National Youth Conference 2023
The Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM) of the CCBI- Youth Commission organized the Vth National Youth Conference in October 2023, at Guwahati, Assam. It was hosted by the North East Regional Youth Commission with the theme “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right”. Eph.6:1. The conference focused on exploring the significance of family, parents, grandparents, and the elderly in understanding the importance of relationships within a family structure.
The Diocesan Youth Centre – Goa represented the Western region with a team of Diocesan Executive Committee (DEXCO) along with Fr. Blaise Lobo. Around 420 youth were present from the 14 regions of India. The inaugural programme began with the procession of the delegates followed by the hoisting of the National flag and the ICYM flag by Most Rev. John Moolachira, the Archbishop of Guwahati and the President of the North Eastern Regional Bishops Council and Most Rev. Ignatius D’Souza Chairman of the CCBI Youth Commission and bishop of the Bareilly Diocese respectively. Rev. Dr. Stephen Alatara, Deputy Secretary General to CCBI inaugurated the Regional stalls which showcased the unique traditions, delicacies and diversity of different regions in India.
This Youth Conference was educative and fun filled with various activities and animations. It challenged the youth to engage in group discussions moderated by different resource persons and participate in workshops on various themes. The youth of all the regions also had the opportunity to showcase their talents through the cultural programme held every evening. It was an auspicious moment for the Executive committee of the Goa Diocesan Youth Centre to represent the Archdiocese of Goa at the National level and take home a plethora of experiences for future learning.
Sr. Bernadette Furtado,
Handmaids of Christ