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D ear friends
Fraternal greetings from the international Secretariat of IYCS!
We hope you will enjoy this 3rd Edition of our International Newsletter!
Richard F. APEH, IYCS Secretary General
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What will happen at International level?
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Next IYCS Global Training Session in Jordan
Each year the international Team in collaboration of with a National Movement organizes a Global Training Session focused on thematic theme relevant to the world of young people. This sessions brings IYCS leaders from all region of the world to reflect on selected themes and to come up with actions and plans that contribute to the building of a better society.
For this year 2017, Plans are now in advance stage to once again, assemble 60 Student and youth leaders from all the Regions of our Movement (Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East, North America, South America and the Pacific) as well as student leaders selected from some other religion (Islam, Jewish, Bhudist, Druze etc) with the main objective of “educating them (students and animators) on integral ecology through peace building, conflict transformation, and environmental protection”.
This year global session is being organized in Jordan in collaboration with the IYCS Middle East Coordination and JEC Jordan under the theme “Protecting our Common Home; Students building Peaceful Tomorrow Today” from August 31 - September 7th 2017 in Madaba; the oldest Christian City of Jordan. Also happening during this time, is the International Committee Meeting of IYCS; which is the annual review meeting on the programs and initiative of the Movement.
The Global session is intended to promote and consolidate the culture of encounter, respect, and mutual acceptance and to increase the capacity of young people working on peace building and conflict resolution around the world
We will soon be launching the call for application along with selection criteria for all interested participants to register.
See you soon in Jordan!
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Preparation of 10th Youth ForumThe 10th UNESCO Youth Forum (taking place on 25th to 26th October 2017 in Paris) will bring together young women and men from all over the world, who are leading and co-shaping initiatives related to a UNESCO field of competence. They will look at ways that UNESCO can enhance/deepen its engagement with youth in its relevant actions.
In order to ensure that the outputs of the Forum are as relevant to young women and men as possible, UNESCO is inviting the broader youth community to participate in a consultation, which will form the basis for discussion before and during the 10th UNESCO Youth Forum. We therefore cordially invite you to disseminate the link of the consultation among YCS Movements in your county to ensure that the voices of young women and men of YCS are also reflected:
The consultation is being conducted online and will be available until 23 July 2017 midnight Paris time.
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GREEN National Camp in Vietnam
Viet Nam is part of the 5 countries that will be the most vulnerable to climate change in the coming years. One of its major challenges will be to develop and implement environmental policies and prevention campaigns to raise local awareness on these issues and more particularly young people.
In this context, YCS Vietnam gathered nearly 60 trainees in their National Camp in Vinh Thuy Parish, in Phan Thiet Diocese from 29 April to 1st May, 2017 on the theme “Let’s make a CHANGE for a GREEN FUTURE” . The camp was a success.
For the first time, a big number of secondary school students participated (they are much younger than the average age of Vietnam YCS members) and this is a nice indicator of YCS dynamism in this country. Quang Huy, a 14-year-old student gave his testimony, saying: "After the camp, I gained more passion for YCS and would like to learn more from other members of the Movement".
The camp went through the Review of Life method:
It started with SEE section to understand climate change phenomenon, causes and consequences. The trainees were then more aware of the current situation and sense of responsibility in keeping our planet green.
JUDGE dealt with Green Dreams and the presentation of the Story of Creation to help recognize the great divine inspiration from the initial creation of God. Then, Parish Priest shared holistic views on God’s intention and the church’s teaching regarding environment.
In ACT activities, the trainees participated in 4 mini workshops: designing an environmental publication (bookmark, gift card, magnet…), organizing a minor environmental event for their class or parish, communicating effectively via facebook, conducting a prayer meeting. All were geared towards the environment, climate change theme, and were useful tools to implement awareness-raising activities in school, class or communities.
Besides, there were many other interesting activities including warm-up games, making wall bulletin, hand-writing letter to other friends, jubilant night, inspiring talkshow, staying in silence with the Creator, praying with nature, and the regional specialties buffet did bring more excitement to the campers.
May the trainees keep this moment and spread the green message to their peers and communities.
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Great Awareness Campaign
in Ivory Coast
JEC Côte d'Ivoire (JEC - CI) theme of the year - ‘Peacemakers, YCSers, let's be environmental citizens!' is giving the general orientation for the national actions of JEC CI. Then, it was time to present what was already done and a large communication campaign has been implemented by JEC CI, this Wednesday 14th June 2017, in the Institute of the Academy of Sciences (ICS) in Abidjan-Cocody.
This ceremony was an opportunity to make a presentation of 2016-2017 national actions of the Movement to the schools, the education authorities and the partners of the Ivorian education system, as well as to the media since the event was also covered by a press conference. The report was symbolically handed over to the authorities, and the partners were officially thanked (the Ivorian Association of Catholic journalists and the Foundation Felix Houphouet-Boigny for the quest for peace).
About 16 925 pupils and students have been sensitized about peace and citizenship by JEC - CI. The actions were public conferences, signs making, plantations of trees, working groups on 'Laudato Si', 'Sweep out' actions and donations of kits for cleaning, etc.
