Montreal, Canada—Twenty religious and civil society representatives responded to UPF-Montreal’s invitation to its monthly breakfast meeting on March 6, 2018, where they heard three young panelists speak on the theme, "Youth and Spirituality."
After a short presentation on recent UPF events in Senegal and Korea, the three young panelists shared their reflections on the role spirituality plays in their daily lives and their vision of the future of spirituality.
One spoke of his journey in search of God. Taking advantage of the international network of his church, he chose to travel to seek God by offering his services to local populations.
A second youth emphasized that the role of young people is to be a beacon for others, and that is the sense of responsibility that drives his daily life.
The third, an international studies student, spoke of her perception of the future. The basic education of young people today is different from previous generations; young people are growing up in an environment where both concern for the preservation of the planet is omnipresent and all forms of communication are being transformed. This, she said, is leading young people to believe that a new form of governance might emerge.
The discussion that followed reinforced the idea that young people have a different approach to life, but that they can go further with the support of older people, including seniors, if they take the time to understand each other.
All three panelists expressed that the search for spirituality is present in the path of the young, but that this quest is based more on the search for universal values than on dogmatic religions, which must become more open.