Our focus 2006-2009:

1)  Student poverty 2) Dialogue 3) Mass Media 4) HIV-AIDS

 

ORIENTATION OF IYCS ASIA FOR 2006-2009

INTRODUCTION

 

¨To turn on the channel of life; learn; Dialogue, Empower Now….. This theme brought 63 delegates from 11 countries to gather at Subodhi, Sri Lanka from 18 to 28 August for the 10th Asian Session and Council 2006. As members, animators and chaplains of YCS Movement, invitees and observers, we participated actively and meaningfully in the sessions based on the Review of Life (ROL), the YCS methodology of SEE-JUDGE-ACT. Having discussed and reflected on some issues and challenges affecting students’ life, we are able to find meaningful orientation for the coming three years.

 

SEE

 

We, the members of YCS family together with our friends realize our past experiences in life, our exposure to new realities is a great help for us to reflect on the situations that affect our life and prompt us for a committed action. In this process we shared our countries’ realities, exposure experiences and enlightened insights from input sessions as well as group discussions. We become more aware of realities and challenges affecting our life. We unanimously agree that poverty faced by students, the influence of media and the need for dialogue in our life should be our main focus in Asia for the next three years. At the same time, the grave situation of HIV/AIDS that is affecting our world today has become a concern to the students’ world which calls for immediate action.

 

STUDENTS POVERTY

 

Through our experiences and sharing we agree that poverty faced by students is a very real and serious issue Students are being deprived of basic needs. Four aspects of needs are being identified, that is, material, emotional, intellectual and spiritual. We also realize that the unequal distribution of wealth, breaking up of families as an institution and the negative influence of media have a direct effect on students poverty. As a result students from different parts of Asia and the world at large live under deprived conditions. Many are illiterate, many become breadwinner of their family. We, therefore feel a need to address this issue.

 

DIALOGUE

 

The Asian society is rich with different cultures and religions. As we reflected, we become aware that dialogue is a tool towards better living, a new life of peace and unity. We feel the urgent need for dialogue between parents and children, people of different ethnic groups and different faiths. However, to fulfill such aims, we need to be able to dialogue with open heart and open mind, with respect for others, dialogue with teachers and students and without prejudices. We believe that the different levels of dialogue – words, actions and life will lead us to build a peaceful society for a meaningful living.

 

MASS MEDIA

 

As students, our life today is greatly influenced by media in many ways. We see the positive and negative influence of media today. We see the need to discern and to use media constructively for the benefit of the students and society at large. Having reflected on the impact of media on our life, we conclude that media constructs and destructs reality. The easy access of the media like pornography that causes value decay is highlighted in our discussion.

 

HIV/AIDS

 

This global epidemic is an issue that we must be aware of as it is on the rise in Asia. We see the urgent need for students to be more aware of the problem by learning more about it. We understand that awareness and value based education continues to be the only effective way to combat stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS. We also need to change our views towards people infected with HIV/AIDS and promote behavioral changes.

 

JUDGE

 

We realize that all these issues cannot be reflected meaningfully without seeing them in the light of faith. During quiet moments and through the sharing of our faith experience, we realize the importance of encountering God in our daily life. The Word of God and the Eucharist are means to help us to reflect and to act with love. We also reflected on the truths in the various faiths in Asia. We are also enriched by the life and words of wisdom of the saints and sages. We realize that we need to reflect constantly to help us to take constructive and meaningful action for a better world.

 

ACT

 

With greater awareness of the issues affecting our life, we, the members of YCS family are determined to take positive and constructive action in our small but committed ways to address these issues.

 

To ‘Fight Poverty and Build Peace’, IYCS movements in Asia committed with the below action:

 

  1. Awareness programs to create greater awareness among students.

  2. Publication and networking on the issues.

  3. Formation for student leaders, chaplains and animators.

  4. Observe the Lenten period as a focus for students poverty with concrete actions.

  5. Commit ourselves, to promote World Aids Day and related activities.

  6. Extension of movement

  7. Adopting these issues as national focus

  8. Faith and spiritual formation to be integrated in all programs

 

With faith and love, we urge all students in the IYCS movement to move forward with courage and commitment so that we can make a difference in Asia and in the world for better living.