Mags GarganAlmost 600 secondary school students attended Spiritan Youth Day
Almost 600 secondary school students attended the third annual Spiritan Youth Day (SYD) in Dublin last weekend.
Under the theme ‘One Heart, One Spirit’ the day was about mission and being a community of people who share a common vision inspired by Gospel values.
The keynote speakers included Fr Peter McVerry, Rory Halpin and Miriam Omoro from Spirasi and Dr Tony Bates from Headstrong.
Connect
Fr McVerry invited the students to connect with a homeless person by saying hello, a simple acknowledgement from one human to another. Miriam Omoro shared her experience of war in Uganda and as a person seeking asylum in Ireland. Dr Bates spoke about young people’s mental health in Ireland.
The speakers also formed a panel to answer questions tweeted from the students facilitated by Aaron Copeland.
During the day songs that related to the theme were performed by a group from each college facilitated by their music teachers. Participants wore SYD 2013 t-shirts designed by Jack Kennedy from St Michael’s College, which was chosen through a logo competition in school art classes.