There was an election at the ICA General Assembly held last February, and the following people were elected:
- Bernhard Bormann, a former member of the German YCW, was a member of the IYCW International team. He is currently working as a regional secretary of the KAB (Catholic Worker movement) in Rothenburg-Stuttgart. Bernhard represents the continuity, ensuring the bridge with the new advisors as he started to cooperate with the IYCW two years ago, in particular for the organization of the European Colloquy held in 2019.
- Marinete Alves Bayer was a member of the IYCW International Team from 1983 to 1987. She is a former YCW member from Brazil who lives in Spain. She is currently involved in several local social organizations in Spain and is very active in the Joseph Cardijn Educational Encounter Association.
- Michele Di Nanno was also a member of the IYCW International Team from 1983 to 1987. He is originally from Italy and is a former member of the Walloon YCW (Belgium). Very active and coordinator within the movement of permanent and popular education in Belgium, Michele will act as a bridge between the ICA and the Belgian particularities, as the IYCW secretariat is located in Brussels.
- Finally, Ludovicus Mardiyono was president of the International YCW from 2012 to 2016 and he was also president of the Indonesian YCW. He is the "most recent former member" of the IYCW. With his communication skills, he will assist the IYCW and the ICA, among others in editing and publishing website articles and newsletters that will be produced to keep you informed about actions and views on issues of importance to youth and the IYCW.
With these newcomers, and in collaboration with the international team and the IYCW secretariat, we hope to further the mission of the IYCW and strengthen the international movement.
Over the past few months, the ICA has held several integration meetings with the new advisors. We have decided to work with two commissions: one will deal with communication issues, the other with financial issues. Furthermore, we have appointed people to follow the work on the archives, which have already been transferred to Kadoc (Leuven).
The preparation of the International Council of the IYCW, which will be held online from September 25 to 29, is a great motivation. It is the main activity in the IYCW calendar as it will define the important contents and coordination of the IYCW for the next four years.