“Tejiendo Futuro” is a virtual proposal for young people that began on Thursday, May 21 of this year, from an inspiration from the sisters and young people of Uruguay. Registration was open to young people linked to our presence in the region, for this reason we say that it is an intercultural proposal for young people between 18 and 30 years old. In a fortnightly space, where the meetings last an hour and a half, and are carried out through Zoom. Through the modality of workshops, with prayer, shared in small communities and elements of Ignatian spirituality, tools and means are offered to live this time of quarantine with meaning, taking advantage of the occasion for introspection and listening to the Lord in this times.
Its origin… What can we propose to young people in this time of quarantine?
This is how this proposal of Weaving Future arises, working together with young people and Daughters of Jesus. In order to help other young people to feel reality, pray, listen to the Spirit and be inspired by him.
How we organize…
Through a WhatsApp group and meetings by Zoom, we are organizing and evaluating this experience, since being the first time for the whole team, we are discovering and experimenting, adjusting the guidelines and meetings to the needs and demands of the group of young people . For example, due to connection problems, illness or study, we have held meetings in small or personalized groups, to attend to the circumstances of each young person.
The vast majority of young people are university students, between 18 and 30 years old, mostly from Argentina and Uruguay, although we also have Luis, a young man who connects from Puerto Rico and Pablo from Bolivia. All the participants say that they have shared with a Daughter of Jesus, some experience of mission, camp and / or retreat, which has been fundamental for the dissemination of the proposal, which was given almost directly with them through the social networks, Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp. From the beginning, the team was aware that the proposal aimed at a specific profile of young people, which does not mean that in the future we can adapt it to other youths. From Cristus Vivit we are invited to look openly at youth and recognize them in the plural.
* Important words-phrases of the process, which young people share through miro.com a kind of virtual wall.
* virtual collage of one of the encounters using one of Google’s tools: Jamboard
Something that I remember fondly was how it impacted me when I saw the registration form; it reached 50 registered. But it was not the number that surprised me, but rather that each of them, in its vast majority, in addition to being a university student, has a commitment to the apostolate, whether in a neighborhood or movement. This gives me a lot of hope, it tells me about a youth that not only thinks for itself, but also for and for others. Together with Agu Espino, a young Uruguayan, we accompany community 1. In it there are young people from Argentina, from the provinces of Córdoba, Misiones, Jujuy and Buenos Aires, and from Uruguay, from the departments of Montevideo and Tacuarembó. The diversity of realities has made possible a very interesting sharing because of the different views that its context gives to the young man. They value space very much and feel very committed to their process, in this way of weaving their future, with meaning and from the Lord.
As a team, we feel the closeness of your prayers and we appreciate that you continue to accompany us. We dream that this could be the beginning of more spaces, and of our reflection on how to be and what to offer to the youth in each of our presences.
Youth and Daughters of Jesus – Uruguay
