From August 28-September 3, 2023, young people from the West-Asia Field came to Turkey with their youth leaders and adult mentors to participate in the Youth Alive program. A key goal was to invite community friends from various cities in Turkey to join other youth and young adults for a weekend of inspiration, learning, playing, serving, and also making new friends. The week started with the training of Youth Alive adults and youth facilitators, equipping them to lead the Youth Alive Friendship groups (small groups of 8-10) and make deep connections with the youth. That training was followed by the Youth Alive Conference, where dozens of young people from various faith backgrounds gathered to learn about addictions, relationships, and mental health, and also encourage them in their spiritual journey, exploring God’s purpose for them.  They attended workshops, sang together, and listened to engaging devotional sessions. They played games and laughed together. They served the local community and developed deep connections, making new friends. “It was amazing to see how much the youth from different faith backgrounds enjoyed the Youth Alive conference,” reported Cindy Porto, Youth Alive coordinator for the region. “The youth left eager to continue meeting regularly and learning more about how to live a more full and abundant life,” she added. The local youth alive leaders plan to continue hosting several friendship groups throughout Turkey and convene them annually for a Youth Alive conference.

The Adventist University de Colombia (UNAC) was the venue for the launch of the first Youth Alive in Spanish, a spiritual strengthening and empowerment strategy for young people. The participants learned to develop resilience so that they make healthy decisions and better understand their gifts and purpose regardless of the difficulties they face. This event, which took place from May 1 to 7, not only marked a milestone in Colombia but also provided the nearly 200 attendees with tools to improve their communities. This first training provided seminars on various topics, such as active listening, emotional management, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills, among others. The importance of fostering these skills and attitudes among young people and youth leaders was emphasized. The topics were taught by doctors Katia Reinert and Julián Melgosa from the General Conference and doctors Hiram Ruíz, Pedro Iglesias and Cecilia Moreno de Iglesias, from the Inter-American Division. Pastor Mauricio Buitrago, director of the Health and Youth departments of the Northern Colombian Union (UCN), remarked: “Now our young people know this strategy for which they will have an immense responsibility; to host youth alive friendship groups in their communities.These youth will return empowered with that burning flame in their hearts, saying: ‘my choice is to live fully, now and for eternity.'”