Home2020 – 2023 Programmes and Projects

2020 – 2023 Programmes and Projects

From 2020, the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) is implementing the following Programmes and Projects:

1. Youth Engagement, Participation and Advocacy: The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) will amplify Young Catholic Students’ voices for the promotion of a peaceful, just and sustainable world. IYCS will strengthen its involvement, representation, engagements and advocacy at international, regional and national forums and platforms.

  • ECOSOC Youth Forum, High-Level Political Forum and UN General Assembly: If granted the ECOSOC Consultative Status, IYCS will increase and strengthen its participation and engagements in the work of ECOSOC and the United Nations General Assembly.
  • Date of Implementation: Annually
  • Place of Occurrence: UN Headquarters, New York, U.S.A
  • Outcomes: Amplified voices and contribution of Young Catholic Students; and Increased advocacy for the meaningful youth engagement in close collaboration with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth.

 

  • UNESCO: The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) has since 1962 maintained official relations with UNESCO having been admitted in 1962 in category B (Information and Consultative Relations). Every year, IYCS participates in UNESCO Conferences, Commissions and Forums especially those related to Children, Youth, Education, Partnerships, Peace and Sustainable Development.
  • Date of Implementation: Annually
  • Place of Occurrence, UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, France
  • Outcome: Amplified voices and contribution of Young Catholic Students; and Increased advocacy for the meaningful youth engagement in close collaboration with the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth.

 

  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change/United Nations Climate Change Conference: The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) participates in the UN Climate Change Conference, COP 25 as a Member of the UN Major Group of Children and Youth, YOUNGO, the Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, a Member of the Global Catholic Climate Change Movement and a Co-Founder of the Laudato Si Generation.
  • Date of Implementation: Annually
  • Place of Occurrence: As decided by UNFCCC
  • Outcome: Amplified voices and contribution of Young Catholic Students towards addressing the Climate Change crisis; and Increased advocacy for the meaningful youth engagement in close collaboration with YOUNGO, the Children and Youth Constituency of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth, the Conference of International Catholic Organizations and the Global Catholic Climate Change Movement.

 

  1. Humanitarian Action: The International Young Catholic Students Global Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: This programme enables the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) to systematically join the global war against the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring continuity of operations and service delivery, preparing for the recovery and stemming the impact of COVID-19 on the IYCS fraternity. 
  • Date of Implementation: May 2020 – May 2021
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: IYCS successfully responds to COVID-19 pandemic and humanitarian crisis by preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19 among Young Catholic Students, their families and peers, ensuring protection and safeguarding of Young Catholic Students during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring Young Catholic Students’ participation, engagement and empowerment in the response to COVID-19 and integrating risk communication and community engagement and accountability into IYCS COVID-19 response, taking advantage of Young Catholic Students in Communities;  and IYCS achieves continuity of operations and service delivery to Young Catholic Students during and after the COVID-19 pandemic as well as innovation, learning and evidence generation to inform IYCS plans, engagements and advocacy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

  1. Realizing the Decade of Action and delivery of Sustainable Development: The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) are committed to building a peaceful, just and sustainable world. IYCS acknowledges that Young Catholic Students and other young people play an important and positive role in the realization of sustainable development, in the prevention of crises and in the advancement of peace and will therefore apply methods and approaches that foster the meaningful engagement of young people, ensuring that they are empowered to develop their full potentials as both an end in itself and as a means to build a better world. This programme will enable IYCS to contribute to the Decade of Action.
  • Date of Implementation: January 2020 – December 2029
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: Young Catholic Students everywhere mobilized and contributing ideas and solutions towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030;  Increased IYCS advocacy (individual and joint) for youth rights, meaningful youth participation and to demand urgency and action from the World Leaders and Member States for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development; Strengthened IYCS involvement, representation, engagement and advocacy at International, Regional and National Forums and Platforms; and Global Training Sessions on Decade of Action held.

