International Catholic Conference of
Guiding
An open year
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The year 1999 has been declared by the UN as the "year open to all generations". The Holy Seat has decided to adopt this UN proposal, and so all chritians throughout the world are invited to tranform next year into a year of dialogue between generations.
There will be surely very nice speeches and great official ceremonies. Books will be published and studies be made, but this is not relevant. Therelevant result will depend on what each individual will decide to do, and what concrete actions will be taken. Too many Western societies have already lost the richness that results form the meeting between generations. One lives in separate worlds: the young in places reserved for the young, the old in places reserved for the old.
Even more traditional societies are to-day shaken by the influence of the market, that looks at children, the young, those working and the elderly purely as consummers. The young or the old are nothing but clients, ending up living each in a different world in a separate universe. Each generations ends up in a Ghetto.
Traditionally guiding has always been an educational method based on contact between generations.
The leader is an "old one", elder compared to the girls for whom she is responsible. And there are women of yet another generation, who are in charge of the regional of national leadership. Guiding can only fucnction in a context of inter-generational communication. It gives us a splendid occasion to contribute to the project called for by the UN and the Church. A spendid occasion for guiding all over the world too, to enlage its inter-generational contacts, meeting its "elders", who posess experience, history, living memory and roots.
In 1999, Christian faith that is also communion, sharing and living together, Christian faith that respects differences and not only as far as languages and races are concerned, but also differences of age, Christian faith will be for guides a source of imagination and creativity for the year "open to all generations". It is you who will make things happen during that year. Why not share your plans and realisations with the ICCG?
Please let us know about your concrete actions.... Thank you! all our love,
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