GEM School 1The World Student Christian Federation (WSCF) participated in the Governance, Economics and Management for an Economy of Life (GEM) School 2026, held in Panama from 17 to 25 August, as part of its longstanding partnership and collaboration with the World Council of Churches (WCC). WSCF was represented by Laura Gómez (Colombia) and Angelica Tostes (Brazil), members of WSCF Latin America and the Caribbean (WSCF LAC / FUMEC ALC).

The GEM School is an ecumenical formation programme connected to the New International Financial and Economic Architecture (NIFEA) process. It is organized by the World Council of Churches (WCC), the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the World Methodist Council (WMC), the Council for World Mission (CWM), and USPG. The 2026 edition brought together church leaders and ecumenical actors from different regions for theological reflection, economic analysis, and advocacy towards a more just and sustainable economy.

For Laura Gómez, the experience was deeply transformative:

“I feel deeply blessed to have had the opportunity to participate in the GEM School 2026. It was an experience that transformed my understanding of faith and the economy.”

Throughout the school, participants engaged with the theological foundations of economics, biblical reflections on labour, capital and technology, ecofeminist economics, as well as markets, international trade, finance, geoeconomics, debt, climate justice and fiscal justice.

Laura connected this learning with a project developed during the school, EIRENE (Empowering Informed Restorative Economic New Emissaries), as she explains:

GEM School 2 Laura“Over the course of these days, we explored the theological foundations of economics, ranging from the question of whether it is the church’s role to study economics to biblical studies on labor, capital, technology, and ecofeminist economics, along with critical introductions to markets, international trade, and finance, where we discussed the assumptions of the neoliberal model and its limitations in the face of reality. The sessions on geoeconomics, debt, climate justice, and fiscal justice broadened my perspective on how global economic power is exercised and who bears its consequences. All of this learning was reflected in my project proposal, EIRENE: Empowering Informed Restorative Economic New Emissaries, a proposal that seeks to train and send out the christian youth and new generations as informed emissaries committed to a restorative economy, in line with the principles of the Economy of Life and the NIFEA process.”

For Angelica Tostes, the experience reaffirmed the prophetic vocation of the ecumenical movement:

GEM School 3 Angelica“My experience at GEM School 2026 reaffirmed the ecumenical commitment to social and economic transformation in our contexts across the Global South. The task of the ecumenical movement is to be salt and light of the earth: to raise a prophetic voice against economic oppression and unjust sanctions, and to challenge, from the local to the global level, the systems that sustain exploitation, particularly the exploitation of our territories, peoples and the environment.”

Angelica also contributed to a collective project developed by participants from Cuba, Palestine, Sweden, South Africa and the United States, proposing an intercultural and decolonial toolkit for an Economy of Life.

The initiative seeks to identify challenges shared across different contexts while recognizing the specific realities, knowledge and struggles of each community. Rather than proposing a single model, the toolkit aims to connect common struggles with contextual responses, supporting churches and ecumenical partners in organizing, reflecting and advocating for economic justice.

The participation of Laura and Angelica reflects WSCF’s commitment to strengthening young ecumenical leadership and the voices of communities working for justice. From Latin America and the Caribbean to the wider ecumenical movement, we bring our different contexts and experiences together, building solidarity and finding collective ways to challenge economic injustice and work towards an Economy of Life.