Cardinal Joseph Cardijn and the Beginning of YCS

The history of YCS is linked to the life and vision of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn, a pioneer of Catholic Social Action and Lay apostolate in the church. Cardijn was a strong believer that Human Beings are created in the image of God, to live in Dignity. However, the reality of society, where majority of people were living in de-humanized situations, was contradictory to this belief. He promoted organized people's movements, using the pedagogy of See - Judge - Act, to change this contradiction.

Cardijn initially started International Young Christian Workers (IYCW) Movement in 1925, but later, students inspired by it's impact, initiated the International Young Christian Students (IYCS), using a similar approach. Cardijn strongly believed that Workers are the best apostles amongst Workers and so the Students.

THE REVIEW OF LIFE (See - Judge - Act / Awareness - Reflection - Action)

The Review of Life is more than pedagogy - it is the YCS Spirituality and it is a Way of Life. The three steps are simple, yet, complex and has a deep meaning. To See...is to See as Jesus Saw: This means a "Seeing" with our eyes, hearts, and minds. To see reality objectively and deeply. Not only issues, but their causes and consequences on the life of people, especially students. To Judge.....is to Judge as Jesus Judged: We do not aspire to Judge others, but rather, allow our Faith to Judge our options, values, attitudes. We Judge whether the reality we encountered is God's will and if not, we reflect on what should be the ideal situation. To Act.....is to Act as Jesus Acted: As an active apostolate and movement, we respond to the reality, at a personal level, as well as with our community.

What is YCS all about?

YCS is a Movement of the Students, By the Students and For the Students.

YCS is a Lay Movement, which shares the Mission and Life of the Church initiated by Jesus Christ. Students with all faiths are involved in YCS Asia, bringing out the richness of the different religious traditions in this land of religiosity.

YCS is a Cell based Movement - groups of student in a particular community (School, Parish, Village, City etc.), gathering together regularly to do Review of Life and other initiatives which is the heart of YCS.

YCS is an International Movement. We are an International Catholic Organization (ICO) recognized by the Vatican, and an International Non Governmental Organization (NGO), with consultative status at United Nations ECOSOC.

YCS is a Movement not just an organization, club, association or Federation. A community of students with a common vision of making God's Kingdom reign on this earth here & now, for all people to live in dignity.

The option of YCS is an option for the poor.

The Mission of YCS

Formative:
A primary vocation of YCS is the formation of the students to be responsible and critical actors in School, Church & society today, as well as in the future.

Evangelization:
To Evangelize today, is to announce the Good News to the Poor of Today - that is to share and give witness to the Life giving and Liberating Message of Jesus Christ - it is TO DO, as well as TO TELL.

Transformative:
YCS seeks to transform unjust structures and situations, as well as values, attitudes and options of students & youth. Therefore, the transformation happens at two levels - personal, as well as societal. Though we are concerned with the whole society, we focus on the student milieu.

Liberative:
YCS tries to see the causes of issues faced by the student milieu and society and attempts to respond to these with a Liberative perspective.

YCS in Asia

In Asia, the YCS has a history of over 50 years. At this point of our growth, We are present in:

South Asia: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
South East Asia: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam
East Asia: Hong Kong-China, Korea, and Taiwan
Extensions: Brunei, China, Indonesia, Japan, Macao and Myanmar

The IYCS Asia is coordinated by the Asian Team based in the Philippines. The Asian Team presently comprises of three full-time layperson of Aloysius Tan, Loucille Alcala and Manoj Mathew, the part-time chaplaincy of Brother John D'Cruz and Ms. Rungtip Imrungruang (Jim).