Prior to the 5th World Social Forum (WSF) on 26-31 January, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has supported the ecumenical youth pre-event in Porto Alegre, Brazil, which brought 80 young people from all over the world for Bible studies, exposure visits and sessions introducing the WSF's main issues.
The 4-day gathering held on 23-26 January was hosted by the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) of Rio Grande do Sul, organised by the World Alliances of Young Men’s and Young Women’s Christian Associations and the World Student Christian Federation (WSCF).
Referring to the theme "Another World is Possible" of the WSF, young people spoke of their commitment to build a better world. They have also joined the singing, dancing, watching presentations of songs and the traditional Brazilian capoeira.
"This meeting is an ice-breaker on our way to proclaim and build a different world," WSCF former secretary general Nana Brew said in his opening remarks. "Once the event is over, I hope that each one of us will have learned something new and will do something different. We are not only preparing for the World Social Forum - we are even more preparing for what we will do afterwards in our everyday life."
After the exposure visit to the YMCA children’s day nursery, Gustavo Andrade, coordinator of the YMCA Rio Grande do Sul youth department reflected, "You don’t have to be a hero to make the world a little better. This visit inspired all of us to look out for the needs in our own countries."
Costa Rican professor of theology Elsa Tamez appreciated the energy of young people to work towards a better world, saying that theologians should learn from committed ecumenical youth.
"Theologians are too often afraid of connecting the gospel to social issues. Young people, however, have the courage to say whatever they want. Theology must become more courageous," she commented.
On 21st-25th January, 180 theologians from all parts of the world participated in the World Forum on Theology and Liberation in Porto Alegre, Brazil. They also discussed how to make a new world possible in a theological context.