Kuching Young Christian Students

Kuching Young Christian Students (KYCS) – Updated June 2019

What is KYCS?                                         

The Kuching Young Christian Students (KYCS) is a lay movement operating under the Kuching Archdiocesan Youth Commission (KAYC), formed of the students, by the students and for the students, who in and by all acts of their daily lives, form and support one another, help and love each other and together prepare themselves for their future.

KYCS is a cell-based secondary school movement – where groups of students in a particular community (school, parish, village, city, etc.) gather together on a regular basis to conduct Reviews of Life (ROL) and other relevant initiatives. The ROL is a methodology practiced by the YCS as a practical tool to help students’ breakdown, assess and process situations in their lives and is made up of 3 parts – SEE, JUDGE, ACT.

Who are in the KYCS?

As of 2019, KYCS consists of 20 active secondary/form school clubs who regularly gather together to conduct activities, events and camps together. Every school is located within the Archdiocese of Kuching and consists of the following schools:

  1. SMK St. Joseph 
  2. SMK St. Teresa
  3. SM St. Joseph Private
  4. SM St. Joseph International
  5. SMK Green Road
  6. SMK Sungai Maong
  7. SMK Kuching High
  8. SM Lodge
  9. SMK Batu Lintang
  10. SMK Penrissen No.1 
  1. SMK Sungai Tapang
  2. SMK Arang Road
  3. SMK Balai Ringin
  4. SMK Tebakang
  5. SMK Serian
  6. DPAH Kolej Abdillah
  7. SMK Batu Kawa
  8. MRSM
  9. SMK Paku
  10. SM Sains

Leadership in KYCS

Each school’s YCS club is led by a council of leaders made up of student leaders who are chosen and elected annually by out-going leaders and consists of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and several committee members. These leaders are animated either by a Teacher Animator who is directly responsible for their progress within the schools or by Youth Ministers under the KAYC.

YCS Regular Activities & Gatherings

Every school carries out regular weekly/bi-weekly gatherings in their respective schools which focus on issues and initiatives relevant to their school. Besides gatherings within their respective schools, KYCS also organizes annual inter-school programs and activities, in collaboration and with the supervision of the KAYC.

KYCS Annual Programs & Activities

  • Student Leaders & Animators Gathering (SLAG)

SLAG is an annual gathering of student leaders and animators from KYCS, which includes both KYCS Alumni members (secondary-school leavers), Student Animators and Teacher Animators, who are actively involved with the students.

The gathering is generally held early in the year during the month of March, where all student leaders from all the various school clubs/movements are invited, as well any active animators. Teacher Animators who’re responsible for the formation and animation of student leaders within their respective school are highly encouraged to attend and participate to show support for their students.

Objectives of SLAG

  1. To build and nurture healthy relationships between student leaders from the various school-level YCS clubs/movements as a community 
  2. To provide a communal platform for student leaders and animators to assess and reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats as a community
  3. To strategically plan and coordinate inter-school activities and events which involves all school level YCS clubs/movements
  • Mid-Year Camp (MYC) 

Mid-Year Camp (MYC) is one of three annual camps organized by the student leaders of the KYCS under the guidance of the KAYC, in conjunction with the mid-year school holidays in June. The camp generally focuses on topics/issues relevant or faced by the students within their schools and is open to all members of the school level YCS clubs/movements.

During each MYC, participating students are guided to apply the Review of Life (ROL) to the highlighted topic/issue and learn how to tackle and address it both as a community of students in their respective schools and as individuals. 

Most MYC’s are commonly organized at various villages in the rural areas of Kuching, exposing students to the kindness of villagers but also their realities and difficulties. Below are examples of topics covered in previous camps:

  • Human Rights as a Christian Teenager (2010)
  • Chaste the Sin Away (2012)
  • Christian Apologetics (2015)
  • Understanding the Bible: Love Story of our Faith (2017)
  • Finding Me (2018)

Objectives of MYC

  1. To build and nurture solidarity between YCS members from different school YCS clubs/movements in KYCS
  2. To provide a communal platform for YCS students to assess and reflect on topics/issues they face within their school and how to act as a school club/movement 
  3. To provide opportunities for YCS students to encounter Jesus outside of their daily lives
  • Leadership Formation Camp (LFC)

Leadership Formation Camp is the second of three annual camps organized by the student animators and the KAYC, in conjunction with the installation of new student leaders in July – August. 

The camp is open only to newly appointed student leaders of the school level YCS clubs/movements and focuses on providing servant-leadership formation and building team relationships to better prepare them for their responsibilities as leaders.

Student leaders are formed and taught about the fundamentals of servant-leadership which emphasizes on values such as selflessness, service, humility and kindness. Participants also take part in various team-building activities which builds and strengthens their relationship as a working team to better perform once they return to their schools.

Objectives of LFC

  1. To  provide servant-leadership formation to student leaders from different school YCS clubs/movements in KYCS with Jesus as their role-model
  2. To build team spirit and strengthen the working relationships of each YCS committee from the different school YCS clubs/movements in KYCS
  • Joseph Cardijn Camp (JCC)

Joseph Cardijn Camp is the third of three annual camps organized by the student leaders of the KYCS under the guidance of the KAYC, in conjunction with the year-end school holidays in November. This camp, similar to MYC, generally focuses on topics/issues relevant or faced by the students within their schools and is open to all members of the school level YCS clubs/movements. It is named after the spiritual father of the YCS, Cardinal Joseph Cardijn who founded the Young Christian Workers, from which the YCS took its inspiration and methods.

During each camp, participating students are also guided to apply the Review of Life (ROL) to the highlighted topic/issue and learn how to tackle and address it both as a community of students in their respective schools and as individuals. Most JC’s are also commonly organized at various villages in the rural areas of Kuching, to expose students to the kindness of villagers but also their realities and difficulties. Below are examples of topics covered in previous camps:

  • Intimacy: Yes or No? Wait lah! (2011)
  • Chaste the Sin Away (2012)
  • Understanding the Bible: Love Story of our Faith (2017)
  • The Least, The Last & The Lost (2018)

Objectives of JCC

  1. To build and nurture solidarity between YCS members from different school YCS clubs/movements in KYCS
  2. To provide a communal platform for YCS students to assess and reflect on topics/issues they face within their school and how to act as a school club/movement 
  3. To provide opportunities for YCS students to encounter Jesus outside of their daily lives
  • KYCS Christmas Caroling

Every year KYCS coordinates house-to-house Christmas caroling in December within the Archdiocese of Kuching both as an outreach effort to families, as well as a fundraising effort to raise funds for the movement.  

Similar to the camps, caroling is also open to all members of the school level YCS clubs/movements and encourages members who have finished high-school to return and participate.

Each year, participants take part in regular weekly practices throughout the months of November and December, coordinate Candle-Making sessions as gifts for home-owners and a fellowship Family Night with family members of participants.

Caroling week starts the week prior to Christmas and includes a full week of house-to-house caroling visits to various homes of the faithful and homes of the needy in the evening. Each year KYCS wraps up the year with carols and a renewed joy in the Lord as they celebrate His birth. 

Objectives of KYCS Caroling

  1. To build and nurture solidarity between YCS members from different school YCS clubs/movements in KYCS 
  2. To provide a platform for YCS students to spread the joy of Christmas to one another and others
  3. To raise funds for the movement through donations from house-owners