zero of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines for a special multi-faith service before the journey begins.

Please Share the images, videos, prayers, and stories that will be coming out of Tacloban on Sunday on Facebook and Twitter with #PeoplesPilgrimage — we will be sharing a selection of tweets and images.

Yeb is clear that this is not just about him.  This is everyone's chance to be a climate pilgrim, a climate hero and The People's Pilgrimage is a way to show how much every organisation and pilgrim cares.

How to take part:

While some people will start walking on Sunday 17th May, the intention is also to alert as many faith organisations as possible (please help spread the word!) to the launch of the platform, so they can see it for themselves and to make sure they have enough time to decide how they might like to be involved before the major global media launch on 30th May.  On the platform you will find resources to help organise a pilgrimage, and you will see what's already planned.

Please feel free to contact myself at sean.watkins@ourvoices.net if you want to discuss your involvement. We're encouraging as many faith organisations as possible to be supporters of the People's Pilgrimage.  This means:

• Adding your organisation's name to the list of supporters of The People's Pilgrimage.  At anytime you can pledge your support online or spread the word that your organisation or community will take part in a climate pilgrimage this year.  If you let us know by 30th May, we can add your name to the list of supporters in the global press launch.

• At a time which is convenient to you, ask your supporters if they will take their own pilgrimage this year, and share the pilgrimage platform with them using the hashtag #PeoplesPilgrimage and the link: PeoplesPilgrimage.org

• Embed The People's Pilgrimage in your website and make it your own.

• Share your members pilgrimage stories on social media throughout the rest of the year, using the hashtag #PeoplesPilgrimage

Wishing you the best,

Sean & the OurVoices team