Above: the Juno logo.
1st. Peace Chaplaincy; Interfaith Mission and Eco Spirituality Chaplaincy celebrated 40 years of service in 2022. The Ministry benefits co-operative communities, encouraging an increase in thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes. In the diverse society in which we all live, understanding of citizenship and democracy is offered. We work with the spirit whatever the faith. We foster interfaith dialogue between people of different religious traditions and multifaith affinity. We focus on the beliefs and philosophies of Pagan, Heathen, Druid, 1st. Nations (US), African Animist, Celtic and Saxon Christian and Spiritualist paths. The Chaplaincy offers expertise in spiritual ecology and wider well being programmes, alongside traditional ministry, worship and mysticism. We have found ourselves more in demand than ever, as people report feeling anxious about the social and political turmoil, fighting and war around the world and lack of action on climate change, nature loss, human and animal suffering.
Sharing understanding of justice, citizenship and democracy is an important part of our Juno Project work.
Juno Enterprise Charitable Association was established in Autumn 1984 and was up and running, delivering benefits by 1985. The Association went on to become a registered charity, charity number: 1169031. In Autumn 2024 Juno Enterprise celebrated 40 years of achievements. During that time funding was gained from the National Lottery to deliver a programme: "Out to Learn", it was a huge, popular success
Above: learning about natural and cultural heritage, South Yorkshire
After celebrating the 40th anniversary, it was acknowledged that much had been achieved and sustained over such a long period and all of the charities objectives had been met. With this in mind, the decision was taken to dissolve the charity and wind up the organisation.
However, having worked closely with two partners, Dawn Chorus Educational Initiative CIC and First Peace Chaplaincy on a co-operative partnership called Triple Helix, the chance was offered to acknowledge the historical contribution that had been made by Juno Enterprise Charitable Association, by naming a legacy project: "The Juno Project", to be delivered by First Peace Chaplaincy.
The Chaplaincy’s "Juno Project". We understand that co-operation assists implementation of strong standards. It encourages responsive flexibility; clear, simple achievable and creative concepts. Moral, ethical and meaningful action creates healthy outcomes; local enjoyment and worth. First Peace Chaplaincy Communities of Interest Learning Groups Networks engage, nurture, motivate, enable, encourage and support learning. Activities aim to increase thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes; multi level community connections and potential.
The Juno Project supports understanding of democracy and governance and fosters skills for participation in decisions that affect communities and impact on our lives and economy. We encourage accessible local democracy and collective responsibility, to help assure that the basic means of life, growth and development are available for all.
First Peace Chaplaincy works within communities, discussing and exploring how their own resources and destinies can be ethically secured; growing the understanding that life resources, such as water, needed by plants, animals and humans, should be affordable and accessible to all, uncontaminated and sustainably managed.
The Chaplaincy delivers learning in organic plant based food growing, seed saving and propagation, pollination, composting and soil protection. We encourage the development and sharing of innovative low technology solutions by networking information and building co-operation with indigenous communities, in specified international locations. We respect the right of all peoples to seek inclusion in international agreements, and for indigenous peoples to have a voice and equal footing with other nations. The Chaplaincy Eco-spirituality programme offers and publicise opportunities and support for all, helping people meet their needs and fulfil their ethical aspirations, showing that enterprise is rooted in and responsible to communities and future generations.
Cindy Bamford, a children’s activity leader in the East Midlands, thanked us for supporting Woodborough Preschool and Little Adventurers Forrest School: “The children are really happy learning and having fun in their natural environment “.
The Chaplaincy's Juno Project offers or encourages participation, learning resources, assemblies, deliberations, communication, forums and experience with the potential to increase self determination. Benefits include increase in thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes; opportunity and multi level community connections. For example at the start of Michaelmas Term 2024, our Communities of Interest Learning Groups discussed plans and expectations for the Democracy and Governance Programme, debating concepts of inclusion and involvement, transparency and truth, pluralism and neoliberalism, freedom of speech, the rise of the far right, systems and accountability.
In the course of nurturing learning in environmental protection, the Juno Project also encompass animal welfare, community development, citizenship and democracy, human rights, justice, peacefulness and well-being.
Below: ancient bluebell wood at Launde.
People ask what inspired the name, it derives from the Goddess Juno who is associated with women’s enterprise, regeneration and peacocks. Peacocks appear in the Juno Project logo, with Juno, Cupid (social engagement) and Silvanus (the environment and nature).The motto: “Educate to Rejuvenate: to aid and benefit our communities” is from concepts associated with Juno: iuvare, “to aid, benefit”, iuvenescendo, “to rejuvenate" .
