For twenty years, DBYN has been offering seminars, study sessions, training courses, youth exchanges, study-related visits and other projects to young people from its member organizations. The network immediately achieved great success and continues to grow. After a first experience, most of the participants perceive the sense of belonging to an international community and the feeling of belonging to the DBYN family begins to be felt.
Those who join this international network then begin to participate in other internal activities and in this way have the opportunity to expand their learning experiences and join an international group of friends. Some participants become DBYN trainers and formators themselves, passing on their experiences to participants or younger trainers. DBYN's own education system offers a value base based on Christian elements and human rights. It also creates and fosters personal and professional skills. In this way, DBYN wants to make a difference for young people, helping them to grow and create an independent life for themselves. It also encourages them to take an active role as citizens through active participation in local communities, shaping a more just and welcoming society for all.
The twentieth-anniversary celebrations were held on August 22. A weekend of celebrations was originally planned in Germany but due to the pandemic, this celebration was postponed to the summer of 2021. So the party moved online to Zoom. The celebration began with Mass and continued with the greeting of the first and last presidents of the network. Then there was a toast among all the participants and, finally, a good night, offered by a trainer.
“This Goodnight was the testimony of a trainer who told us how much the network means for her and how much she has learned and continues to learn through it,” they explain from DBYN. “It was moving, emotionally speaking. For a year we will continue our celebration with past and current members, all of whom are part of the DBYN family. We will have several online activities and we are looking forward to having a big reunion-celebration next summer, hopefully in person.”
