Training programme for India’s youth leaders

(June 7, 2010) India’s Catholic Church is currently holding a ten-day training programme in southern India, aimed at helping young people be catalysts of change in society. “Encourage youth to be change agents”, ushering in a new society based on Jesus’ life and teachings, urged Bishop Henry D’Souza of Bellary. He made the remark at the inauguration of the 18th national training programme for Diocesan Directors and Animators of Youth, organized at Karnataka Regional Pastoral Centre at Bangalore, June 1-10. The Commission for Youth of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India (CBCI) organized the training programme which is being attended by some 70 youth animators from all over India. “Animators can be ‘demanding’ like policemen, can be ‘commanding’ like CEOs and like true leaders be ‘inspiring’”, added Bishop D’Souza. “Youth animators of today, like Christ, need to fire the imagination of youth. They need to edify through their exemplary life and instil hope for the future”, he stated. Bishop D’Souza urged that youth animators be first deeply immersed in Christian values themselves in order to exemplifying those values in word and deed. He said they can be powerful agents of social change through deeper commitment to Christian values such as respect for human life and dignity and an abiding concern for the least in the society. He drew attention to the many challenges the youth today face such as “increase of violence and criminality, abuse of human dignity, degradation of environment and excessive materialism,” but noted that the youth of today are ideally placed to be agents of change.