 

  1. Students for Peace: Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy: The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) will through its global initiative “Peacebuilding, Education and Advocacy”, support Young Catholic Students as catalysts for Peace and Security by emphasizing the importance of young people as agents of change in the maintenance and promotion of peace and security in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250. IYCS will promote and advocate for the recognition of Young Catholic Students’ important and positive contribution to peace and security and prevention of violence. We will foster and protect an environment conducive for young people’s actions including through reintegration, recovery and resilience activities for young people affected by conflict. 
  • Date of Implementation: January 2020 – December 2023
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: Young Catholic Students everywhere mobilized and contributing ideas and solutions towards promoting peace, resilience and social cohesion; Young Catholic Students become Champions of Culture of Peace and promote intercultural and inter-religious dialogue using the IYCS Psychosocial Conflict Analysis Tool to prevent conflict and promote peaceful co-existence; and  Strengthened IYCS involvement, representation, engagement and advocacy at International, Regional and National Forums and Platforms.

 

  1. Care for our Common Home (Environment and Climate Change): In 2015, the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) committed to promoting the urgency and importance of caring for our common home and launched a global campaign called “Protecting Our Common Home” to engage Young Catholic Students to take concerted actions towards tackling the environment degradation and develop ideas and solutions to address the climate change crisis and advocate for decision-makers to take into account environment protection.
  • Date of Implementation: January 2020 – December 2023
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: Young Catholic Students everywhere mobilized and contributing ideas and solutions towards addressing environmental degradation and climate change; Young Catholic Students trained and empowered as “Ecological Citizens” to promote ecological protagonism and elevate the universal core value of care for our planet, our common home, such that individuals, communities and organizations of all faiths and backgrounds can unite around it and work together for positive environmental impact. Our YCS Ecological Citizens work to promote the values of care for creation and biodiversity in the spirit of integral ecology; Newly launched Young Catholics Movement on Climate Change Crisis called the “Laudato Si Generation” strengthened. This initiative mobilizes action on climate change in the 1.2 billion-strong Catholic Church and is in support of Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si on Climate Change and Ecology; and Increased IYCS Advocacy for young people’s contribution to climate action and for support for young people’s engagement in climate action, including by building their capacity.

 

  1. Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together: On 4th February 2019, Pope Francis and the Grand Imam of Al– Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyeb signed the Document on “Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together” as a blue-print indicating the way to a culture of dialogue and collaboration between faiths. Signed during the first-ever Papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula, the Declaration calls for people from around the world to rediscover and recommit to living out values that support a more peaceful future for all. In doing so, it includes reflections on the challenges of contemporary society and the role of religions in furthering world peace. The Human Fraternity Document also highlights the need for a sense of fraternity amongst all men and women of goodwill who are invited to promote justice and peace, guaranteeing human rights and religious freedom. The Document invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human fraternity to unite and work together so that it may serve as a guide for future generations to advance a culture of mutual respect in the awareness of the great divine grace that makes all human beings brothers and sisters.  As a Catholic Faith based Youth Organization, the International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) will promote the Human Fraternity for World Peace and Living Together, nurturing and inculcating in Youth Catholic Students and other Students of different faiths, the capacity to advance a culture of peaceful co-existence that is essential for future generations to thrive and prosper together.
  • Date of Implementation: January 2020 – December 2023
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: Young Catholic Students and other Students of different faiths everywhere mobilized and contributing ideas and solutions towards spreading the values of fraternity, peace, tolerance and understanding and instilling these values of human fraternity in younger generations; and Inter-religious dialogue and capacity building on peaceful co-existence and countering intolerance and violent extremism led by IYCS.

 

  1. Youth Mobility and Migration: Many young people are migrating from war, violence, political or religious persecution, natural disasters including those caused by climate change, extreme poverty or simply to seek better opportunities for a better future for themselves and their families. Unscrupulous traffickers exploit the weaknesses of these young migrants, who too often experience violence, trafficking, psychological and physical abuse and untold sufferings on their journey. In the countries of destination, migrants are viewed as a threat and might even be persecuted. Young migrants also experience separation from their place of origin and often a cultural and religious uprooting as well. The International Young Catholic Students (IYCS) will promote and encourage Young Catholic Students to use its spaces and sections as spaces for young migrants to experience friendship, fraternal love and to support their integration in the communities. 
  • Date of Implementation: January 2020 – December 2023
  • Place of Occurrence: Global
  • Outcome: Young Catholic Students everywhere mobilized and contributing ideas and solutions towards safe and legal youth migration; and Increased IYCS advocacy (individual and joint) for the rights and well-being of youth migrants.