Today’s youth need an experienced understanding of faith and spirituality.

People need to feel genuinely welcomed by a community and find an atmosphere where they are free to grow in all aspects of their unique personhood

This is what Andrew Consiglio, who, together with a group of other young people founded Youth Fellowship back in 1987, believes is the key to youth outreach today.

Having just celebrated its 25th anniversary, Youth Fellowship has, throughout the years, sought to share the unchanging message of the gospel while taking on the challenge of adapting to the trends in contemporary youth culture.

This was reflected in the latest course it organised.

Themed: Seven, Making Sense Of It All, spread over seven weeks, the course offered participants, many of them University students, the possibility to hear and discuss the answers to seven common questions on topics like the existence of God, understanding the Bible, effective prayer and the relevance of the Church.

The course started with a party and ended with a weekend retreat.

Understanding the relationship between faith and reason and learning how to develop a personal friendship with Jesus is best lived within the context of “fellowship”, a vital element that the group has tried to foster since its inception.

“People need to feel genuinely welcomed by a community and find an atmosphere where they are free to grow in all aspects of their unique personhood,” says Maria Psaila, a team leader.

This sentiment is echoed by one of the members. “Thank God I have friends at Youth Fellowship who support me in my daily life and in my prayer, so I’m not alone,” said Miguel Manara, a 20-year-old University student.

Besides the larger gatherings that have been taking place on Saturdays from the very beginning, the young can join a cenacolo small group where they study the Bible and pray together and foster strong bonds of friendship.

One of the visions of Youth Fellowship has been to enable young adults to become leaders and effective Christian witnesses in today’s society. A number of priests, nuns, company directors, professionals and even people in politics have spoken about the positive role their formation at Youth Fellowship played in the way they chose and live their respective vocations.

Many others, like Nicky Portelli, continue to serve within the organisation itself.

He describes his conversion experience at the Come and See weekend retreat five years ago as “day to night”.

He is now one of the leaders in the service team, a vibrant group of about 40 other young adults who meet regularly to pray and plan the various events.

“To me, Youth Fellowship is more than just receiving but about the opportunity to serve and share my own journey with others,” Mr Portelli said.

Due to its numerous evangelistic, pastoral and social events, the organisation has a staff of five members who coordinate all the activities from their office in Blata l-Bajda.

Full-time member Noel Mifsud leads the school outreach programme called Acts, Announcing Christ to Schools, now in its 10th year.

A group of young volunteers use their gap year or take leave from work for a few months to join a team that visits classrooms to share the deeper meaning of life.

On various occasions, Youth Fellowship has extended its mission beyond Malta to countries like the UK, Italy, Poland and Gibraltar.

For the past 12 years, the Living Waters Team has been involved in an ongoing project in Ethiopia where, besides raising funds to build a housing estate in Bahar Dar, has been involved in teaching English and catechism to people.

Music has always played a central role in Youth Fellowship’s meetings where praise and worship songs are key to the experience of prayer.

Of its three bands, Salt is perhaps the best known outside the group since winning the Best Newcomer category at the Bay Music Awards in 2009 and the Best Band award in 2010.

Salt keyboardist and band leader, Joe Gauci, says that “the difference about the music we play is the fact that it isn’t about ourselves but about God and, therefore, when I’m playing I’m also praying”.

Eucharistic celebrations throughout the year are held regularly not only at Gattard House, their main meeting hall, but also at the convent chapel of Our Lady of Sorrows in Pietà, which the group uses as a pastoral centre for youths. Various retreats, small groups and fellowship activities are held there throughout the year.

• To learn more about Youth Fellowship, log on to www.youthfellowship.org or send an e-mail to info@youthfellowship.org.