 Of course, the implementation of such actions was not without difficulty: difficulties to get authorizations and lack of financial means were, among others, the obstacles to the realization of these national actions.
This is the reason why JEC - CI recommends in the future to explore shared actions with other faith-based Movements, especially to stop the spiral of violence and lack of civism growing up in school and University circles in the country, it could undoubtedly contribute to the many challenges of “sanitation” of the Ivorian school, as Fulgence Kouassi, the National Officer of JEC Cote d’Ivoire says.
We congratulate JEC Ivory Coast for this very positive assessment of his actions and note that it is always important to make the effort to report and communicate publicly what is achieved with the YCSer’s, but also with partners and authorities. JEC - CI, by inviting the press for a the event allow gave a possibility of extension to a public that not necessarily would have had direct access to the actions of the Movement...
Here are two extracts of Radio interview:
Extract 1:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/042e98f0336f448225b5c5ac8/files/10191675-004f-41e6-959a-b9c12cab3b73/EXTRAIT_REPORTAGE_JEC.mp3
Extract 2:
https://gallery.mailchimp.com/042e98f0336f448225b5c5ac8/files/07b97573-c94d-4b90-93fc-9135dc818ea8/RE_2017_06_15_19h30_JEC.mp3
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Man and technological progress
by Steven Segura
As a whole, humanity seeks progress. We are continually journeying towards something better. It has always been our desire to have a deeper understanding of the things around us and to find ways to utilize what we have effectively and efficiently. From lighting a fire with sticks and stones, we can now light a fire at a flip of a switch. From travelling distances to send a message, we can now send a message fast enough to make it look like you are having a conversation face to face. From eating tasteless and now well-cooked food, we can now cook and eat really tasty dishes in a shorter amount of time and at a more convenient way. With all these amazing leaps in improving our way of life, and with all these wonderful tools that eased our tasks a lot, I find it good and fruitful for each of us to take a pause and see how these things are being integrated into our lives today.
- Technology make us closer to people far from us and farther to people near us.
Technology makes us feel so good about the fact that the people we love, no matter how far they are, can be reached as if they are physically present. We are so excited about the fact that someone so far could feel so near. This feeling, however, cannot replace the feeling of them being actually physically present, and at times it is this feeling that makes us want to stay connected with them more and more in hopes of filling up that incomplete feeling of being with them.
This, however, overshadows the eagerness of seeing the people near us. The fact that they are physically present makes us confident that we can catch up with them anytime we want. We can catch up with them and yet we aren’t because we are busy catching up with someone far. This is seen on reunions and get – together where almost everybody gathers, sits down, and mind their own chats and video calls.
- Shows makes us too attached to them and too detached to the realities around us.
Shows and programs were there to make us see the realities that we were in, or to make us get away from the realities that we were in. How good it is to see films depicting how we feel, how we want to be, and how we want things to be. Watching programs that shows what we desire or what we need to know makes us feel that we are deeply united with other people who are watching the same thing we watch.
However, it is hard to not notice that the fantasies presented are forcing their way into our realities. Issues and problems repetitively presented in films gives us the feel that it is the new norm, and some of us subconsciously accept what the films present until it is able to place its root in the society. Just like how various reports of controversies in politics gives us the notion that all politicians, and those aiming to be one, always have a personal agenda in mind.
- Sometimes we get dragged at the pace of events instead of us setting the pace of it.
In these times where time matters more than ever, we have developed a fast-paced way of life. We are always finding ways to hasten the results of something we do. As we get things done faster, we tend to get more things to be done, urging us to do things even faster. Sometimes we can even be surprised at the fact that a year has passed already simply because we spent the past year with a hectic schedule.
However, the fast-paced movements have made us reactors instead of initiators. We end up getting drowned with responsibilities that instead of getting the lead, we are being carried through the flow of things.
Upgrades sometimes cause us to degrade. Advances results in failures, not because of the failure of our tools, but of our failure to recognize that we are the ones in control. Instead of using, we end up being used. Instead of thinking ahead, we end up merely reacting. Let us not forget that progress and advancements must not only be with technology but must also include our growth as a society including the humanity as a whole. We must seek progress that recognizes the past, lives the present, and looks forward to the future.
Change this unhealthy norm. Be the one in charge. Take the lead in your own life.
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IYCS Psycho-social conflict Analysis (PSCA)
Hey, have you heard of the IYCS Psycho-social conflict Analysis (PSCA)? Is your National or local Movement interested in Peace building and conflict transformation? The PSCA Tool; student version developed by IYCS Africa with the support of (The Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund) gives you a step-by-step approach in Conflict transformation and peacebuilding Training and can as well be used as conflict analysis tool in address real conflict situations.. Here in this video, Agathe, Teresa, Cecile and Michael; participants of the IYCS 2016 Global Training Session in Madrid give brief insights on the use of the tools. Conflict Transformation and Peace building is one of the three objectives of the IYCS Global Campaign 2015 – 2019. To download the full tool, visit the IYCS website www.iycs-jeci.org.
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