CAFE – REVITALISING STUDENT ACCOMPANIMENT: Revive, Refresh and Revolutionize
(Social-Spiritual and mental well-being of youth) South Asia – Chaplains and Animators Formation & Exchange (CAFE) Program was held on February 1-4, 2024 at Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India.

An understanding of the realities, challenges, expectations, and best practices of student accompaniment was addressed in the sessions. Students expressed their challenges and expectations. Chaplains and animators exchanged their collective experiences in order to better understand student and youth accompaniment.

The program was conducted in hybrid mode: in-person and online, and it gathered chaplains and animators from AICUF Advisors all over India, IMCS Nepal chaplains and animators, and BCSM chaplains together with students from the AICUF Unit at XIM University. This program was hosted by the All Indian Catholic University Federation (AICUF) in celebration of its Centennial Year.

Some of the issues discussed in the program were:
1. Understanding the Social Realities – with Reference to Youth in South Asia, especially in India: Addressing the Issues at the grassroots to the regional level.
2. Understanding the Psyche of iGen and how the Advisors, Chaplains, and Animators should respond to the students
3. Factors affecting the socio-spirituality of Students / Youth these days.
4. Youth Society and Mental Health (Socio-psychological & Spiritual aspects)
5. The relationship between Media and Youth Accompaniment
6. Students shared their challenges as part of the movement and received advice from a panel of advisors.
7. As the theme, the session on AI’s impact on students’ lives was the most important session to be taught to the advisors, chaplains, and animators.
8. Finally, as the CAFE for South Asian countries, the session of Best Practices in Youth Accompaniment – by Nepal, Bangladesh, & India brought diverse backgrounds and experiences to the state advisors of AICUF.
The program was a success as 26 advisors were able to learn, reflect, connect, share, and exchange their experiences, challenges, and accomplishments of students and youth accompaniment.