Caritas Spes young volunteers: strength in cooperation
Exchange of ideas, experience and inspiration for new cooperation - this was the leitmotif of the meetings of young volunteers, which took place on September 16-18 in the Caritas-Spes Zarichany center during the Diocesan Youth Days. The Caritas-Spes team - within the framework of the project "Strengthening the youth social work of Caritas-Spes in Ukraine" - familiarized the youth with their volunteering skills. Teams from Kharkiv, Vinnytsia and Lutsk presented their service and invited young leaders to join social activities in various Caritas-Spes projects. There are many such projects, because the Mission not only provides physical support through humanitarian aid and social projects, but also teaches how to create effective ministry through the training programs.
During the September meetings in Zarichany, one of the most relevant topics was the topic of Peace and the approach of Victory. Young people were looking for answers to the following questions: What joint actions will be a bridge for this? What is the role of volunteering and youth leaders? And why is the action, and not the position of an outside observer, decisive now? After all, experience proves: indifference is the main foundation of today. "Youth do not want to be inert during the war", noted the head of the Diocesan Youth Days organizing committee, Fr. Valdemar Pavelets. "And our task is to show concrete resources and opportunities, and how they can help in their parishes."
The support and help of like-minded people is one of the key factors uniting people in difficult times and adding spiritual strength. This topic was touched upon, in particular, during the conference with psychologist Liubov Mykhailiuk. The military chaplain Fr. Vadym Dorosh OMI, Fr. Serhii Voroniuk and Fr. Oleksandr Orikhovskyi OR shared their experience with young leaders during the trainings. For the Caritas Spes Mission, the formation of proactive youth who are able to take responsibility and generate changes in their environments is essential. The meetings in Zarichany became a good platform for the synergy of volunteer ideas and joint decisions, which are of particular importance during the war.
