The World Youth Programme (WYP) is a joint effort between churches and national, regional and global ecumenical organizations to build the capacity of youth in the churches and ecumenical movement. WYP partners include young people in local churches, denominational youth ministries, youth workers in national or regional ecumenical organizations and other international Christian youth organizations.

The World Youth Programme supports youth to…

• Break down confessional, religious, class, cultural/ethnic and gender divisions among youth aged 18-30 years,

• Build youth networks sustained by local youth movements that exchange information, ideas and support,

• Renew the relationship between the church and youth,

• Equip young people to be agents of justice and peace,

• Raise awareness among youth leaders of cutting-edge issues in the ecumenical movement,

• Highlight the ideas and insights of young people for the churches and ecumenical movement,

• Develop ecumenical resource materials made by and for young people,

• Support young people's self-development programmes that translate and contextualize "ecumenism" so that it makes sense to young people,

• Facilitate national, regional and interregional cooperation, networking and exchanges between youth in the ecumenical movement in order to build community and solidarity,

• Support capacity building opportunities for youth to expand their knowledge and skills so they can better serve the churches.

From 2006 to 2007, over forty projects were supported or initiated through the World Youth Programme in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Pacific regions. Through these projects, over five thousand young people directly participated in seminars, workshops, conferences, ecumenical prayer services and production of media resources supported by WYP. The projects supported through WYP prepared youth to become skilled resource leaders in areas such as leadership development, communication, interfaith dialogue, peer-counselling, HIV/AIDS prevention, human rights advocacy, paralegal documentation, conflict resolution, project planning, working with other churches and theological analysis. Young people who have participated in these projects are trained to continue using these skills in their churches and communities.