A primary focus of the meeting will be to outline strategies for youth-led activities and advocacy projects for 2024-2026. Leadership roles, working groups, and key responsibilities will be designated, with plans to establish vice moderators and regional coordinators as needed. By week’s end, the commission aims to finalize action plans that will support faith-based, youth-led initiatives across regional and global contexts.
During his welcome remarks, Dr Mathews George Chunakara, general secretary of the Christian Conference of Asia, highlighted the important role youth are now playing in terms of shaping and moulding the future of their societies.
“Young people are proving that they can contribute to making significant changes and this has been proven globally, through their abilities and pioneering efforts. They are increasingly being instrumental in fostering global citizenship and connecting integrated societies. However, what is lacking now is young people’s active participation in churches and in the ecumenical movement. How can churches encourage their participation and leadership? Local congregations should be more systematic with encouraging and nurturing youth leadership at a local, national, regional, and global scale, by instilling a sense of responsibility and providing opportunities for involvement within their congregations,” said Chunakara.
Ms. Minnie Anne Mata-Calub, General Secretary of the NCCP, warmly encouraged the young people in her welcoming remarks, saying: “You are uniquely positioned to be catalysts of transformation within both the church and the world. You represent a generation that not only understands diversity but embraces it, seeking to make it a source of strength. You view unity not as uniformity, but as an enriching collaboration that allows you to express your faith in ways that include and uplift everyone.”
The youth commission will also address key challenges facing young people in diverse global contexts, with an eye toward developing practical strategies to meet these challenges head-on. Acknowledging these realities will inform the commission’s planning, which includes strategies for virtual engagement in 2025 by region and by working groups, ensuring continuity and adaptability in their work.
“The commission will serve until 2030; it is imperative to establish strong connections with one another. On the first day, the youth commission will share their personal ecumenical experiences, their church's context, and their country's context. Building relationships will not only be limited to the commission members, but will also extend to the ecumenical youth in the Philippines, the national council of churches, and involve experiencing the journey of walking with the communities they encounter during the pilgrimage exposure,” said Abigayle Bolado, WCC programme executive for Young People in the Ecumenical Movement.
Bolado added that the commission will delve into what the pilgrimage signifies to them and its role in the ecumenical movement.
Outcomes of this in-person gathering are expected to include well-defined strategies and leadership roles within the commission, a solidified foundation of fellowship among members, and a strengthened commitment to youth-driven ecumenical advocacy. As they work together through 2030, the youth commission is committed to producing innovative, impactful programs that inspire young people in the ecumenical movement to lead with faith and purpose.
“The Manila gathering of the YPEM builds on a collective sense of calling among young people. They meet to discern, define, and deploy youth-initiated activities that they have been anticipating while working together online. Their gathering in person makes real again the shared journey of being formed as people who will form communion among themselves, with their churches, and the world,” said Rev. Dr Kuzipa Nalwamba, WCC programme director for Unity, Mission, and Ecumenical Formation.
Nalwamba added: “The WCC 2023-2030 strategic focus on the agency of young people is not by chance. It is thanks to the collective voice of young people at the WCC 11th Assembly. They put their gifts forward as disciples of Christ who are called, and moved by Christ’s love to contribute to the common witness of churches in the world today. The Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity is the richer for the youth-initiated activities that will emerge from this commission meeting.”
Learn more about the Young people in the ecumenical movement
Originally from Webpage 'The WCC'
CCD reprinted with permission
