“When I change, something has changed” – A WYPers experience in India

Roshan Melwyn Lobo, from St Joseph’s College of Law in Bangalore tells us his experience as a WYPer (i.e., member of the World Youth Parliament):

“My journey of 2 years might seem small in number but is worth vast in experience. It all started at the IV Plenary session of the WYP at Beijing. As I was serving as a national executive member of YCS YSM, I got an opportunity to participate as WYPer in Progress. There, youth from various nations gathered as one family to discuss on the theme “A Journey Called Forgiveness”, following the Methodology and Spirituality of the Idente Youth. We had a personal sharing of all the participants and it really motivated me to ponder on my relationships with family, friends, teachers, elders, and society.

Coming back to India, I felt the need of introducing WYP in my college at Mangalore. Thanks to the support of few of my friends, with whom I shared my thoughts, we were able to organize the First Orientation Program in St Aloysius College (Autonomous) Mangalore on 27.01.2018. I am happy to know many of the members actively taking part in WYP Meetings in Mangalore and Bangalore today.

In India the WYP is in a growing stage. My dream is making this project reach many institutions, because each youth must think about humanity and strive to spread the highest value of civilization so that the world may become a better place to live.

Cardinal Joseph Cardijn said:  “We are in the beginning, we will be in the beginning, we are just beginning”.

Change in the society cannot take place overnight. It’s a continuous process. Change happens when I change my self. And can be achieved when we share, respect the opinion of others, and spread the love of brotherhood.

World Youth Parliament has been a beautiful experience for me. I would have missed a lot if I wouldn’t have been a part of the World Youth Parliament”.

Thanks to the great effort of Roshan and many other enthusiastic youths, the WYP is spreading around India. After the WYP presentation in 2018 at Mangaluru, around 100 students were registered as WYP members and started to work on the theme “Peace under Construction”. They are looking forward to the Plenary Session WYP Spain 2019.

In Cochin, a two days special training course for the students was organized and a new horizon opened to work hard. At the Bharatha Matha College and the Little Flower Engineering Institute, different groups of students meet every week, creating their manifesto through the reflections proposed in the workbook and organizing activities.

Also St. Pauls Institute of Communication Education, in Bangaluru, welcomed the project of the WYP. Students from different departments begun with enthusiasm and determination this dream of building a new civilization.

Idente Youth in India acts with the aim of promoting among the youth the universal values that unite the whole humanity beyond religion, culture and races. The amazing diversity and the noble and spiritual values which characterize Indian society are also enriching Idente Youth at an international level. At the present, Idente Youth runs activities in Cochin, Kannur, Delhi, Bangalore and Mangalore.