International Youth Day
Young people remind us of our responsibility to open up paths to their future green skills for a sustainable world
Just a week after World Youth Day in Lisbon – a meeting of spirituality and culture of young Catholics from all continents, promoted by the Catholic Church at the initiative of Pope John Paul II at the end of 1985 – today we recall that in December 1999, the UN General Assembly approved the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers responsible for Youth (8-12 August 1998, in Lisbon itself!), establishing International Youth Day on 12 August each year.
Image: www.diocesidibenevento.it
The UN’s intent was not a spiritual one, but rather aimed at enabling the involvement of young people in political mechanisms in order to: increase the fairness of political processes, reduce democratic deficits, contribute to better and more sustainable policies and also help restore trust in public institutions among young people.
The theme of Day 2023 is inspired by the cross-cutting commitment to integral ecology.
“Today, the world is embarking on a green transition. The transition to an environmentally sustainable and climate-friendly world is crucial not only to respond to the global climate crisis, but also to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The success of the transition to a greener world will depend on the development of green skills in the population. Green competencies are the “knowledge, skills, values and attitudes needed to live, develop and sustain a sustainable and resource-efficient society.” (Source: Communication from the International Justice and Peace Office of the Congregation for International Youth Day 2023).
WE THE GOOD SHEPHERD believe
that today is the time to
to integrate the spiritual and political dimensions:
THE FUTURE WILL BE SPIRITUAL OR IT WILL NOT BE
Photo: www:formiche.net
In line with the positions of the Congregation,
we continue to organise initiatives
to promote Justice and Reconciliation
with young people belonging to different spiritual and cultural worlds,
participants in WYD and/or International Youth Day events
but who together identify with Gospel values and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
TOGETHER WITH YOUNG PEOPLE WE INVEST
ON THE GROWTH OF HUMAN CAPABILITIES
TO LIVE IN THE STYLE OF INTEGRAL ECOLOGY