A Catholic youth organization is joining several other youth groups to channelize youth power across India, to mark the United Nations International Year of Youth. The “Jago Yuva Bharat” (awaken young India) campaign is a 61-day journey starting from Jan. 12 to mobilize youth and make them more aware of national and international issues, said Father Alwyn M. J. D’Souza, Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India’s Commission for Youth. The journey will focus on the UN’s eight millennium development goals which include: national integration, climate change and youth-led development, he said. Thirty one young people from all over India will take part in the journey. The campaign, which starts in Kanyakumari, in southern India, will be in five phases and will end in New Delhi on March 13. “It is a journey to sensitize young people and bring them into the mainstream,” said Father D’Souza. He said the journey will be a message passed from youth to youth to become responsible citizens. The participants will visit 4,000 villages and present programs in about 150 institutions. The participants will present songs, dance, street plays and distribute leaflets to motivate the young generation about these issues, journey organizer Rakesh Singh said. The journey already has participants excited. “We want to reach out to local people along the way. So we have prepared different items which will have an effect on them,” said participant John Kujur. The UN’s International Year of Youth runs from Aug. 12, 2010-Aug. 11, 2011. The journey is being organized by the Youth Activ8 foundation, the CBCI Commission for Youth, Indian Catholic Youth Movement, FIMCAP, an international federation of Catholic parochial youth movements, among others. Related report Catholic youths march for peace IC12745.1635