Myanmar Youth Leadership Program Launches Ninth Formation Batch in Yangon

Young Lives Myanmar officially launched its ninth formation batch on May 20 at the compound of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Myanmar in Sanchaung Township, Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city and commercial center.

The program opened with a Mass presided over by Bishop Lucas Dau Ze Jeimphaung of Lashio in northern Myanmar and concelebrated by three priests.

Twenty-two young participants from 11 dioceses across Myanmar attended the launch. The participants traveled from different regions of the country to begin a year-long formation program focused on leadership development, community service, and personal formation.

The initiative is organized in collaboration with the National Catholic Youth Commission and the Young Lives Development Center (YLDC), Yangon. The program is supported by Fondacio Asia, which has worked in Myanmar since 2000 at the invitation of the bishops’ conference.

According to organizers, the program aims to prepare young Catholics for leadership roles in their parishes, dioceses, and local communities. The formation includes English language training, computer literacy, life skills education, and community-based learning activities.

Participants also take part in group living, intercultural exchange sessions, and mentoring activities designed to strengthen collaboration among young people from Myanmar’s different ethnic and cultural communities.

Church organizations in the country have increasingly focused on youth formation and community-building initiatives amid ongoing social and economic challenges.

Organizers said the Young Lives program seeks to create long-term community impact by encouraging graduates to return to their dioceses as youth leaders, mentors, and pastoral workers.

Fondacio Asia initially began its mission in Myanmar by supporting pastoral planning initiatives and later assisting in the establishment of the national Karuna office, the Church’s social service arm. Over the past two decades, the organization has expanded its work in youth formation and community development programs.

The launch of Batch 9 marks the continuation of the Young Lives initiative, which has trained young people from different dioceses in Myanmar over the past several years.