Religious Sister shares experiences of PNG youth in Catholic Youth event

Thailand: University of Goroka student Sr Grace Nakan FSM represented the Catholic youth in tertiary institutions in a meeting for Catholic Youth and Intellectual Professionals held in the International Youth Training Centre of Chiangmai, Thailand. 

Group picture taken after mass.

The meeting and visitation was held for 11 days with 2 days of zoom sessions and had as its theme: “Strive to build a better world for Catholic Youth and Intellectual Professionals in the Asia Pacific Region and the world”

During the sessions, Papua New Guinea representative Sr Grace Nakan FSM was given a chance to share the struggles faced by university students. Three common pressing issues she highlighted included:

• Social Media: While it has made communication faster and more accessible, it consumes much of young people’s time, often making young people less productive and more disconnected from real life. It also leads many isolating them from their families, friends, and spiritual communities and church.

• Economic Crisis (Poverty): Unemployment is high, and many young people are left with few opportunities, often ending up on the streets with Degrees etc... This leads to frustration, violence, and social unrest. There's so much potential to develop our nations and empower our people—so we must ask ourselves: Why is this not happening?

• Lack of Spiritual Guidance(Exercise): When young people turn away from spiritual values, they are more likely to lose their moral compass. Without God in their lives, they risk choosing the wrong path. 

  
  

Discussions for ways forward included invoking participants to reflect on their calling, the kind of society they want to build and for collaborative efforts to make a change. 

Sr Grace Nakan FSM doing her sharing.

The take home message for the participants was to start with a positive mindset. Decolonize our way of thinking, renew our behaviour and live in a way that aligns with our values.