Monthly Archives: June 2008

A call to engage Climate Change

Posted on June 28, 2008 by | 2 Comments

Yesterday, 17 young people stood in front of the LWF Council in Arusha and read the following message:

“A household in a remote village outside of Arusha in Olokii Parish enjoys electric lights provided by a solar panel, allowing them to finish schoolwork and household chores after dark.  A woman cares for her cow, ensuring her family nourishment through its milk and economic security through selling its calves.  A building nears completion, ready to house a vocational training program for young women and men to learn relevant trades such as carpentry and masonry.  A woman, her son, and three grandsons express gratitude for a secure home with enough room for all.  A congregation warmly welcomes a diverse group of young people from the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Germany, Hong Kong, Lithuania, Madagascar, South Africa, Tanzania, the United States of America and Zambia, offering hospitality through delicious meals, inspiration through joyous worship of our Lord and a tour of incredible diaconal work throughout the area through microcredit loans, a dairy cattle project, a homebuilding program, and a vocational training center.

Youths from LWF member churches were presenting the Youth Message during the opening hearing on climate change in LWF Council Meeting

Youths from LWF member churches were presenting the Youth Message during the opening hearing on climate change in LWF Council Meeting

These were some of the experiences enjoyed by young council members and stewards on an exposure trip during their gathering from 19-23 June 2008 at Canossa Spirituality Centre, Arusha, Tanzania.  The rest of our time was spent in prayer, Bible study, and discussion around climate change, the theme of the 2008 Council meeting.  Together, we contemplated God, creation, and our relationship with both.  We asked ourselves what climate change means for us as agents of God’s work.  God entrusted the care of creation to us, but the realities of droughts, floods and the other effects of climate change indicate that we have broken that trust.

The biblical witness is clear Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Church, LWF, Poverty, Poverty/Affluence, Youth, Youth participation

UN World Youth Report Series: Responses from Asian Lutheran youth(4/4)

Posted on June 17, 2008 by | Leave a comment

How churches could be more relevant to youths in overcoming challenges in the job markets. Here are some suggestions given by our Youth Liaisons:

  • Help communicating with members who are employers and young people who could possibly fill in the job vacancies.
  • facilitate church members to fill in their corresponding professions or skills they possess, so when there is someone know a job suitable for another, they could simply tell communicate among themselves.
  • Church could even set up a database to facilitate the above two suggestions.
  • Church could open Youth Centers for teenagers (to aviod them joining unhealthy activities while unemployed).
  • Pastors/social workers could work more closely with young people and accompany them to overcome the challenges in job searching.
  • Set up small group or praying group for youth who are at the time of job searching, ie. graduation, in order to create a support group so that one will not feel lonely.

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Posted in Asia/Pacific, Church, Life, Youth

UN World Youth Report Series: Responses from Asian Lutheran youth (3 of 4)

Posted on June 16, 2008 by | Leave a comment

What would youths do when they are unemployed?

Thomas Cho, from Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hong Kong, listed some of the possibilities. They include go to internet cafe, just stay at home, go to karaoke bar or disco, hang out at the playground at night, play computer games……

There are also some examples of well-educated youths ‘choosing to be unemployed’. The reason is that the Hong Kong stock market was doing very well last years. Thomas said,’ many young people including some university students are very keen on speculating in the stock market.’ Some of them are a kind of addicted in making ‘easy’ money.

That’s parts of reality in Hong Kong, a relatively affluent city in Asia (of course, there are also many youths facing tremendous pressures hoping for a job ). But for many countries in Asia, the stories in general are quite different.

As told by one of our youth liaisons from Southeast Asia , ‘for some youth, once they graduate, the burden of helping the family is placed on their shoulders. Somtimes, they are seen as ‘Savior’ of their families to get them out the poverty stage…… thus, even thought they graduated for a certain profession, like teaching perhaps, the call to go abroad is hearkened to , as someone else, more probably as a domestic helper……’  

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Posted in Asia/Pacific, Life, Poverty/Affluence, Youth

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Migration in Europe

Posted on June 10, 2008 by | Leave a comment

What have the biblical persons of Abraham and Hagar, Jacob and Rebekka, Joseph, Rut, Jesus and Mary in common? Right, they all were migrants. People who left their home country for a limted or forever to live and work elsewhere.

