Global Youth Day 2016 is in the history books, by now. All the youth are enjoying very good souvenirs of an action-filled day. They offered to the church a real image of an army ready to make the difference.
The activities made the tour of the world thanks to the tireless work of the organizers and the technicians of Stimme der Hoffnung, Seventh-day Adventist Inter-European Region (EUD) Media Center. The setting up of the studio, organized by Stefan Fraunberger, captured the wonder of all: organizers, hosts, youth, etc. Daryl Gungadoo, Engineer at Adventist World Radio, proposed to set up a cockpit and a cabin of an aircraft as the scenario for the world broadcasting: the idea gave the context for this edition of GYD.
Behind the scenes, a team worked 24 hours around the clock to guarantee the connections from Fiji, the first link, to Washington DC, the last one. Everything went according to expectations, including some “plan B” solutions for technical difficulties with some external studios.
Here some reactions from the organizers:
“Any evaluation of GYD needs to be conducted in reference to its original vision and objectives; it must be stated at the very outset that GYD is not a ‘good idea’, but truly a ‘God Movement’ for such a time as this. It is a vision from God that we embraced with the support of church leadership.
GYD16 has reinforced what we have already seen since its inception: that is, if we provide opportunities of mission-based involvement for our young people and give them space to make decisions and exercise their God-given abilities, they will rise to the occasion and surpass our expectations. In comparison to last year, GYD16 has experienced almost
130% increase in involvement in social media activity, which is reflective of actual participation on the ground; the Movement has truly gone global. We give God the glory and we reap the blessings.” Gilbert Cangy, Adventist World Youth Leader.
“What does it mean to me to have hosted GYD? I feel immensely honored to be hosting such a day that is a significant step in the right direction for the Adventist church. I know that sounds dramatic but I really do believe that GYD is one project that sincerely steers our minds, hearts, hands and feet towards a more biblically-rooted practice of our Adventist faith. I am truly privileged to be a part of the movement. I fly the flag high.” Sam Gungaloo, one of the two host of GYD16.
“Being a part of GYD was something that I had looked forward to for months, and it certainly didn't disappoint! It was a privilege to host with Sam and Gilbert and to see the creative and inspiring acts of love from our young people across the globe. I get so excited when I see the unique ideas that are thought of, and when you see how people react to these unexpected gestures of kindness, it's amazing! The atmosphere behind the scenes is also a lot of fun! We laugh together, discuss the various reports we are viewing and indulge in armfuls of delicious Swiss chocolate!” Kerhys Sterling, the second host of GYD16.
“Many young people today associate church less with the corporate worship or a spiritual program in a sacred space but rather with people who are committed to living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
A Global Youth Day survey by the EUD Youth Ministries Department has revealed that, for young people, authentic Christianity is particularly about loving relationships and serving people. This might be one of the reasons why the Global Youth Day (GYD) mobilizes thousands of young people around the globe. Young people are called not just to listen to a sermon but to be the sermon.
As youth leaders we have initiated the Global Youth Day as a springboard for service as a way of life. GYD gives young people not only the possibility to be involved but to actually shape the mission of the church. Thus, GYD is an impressive global statement and message to the whole church.
We need to give young people the opportunity, the space, and the resources to express their creativity and devotion in following Christ and to keep the church alive in the world today.” Stephan Sigg, EUD Youth leader.
Some figures and data can also give a technical shape of GYD16. Here is some data.
The Global Youth Day site reports that we've had a cumulative 14,715 users (12,042 Facebook, 2309 Google, 364 Twitter login accounts) and 23,063 posts (of which 288 uploaded videos, 22,503 uploaded images + other).
#GlobalYouthDay Tweet Count: 22,185; Impressions: 30,671,392
#gyd16 Tweet Count: 19,629; Impressions: 27,659,884
The Hope Channel International web stream saw a 45% increase in viewed minutes, totaling 33,824 minutes, with 2,064 views (35% increase).
The Hope Channel Church web stream saw a 22% decrease in viewed minutes, totaling 42,190 minutes with 2,952 views (9% increase).
In total, there were 76,014 viewed minutes during the GYD broadcast. In total, there were 5,016 web stream views during the GYD broadcast. Justin Woods, Manager of web services – Hope Channel
Besides this data, there were millions of faces that, even now, continue to live the effect of this tremendous worldwide impact. Among the thousands of declarations, one seemed to cause the biggest echo, above all the rest: “Why live this experience for only one day? Let's organize ourselves more often to repeat this marvelous experience of having done our part in doing good to those who needed it.” Is this not one of the most efficient ways to create a coherent and concrete Christian identity?
