QUEZON City, April 23, 2013—Fifty youth leaders from five parishes of the Our Lady of Lourdes Vicariate Youth Ministry in the diocese of Novaliches gathered for a leadership workshop for young people in the Church at the Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Camarin, Caloocan City on April 20.
Organized by the iLead program of the commission on youth of Novaliches (COY Nova) and the Ninoy and Cory Aquino Foundation (NCAF) Leadership Journey Alumni, the activity helped youth leaders train as a model leader, strengthen camaraderie among them and animate the vicariate youth ministry.
Dubbed “iLead, iLove, Leadership Workshop for Youths in the Church” and themed “A Call to Leadership is a Call to Love,” the whole day activity had games, small group discussion, plenary reporting, and big group sharing.
The workshop sessions focused on topics such as “what a journey it has been, God loves me, sharing God’s love, and moving forward.”
Speakers were Joy Critica, Yssa Lagrama, and Rachel Santos, all graduates of NCAF Leadership Journey.
Alloy Peralta, iLead program coordinator explained that sessions, particularly session one focused on a game that was modified into “pera o bayong”, the goal of which was for participants to realize their roles as children, friend, student, youth and Church server.
Session 2 talked about the reflection point during the first small group discussion which focused on their experiences such as good or bad roles with the common denominator—that of participants affirming they feel God is with them always.
Part 2 of the same session had a unique twist where youth participants wrote a letter to God and after, nailed it to the diocesan youth cross with a brief prayer.
Session 3 discussed about God’s love where the speaker, Rachel Santos shared her own experience of God’s love operating in her life which led her to volunteer as a youth missionary for six months.
In the last small group discussion and activity, participants wrote on ribbons provided them the things and ways they can share God’s love to others, which afterwards they tied to the cross.
The activity culminated with a vicariate planning where youth leaders discussed concrete ways on how to share God’s love within the vicariate, particularly to the young people.
Participating parishes were the Epiphany of the Lord Parish, Mary Mother of the Church Parish, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and Saint Agnes Parish. (Jandel Posion)
