2023 National Assembly Youth Poverty Simulation
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Youth from Around the World Gather in Lisbon for World Youth Day 2023
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Once every three years, youth and young adult Catholics from around the world come together to celebrate World Youth Day, a worldwide encounter with the Pope. WYD is open to all young people who want to take part in a festive encounter centered on Jesus Christ together with their peers. It is an opportunity to personally experience the universality of the Catholic Church, and to share with the whole world the hope of many young people who are committing their lives to Christ and His Church. 
This year’s World Youth Day was held in Lisbon, Portugal.
“WYD 2023 with Pope Francis truly showed how universal the Catholic Church is. People from around the world, speaking different languages, different nationalities, and cultures came to WYD with one commonality — God being our Father,” said John Paul Brissette, a member of the National Youth Committee. “Just being in the city with millions of young Catholics praying, praising, and signing was a sight and a feeling I will never forget. Although we may be speaking different languages, we are all saying the same thing.”
“My favorite part of the World Youth Day experience was being able to visit the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal,” said Luna Mata, Development and Communications Coordinator for SVdP Dallas. “Visiting the place where our Blessed Mother stood and taught us so much was incredibly humbling and beautiful.”
In collaboration with World Youth Day, the International Society of St. Vincent de Paul took the opportunity to gather its young people together in celebration of the Vincentian Charism. This gathering was called The International Vincentian Youth Meeting (ICYM) and the theme was “I am neither from here nor from there, but from wherever God wants me to be.” The theme was inspired by a sentence from St. Vincent de Paul to the Daughters of Charity in 1634. 
As part of these celebrations, the U.S. Council sponsored a number of Youth and Young Adults to travel to Portugal and participate in these special events.
“Before we attended World Youth Day, we had the privilege of attending the Vincentian Family Gathering where we had the opportunity to share our Vincentian Charism with other Vincentians from around the world,” said John Paul. “We discussed common struggles Vincentians face and tried to work toward solutions together. The weekend was filled with friendship, services, and spirituality.”
“We followed in Mary’s footsteps with ‘haste’ throughout World Youth Day, so ending with this spiritual blessing and joy from our Mother was incredible,” said Luna.
We are so blessed that the SVdP U.S. National Council was able to be a part of this experience. It was a transformative experience for all the young people who participated. They returned with renewed zeal for their Catholic faith and those that attended on behalf of SVdP have a renewed dedication to the Vincentian mission. God bless all who participated!
The next World Youth Day will be held in Seoul, South Korea in 2027.
Next Nominee for Youth Award Announced
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This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.
“As a committee, we were blown away by the number of submissions and the incredible projects these youth were doing on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Member. “Each week leading up to the National Assembly, we will be shining the spotlight on the nominees and their stories. Our goal is to encourage and celebrate our youth involvement in SVdP with excerpts directly written by those who nominated them.
This week, we would like to introduce our next nominee:
Amy Lee – Los Angeles
Amy started volunteering near the end of elementary school because her parents were already Vincentians. She began delivering food to homeless shelters. When Amy entered high school she became more engaged with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. She began to encourage her friends to join and volunteer with her, she succeeded. Amy and her friends began collecting and delivering socks, shirts, pants, and daily necessities as well as serving the homeless at meal sites. In 2019, Amy attended a Vincentian retreat to grow in spirituality with her fellow Vincentians. Her service earned her the 2019 President’s Service Award. In 2021 she attended another Vincentian retreat as well as the San Pedro district annual meeting. I know she will be a member that will continue to volunteer in the future to the best of her ability that is why I nominate Amy Lee for the Alex Garvey Excellence in Youth Award.
Next Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award
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This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.
“As a committee, we were blown away by the number of submissions and the incredible projects these youth were doing on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Member. “Each week leading up to the National Assembly, we will be shining the spotlight on the nominees and their stories. Our goal is to encourage and celebrate our youth involvement in SVdP with excerpts directly written by those who nominated them.
This week, we would like to introduce our first two nominees:
Aaron Wohlberg – SVdP St Charles Borromeo
Aaron has been a member of the St. Charles Borromeo St. Vincent de Paul Conference as a Mini Vinnie for two years. As a Mini Vinnie, Aaron has dedicated himself in service to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. As a Mini Vinnie Aaron has served our Conference in many ways. He has helped with the Backpack Program for two years. The Backpack Program provides weekend meals for 50 children in the Orchard
Farm School District. The Assistant Principal of Aaron’s school described Aaron as, “Willing to help wherever needed without being asked.” His Troop Leader describes him as, “Respectful and helpful to the older scouts and adult leaders.”
