Members of the AUCS “Obnova” attract students towards the more active way of youth life

One of such organizations is the Association of Ukrainian Catholic Students "Obnova”, who actually performed the above mentioned action. The Kyiv "Obnova" brings together students from various educational institutions and organizes weekly seminars on theological, social and psychological topics; the reports during those seminars are prepared by the very members of this Association. Moreover, the members of the organization care about the cultural life: the society gathers young people for the creative parties and charity balls, as well as, holds festivals of folk and popular music. Since the beginning of this year, the Center of Academic Pastorship of the Kyiv Archdiocese started to operate in Kyiv; it is engaged in pastoral care of students who actually initiated the action. According to Father Volodymyr Malchyn, who is the head of the Center, often young people, who one day find themselves in the center of a big city like Kyiv, lose their basic values ​​and guidelines in their lives, as there is no one to control them.  That is the reason why the Church wishes to help such people, and unobtrusively offers them to take the right choices in their lives; such choices that are based on Christian values. We teach our students to value the gift of freedom given to us by God, and to use this gift in such a way, so as to be happy both here on earth and in eternity. "

This method of informing the newcomer to Kyiv students about the life of youth within the UGCC was selected mainly due to the understanding that a number of those young people who are travelling to the capital for studies do not know neither where the Greek-Catholic temples are, nor whether there are any youth communities. Halyna Kopystenska, who is the head of the Kyiv “Obnova”, reveals the purpose of the campaign: "It is particularly important, in my opinion, to meet students in Kiev and show them that they are not isolated individuals, who are lost in the crazy whirlwind of the city events, but vice versa-are the part of a community - part of the Greek-Catholic Church".

The opportunity to spend time being surrounded by the circle of young people in an interesting way will already be possible soon. Dancing lessons for couples have already started; those couples will perform on a dance show during the Charity Ball, which is held each year in autumn not far from Kyiv on the initiative of the Greek-Catholic youth organizations. In the "Impreza" camp, which will take place already in September near Kyiv, participants will have the possibility to participate in team or intellectual games, contests, discussions as well as the traditional campfire that will be accompanied by songs and goodies.

Together with the leisure and academic discussions, Kyiv students have the possibility to find good friends within those Christian youth communities as well as become enriched spiritually. "You will, indeed, feel the changes happening to your soul", - tells Mykola Marhunov, who, together with other members of youth communities welcomed students at the railway station in Kyiv. According to him, being involved in the activities of other laity organizations, allowed him to learn more about God and meet new company, the lifestyle of which is way better than the one of the usual surrounding.  Members of the AUCS “Obnova” hope that with the help of such campaigns, Kyiv students will start the new academic year in the corcle of young interesting people, with whom they will have the possibility not only to discuss the theological and social issues, but also to have fun.

The campaign was conducted within the framework of “United Youth Space” of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church. Organizers do express their sincere gratitude towards the heads of the youth commissions of Lviv, Frankivdk and Ternopil, for the support in the conduction of this campaign.

As reported by Iryna Fedets’