Impact of 13th IYCS Global Formation Session and World Council 2007
The 13th IYCS Global Formation Session and World Council took place in Kampala-Uganda from 1st to 15th August 2007 on the theme: Dialogue, Learn, Live: Students Make a Difference. This world meeting of the whole IYCS family gathered around 162 participants and observers from 53 countries.
It’s always been a question and a challenge on the impact of organizing an international program. Was it relevant? Was it worth considering the high-cost budget on it? What are the results and the outcomes? Where are the participants now?
After two years, the International Secretariat together with the regional coordinators has been monitoring its impact to the participants and to the national movement, in general.
An impact assessment to every participant was conducted. Here are some of the responses we got from participants:
Ravish Zahid, YCS Pakistan: she was 14 years old when she participated the session in Uganda and was the youngest participant. Today, she is the key student leader and has been instrumental in encouraging other students to get involve. Recently, there have been efforts on the violence against Christian minorities like students taking documentary of it and circulated for actions.
This is what she says…
‘It helped me building self confidence in me as today I take active part as a speaker in various meetings n organizations on various topics related to our regional and global issues. I always have used such opportunities to give awareness and to spread the message I received from this World Council related to various social issues. It also helped me building self confidence in my friends and other Christian fellows who are being dominated and discriminated only because they are the minority. By arranging a weekly meeting in my school, I am helping them to speak and enabling them to overcome their stage n communication frights. This world council also helped me a lot in building my skills such as communication in a good n convincing manner. Now I know that dialogue is the solution to all problems.
Today I feel proud to be a good Christian. Why? It is because this council taught me the real ethical Christian values and today I am working with my dad collecting charities n aid for my Christian friends those who can’t afford to study, those who are working in workshops and those who are handicap.
And this is what she hopes to do further:
I will give my support as much as possible to Christians in Pakistan who are being dominated and discriminated by majority (Muslims). This is by making them recognize their abilities and skills building their confidence and communication skills and helping them to gain primary basic education, and better job opportunities by various links and supports.
Giving awareness to people by personal communication about global n regional issues such as conflicts among races n religions, student poverty and child labor, etc. I will always be ready to take a stand as a leader where ever needed as a good speaker and leader to spread peace and message of harmony all around.
Haingotiana Ralantonirina Ony, student representative from TAMPIKRI (YCS) Madagascar. Right now, an active member of the National Team and is in regular communication to the international secretariat.
Her story…
World Council was for me a very good opportunity to live a community exchange and sharing outside our small island, which is a bit isolated from the rest of the world. I was able to chat with young people, and also religious and lay adults. This cultural exchange made me know the reality of youth in several countries and discover their cultures, and their stories.
Participants have the same objective and the same way to see the world through YCS methodology. Therefore we‘ve been able to live together for 15 days despite our differences no matter what they our different origins may be: African, Asian, Americans, and Europeans, from the North or the South. The borders disappeared and there was no racism. Our differences have enriched us.
Then, the World Council opened my mind, made me be aware of myself and even of my reality, which helped me to dialogue and make peace with myself. Later, I was aware of the social, economic, political and religious environment in the world. This leads me today to a dialogue with the others and to make peace with the world.
Formation sessions and workshops are very important to learn the reality of this world: development, environmental protection because we have come to Earth to build our world but not to destroy it, through the Conference on Education and the Catholic Social Teaching of the Church.
I've learned for example to face the reality on pandemics disease and the role we can play because I have really seen an infected person during this World Council. It has really convinced me to prevent and fight AIDS. The World Council also gave me the motivation to take the responsibility to make our earth viable even facing different crises, wars, quality education, and environmental protection. The World Council gave me the opportunity to know the challenges and also the reality of our movement.
It’s impact to the movement nationally…
Now, I am very committed in TAMPIKRI and to help the national team I am elected in 2007. And we are working with strength and passion to coordinate the activity of the movement for the national Council which will be held in 2010. Our challenge today is to do our best to revitalize TAMPIKRI after 72 years of existence. Finally, the World Council made my YCSers spirit grow up: for dialogue, to live and learn, making the difference.
Emily Ho of YCS Taiwan – an active YCS leader in Taipei diocese and have assisted YCS Asian team in Year 2008 in the extension of YCS in China and Macau. After the World Council, she too visited YCS Australia, YCS Nepal and JEC Spain for exchange and the desire to develop YCS further in Taiwan. She had one month volunteer internship at the YCS Asian Secretariat office in the year 2009.
After returning to Taiwan, I feel like passing my international experiences to the younger right away and awaking people who haven’t had the awareness of some social issues. I feel that I have the responsibility for our national movement, especially when it comes to the internationality of YCS. The feeling is not only because I was sent to World Council by our national movement, but also owing to the friendship built there. The companionship supports me to live under high pressure of school life and that of voluntary work for YCS Taiwan.
What did I learn from it: Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)! It was totally new to me when I went to World Council. As many might have known, Taiwan is isolated from international affairs for quite a long time, and there is no UN in Taiwan, so there was not yet any information about MDG before going. After the council, I started discussing MDG with some friends in university and raising the awareness of social issues among secondary students in Church.
I gained some practical experiences by doing the voluntary work at national level as well. There’s not yet a full-timer at national level so that I started helping some simple coordination work as a volunteer after the council. In the past years, I communicated with diocesan coordinators and with student leaders in particular about review of life formation sessions. Without the council, I wouldn’t have been experienced enough to do so. My experience encouraged me to learn more about Review of Life and the Internationality of YCS.