Below: Percy Peacock is our project mascot. Peacocks pulled the chariot of Juno.
1st. Peace Chaplaincy Interfaith Ministry & Eco Spirituality Chaplaincy and our Lyfjaberg initiative: these three elements of chaplaincy's work, perfectly compliment the work of the Juno Project. They nurture connected communities of co-operation, encouraging an increase in thoughtful, mindful and compassionate attitudes; creating opportunities and potential. The Chaplaincy is committed to co-operation in the diverse society in which we all live, offering understanding of citizenship and democracy, justice and peacefulness, as well as exploring interfaith and multifaith issues within a sustainable and healthy community. Our Communities of Interest Learning Groups Networks are a perfect mechanism for delivery.
Our volunteer Andrew says: "the benefits we deliver are seen in our work; meeting people's needs and making a difference in communities"
Above: children on the Dawn Sind project in Pakistan painting Percy, our peacock mascot.
Below: children exploring the natural environment at Clumber Park, Uk.
Above: family activities.
Since 1985 we have developed a range of educational resources and learning opportunities on a range of issues: animal welfare, wellbeing, the arts and cultural and natural heritage. We often help parents, schools and pre-schools to explore nature with children. This supports our eco-spirituality and wellbeing work. We constantly update and expand our learning resources with activities directly linked to Key Stages of the National Curriculum: 1, 2, 3 & GCSE.
Activities engage people of all ages and abilities, from children to academics. The activities seem to help people to value the same natural features needed by wildlife. By protecting such areas in a wild state, for biodiversity, space is secured in which our children can exercise through physically play, develop social skills and mental agility. We believe that children and young people are the most important resource in our society and we strive to enable them to make a positive contribution.
We helped with shelter building and story telling activities for preschool children, brewing up hot chocolate, hammering with wooden mallets, tying ropes, telling stories, practicing communication and teamwork skills and getting lots of fresh air.
At Easter 2024, on a visit to Spern Head, children were able to see billions of brown-tail moth caterpillars, barn owls, curlews, stilts and mute swans. Children learn about art in the landscape. Below: colour and texture in nature, Epperstone.
Learning mechanisms used in our programmes:
• improving learning pathways and people's learning experience.
• engagement and involvement.
• inspiring people (for example, to get involved with food growing).
• skills support.
• engaging teachers and educators.
The Chaplaincy has unprecedented experience in the following areas which we strive to embed into our programmes:
Wider application of key skills and basic skills.
Outdoor and forest experience learning.
Arts education, creative and heritage learning.
Conservation, biodiversity and climate change.
Organic gardening.
Below: exploring textures and touch in nature, Lincolnshire.
Above: "What is this?" Child's found object, family walking session, April 2013.
Above: a pond is a good place for contemplation and observation. Wild places can sustain psychological resilience and wellbeing.
Below: Andrea Wright Preschool Manager.
Below: children taking part in Earth Day action and learning about responsibilities and sustainability.
Below: toddler looking for ladybirds in an old tree.
At First Peace Chaplaincy we encourage a supportive, nurturing culture, which builds learning principles and practices based on the real world, to give meaningful, relevant experience. This can lead to positive life long learning patterns, improved confidence and self-direction. We believe that most people, especially youngsters, want to be respected and trusted and want to co-operate in contributing to the community, in a responsible and sustainable way. We aim to encourage opportunities that build children's confidence and encourage mentors to experiment with approaches to learning which are filled with vitality and creativity. We recommend the use of positive affirmations with children. This creates effective self-regulation and provides tools in troubled or stressful situations, boosting self-esteem and helping create positive mental attitude, thinking and outlook. We encourage Trust Nurturing and PACE parenting, where playfulness, acceptance, curiosity and empathy are key. This Opens communication, helping children to experience being listened to in a safe place. Children then start to explore, discover and learn.
Above: exploring.
We aim to: raise awareness of the vital role played by families in raising levels of attainment. We develop opportunities for parents, carers and guardians to support children and special needs family members. For example as part of our community awareness and well being work, we arranged an event where mental health service users and young people with learning difficulties visited the office of the Nottinghamshire Crime and Police Commissioner.
We work with families in receipt of pupil premium, including adoptive families and forces families. We also integrate these activities with initiatives for those who feel lonely and isolated in our communities. This often leads to intergenerational cooperation and sharing.
We foster involvement and encourage hands on seasonal creative learning activities, which promote an understanding of the power of nature and horticulture; the arts and heritage. This help children to transform their understanding of the world and their communities. One example is our popular annual photographic competitions.
