The challenge has gone out to all young people to join in the livesimply initiative, which calls on young people to re-examine and simplify their hoarding consumer lifestyles in favour of God-ordained simple and sustainable living in solidarity with poor people. The initiative will be launched on National Youth Sunday on November 26.

According to CAFOD, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, young people are at the forefront of the rallying call to "live simply, sustainably and in solidarity" when livesimply launches across parishes in England and Wales.

The new initiative has been put together to coincide with this year's National Youth Sunday and CAFOD hopes it will "galvanise the Catholic community and the wider general public to take personal responsibility for creating change," it said on its website.

livesimply is hoping that the initiative will contribute towards the creation of a world in which human dignity is respected and that young participants will come away with a greater sense of the impact that their lives have on poor people and the environment.

CAFOD youth co-ordinator Monica Conmee says: "Iivesimply has hit a nerve with young people. Many are already doing their bit to fight world poverty, but this challenge is a great way for them to take the lead in parishes and communities to get us to re-examine our consumer lifestyles.

"We often say that young people are the future, but in fact they are the present, they are here with us now, and have much to offer society.

"As we enter Advent, young people will be reflecting on livesimply, sharing ideas on how they are going to take action and make their challenges a lifestyle reality."

James Ryan, 18, from Brentwood, has participated in livesimply workshops in his parish and is ready to get involved.

"We don't care enough about things like recycling, and fairtrade, which is why I want to get involved with CAFOD's livesimply challenge - because it is doing simply that, challenging us to sit up and care."

Katie Bailiss, 18, from Whitstable in Kent, has attended similar workshops. She said: "We are not really being asked to do something massive - after all we have so much here, we consume so much.

"So, if our actions here can make the difference to a life, a family, a community somewhere else in the world, then let's change our lifestyles to make that happen."

CAFOD is one of 30 Catholic organisations as well as more organisations in the Church of England which are ready to take part in Livesimply. They include the Pontifical Mission Societies, Justice and Peace, and Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

Livesimply is the outworking of a prophetic document by Pope Paul VI in 1967 centred on the principle that "God intended the earth and everything in it for the use of all human beings and peoples".