LONDON - 21 November 2007 - 460 words
New
DVD resource for Youth Sunday
Young people want to see many changes in the world. They want
an end to terrorism, domestic violence, conflict, crime, global
warming, drug abuse, bullying, poverty and racism.
A new DVD, produced for National Youth Sunday, in association
with Catholic Youth Services (CYS) and Pax Christi explores these
themes with young Catholics and aims to equip them to be proactive
and bring about change in our world.
Drawing inspiration from Mahatma Ghandi the man internationally
esteemed for his doctrine of non-violent protest this year's
National Youth Sunday 2007 (25 November) will be inviting young
adults to 'Be the change you want to see in the world'. It focuses
on experiences of conflict and reconciliation and how we can live
in solidarity with others; building upon the success of last year's
Live Simply theme.
Over 6,000 'Be the change you want to see in the world' packs
have been sent to parishes, youth offices, justice & peace
groups, schools, colleges, chaplaincies and universities in England
and Wales. The DVD-based resource is engaging, challenging and
contains a wealth of resources there is a series of six
film clips which take a closer look at conflict in the context
of the lives of the young people at a local, national and international
level.
One of the clips looks at the story of Marie-Lyse; a young woman
who, as a young girl, witnessed some of the atrocities perpetrated
during the Rwandan Genocide. Her father, the Governor of the bank
of Rwanda at the outbreak of hostilities, was initially able to
take Marie-Lyse to safety but on their return she tells of her
experience of accusations of murder from local peoples. Marie-Lyse
came to England to seek asylum and has settled in London working
for a charity, The Scarman Trust, which funds and enables a variety
of projects to meet the needs of local communities.
"Our young people are often moved by the plight of those
in the midst of conflict and I hope by inviting them to be the
change they want to see in the world that we, as a Church, are
encouraging our young people to think about difficult questions,
take action where possible and make change happen," says
Development Co-ordinator for CYS, Adam Berry.
"To live in solidarity, we must move beyond sympathy and
struggle with others for peace and justice," added Pax Christi's
Hilary Topp."The activities and film clips in the National
Youth Sunday pack help young people to explore their own experience
of conflict and reflect on how conflict affects the lives of others.
It encourages them to think about how they can live in solidarity
with others and be the change they want to see in the world."
For further information or a copy of this year's National Youth
Sunday pack, please contact: Grace Applewaithe t.
020 7901 4870 e. grace.applewaithe@cbcew.org.uk
© Independent Catholic
News 2007
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