More than 1,000 youth from Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and the Northwest Territories gathered at the Toronto Congress Centre from 26 to 29 July 2013 for a youth conference that is part of a process that seeks to build the capacity of youth to contribute to the development of their communities.
The Toronto conference is the second of three to be held in Canada as part of a series of 114 conferences worldwide. A conference took place in Montreal last month for the youth of Quebec, the Atlantic Provinces, and Nunavut, and another is planned in Vancouver from 3 to 5 August for British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon, and Alaska.
For reports on other youth conferences taking place around the world, please see here.
Prior to the conference, the youth gathered in their neighbourhoods and communities to raise funds, to prepare artistic presentations for the conference and to engage in activities to promote the process of community building – strengthening bonds of friendship and developing a collective spirit.
Douglas Martin, who served on the Universal House of Justice between 1993 and 2005, brought greetings to the youth. His presence added to the spirit of the conference which was at once joyful and focused, vibrant and inspiring.
The conference provided a space for youth from diverse backgrounds to study materials on such topics as their role in contributing to the betterment of society, and to make plans with their friends –those they knew before the conference as well as those they met there–to apply what they were learning. “There’s a desire in the youth to act … [and] we’re here at this conference to learn to sharpen the way we see the community to better act,” shared one participant.
Youth who work at the Toronto Congress Centre were astonished by the level of multiculturalism at the conference and were excited to play a role in such a unique environment. One of the staff said: “I couldn’t wait for the next morning and woke up at 6 a.m. excited to come to work to participate in the conference and be of service, recognizing that I also played a role in this unique event.” The collective spirit was so attractive that a young member of the hotel staff, whose day off coincided with the last day of the conference, registered and joined the conversation.
The arts also played a significant role in the conference. Many youth prepared poems, songs, skits, dances, puppet shows and raps based on the conference themes. Cheers erupted in the hall when the youth shared the art they had created with their fellow participants. Many of the youth did not see themselves as artists and were presenting their art to a large group for the first time.
The participants reflected on the oneness of humanity, the ways that service to their community helps youth develop both intellectually and spiritually, and contribute to the well-being of the communities.
The workshop groups also shared ideas about how to foster true bonds of friendship. One participant said, “I had thought before about how friendship assists me or the other person, but I had never thought about how friendship impacts the community around us and contributes to society.” Another youth commented, “True friendship is based on serving together . . . serving alongside one another and organizing for this [the youth conference] has let us grow closer together.”
The youth prepared maps and made detailed plans about the steps they would take to share their learning with the members of their communities and bring them into the intimate circle of friends serving their localities. Some were able to build on what has already developed in their areas; others were thinking about taking their first steps.
“I want to go back to my neighbourhood and share these spiritual qualities with the youth and pass them on,” one participant said.
The youth gained hope and inspiration in hearing the activities and plans of others to promote the well-being and prosperity of their communities. “Before being involved in this program, I was actually a huge cynic; I had no hope for humanity,” one youth said. “After seeing everyone involved in this service, and seeing how dedicated everyone is, I have such hope for humanity.”