Programme Info

History of the Asia Youth Week
"Lessons of encouragement and challenges ahead"

by Rakesh Peter Dass, Christian Conference of Asia Youth

What is the Asia Youth Week?

• The Asia Youth Week is a period of common celebration in which the youth and the youth movements in Asia are encouraged to focus on a common issue.
• It is a time when the young people across Asia come together, in their own locality, to celebrate and ponder on a common issue.
• It is a time for the young people in Asia to pray, worship, reflect, organize workshops, consultations, Bible studies and other such activities through out the region.
• It is a time when the young people enjoy the fellowship of their brothers and sisters across the region, though separated by distance, but in the knowledge that young people all across Asia are celebrating on the same theme during the week that they are.
• The Asia Youth Week is a manifestation of the ecumenical spirit that transcends national boundaries to manifest common action with a common focus.
• It is a celebration of mutual joy and an acknowledgement of standing together with those people in the region who are suffering. It is identifying with the needy of the time, and the needs of the time.

Why the Asia Youth Week?

• To help all youth movements in Asia to focus together on a common issue that is affecting youth in Asia either directly or indirectly.
• To create a sense of awareness and solidarity among the youth in Asia in relation to their struggles through the celebration of the Asia Youth week together.
• To bridge gaps across countries, languages, cultures, perspectives, and focuses.
• To encourage the youth to get involved in the struggles of peoples in Asia.

When do we celebrate the Asia Youth Week?

• The Asia Youth Week is celebrated every year during the third week of the month of October

How do we celebrate the Asia Youth Week?

• The Christian Conference of Asia Youth helps youth movements throughout Asia to celebrate this event through the sharing of youth experiences and studies in relation to the theme. Bible Studies, worship liturgies, reflections and reports, posters, etc. are sent out to all the youth movements to help them prepare for and celebrate this event.

The youth movements are encouraged to translate the materials in the local language. The youth movements are free to change the dates of celebration to a convenient time in their calendar, if required.

History of the Asia Youth Week in the last decade:

The Asia Youth Week has been a long-standing program of the CCA Youth for many years. Over the past decade or so, the Asia Youth Week has traveled on a path that has taken it to many issues. Each of these issues has been timely, relevant, and important to the prevailing context. True to its mission, the Asia Youth Week has thrown spotlight on the contemporary issues of importance, encouraging and challenging the young people to think about them. It has carried ahead on its journey, a journey that has taken it all across Asia, and through many concerns.

To trace the history of the Asia Youth Week for the past decade would be relevant here to help us understand the importance that it has held in encouraging the involvement of the youth in the life and the struggle of the peoples in Asia. The following is the path that AYW has traveled in the past decade:

• The AYW for 1991 focused on Migrant Workers in Asia under the theme "…Remember, you were once slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God has set you free…." (From Duet. 24:17-18). The booklet titled "Hear the Voice of the Migrant Workers" was produced and distributed.
• The AYW for 1992 focussed on youth and students and had the theme "Youth and Students Walking the Path of Obedience" ( from Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 5:17-20)
• The 1993 AYW shifted the spotlight to the struggle of the aboriginal peoples, and focussed on the youth and students in solidarity with the struggles of the indigenous people in Asia under the theme "Land, Our Life". A young person from the Paiwan Tribe of Taiwan's indigenous people made the poster artwork that year.
• 1994 was a time to focus on the future, and challenge the youth to think differently. The theme adopted was "A (New) Paradigm for Our Future".
• The 1995 AYW had the theme "Jubilee"
• The 1996 AYW focussed on issues of environmental concern; the preservation and stewardship of God's creation under the theme "Ecology". An intern identified through the KKKP assisted in the production of the AYW book and poster.
• 1997 was a time to encourage the youth to focus on the state of human rights in Asia and the role of the youth in the struggle for human rights-the fullness of life: love, peace, and justice- for all people in Asia. As a result, the theme chosen for the year was "Human Rights and Youth in Asia". Christian youth from different Asian countries namely Australia, Hong Kong, and India assisted in the production process
• Human Rights was again taken up as the main concerns of CCA Youth in 1998 which was manifested through its various regional programs. The Youth Committee decided to have "Peace" as the theme for the AYW for the year. There was an idea proposed from the International Movement of Catholic Students (IMCS) to work with CCA-Youth on Asia Youth Week. It was decided to continue dialogue with the IMCS in order to understand each other better and be clear on how to develop collaborative efforts. However, the Youth Committee also suggested that collaboration should be sought not only with IMCS but also with others, like the larger network of the co-organizers of the ASYG 2000.
• The theme for 1999 was also decided to focus on "Globalization" and the 2000 theme of the AYW to focus on an issue in relation to the theme of upcoming CCA General Assembly in 2000.
• As decided the AYW for 1999 focussed on the effects of globalization in Asia, the effects on the people and the youth in the region, and other related issues under the theme "Globalization". Young people from Korea, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka contributed articles and a prayer for the event.
• The AYW theme for 2000 was contextual to the theme of the CCA General Assembly to be held the same year and was " Time for Fullness of Life for All" (John 10:10). The CCA General Assembly that year adopted its theme as "Time for Fullness of Life for All". A postcard and a booklet were produced which included the CCA Assembly Youth Forum 2000 Statement.
• In the year 2001, participants from the ASYG network were invited to the AYW Writer's Workshop that was held in India. The theme was " The Lord's Prayer" which focussed on living the Lord's Prayer in context of the various realities of injustice and suffering that surround us. A booklet and a postcard were produced that was widely circulated. This year all young people in Asia across the students and youth groups that were part of the ASYG network were invited to celebrate the event in the third week of October.

Conclusion

If I look back into time as far as 1987 when the AYW focussed on women to its journey down to 2001 when it focussed on the Lord's Prayer, each year has been a pilgrimage, a pilgrimage at one issue. The AYW has played its role and fulfilled its mission by continuously encouraging and challenging the youth in Asia to be in solidarity with the people struggling. It has reminded the youth not to be isolated from the present realities, but providing an opportunity for them to be in togetherness with the peoples in Asia. It has motivated them to pray in togetherness. It has called on them to respond in unity.

The sharing of AYW among the ASYG network has been a joyous occasion for us at CCA. Now this sharing has been strengthened by the creation of the EASY Net. And so it is with much joy that we provide the AYW celebrations to, from this year onwards, be celebrated as the Asia Pacific Students and Youth Week under the auspices of the Ecumenical Asia Pacific Students and Youth Network.

From the time in 1998 when IMCS proposed to share in the celebration of the AYW till now, when the AYW is being celebrated as the APSYW with IMCS, but also four other student and youth organizations, we have come a long way. We, at CCA, look forward to the greater acceptance and celebration of AYW as the APSY Week. We also look forward to the same level of commitment and standard that the AYW has developed. This is now our common challenge, and in this lies our greatest opportunity. The opportunity to come together, students and youth, in common action and unity. To come together in oneness towards love, peace, and justice for all creation.

[The First Asia Pacific Students and Youth Week Writers' Workshop, 24-31 May 2002 Tagaytay, Rizal, Philippines.]