The welcome model of the 15^th World Day of Youth is aimed, above all, at organising the hospitality and participation of the young people in WDY 2000 in the best possible way.  The key factor in the plans for welcoming them is the 300 parochial secretariats scattered around Rome and its surrounding area.

Organising the welcome

The model prepared by the Italian Committee for the WDY, which concerns Rome and its surrounding dioceses, is the product of the correlation of four sectors:  management of registration;  management of housing, management of transport and management of voluntary services.  The system is based on three operative ranks:  6 area secretariats 41 district secretariats and 300 parochial secretariats.  The first are mainly concerned with logistic co-ordination and constant updating of data, and the needs of the young pilgrims.  Among the tasks of the district secretariats is the co-ordination of the volunteers entrusted with the welcoming and administrative services of the 29 districts;  the parochial secretariats maintain contact with those responsible for the groups, co-ordinate the running of the individual places of accommodation and provide the necessary information for the movement of all the groups.

The national Bishops’ Conferences will provide their own secretariat to meet all their young fellow countrymen who have come for WDY 2000.

This will be backed up by 14 first welcome-points, spread widely over the metropolitan area, so as to make it possible to exercise greater control and management of the event.