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YOUTH SUMMIT 2006
1. Why a Youth Summit?
2. « Here I am “: The Theme of the Youth Summit
3. Practical information
4. Registration
5. In Preparation for the Youth Summit
6. For Further Information...
1. Why a Youth Summit?
Youth, as members of the Church, are called to participate fully in the International Eucharistic Congress and the fulfillment of its principal goal: to celebrate and announce Jesus living in the Eucharist, at the heart of the Church.
The International Eucharistic Congress of 2008 coincides with the 400th anniversary of the foundation of Quebec City, holy ground and the birthplace of faith in North America (John-Paul II, during his visit in 1984). The theme of memorial, at the heart of the Eucharistic mystery and of the Congress of 2008, has a particular resonance with youth, to whom the heritage of the Church is entrusted, who are called to be witnesses today and who will be responsible for its passing on in the future. Particular care will therefore be taken to foster the deepening and the expression of faith in our young people, that they may bear witness and bring their particular vibrancy to the life of our Church.
A Eucharistic Congress is a success inasmuch as it is prepared. In its global perspective, preparation for the Congress entails deepening our understanding of the Eucharistic mystery through catechesis, fervent celebration of the liturgy and the search for initiatives of solidarity and sharing that will foster fraternal relations. In this perspective, the Youth Summit was launched by Cardinal Marc Ouellet to nourish the spiritual preparation of young adults for the Eucharistic Congress.
The 2005 edition of the Youth Summit brought together in Quebec City 165 young leaders from 12 dioceses of the province of Quebec and the diocese of Ottawa. Delegates were called by their bishop to participate in this forum of renewal and discussions towards the planning of the youth program of the International Eucharistic Congress and its preparation.
The 2006 Youth Summit is in the form of a Canada-wide gathering for the spiritual preparation of youth to the International Eucharistic Congress of 2008 via their mobilisation, the deepening of certain elements of faith, the meeting of other young people and the celebration of Christ, living in the Eucharist at the heart of the Church.
2. « Here I am “: The Theme of the Youth Summit
Throughout history, the words « Here I am » have rung out repeatedly between God and His people, from Noah to Abraham, to Moses, Samuel, Mary, Jesus himself, to Christians of yesterday and today, including the blessed and saints of our Church. The 2006 Youth Summit will allow us to retrace the history of redemption and will invite us to commit ourselves to action today and for the future, in the spirit of the walk towards the International Eucharistic Congress of 2008.
3. Practical information
Participants
An open invitation is cast to young adults (18-35 years of age) in all dioceses of the country, to come prepare spiritually for the International Eucharistic Congress of 2008 via mobilization, deepening of elements of faith, meeting other young people and celebrating Christ living in the Eucharist at the heart of the Church. We are expecting over 300 youth and we strongly hope that all dioceses will be represented. You are therefore warmly invited! The Youth Summit aims to motivate and equip us so that we may be catalysers in our midst for the preparation to the International Eucharistic Congress of 2008.
Participation fees
The participation fees have been set at 75$ per participant (with simple accommodation) and 65$ (without accommodation). These fees include all meals and snacks from Saturday breakfast to Monday lunch (excluding dinner on Sunday), all activities, necessary documentation as well as a water bottle or coffee mug (see “Tap Into It”). These fees represent only a part of the real cost of the organisation of the Youth Summit and have been thus fixed to facilitate the participation of as many young people as possible. Donations, sponsorships, and contributions from the Youth Ministry of the Diocese of Quebec and the International Eucharistic Congress will cover the remainder of the cost.
Participation fees must be paid to your diocesan Youth Delegate (see Registration).
Sites
The main site of the Youth Summit is Jésus-Marie College of Sillery, overlooking the St-Lawrence River. Entirely rebuilt in 1983, the College is located on a campus with various buildings and common areas. The events of the Youth Summit will be held in the Dina-Bélanger auditorium, in the cafeteria, in the atrium, in the café and in classrooms.
Historic churches of Quebec City will be highlighted during the Youth Summit, including St-Charles-Garnier (liturgy and festive evening on Saturday), St-Dominique (ordination on Sunday) and Notre-Dame Cathedral (liturgy Sunday evening). The procession on Sunday evening will bring us to the tombs of three founders of the Church of Canada, at Notre-Dame cathedral, the monastery of the Ursulines and the monastery of the Augustines hospitalières.
Free time for dinner on Sunday will allow participants to discover Old-Quebec. Maps will be handed out.
