World Youth Alliance (WYA) and Centro Internazionale di Animazione Missionaria (CIAM) Rome will host a 3-day Youth Synod Colloquium on December 5-10, 2017 in Rome to bring together young leaders from the Africa, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific regions.

12 total participants were chosen through a joint process of nomination and application, coordinated by WYA Headquarters and WYA Africa, Asia Pacific, and Middle East regional offices.

The final selection process evaluated participants based on the following criteria: Active Engagement with WYA and Score in the Certified Training Program (50 points), Essay Answers in the Application Form (25 points), and Online Interview (25 points). 

The colloquium will discuss the letter of invitation Pope Francis has provided as a foundation for the Youth Synod, reflections on the needs and challenges facing young people today in these particular regions, shared reflections on inter-religious priorities and challenges young people face living the faith today, and the relationship between God and man (theology and anthropology) assessed through the contemporary experiences and thoughts of all participants.