Planned National Youth Conference in Malawi to Help Young People Grow into “responsible leaders”

Blantyre, 21 June, 2024 / 3:31 PM

The leadership of the Episcopal Conference of Malawi (ECM) has announced a national youth conference aimed at preparing youths in the Southeast African nation into “responsible leaders”.

In a Thursday, June 20 message, ECM’s National Youth Chaplain announces the conference that has been scheduled for August 14-18 in the country’s Catholic Archdiocese of Blantyre.

“The conference is being organized through the ECM Pastoral Office with the aim of drilling the youth in areas of church teachings and doctrines, as well as social teachings so as to help the youth be responsible leaders in the Church,” Fr. Francis Damaseke says. 

Fr Damaseke adds, “For a long time, the Church and state, we've been saying, the youths are the leaders of tomorrow, but it seems that we haven't prepared them enough to embrace that leadership.”

“As the Church we'd like to take that part, to be training them,” he adds. 

The Malawian Catholic Priest goes on to provide details about the planned conference, saying that it “will take place at Limbe Cathedral, but they'll be lodging at James Chiona, as well as Maria Golet Secondary School.”

Each Malawian Catholic Diocese, he says, is to delegate 25 – 30 representatives to the conference. “These delegates should be those that can take what is being taught, and they can as well expound on it,” the National Youth Chaplain clarifies.

“We want to send lessons to fellow youths. Our expectation is that after the national youth conference, each Diocese will replicate what will be taught,” he further says.

Fr. Damaseke also appeals to each Diocese to contribute at least 30,000 Kwacha (US$17.00) per representative, to be used for logistics during the conference.

The Malawian Dioceses are to plan for “their own transport, but in terms of lodging and food, we are requesting for each representative to bring at least 30,000 Malawi Kwacha,” the National Youth Chaplain in Malawi says in his message.

ECM President, Archbishop George Desmond Tamba, Bishop Alfred Chaima of Zomba Diocese, and Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of Karonga Diocese, have been listed among the facilitators of the planned national youth conference.