Accommodation
Simple accommodation is offered to participants (included in the 75$ registration fee). The style of accommodation is inspired by simple accommodation during WYD: rooms or gyms where men and women will have separate quarters. Each participant must bring a ground mat, sleeping bag, pillow and necessary toiletries, including a towel. Toilets and showers will be available on the accommodation site.
If certain participants/groups do not wish to take advantage of the simple accommodation, they are responsible for finding their own accommodation, at their own cost, with commercial lodging institutions. They must also ensure their own transportation to the Youth Summit site every morning.
Meals
All meals for the weekend are included in the registration fees, from breakfast on Saturday to lunch on Monday, with the exception of dinner on Sunday, for which groups will be free to roam around Old-Quebec and eat at their own leisure (and at their own cost). All meals will be served on the sites of the Youth Summit, generally in the cafeteria of Jésus-Marie College. A special meal will be served Saturday evening at St-Charles-Garnier church prior to the festive evening. Lunch on Monday will be a boxed lunch, which can be eaten on site or on the road.
Transportation and Parking
All participants must come to Quebec City by their own means. Certain dioceses are organising common transportation for their delegation.
In Quebec City itself, most of the travelling between sites will be done on foot (the maximum distance to be covered is approximately 2,5 km, about 30 minutes). Participants who cannot cover such a distance on foot must indicate so on their registration form and a shuttle will be made available. Shuttles are planned for all participants after the nocturnal prayer on Sunday.
Vehicles, including buses, can park free of cost at Jésus-Marie College. If you plan to park a bus of more than 15 passengers, we must be informed no later than April 20.
Insurance
The Youth Summit is covered by liability insurance for the sites used during its activities. Each participant must carry his/her personal health insurance card delivered by the government and must cover his/her own costs in case of sickness (medication, hospitalisation, etc.)
« Tap Into It ! »
In the spirit of the educational campaign of Development and Peace “Water, Life Before Profit”, no bottled water will be provided during the Youth Summit. Rather, participants are invited to drink the delicious tap water of Quebec City! To support this initiative, polycarbonate water bottles (unbreakable and reusable) and thermal coffee mugs, with the logo of the International Eucharistic Congress of 2008, will be offered to participants. During on-site registration, each participant will choose at no cost either a bottle or a mug (and can purchase the other item if he/she wishes at the cost of 9$ or less – exact price TBD). Above its practicality, the mug/bottle will serve as souvenir of the Youth Summit and promotional item for the IEC2008 as we hope that participants will make recurring use of them.
Please note that, in an environmental perspective, no plastic or styrofoam cups will be provided during the Youth Summit. The bottle/mug will serve for all beverages, including juice, and can be washed by participants after every use. If you choose the bottle and expect to drink hot beverages (coffee, tea), we invite to bring your own mug.
Documents
For environmental reasons, the quantity of paper distributed during the Youth Summit will be limited to a strict minimum. Upon arrival, each participant will receive a copy of the program and the necessary documents. No folder will be provided: we invite participants to bring a binder or folder from another activity – it will add variety to our gathering. Also, we invite each participant to bring his/her own notepad and pencil, in order to avoid wastefulness.
Language
The Youth Summit will be held in both official languages. Simultaneous translation will be offered for certain conferences given in only one language. For certain activities, such as workshops and panels, participants will be divided according to language, in order to facilitate sharing of ideas. We are making every effort to ensure that all feel part of the event, including providing bilingual music and emceeing. The ordination will be held primarily in French, but a bilingual leaflet will be provided to Anglophone participants.
4. Registration
Registration is handled by each diocesan Youth Delegate. This person is the main point of contact in your diocese for all questions concerning the Youth Summit. We invite you to communicate with him/her to be informed about the registration process in your diocese. List of Youth Delegates.
You can register individually or as member of a group. In both cases, each participant must complete a Registration Form.
The registration form must be handed in to the Youth Delegate.
The deadline for registration is April 20, 2006. After this date, we cannot guarantee your registration, which will depend on available space. Please communicate with us.
5. In Preparation for the Youth Summit
Your Youth Summit experience will be even more rich if you come prepared. We propose here some tools, to be explored individually or with your group, in order to begin your pilgrimage towards the International Eucharistic Congress.
Celebrate WYD 2006 : Many dioceses are preparing a celebration to mark World Youth Day 2006 on Palm Sunday :
Montreal - Quebec City - Ottawa - Other dioceses
More tools to come, inlcuding activities to do on the way to Quebec City! We invite you to visit this page regularly.
6. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to communicate with:
Debra Violette
Assistant Director for Youth
Tél. : 418 688-1211, poste 257
e-mail : [email protected]
Download the poster (PDF Document)
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