When young people, hailing from different regions, churches, histories, and hopes, converged in one place, ecumenism ceased to be an idea and became an encounter. The NCCI Commission on Youth organised the School of Ecumenism from 12th to 16th August 2026, bringing together 35 young people representing NCCI constituents from Assam, Jharkhand, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu & Telangana. The five-day programme provided a space for young people to engage with the meaning and practice of ecumenism through reflection, dialogue, worship, cultural exchange, and exposure to various diversities.
Its commencement with the observance of International Youth Day, bringing young people and youth leaders into conversation around the theme Different Contexts, Common Aspirations brought resource persons from diverse faith traditions and professional backgrounds, encouraging participants to reflect critically on their responsibilities as young people and as members of a pluralistic society.
Across the five-day programme, participants were encouraged to learn, unlearn, and relearn, deepening their understanding of ecumenism while engaging with the rich plurality of faiths, traditions, and practices that shape India’s diverse social and religious landscape. Through interactive sessions and critical discussions, participants engaged with the theological foundations, historical development, contemporary expressions, and emerging challenges of ecumenism, fostering a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the ecumenical movement. The programme sought to move beyond understanding ecumenism solely as an institutional or organisational concern and presented it as a lived shared-commitment to unity, justice, dialogue, and mutual respect.
School of Ecumenism intentionally created space for transgender persons, persons with disabilities, and people across generations, to highlight the importance of creating communities in which diversity is recognised, respected, and meaningfully included. Learning extended beyond the classroom through immersive visits and meaningful dialogues with multi-faith communities and social movements, enabling participants to engage with diverse perspectives, lived realities, and collective struggles for justice.
Yet the deepest learning was perhaps found in the spaces between people. Strangers slowly became companions; difference became dialogue; dialogue ripened into friendship. What began as a gathering of diverse individuals ended as a community carrying a shared ecumenical consciousness. They came as strangers but left as friends, and most significantly, as ambassadors of ecumenism.
The third School of Ecumenism, a significant annual event of the NCCI Commission on Youth, thus provided a meaningful platform for young people to embody, embrace and advance the spirit of ecumenism in their churches and communities.
The team of interns and volunteers, Ms. Lina Zhimo, Mr. Methuselah Riahmei, Mr. Emmanuel Joel, and Ms. Irene David, provided assistance, while Mr. Bevei Simeon Konha, Program Executive – COY, facilitated the programme. Ms. Smriti Priyansha, Executive Secretary – COY, coordinated the overall programme. Their collective efforts ensured the programme’s smooth and effective execution.
Smriti Priyansha
Executive Secretary – Commission on Youth
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