Anti-Oppression
Resisting oppression and injustice is a core part of what makes the SCM a unique spiritual movement. We recognizing that oppression is not just ‘other people’s problem,’ but is part of our own communities and affects us all. Read SCM’s Anti-Oppression Covenant here, which states our intent to challenge all forms of oppression, including racism, sexism and homophobia within our own movement.
Liberation Theology
SCM is inspired by Liberation Theology and the Preferential Option for the Poor. SCM believes that Christians must work for social justice and new relations in this world, not in some future heaven.
LGBTQ Affirming
SCM believes that because we are created in the image of God, we find our genders, sexualities, and sexual and gender expressions, to be fluid, constructed, a journey, and unique to individual experience. We commit to struggle to overcome and resist homophobia, sexism, cisgenderism, transphobia, binary genderism, genderist assumptions, queerphobia, heterosexism, and other forms of sexual and gender oppression in all aspects of society. Read our full resolution here
Ecumenism
SCM is committed to ecumenism which is a global movement for unity among Christians and includes Anabaptist, Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant/Evangelical, and other Christian faith traditions.
Inter-Faith
SCM Canada is open to people of many beliefs and backgrounds, including people from faith traditions other than Christianity. SCM is committed to working in partnership with people from other faith communities and encourages inter-faith dialogues and inter-faith justice work.
Indigenous Solidarity
SCM Canada acknowledges that our movement operates within traditional Indigenous territories. We acknowledge that we are building our movement on Indigenous land, recalling that we are guests here; and to welcome the unique gifts, alliances and cultures of Indigenous youth in our movement, to name but a few. SCM believes that the Indigenous Peoples of this land, who are the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have, through colonialism, been subjected to numerous crimes, including but not limited to, occupation, ethnic cleansing, and apartheid. We strive to act in solidarity with the Indigenous peoples of this world in an ongoing way. Read our resolution here.
Environmental Justice
SCM names climate change to be one of the most profound and urgent crises facing our planet and its people, and an issue of justice, anti-oppression, and ecological integrity, rooted in our faith and spiritual traditions. The Student Christian Movement of Canada (SCM) pledges our solidarity with the climate justice movement, and joins the global mobilization in support of radical climate change action.
Consensus
The decision making process we follow in the national movement is consensus. At its simplest (and it’s not that simple), consensus is a cooperative way to reach decisions everyone can live with, in a way that is not hierarchical or coercive.