By Collins Ongoma (Source SCCs website)
Last week from 24 to 27 April, 2018 I was given a chance to have interactive sessions with the young people1 from different outstations in my parish of St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church in Sultan Hamud, Ngong Diocese, Kenya. Our main focus was to be relevant to this year’s theme on the “2018 Year of Young People:” “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment.”
We should be aware of shifting terminologies and meanings. The Preparatory Document for the October, 2018 synod states: “The word ‘youth’ refers to persons who are roughly 16 to 29 years old, while bearing in mind that the term needs to be adapted to local circumstances. In any case, it is good to remember that the term ‘youth,’ in addition to referring to persons, is a stage of life that each generation understands in an unequal, original manner.”
Terminology varies according to the local place and context. Worldwide, “young people” is the umbrella word that covers “youth” (often referring to teenagers and those in high school), college students and “young adults” (after college in their 20s). In Swahili, the main language of Eastern Africa, vijana (often translated as “youth”) covers the 16 to 35 age bracket. While the dictionary allows “youths” in the plural, by far the most common use is to use “youth” as a plural noun.
Due to the cultural context in Eastern Africa we are using the term Youth Small Christian Communities (YSCCs) for SCCs in secondary schools and colleges/universities and Young People Small Christian Communities (YPSCCs) and Young Adults Small Christian Communities (YASCCs) for the post college years.
NOTE: Vatican documents on the synod have now officially shifted from using “youth” to use “young people.”
The objective was to strengthen the young people’s bonding and to listen to their challenges in order for the parish to provide the necessary accompaniment. The issues raised created a clear picture of what young people struggle to overcome in their daily activities either in school or at home. This is what the parish will be focusing on in their upcoming activities. For me it’s a big achievement because it’s very rare to get parishes where young people are given such an opportunity.
It was also time for us to act rather than just talk. In our parish youth planning and consultation meeting held in December 2017, we agreed to start Youth Small Christian Communities (YSCCs) and Young Adult Small Christian Communities (YASCCs) by the end of the year 2018 so that young people will have the chance to meet and pray together as a way of strengthening their faith. During these days in April we officially had our first session that was 2
like an orientation of what young people should be doing during their meetings. #FaithOnFire: “God’s Call, My Response” is the theme we are following in Ngong Diocese in 2018.
During our back-to-school Parish Youth Mass held on Sunday, 29 April 2018 at Emali, Mwanajumuiya Rose Musimba who is a member of the Interim Eastern Africa Small Christian Communities Training Team was able to join us accompanied by Mwanajumuiya Pauline (a young person from Makindu Parish). They gave a nice input on the importance of YSCCs. Pauline shared her personal experience on how the YSCCs have impacted her life. This wrapped up our week in style.
I was also thinking if it is possible, maybe through the AMECEA office, we could get several copies of the Bible that could be issued to the Catholic young people during the YSCC official launch, that is, after they elect leaders who will coordinate their activities and choose a preferred saint name for each of their YSCCs. This will prevent them from reading the gospel from their smartphones during their sessions when they can easily sway their attention to other topics on their phones.
Collins N. Ongoma
Member of the Interim Eastern Africa Small Christian Communities Training Team
P.O Box 99-90132
Nairobi, Kenya
Skype address: OngomaCollins
Email: collinsongoma@gmail.com