A delegation from the Caritas Oceania Youth Alliance travelled to Sydney and Canberra to participate in the Pacific-Australian Emerging Leaders conference. Source: Caritas Australia.
COYA members Amenda Havili from Tonga, Johannes Uili from Samoa and Winton Herman from the Cook Islands attended the conference.
The summit is part of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Pacific Church Partnerships Program, which seeks to promote and build on the longstanding cultural and spiritual links between Australian First Nations and Pacific peoples.
Now in its fourth year, the summit is organised by Micah Australia and the Pacific Conference of Churches.
Each year up to one hundred emerging leaders from Pacific Nations, all aged 22 to 35, gather to discuss key development priorities for young people and their communities.
These discussions happen between Pacific and Australian First Nations peoples and lead up to a number of meetings with MPs.
Throughout a weeklong program starting on November 22, delegates were hosted by First Nations PAELS facilitators, allowing for intercultural sharing, and made a visit to Parliament’s Aboriginal Tent Embassy.
They also attended church services in Stanwell Tops, the chapel of the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture, and Canberra Baptist Church.
At a Parliamentary welcome event on November 27 in Canberra, delegates were addressed by Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong before embarking on a full day of MP meetings.
All delegates were supported by the PAELs team, elders, and mentors, to prepare for and conduct the meetings.
Caritas Australia programs director Dan Skehan said, “PAELS undoubtedly contributes to the current and future success of a raft of Australian Government initiatives that are targeted at supporting resilience and prosperity in the Pacific.
“These initiatives are often activated through a rich tapestry of church networks in the Pacific, with many of these networks working in partnership with Caritas Oceania, Caritas Australia, and the wider Caritas federation.”
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Caritas Oceania Youth Alliance visits Parliament for the Pacific-Australian Emerging Leaders conference (Caritas Australia)
