LAF, or Leaders and Animators Formation program, was a two-day event that was held in Trichy for Don Bosco Youth from the provinces of Bangalore, Chennai, and Trichy. The program had two sessions each day, and it started on August 19th and ended on August 20th.
On the first day, five participants from Karnataka were traditionally welcomed by Trichy youths, and the event was inaugurated by all province’s youth directors and animators. The first session, which started at 10:15 am, was taken by Fr. George Chinnappan SDB, and the topic was “Empowering Leaders through Strong Relationships.” During the session, there was a break for tea, and lunch break was at 12:45 pm. The second session started at 2:15 pm, and it was taken by Fr. Jaya Simmon SDB on the topic of “Exploring the Spirituality of SYM.” There was another break for tea, followed by Holy Mass at 5:30 pm. In the evening, there was preparation for the campfire at 7:30 pm, followed by dinner at 8:00 pm. The campfire started at 8:45 pm, and there were small games with four provinces. Before going to bed, there was a small prayer.
On the second day, participants woke up around 6:15 am and got ready for Holy Mass, which started at 7:15 am in Tamil. Breakfast was served at 8:15 am. The third session started at 9:15 am, and it was taken by Fr. Bernard Sha SDB, Rector of Pre-Novitiate, Dindigul. The topic was “Nurturing Holistic Development for Today’s Youth.” The fourth session started at 11:15 am, and it was taken by Fr. Selva SDB, Assistant Director. The topic was “Exploring Spirituality in the Digital Age.” Lunch was served at 1:00 pm, and the session continued until 3:00 pm. From 3:00 pm, there was a group discussion and evaluation of LAF, sharing, and concluding ceremony. The event ended with tea at 4:00 pm and departure.
