AMECEA: Webinar on Synodality and the Youth to Foster Inclusion of Young People
Sr. Jecinter Antoinette Okoth, FSSA
As preparations continue towards the forthcoming 2023 Synod of Bishops on Synodality, which commenced October last year with the solemn opening by the Holy Father, a webinar targeting the youth has been scheduled aimed to foster their inclusion in the synodal journey.
Announcing the webinar slated for Thursday, January 27, the Jesuit Conference of Africa and Madagascar (JCAM) and the Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa (AMECEA) who partnered to offer talk series to the Church in Africa towards the Synod have noted the need for young people to be engaged in the process.
Under the project dubbed ‘African Synodality Initiative’, JCAM and AMECEA have identified four African youths from; Senegal, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Côte d’Ivoire as panelists to share their lived experiences of synodality.
Recounting the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, commonly referred to as the Synod on Young People that was conducted in 2018, the two bodies highlight that “Pope Francis established an International Youth Advisory Body to strengthen the involvement of young people in the life of the Church.”
They add that during the ongoing XIV Ordinary General Assembly at the consultative synodal phase, “Dioceses have been encouraged to involve young people in this process and to genuinely listen to their ideas, concerns, and dreams.”
Speaking to AMECEA online about the upcoming Thursday webinar themed “Our Voices Count: African Youth Sharing Lived Experiences of Synodality,” one of the panelists Ms. Agathe Sagne, a member of the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) Advisory Board and the Religions for Peace Youth Media Team, said the session will be a time of “sharing about my experience of synodality and about the youth apostolate, accompaniment and interfaith activities.”
“It is also an opportunity to hear from the youth, the realities they face and call for more inclusion,” the Senegalese youth and former IYCS Coordinator for the Africa Region said in an interview Wednesday, January 19.
The registration link to the webinar discussion that will be available in English and French indicates that the session will be will start at 14:00hrs East African Time (EAT).
Other panelists include Benson Makusha a Zimbabwean and IYCS Coordinator for the Africa Regional – a faith-based action movement that creates platforms for youth in 34 African countries to critically examine and act on contemporary issues to build a just world; Dominique Yon from South Africa – a member of the Vatican International Youth Advisory Body and Youth Coordinator for the Archdiocese of Cape Town, South Africa; and Prisca Koffi an Ivorian and the Regional Coordinator of IYCS Africa.
The Webinar session will be moderated by Fr. Oscar Momanyi, a Kenya-based Jesuit priest serving at Mwangaza Jesuit Spirituality Center as a Retreat Guide.