Migration is a contentious issue today. In many countries, people are hostile towards people who do not originate in the same country – even if the family of these persons live already for generations in the new country.

Today, Sydia Nduna from the World Council of Churches spoke about her work in the area of migration policy. We discussed in a group of interns in the Ecumenical Center – all migrants themselves. The discussion centered around how Christians and churches should approach migrants and resisting any tendencies to treat migrants differently from other human beings. Sydia introduced an interesting resource that can be very helpful in dealing with the reality of migration as Christians and as churches. The Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe (CCME) published a study called “Mapping Migration. Mapping Churches’ Responses”. It has two pages on every country in Europe, giving some general information and then describing the work of migrant churches in these countries. It is very helpful to understand the scope that migration already has.

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Posted in Church, Ecumenism, Europe, Faith, Justice, Youth

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UN World Youth Report Series: Responses from Asian Lutheran youth (2 of 4)

Posted on June 4, 2008 by | Leave a comment

 No doubt. The contributions of youths to economic development can be tremendous. That’s why many governments in Asia are willing to invest lots of money in Education.

As pointed out by UN World Youth Report 2007, access to quality education has expanded in many parts of Asia, making it possible for a much broader range of youth to contribute meaningfully to economic and social development.

 

 Many countries in Asia, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Korea, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, have implmented curricular reforms, while others like Thailand are preparing major curriculum changes. In general, youth participation in education has been improved in Asia.

 

The youth liaisons were asked ,’ Do you think the education youth received in your country is reasonably enough?’ Most of them answered confidently ‘Yes, I do’.

 

If youth themselves think they have received enough or at least better education than in the past, what other difficulties are they still facing? 

 

Ferdinan Girsang, a young Lutheran from Indonesia, told us although young people received enough education in general, they must pursue other knowledge outside the mainstream education, such as English or advanced computer skills, etc. Otherwise, it would be more difficult for them to participate fully in the global economy. 

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Posted in Asia/Pacific, Church, Life, Poverty/Affluence, Youth, Youth participation

Youth Ministry in Madagascar

Posted on June 3, 2008 by | Leave a comment

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Madagascar is one the big Lutheran churches in Africa. It has more than three million members. I have just received a report by the Malagasy youth liaisons about the major youth activities in the church so far. Here is the report of Andoniaina HARINIRINA and Thomas RAMILIJAONA: Continue reading →

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Posted in Africa, Church, Faith, Youth

UN World Youth Report Series- Responses from Asian Lutheran Youth(1 of 4)

Posted on June 2, 2008 by | 5 Comments

Remembered that last month, Roger and I went to the presentation of the United Nation World Youth Report 2007. After attending the meeting , we thought it would be great to invite Lutheran youths in different regions to give their feedback on that. Thanks a lot for their support, the idea bears its first fruit.

Titled ‘ASIAN YOUTH in the Context of rapid GLOBALIZATION’, the first chapter of UN World Youth Report highlighted various challenges facing Asian Youth in the era of globalization. We focused on asking the challenges facing the Asian youths in the labour market and how churches could be more relevant to the unemployment issue. 

I think no one would disagree that young Asians are better prepared than ever before to enter the labour force, but many are unable to find a job. One of the explanations is, nowadays we are not only competing with the youths in our own country, but also our counterparts around the world.

We ask the youth liaisons to give us some clues on ‘what would youth usally do when they are unemployed in your home context?’

‘Go abroad!!!’, Rachel Basalong, youth liaisons from Lutheran Church in the Philippines, pointed out frankly. She also shared a very thoughtful conversation with her friend at one point:

‘This situation (going aboard to pursue a job not related to one’s own profession) really hit me when a friend of mine was preparing to go abroad and I jokingly asked if he could look for a job for me there. He looked at me disdainfully and said, ‘I would not go if I had a job here. You should be thankful you have (your job at home).’

Continue reading →

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Posted in Asia/Pacific, Church, Life, Youth, Youth participation

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