Ecumenical International Youth Day 2026: Creating healing spaces
The online commemoration will take place in two sessions, at 9:00 CEST and 15:00 CEST, enabling young people and faith communities from different regions and time zones to participate—combining prayer and creative presentations with reflection on the “breaches” affecting communities, examples of healing initiatives, resource persons, training, shared experiences, and opportunities for discussion in breakout groups.
This year’s Ecumenical International Youth Day comes at a time when young people are navigating deeply interconnected challenges, including war and conflict, social injustice, discrimination, economic hardship, violence, political instability, mental health struggles, climate anxiety, and spiritual disconnection.
Against this backdrop, the 2026 theme recognizes that young people are not only seeking spaces of healing—they are already creating them. In churches, schools, communities, organizations, and online spaces, young people are demonstrating compassion, solidarity, love, and care through listening, supporting others, speaking out against injustice, accompanying people experiencing vulnerability and exclusion, and building more inclusive communities.
World Council of Churches (WCC) programme executive for Young People in the Ecumenical Movement Abigayle Bolado said “the theme’s focus on R.E.S.T.- Restore, Empower, Strengthen, Thrive, calls attention to the importance of healing oneself to become a safe space for others; restoring relationships and communities from the breaches; strengthening our capacity to advocate for justice; and working together for the healing of the world, and maintaining the dignity of the whole creation. This is the time to encourage again, our churches and faith groups to be a channel of healing and light, especially at times like this.”
Ecumenical International Youth Day 2026 will be organized by the WCC youth engagement desk in partnership with the Middle East Council of Churches Youth, and Pacific Conference of Churches Youth, together with the WCC programmes on Health and Healing and Ecumenical Diakonia.
