Heeding the Provincial’s suggestion to educate the young about the use of media, the Social Communication Commission identified digital addiction as the issue that is rampant among young people across the Province. Hence, they decided to conduct a workshop to help youth animators from various institutions guide the young towards digital addiction awareness.

The training commenced with a short prayer and words of welcome by Father Ashley Miranda, the Vice-Provincial of Mumbai. Then, Father Chris Ferreira guided the participants to accept their dependence on their phones and realise that the young spend even more time in the digital world.

Father Jacob Palaparambil and Father Robert Pen helped the participants understand in depth the effects of addiction to cell phones and digital technology. While not denying the boons of the digital world, the sessions helped the participants accept the bitter fact that young people take refuge in the screens of their devices to escape from the harsh reality of life. Father Pen also spoke of how educators could help the young in their institutions heal themselves from digital addiction. He elaborated on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a way to begin the healing process.

The enthusiastic participants were committed to the topic with questions, discussions and thoughts they shared. Ms Kepha Pinherio, one of the participants, said, “As a teacher, attending the training session was a revelation for me. It not only equipped me to guide my students but also made me confront my cell phone addiction. It has ignited a commitment within me to bring about a positive change both in my life and the lives of my students.”

Ms Priya Shinde, another participant, said that the initiative to involve animators from educational institutions and parishes across the Province was a significant step in spreading media education, which is the need of the hour.

After the training, the participants were instructed about how they were expected to carry out digital addiction awareness in their institutions. The Commission also presented a toolkit to help the participants in this regard.