Bethany Sister Edleburgh D’Souza has a passion for working with the youths, who she says can be the agents of change in the family, society and the Church.

Sister D’Souza, appointed the national coordinator of the Indian Catholic Youth Movement (ICYM), says most young people are confused about life and they should be looked after with care, love and understanding.

The work with the youth wing of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India in New Delhi is both challenging and satisfying, says the nun who has been principal of various schools across the country for 21 years.

In the following interview with CRIB she shares her journey, priorities and future plans.

What is your work here?

Sister D’Souza: As the national youth coordinator, I supervise the office work here and assists its Director Father Alwyn D’Souza. When he is away, I make sure that youth programs run smoothly.

How did you come here?

I have always loved working with young people. But I have been mostly working in schools. However, I took up youth work as full time ministry while in West Bengal. I was the regional area animator of West Bengal of ICYM.

When my predecessor Maria Sama finished her term, Father Alwyn offered me the job. I was not initially very enthused with the idea of coming to Delhi. But my superior general and my provincial decided to appoint for the national ministry.

Tell us about your journey from a principal to this office?

I have been to many places. I was headmistress in Mizoram, vice principal of an ICSE school in Tripura and worked with another school Chitranjan, West Bengal.

When selected as assistant provincial, I moved to Assam and later became the principal of Holy Cross School in Silchur from 1992-1996. And then I become provincial of the northeast from 1996-2000. I took a break and went to Pune for one-year counseling course.

Then I moved to Dhanuroop in Maharashtra as principal of a school for three years, and came to Kolkata in 2004. I wanted to do something different but did not know what. Then there was a post of a woman animator in the youth ministry. I did this ministry for two years fully. In 2006, I was again called to be the school principal for three years. In 2009, Father Alwyn called me to Delhi.

What challenges you here?

I face many challenges. School students will do what you tell them to do. The picture is totally different here. Young people should be treated differently, they are grown ups. For me, to come down to their level, listen to them, to have their view and get into their shoes is quite a challenge.

But I do not regret the job, but enjoy it. Working for youth is my passion right from the beginning because I love children, I love young people. I like to relate to people.

What are your impressions about youth of today?

Many say youth are very troublesome, but they are not. Actually, if we deal with them properly they will give you more than you expect. They are beautiful. You need to understand them. They have their own ways of doing things. They are in their own world, you need to understand and support them.

Don’t you think youth these days are a confused lot?

We should look after the youth. Even the families, society and the Church need to look after the youth. There are so many things bombarding them. Social values and family values are eroding. It is a confused group. If you give them little love, understanding, they will stand by you.

What activities do you organize for the youth?

We organize International and national level activities. World Youth Day is held once in three years. The last one was held in Australia and the next will be in Madrid, Spain in 2011. We take our youth there for exposure.

We also organize Asian Youth Day. The last one was organized in Philippines. We will be going to New York in August for an exchange program for the youth.

How do your programs benefit the youth?

We have programs for personality development. We train young leader to train the youth in their parishes. Our programs are aimed at empowering youth.

Many who underwent our programs are doing well. They are getting good opportunities to go abroad, mix with people. They are exposed to so many things. They learn to speak and they have better knowledge, better skills.

How can the youth help society?

They can play small roles in their own families. Helping their parents bring peace in the family. Even in society, if they find something wrong they can come forward. In the Church they can organize programs. They can be the agent of change in the family, society and the Church. They have strength. Their energy can be directed towards constructive ways.

How do you foresee the ICYM in the next few years?

We are progressing and we will do much better than what we have been doing in the next ten years. We are concentrating on the diocesan-level youth. More awareness has been created and we are going ahead.

Source: Reported by Ritu Sharma

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