The WCC’s interreligious training programme YATRA (Youth in Asia Training for Religious Amity) launched by the World Council of Churches after its 10th Assembly in 2013 is to be launched in a new format. From its earlier focus on Youth in Asia, the programme is now renamed to “Young Adults Training for Religious Amity” and expanded to the global ecumenical movement, allowing young people from other regions to participate. This is largely due to the increasing demand for a training of this kind in other parts of the ecumenical fellowship. The expansion is also possible due to the collaboration with other ecumenical partners including the World Communion of Reformed Churches, World Methodist Council and the Council for World Mission.
Following the decision of the WCC to embrace the motif of pilgrimage for its programmatic focus, the name of the YATRA programme – which is a common term for pilgrimage in many contexts and languages- was intended to reflect the idea of a pilgrimage of justice and peace.
Applications are now open for YATRA 2020
YATRA aims to equip young Christians between the ages of 20 and 35 in interreligious engagement. This year’s intensive training course will take place in Fiji from 15 to 27 May 2020. The focus of YATRA 2020 will be ‘Youth in the Frontline of Transformation’. The theme will help focus on the active participation of young people in responding to God’s call to “act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8) alongside neighbours of other faiths.
Partners:
YATRA 2020 will be a joint collaboration between the World Council of Churches, Pacific Council of Churches (PCC), the World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC), the Council for World Mission (CWM), and the World Methodist Council (WMC). It will be a cross programmatic venture of the WCC’s programme on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation, and the programme on Youth Engagement in the Ecumenical Movement.
Specific scholarships are available to subsidize course costs and international airfares. A scholarship request must be made at the moment of application and will be decided upon after application screening; all decisions on scholarship requests depend on the availability of funds.
Dates:
Deadline for applications: 15 February 2020
Announcement of outcome of selection: by 1 March
Online learning from 20 April to 12 May 2020
Residential phase from 15-27 May (arrivals all day 15 May, departures all day 27 May)
Costs:
The cost for tuition, full board and lodging, exposure visits and local transport during the course, as well as medical insurance, is 700.-USD per participant.
All travel costs including local and international air tickets to Fiji, visa costs and en-route-costs are the responsibility of the applicant. Churches/organizations that recommend and endorse an application are invited to make efforts to sponsor travel costs including air tickets.
WCC, oikoumene.org
