It was 2018 when the Youth for a United World (Y4UW) launched a six-year strategy called “Pathways for a United World” during their international meeting in Manila. As it has been for many years every first week of May, the United World Week (UWW) has served as the Y4UW’s global showcase of initiatives rooted in the commitment to build a more peaceful world, and has also become the concluding point of the current Pathway and the launching point of the next one. For the past year since June 2020, the Y4UW have been working on the third Pathway – Active Citizenship and Politics for Unity – under the banner of #DareToCare.

The threat of the pandemic did not stop the Y4UW and its other collaborators in finding creative ways to celebrate this year’s UWW, the second time amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As of the latest record, there were 197 events in 55 countries, not yet counting the 400 Run4Unity events that took place in the same week. In the Philippines, a series of activities was also held. On two consecutive Saturdays (May 1 and 8), the children of the Focolare Movement led an Online Rosary via Zoom to pray for unity and peace. This was done in different Filipino languages and dialects as well as in Arabic as the Gen 4[1] from the Holy Land also joined them. The following day, the Teens4Unity held the Run4Unity, a planetary relay race that took place from 11 am to 12 noon in each time zone. South Korea passed the baton to the Philippines, signaling the beginning of the Run4Unity in our country. The program included experiences of teens on how they contribute to building a more united world in the places they live, and a series of varied presentations of musical numbers that included Filipino folk and ethnic dances. The Young Ones for Unity of the University of Santo Tomas Senior High School took the opportunity to launch the Zero Hunger Project. Towards the end of the program, the Teens4Unity led the Time-Out for Peace prayer and passed the baton to the next country, Indonesia, by running to the Consulate General of Indonesia in Davao City. In the afternoon, they simultaneously conducted a webinar on Politics for Unity, and workshops on Zero Hunger and Building Bridges. The following weekend, a virtual concert (U-Nite) was held with performances from youth all over the Philippines and discussions on the importance of voting since it was nearly a year before the next national elections. It also served as the local release of “Reach,” the theme song of #DareToCare which was composed and written by Filipino band Gen Giallo.

One of the highlights of the UWW was the 25th anniversary of the Politics for Unity Movement with the dissemination of a new document that is addressed to everyone “towards a politics of quality,” as the title suggests. In the document, the appeal was to have “better politics, not a perfect kind of politics” but one which is both “gentle” (by differentiating it from hostile communication) and “strong” (by making vigorous choices). On May 6, Living Peace International and the National Association of UNESCO Clubs in the Philippines led the “Care for Peace” program for English-speaking youth. It was a moment to share experiences, projects, and initiatives on building and preserving peace anchored to the #DareToCare campaign. On May 8, a webinar on combatting online child exploitation spearheaded by Communion and Law[2] was held, inviting experts from the Philippines as speakers.

Towards the end of the week-long celebration, the Dare to Care International Convention was held, commencing with the opening segment at the Atomium monument in Brussels, Belgium. It served as a recap of the many beautiful experiences and initiatives that were done to promote a more caring world through political commitment and active citizenship. This was followed by a moment of dialogue with the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, who said that dialogue with young people is essential and affirmed that care is the goal of politics. He invited young people to discover the vocation to politics and how important it is to ensure that politics really responds to the needs of others, referring to it as a Christian vision. He also told them that “we cannot allow ourselves to come out of a crisis every time with huge inequalities.” This moment of dialogue was followed by several other programs, including that of the Economy of Francesco and others. May 8 was delegated as “Care Day” which was an opportunity for local meetings and actions. In the Philippines, a #DareToCare challenge was held with personal initiatives by giving care packages prepared by many, including the youth of Antique, who delivered them to senior citizens. Those from Tagaytay also did this while serenading their “lolos” and “lolas”[3] as they went around their neighborhood. There were also group actions such as the coastal clean-up along the beach line in Mati, Davao Oriental. On the last day of the international convention, a new Pathway was launched. It is a continuation of #DareToCare – People, Planet, and our Ecological Conversion. People from around the world and across generations gave their “Planet Pledge” to respond to the invitation of the new Pathway. Among the many segments that followed was the launching of a new project called “Accessible Environments, Inclusive Society.” It aims to help spread a culture of environmental accessibility where no one, “regardless of their physical or cognitive condition, no longer encounters any architectural, technological or social barrier that affects their mobility, limits their relationships, and prevents their full realization as persons and as citizens.”

The local celebration of UWW in the Philippines concluded with the launching of the Adopt-a-Family Project, a joint initiative of the Focolare’s New Families and the Y4UW, which aims to raise funds for families whose livelihoods were hit hard by the pandemic. One of the first recipients was a group of Muslim families in Quezon City who received care packages at the end of Ramadan.

While the UWW has concluded, that week served only as a springboard to continue daring one another to care for people and the planet.

Gio Francisco

[1] The children living the spirituality of unity of the Focolare Movement

[2] The Focolare’s international network of jurists, students, and practitioners of the most diverse fields of law in the world

[3] Literally, grandparents; also an affectionate way Filipinos call old people in the Philippines