South Asian YCS leaders have met in Sri Lanka to discuss building a regionwide culture of action to solve climate, food and rights issues.
Some 30 students from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka attended the 10th International Young Christian Students Movement (YCS) forum, organized by the YCS Sri Lanka branch, in Tewatta, ucanews.com reports.
During the week-long meeting that ended Sunday, students discussed ways to build a culture of action to control global problems of climate change, food crisis and human rights violations.
The YCS international members in over 85 countries are ready for the international challenges and contributions to manage the problems, Reyne Clemena, YCS Asian coordinator told ucanews.com.
“We (students) have a capability to achieve the goal,” said the Filipino girl, as their Church-run movement has 200 members in Pakistan, 4,000 in Sri Lanka, 166 in Nepal, 9,000 in Bangladesh and 175,000 in India, within the South Asian region.
The region has already experienced more fallout from climate change than other continents and it still continues to suffer from threats such as rising sea levels, forest degradation, floods, cyclone and tsunami and food shortage.
At the end of the conference, the YCS members outlined activities for their 2011-2013 action plans. They include tree-planting, poster campaigns, dry foods collection and distribution to the needy, food waste control, school fundraising, demonstrations and awareness programs through seminars, debate and workshops.
Meanwhile, Father Patrick Simon Gomes, executive secretary of the Episcopal Commission for Youth in Bangladesh, said they have taken steps to promote the use of bags, wall mats and calendars made of textiles rather than plastic.
SOURCE
South Asian students take on world problems (ucanews.com)