QUEZON City, Sept. 1, 2012—The Diocese of Novaliches Youth Commission marked the two-year anniversary of youth programs it initiated to respond to the needs of today’s young people.
The programs, known as ‘iPrograms” deal on development, formation of diocesan youth ministers and parish youth ministry animation, and have been running for two years now through the direction of the Commission on Youth.
Around 40 youth leaders were present during a Thanksgiving Mass celebrated for the occasion.
Youth Coordinator Ann Roselle Cortes explained that the diocesan youth commission wanted that the programs being implemented are based on the needs of the youth.
There are currently eight youth programs under the iPrograms such as the iVote, iTalk, iSupport, iLead, iCare, iRespond, iShare, iPray.
The iVote is a banner program of the Commission that focuses on socio-political and electoral formation of the youth, and also aimed at evangelizing the Philippine political culture.
On the other hand, the iTalk directly coordinates with the vicariates of the Diocese through its Vicariate Youth Coordinators (VYC) which serves as an avenue for information dissemination and serves as an approach to help resolve issues and concerns of the Parish Youth Ministries (PYM) through regular consultations.
iSupport program envisions a Christ-centered young steward that provides a venue for information dissemination, technical assistance, resource mobilization, & networking among the youth and iLEAD focuses on building, animating and strengthening parish youth ministries within the vicinity of the diocese and it aims to train youth leaders to serve in the parish, vicariate and diocesan levels.
iCare Program focuses on the formation of out-of-school youth brothers and sisters, in collaboration with different organizations like Thursday Servants, etc. Currently, the Youth Hope Center serves as the Diocesan Hub for the iCare Program while iRespond focuses on recruitment and formation of PYM graduates and young professionals to the Diocesan Youth Formation Team.
Meanwhile, iSHARE is a talent development and a Charismatic sharing program the showcase different talents as to nourish the youth in different ways and carry out their new ways of serving, by way of embracing the growth and transformation through worship and dance. iPray provides the youth of the diocese with spiritual formation opportunities that enrich their lives as members of a faithful Christian community and aims to provide opportunities for the young people of the Diocese to enrich their prayer life and to become spiritual formators to their fellow youth.
Diocesan Youth Director Fr. Roland Jaluag presided the mass where he emphasized during his homily that a leader should be a HEAD.
“HEAD means a leader should be Humble, Empowering, A Servant Leader, and Driven by the Spirit. And most importantly, not just the outputs of their work but the relationships they gain,” Jaluag said.
The mass was celebrated at Banal na Puso Chapel of the Presentation of Our Lord parish on August 29. (Jandel Posion)
