Friendships to help us challenge injustice

Angela Clapham (pictured right, front right in photo) works for Young Christian Workers and recently attended their international council meeting.  Read her report here:

I have been part of the Young Christian Workers (YCW) here in England and Wales for the last five years. During that time I have seen young people across the country come together to look at their problems, judge them in light of the Gospel and act to transform them.

Across the world young people meet in groups to share their hopes and concerns about their real lives: their study, work, family, friends and local community. They explore the real concerns by looking at the causes and consequences and then examine how faith can speak to the issue. Then they act to change it.

I recently had the opportunity to meet with members of YCW from 62 different countries across the world as we came together for our 7th international council.

Attending the international council was a fantastic experience. It only happens once every four years, bringing together delegates of YCW movements from each country, representing the lives and concerns of a million young people. I met so many people and was able to discover the real experiences of their lives. To hear the stories of the problems faced by other young people made me realise that the issues in my own life are shared by others all over the world - many of them face much worse hardships.

Some people came from war-torn countries, where YCW groups are trying to help rebuild the country and make life better for the people of their areas. The YCW in Haiti are trying to educate the poorest by setting up free schools, staffed by members of the YCW who are teachers.

The members in Congo Brazzaville are trying to help improve the health of young people through sessions to educate them about different diseases and how to stay healthy.

In Europe, people told how their YCW groups were challenging insecure working conditions and the debt that young people are facing because of our modern lifestyles. The Italian YCW have been looking at challenging the consumer society we live in and challenging people to live more simply and less wastefully.

It was a privilege to be able to spend time with people whose commitment to making a difference was so powerful. One of the delegates was even prepared to risk his job to attend the council. He didn't know if he would still have a job when he returned home because the company hadn't said whether or not he could have the time off.

I made a lot of friends over the two weeks, from many parts of the world. The language difficulties stopped being a barrier as time passed. We communicated in English, French and Spanish for our working sessions, with the help of a fantastic group of translators. In our free time we managed to make ourselves understood (even with very limited skills like mine!) and began to develop what I hope will be lasting friendships; friendships across the world which will help us to continue to challenge injustices and transform the lives of young people everywhere.

http://www.ycwimpact.com/