YOUNGSTERS JOINED THE SUMMER YOUTH CAMP!

HINATUAN, Surigao del Sur – The Parish Youth Apostolate (PYA) of Our Lady of Mount Carmel-Quasi Parish has organized and celebrated Parish Youth Summit 2023 (PYS 2023), a three-day youth camp activity, from July 26 to 28, 2023 for the youth members of the community. With the theme, “Young and United: Endowed by the Spirit of Synodality,” the sole purpose of this youth event is to gather the young participants coming from the twenty-six (26) area chapel communities and to promote a friendly bond among the delegates through various activities such as ball games, formative talks, variety shows, and liturgical events. Composed of one hundred and eighty-six (186) delegates, all of them have dedicated their time and effort to participate in the said events wholeheartedly.     

Youth Jam!

The young delegates of Parish Youth Summit 2023 were so blessed to experience a dynamic praise and worship activity led by a Catholic Christian Community—the Lord’s Flock: Bislig City Chapter. This group initiated a faith-healing activity for all the participants through charismatic prayers, animated choreographies, and vibrant songs. The delegates as well as the organizers joined and enjoyed lively moments together with the charismatic group. Certainly, it was a Spirit-filled event as well as a blessed night characterized by renewal, satisfaction, joy, and closeness to God.  

Accompanying the Youth . . .

            One of the activities was a formative talk concerning Mental Health Awareness. It was delivered by Ms. Maria Satthia Luna who is a mental health advocate coming from the Diocese of Tandag. Among those topics, which she has emphasized, is the reality of suicidal tendencies. Moreover, she relayed to the participants how to overcome this mental struggle through proper accompaniment. Also, she emphasized the value of the person’s well-being to cope with the effects of anxiety and its impact on the youth of today. Certainly, this event has provided some insights for the young delegates to become more conscious of their wellness, especially on the aspects of their mental health and personal care.

Beauties, Talents, and Brains.

           The young delegates also participated in the Festival of Talents and watched the Grand Coronation of the Mr. and Ms. Parish Youth Summit 2023. The youth participants have considered these events as the most awaited part because here all of them were able to showcase their hidden talents through a series of competitions as well as to witness the official search for Mr. and Ms. PYA 2023. Indeed, the entire gymnasium of the barangay was filled with shouts of cheerfulness, amusement, enthusiasm, and companionship among the youth delegates of the quasi-parish.      

Ready, Get Set, Go!   

           On the last day of the event, the organizers arranged a team-building activity that catered for the young delegates to form five (5) competitive teams. The aim of this team-building activity, Amazing Race 2023: PYA Edition, was to foster sportsmanship among the participants and to value camaraderie through healthy competition. During the race, each team must try to accomplish the given tasks to earn points for their team. This can only be done by complying with all the necessary instructions given by the organizers. The team with the highest earned points wins the game.