About The Arusha Centre

The Arusha Centre is a collectively run, member-supported organisation that provides resources and programming on local and global social justice issues. View reports on the Arusha Affliation Policy and the Staff Collective Agreement below.

Arusha Statement on activism and civic engagement

The Arusha Centre is a transparent, non-profit, charitable organization committed to moving social justice forward through non-violence by providing infrastructure support to individuals, member groups, and social justice movements. Representatives of Arusha do not participate in actions which contravene the law and recognize that any illegal activities are of their own volition.

The Arusha Centre abides by the directives under the Canada Revenue Agency including advocacy and is subject to regular audits.

We define social justice as:

The belief in an equitable, compassionate world where difference is understood and valued, and where human dignity, the Earth, our ancestors and future generations are respected.

The efforts to create this world through:

  • elimination of the root causes of oppression and exploitation both in society's structures and in social interactions
  • developing inclusive and equitable alternatives
  • building sustainable communities

As educators and social change facilitators, we consistently strive to link our actions to these values and principles. We try to:

  • provide opportunities for, and remove barriers to, individual and community participation, self-determination and empowerment, especially for those who have been marginalised
  • acknowledge, respect and actively value diversity, based on the belief in inherent human dignity
  • challenge unjust internal and external assumptions and structures and work toward socially just alternatives
  • connect social, economic and ecological issues, both locally and globally
  • create meaningful partnerships that foster social justice internally and externally.

“Arusha”

Arusha takes its name from the Arusha Declaration, a set of principles drafted by the governing party of Tanzania in 1967 as a guide toward economic and social development:

“Inherent in the Arusha Declaration is a rejection of the concept of national grandeur as distinct from the well-being of its citizens, and a rejection, too, of material wealth for its own sake. It is a commitment to the belief that there are more important things in life than the amassing of riches, and that if the pursuit of wealth clashes with things like human dignity and social equality, then the latter will be given priority.”

- Julius Nyerere, President, Tanzania from The Arusha Declaration , 1967

Arusha is a registered society with the Province of Alberta and a registered charity with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.

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