|TOP|Young Christians gathered from across Europe to take part in a unique training event put together by the Ecumenical Youth Council in Europe to equip them with the skills they need to engage more deeply with the issues of economic justice and social inclusion.

Youth leaders and other interested young Christians gathered in Bankya, Bulgaria, for the special “Make Poverty History – Promoting Economic Justice and Social Inclusion” course to develop the tools and methods that will help them promote equal opportunities for socially excluded youth and to promote economic justice.

EYCE held the course with the hope of tackling one of the key areas of engagement for the council, working with young people to make the world a more just place.

The course was inspired by the call to world leaders from Nelson Mandela in February 2005 to make poverty history and numerous requests to the council for an event to be held on the issue of economic justice.

|AD|The youth leaders from countries all across Europe explored current issues including social exclusion and economic justice with a view to developing ideas for how youth organisations could contribute to improvements in these two areas.

The objectives of the course were also to empower youth leaders to make a difference and work toward these goals as well as to help participants to develop concrete projects that could match the social realities in their countries.

Participants in the event were challenged by seminars and numerous speakers to consider the biblical backgrounds of economic equality and the role of Christianity in making poverty history.

The event ended with a joint declaration from the youth in which they called upon the church leaders in Europe to lead the call for economic justice and commit themselves to further educate themselves and the young people they are working with.