Courtesy: http://iycs-jeci.org/iycs-world-day-2017-lets-dream-and-build-our-school/
Nov 14, 2017: Today, we celebrate the universality of our dear and noble movement, the Young Catholic Students, we are militant, we are church, we are students, we are international, we are leaders of positive change and most importantly, we are united.
The Young Catholic Students since the 1920s has continued to advocate for what is right and just, defending the dignity of every human person especially students. Through the efforts of our Movements in over 86 countries around the world, we continue to educate and train students to work for solidarity, freedom, justice and peace in the world.
The celebration of the IYCS World Day which was instituted at our 2015 World Council was meant to enhance the spirit of solidarity among our Movement. It is a day to raise awareness in one voice on a global reality that is of concern to the world of young people no matter where they may be. Not only is the Commemoration of the 3rd IYCS World Day a special occasion for us as we initiate a special action towards the safety of schools around the world, it is also a special day to celebrate the 50thanniversary of the death of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn who’s works inspired the formation of the IYCS movement in the 1920’s. Thanks to this sacrificial effort, YCS today is a transformative agent in school reaching millions of young people all over the world.
Why the theme “Let’s Dream and Build our School”?
Every person in his/her own life is protagonist of a context. This environment, for students, is school: it is the place where we spend most of our time, where we learn and consider as our second home. It is in this place that we can encounter each other, growing as men and women, starting to be good citizens for our country.
The notion of inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all which the SDG 4 seeks to achieve, for us go beyond just the educational program. A quality education can found within the school where the students can really feel at home and where everyone’s diversity is welcomed and made unique. Moreover, quality education implies the right for students to study in a place where they feel physically safe. This is not only in terms of physical structure safety, it also include the emotional safety and freedom from fears of molestation.
As Young Catholic Students, we love our school and take care of it, no matter which country we live in. while we seek to promote access to holistic quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all, we thought it was important to ask ourselves if we feel safe in our schools and if we consider them as oursecond home. So, what can we do to take care of our school? We want to dream and build a school that is tailor-made by students from all around the world. Taking part to the III World Day means a lot: it’s the opportunity we have to share our experiences in our national movements, creating a stronger network of students engaged in their schools all over the world.
What kind of school do we dream about? What kind of school do we want to build with our friends? This will form the core of our campaign and advocacy in the company. We want to ride our schools of all elements that makes it unsafe for learning activities, from poor physical structure, to fear of bullying and molestation, from discrimination and racism, from sexual harassment, from gangs and cultism, and all ethical elements.
Join us today as we stand up for safe school. Let’s Dream and Build our School #IYCS4SafeSchool