Some of the participants became key leaders in the movement, like the following:
- James Visto (SCA/YCS Philippines)- Full-time Diocesan Coordinator for SCA/YCS
- Joseph Jebran (JEC Syria)- Key Student Animator
- Lara Wemans (MCE Portugal)- Animator for Secondary Students
- Florian Meisser (KSJ Germany)- Full-time working for KSJ Germany to promote its advocacy in the society
- Marcelle Bechara (JEC Lebanon)- National Coordinator for JEC Lebanon since 2008 till present
- Victoria Burrows (YCS Australia)- YCS Campaign Coordinator for Year 2008 and now full-time YCS Australia Coordinator
- Timothee Hermand (JEC France) – Recently elected as member of the Council Administrative of JEC France
Impact to the National Movement level towards Global Solidarity
Charles Dara (JEC Mali): The global session and council had a very positive impact on the life of the movement in Mali. The exchanges on the research of the funds for the various activities enabled us to change our technique of basic research. The council was a true occasion of opening for us also. Currently we are in contact with more than 40 movements throughout the world with which we communicate on realities of our movements at the national level. Currently thanks to the council we improved our communication with the Pan-African and international office
Nguyen Thi Bich Chi (YCS Vietnam) : Through the Council, I learned much about the solidarity of movements and among their members. Solidarity is very important to build the strong IYCS. It also helps me to understand much about the other movement’s situations.
DJAGNIKPO Oni Michel (JEC Togo) : A better comprehension on the functioning of the movement, a confrontation of realities, another manner of conceiving the programs vis-a-vis the requirements and with the data presented to these bases enable me to better discuss and better direct those which come to me or in the movement.
Guy Moussavo (JEC Gabon) : The topics and themes ideas divided during the Global Formation Session enabled me to understand that it was possible to make differently when all goes badly around us (war, conflict, social strain, poverty, HIV-AIDS, etc). To make differently, it is to make the difference. That requires self-formation; work with perseverance and collaboration with other young people and organizations to transform my milieu, Church and the whole society.
An international solidarity was initiated with KSJ Germany in response to the conflict in Kenya in the beginning of the year. Personal financial contributions were sent directly to some members of YCS Kenya who were affected in the conflict. KSJ Germany financially supported the Peace Education workshop of YCS Kenya as part of the post-conflict program.
IYCS-IMCS Middle East calls for international solidarity on the situation of most Middle East countries on the conflict and war in Gaza last year. The letter of appeal was circulated to all national movements and partners.
It’s Impact at the regional level:
Gerard Kabore, YCS African Coordinator: World Council 2007 enabled the participants from Africa to have a common view on the issues discussed during the event. The theme that World Council adopted is similar in Africa. I am happy that some participants still communicate with me and exchanges of what are done at the local level. The theme was very helpful, the content was very great and I appreciate the opportunity given to share Africa’s culture. Indeed, the WC was very helpful in the coordination at the region.
Mary Wambui, YCS African Coordinator: It was a good privilege that formed and helped me at my work now as regional coordinator where it was a chance of meeting many of the movement’s representatives. In the Regional Level, I found out that some of the National movements formed networks which was good. The theme was very relevant to Africa. It really fits the situation of Africa. The collaboration of the KSJ Germany and Kenya YCS is one of the good examples after the session.
Leonard Bonny Palma, YCS Asian Coordinator: It was a great success for the International Team to organize the World Council after 16 years. The World Council was very new to me and allowed me to learn a lot from that experience. The theme was great and is very relevant to Asia since the region also focuses/ working on those issues. The World Council brought understanding to the Asian level on the movement in the international level. It was a good space for the national movements of Asia to reconnect to other movements in the world. After the event, I was happy that WC participants connect and continue the communication through the internet like face book. Friendship was built during the WC was good.
Elie Ghanem, JECI-MIEC Middle East Coordinator: World Council was a good sharing. The WC participants from Middle East had a good chance to meet different people. The exposure paved way for a good reflection to the students. On the national level, the movement focused on the theme for two years. Indeed, the WC was a good experience to everyone.
Fr. Rene Pinto Guevara, JECI-MIEC Latin America Regional Chaplain: We had a meeting in Peru with their participants. All the Latin America participants were very happy of the experiences and exchange during the WC especially the two lady participants. They produced a magazine after the WC and highlighted the participants’ experiences in the magazine. They had a meeting in the national level on the issue of the environment.
Impact on the Campaign and Advocacy : From the theme of the Global Formation Session and the approved IYCS Global Campaign of ‘Fight Poverty-Build Peace’ the regional coordination and some of the national movements has integrated and adopted similar or related campaigns. These include the following:
- IYCS African Coordination Theme for Year 2007-2011: “Promote Dialogue to build Peace: Young People in Action”
- YCS Asian Coordination Orientation for Year 2009-2012: “Called to be Stewards of Creation, Students Strive for a Green and Just World”
- YCS Australia : 100% Respect Campaign- Focus Areas, Racism, Bullying and Body Image
- SCA Philippines: Awareness and Promotion of Poverty and Environment
- YCS Uganda: “Promoting leadership through dialogue,”
- YCS Zambia: ‘Fighting HIV/AIDS through Dialogue and Stewardship’
- YCS/YSM India: ‘Empowering Relationships for sustainable Justice and Peace’
- JEC Lebanon: ‘Witness through Action’