We encourage family access to intergenerational activities, events and play-learning games. This develops compassionate and creative thinking, social responsibility, healthy eating and mental wellbeing, basic skills, understanding of and skills in animal welfare, environmental and social responsibility. For example: community, family and children's cooking sessions are popular.
Below: a little angel, Laxton Church.
We understand that arts activities, stimulate learning and creativity in all academic areas. The arts develop neural systems such as motor skills and emotional balance, aesthetic awareness, cultural awareness, social harmony and appreciation of diversity. Helping children to understand cultural heritage and history, builds self-esteem and pride in place and community. Children who are read stories and who are taught to listen to music become good listeners: in lessons, in relationships, in social care roles and may become more empathetic and compassionate. 2012 saw a 30% contraction in arts funding in the UK, this makes our work even more vital and worthy of support.
Above: exploring the girth of a tree.
We deliver landscape conservation skills development and promote outdoor education for all ages. We are working hard to help bees and pollinating insects. Our Moth-Watch Challenge had good community participation and turned up many colourful species such as the Poplar Hawk Moth.
Below: found objects.
Below: "discovering the peg" used to mark the strips in the medieval strip farming still practiced at Laxton.
Below: green spaces are important for children.
Our community engagement for all ages, in just one week, helped children's groups to: celebrate heritage festivals, take part in garden bird watching, countryside ID and pond adventures. Our community project on ammonites model making for children and our family kitchen food preserving project, has been important to our communities in lockdown, stimulating the documentation of the memories of participants. First Peace Chaplaincy set up fifteen virtual learning community event forums during lockdown, to promote thinking and awareness on a range of topics. Following this success and by demand, we will maintain this type of engagement as part of our ongoing programme delivery.
In contrast to the virtual world, our real world learning activities are popular and range from consideration of medieval stonework in Tickhill, South Yorkshire, to architectural furniture in Grantham and cooperation with SEND Nottingham, who work with hard to reach children and young people in an inner city area. We have been in demand in the community, to support cross-curricular immersive learning: developing compassion, spirituality, cultural and ethical experience, creativity, academic potential, social skills and outdoor learning possibilities. In one project, our volunteers helped families with children to check insect hotels, comparing designs to find out the preference of specific species for various designs.
We view citizenship within the context of a multidisciplinary field, a field encompassing politics, philosophy, education, sociology and cultural studies. Good citizenship creates the foundation stone of democratic societies. With this in mind, our Communities of Interest Learning Groups, come together to listen to each other, debate individual and collective views and enjoy inclusive conversations relevant to these cross cutting themes.
Recent debates have included:
Discussing good Ideas from Isaiah: ' They shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore'. The group discussed the role of women and pointed to diplomacy as a tool to forge peace, women were often the diplomats, offered through royal marriages, both in the distant past and in modern times. After some difficult discussions about warfare and intolerance, the session ended with participants each contributing a line to a prayer for the children, the care givers, the vulnerable, the doctors and the animals in Palestine.
One online group discussed the question: "Why does modern life feel so empty?" After wide ranging debate, concluding comments included: " we can't have something in common with every person but we can be polite and say hello. It brightens the world to smile." "Communities can be cold and selfish, very unresponsive. The sunshine of friendship opens gates and comes in when you least expect it."
In October one of our rural "Walk and Talk" groups, explored the idea that the weather tells us when the seasons change, when day and night are more equal in length. One participant said: "It’s a good time to reflect on the balance between light and dark in our own lives and in the community, it is a good time to giving thanks for the harvest, our ancestors, teachers, the angels and spirit helpers, to make offerings, share food with each other and to work on our spiritual paths. "
Another group considered how "social oppression and injustice can lead to individual vulnerability and illness." Members considered the chaplaincy's work with people in the community, aimed at developing balance and harmony in our souls and spirit in the present moment, and gave examples of this bringing positive benefits. The group concluded that Heathen, Pagan or Christian prayer can give a sense of deep confidence and peace and that making offerings, sharing food with each other and working on our spiritual paths is fulfilling.
We have endeavoured to advance understanding of:
Welfare, well-being, quality of life, peace, happiness and enjoyment.
Equality, equity, justice and ethical communities.
Spirituality and divinity.
Social, environmental and economic welfare.
The arts and cultural heritage, including sustainable ceramics research.
Landscape and natural heritage wildlife and animal welfare.
Responsible, compassionate and sustainable lifestyles.
Climate change. eco-philosophy and eco-spirituality.
“Today we begin in earnest the work of making sure that the world we leave our children is just a little bit better than the one we inhabit today.” – Barack Obama
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