Train the Trainer in Youth Ministry
DBYES, Nairobi, 2nd to 6th August 2021
“Train the Trainer in Youth Ministry” has been one of the flagship programmes of Don Bosco Youth Educational Services (DBYES, Nairobi) right from its beginning, in the year 2000. Frs Glenford Lowe, Tom Kunnel, Sebastian Kodalyil, and Joe Prabhu, supported by Fr Tony Fernandes, launched this programme, and replicated it in different ways across East Africa. Fr Sahaya G. Selvam, who learnt at the feet of these great giants of Salesian Youth Ministry in Eastern Africa, consolidated this initiative in the Scaffoldings Programme: Training Youth in Christian Life Skills. The manual of which was published by Paulines Africa in 2008.
In Tanzania, Chuo cha Maisha has been running since 2006 in Dar es Salaam Archdiocese and currently being run in Morogoro. In Nairobi Archdiocese, Scaffoldings programme is recommended for the age group of 13 to 19. It is noteworthy that this programme has also received some attention from non-Catholic churches in Kenya and Tanzania.
After some years of break, this year, the Train the Trainer has been revived at DBYES, Nairobi. The workshop that took place from 2nd to 6th August 2021, received an overwhelming response from the participants.
In spite of targeting 25 participants due to COVID restrictions, there were 38 participants. The participants included some priests, religious, and mostly youth animators and leaders, from parishes and NGOs. The training was facilitated by Mr Dominic Kamau and Mr Anastasio Nyaga. The team was led by Fr Selvam.
DBYES hopes to replicate this programme at least twice annually. The sequel to this training is also under preparation; this will focus on character building among young people in Africa.
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