OFFICIAL NAME
Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d'Action Paroissiale
ACRONYM
FIMCAP
ESTABLISHED
1962
HISTORY
After several years of cooperation between French, Belgian and Dutch youth movements, a plan for an international association appeared for the first time in Lucerne, Switzerland, in 1959, under the name of Association Jeunesses Paroissiales Générales (General Parish Youth Association).
In 1960, on the sidelines of the Munich Eucharistic Congress, a first conference of the Communautés Générales de la Jeunesse Paroissiale (General Communities of Parochial Youth) took place, bringing together delegates from many different organisations and movements.
It was also in Munich in October 1961 that eleven organisations and movements from the four continents met to found the International Federation of Catholic Parochial Youth Movements.
The birth of FIMCAP was announced during Easter celebrations, at a large pilgrimage that brought together over one thousand participants, in Rome, in April 1962.
Recognised by the Holy See in 1976, on 6th February 2009 the Pontifical Council for the Laity granted recognition to the Fédération Internationale des Mouvements Catholiques d'Action Paroissiale as an international association of the faithful.
IDENTITY
FIMCAP unites youth organisations which bring children and young people together during their leisure time. There is a strong focus on the community and the local level: the member organisations consist of local groups, mostly set up in the neighbourhoods and parishes where the children and youngsters live. This group life gives them the opportunity to play, to come together and to learn from other children and young people through non-formal education.
In FIMCAP children and young people find an appropriate place where they can grow up; where they are capable of expressing their opinion and interests; where they can learn about their responsibilities in society.
ORGANISATION
In FIMCAP and within the member organisations, young people take the lead in making decisions and setting up activities. Young people are the providers and beneficiaries of the work being done.
FIMCAP is a voluntary based organisation. With exception of the Secretary General, all tasks are done by volunteers and all positions are voluntary positions.
The governing bodies of FIMCAP are: the Presidium, consisting of the Presidency, the Spiritual Assistant and the Secretary General; the Intercontinental Bureau (Board of Directors); the General Assembly; the Continental Conferences; the Financial Committee.
WORKS
The aims of FIMCAP are to unite and support its member organisations. By offering opportunities to come together in a spirit of fraternity and mutual understanding, FIMCAP creates the feeling of a community and stimulates exchanges on issues concerning youth and youth work. Another goal of FIMCAP is to help uncover and understand the specific needs of children and young people all over the world. FIMCAP builds upon the local experiences of its members to track down the needs of young people and youth workers and to develop actions to deal with them. Further aims of FIMCAP are to represent member organisations and defend their interests before international bodies; to build with and through young people a better world and a living Church.
Children’s rights are a central topic in the work of FIMCAP that seeks to build a society in which these rights are guaranteed for every child.
WEBSITE
HEADQUARTERS
FIMCAP
Kipdorp 30
2000 Antwerpen
Belgium
Tel.: +32 3 231 07 95
E-mail: info@fimcap.org