Kate Polakowski- SVdP St Andrew Conference of Sierra Vista, AZ
She has been involved in our St Vincent de Paul Council’s food drives, walks for the poor, Thanksgiving food basket distributions, and community food bank monthly commodities distributions. She serves the needs of the poor for 17 hours per week while completing her Associates Degree as a Certified Nursing Assistant. She puts into action in very many ways the Vincentian charisms of spirituality, friendship, and service.
First Round of Nominees Announced for Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award
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This year, the National Youth Committee hosted a Society-wide search for young people doing amazing work in their community. Vincentians from around the country nominated youth from their Councils for the new Alice Garvey Excellence in Youth Award which will be presented at the National Assembly in Baltimore.
“As a committee, we were blown away by the number of submissions and the incredible projects these youth were doing on behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul,” said John Paul Brissette, National Youth Committee Chairperson. “Each week leading up to the National Assembly, we will be shining the spotlight on the nominees and their stories. Our goal is to encourage and celebrate our youth involvement in SVdP with excerpts directly written by those who nominated them.
This week, we would like to introduce our first two nominees:
River Vogelsang — Diocesan Council of Phoenix
River Vogelsang is currently a freshman in high school. He first joined the Mini-Vinnies in fifth grade at his middle school and served as his Conference’s president for two terms. Under his leadership, his Conference doubled in size and expanded service projects and activities. They participated in food serving, ministering to the homeless, food drives, and much more. River was the featured speaker at two Phoenix Diocesan Council board leadership retreats. Last year, River represented his District Council at the National Assembly in Houston. His dedication and commitment to serving the poor has touched the hearts of many long-time Vincentians. Few people his age have so fully and ardently embraced the mission and works of the Society. In the endearing spirit of our youth, he quietly emulates the essential virtues of St. Vincent de Paul. You only need to meet River to know that he is a true Vincentian, and to believe that, because of his efforts, and those of his youthful compatriots likewise infused with Frederic’s zeal, the future of our Society will be in good hands.
Madeline McMillen — Columbia River District Council Southwest Washington
Madeline and her mother, Wendy, reached out to the Society when she was just 13. Since age 11, she had been collecting toys at Christmas to provide to non-profits for distribution. In 2018, she chose to collect toys for SVdP. In 2018, she collected 725 toys, but that number has grown each and every year. In 2021, she collected 972 toys, a record number. In the past four years, she’s collected a total of 3,319 toys to give away to 4,513 children in 1,657 families through the SVdP Christmas gift program. Madeline has a helpful heart and shows leadership, dedication and perseverance. She has brought so much joy to families during the Christmas season.
Be sure to see the e-Gazette each week leading up to the National Assembly for more nominee highlights!
Young Catholic Professionals: Thy Will be Done
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Last week, a delegation of Young Adult Vincentians from across the country met with other Young Adult Catholics at the Young Catholic Professionals annual conference in Dallas, Texas. This year’s theme, Thy Will Be Done, focused on guiding attendees in finding the right path through life’s peaks and valleys to align themselves with God’s will.
“The quote that stood out to me the most this week was actually the theme of the weekend, “Thy Will Be Done.” It’s more than just a prayer it’s a call to action. Our entire life should be dedicated to doing God’s will,” said Francis Brissette, Vincentian with NextGen in Rhode Island and co-chair of the Communications Committee. “SVdP already does so much in answering that call to action and I was inspired by that quote to do as much as I can with SVdP in their mission because no organization truly lives by that quote “Thy Will Be Done” like SVdP.”
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul was proud to be a sponsor of the conference’s break out session, “The Making of a Saint.” SVdP CEO, Dave Barringer, served as a mentor for the breakout where attendees and mentors broke into small groups, listened to the speaker, and then had time to evaluate a case study within their groups. With about 500 Young Adults Catholics in attendance, the National Council was blessed to send a delegation of 16 Young Adult Vincentians to represent the Society.
“Learning and hearing from other on how they are able to balance their work and spiritual life is instrumental in professional atmospheres we were taught to be Catholic Youth Adults not Young adult that are Catholic!” Said John Paul Brissette, Vincentian with NextGen in Rhode Island and chair of the SVdP Youth Committee.
Throughout their time at YCP, SVdP’s delegation worked to teach the other attendees about the unique opportunities that being a part of the Society can offer a young adult throughout their spiritual growth journey. They gathered contact information from attendees that were interested in learning more about SVdP.
“It was refreshing, inspiring, and motivating talking with other young Catholic people, exploring ways that we can connect and help each other put our faith into action,” said Kat Brissette, National Board Member and Chairwomen of the Young Adult Committee.
At YCP, we were excited to introduce a new SVdP promotional item, SOCKS! The socks feature the Society’s Essential Elements: Spirituality, Friendship, and Service. And they were available in both English and Spanish. The socks were a huge hit, and people loved showing off their newest fashion accessory, especially at the closing gala!
YCP offered SVdP’s delegates such a great opportunity to explore their faith and rededicate themselves to their Vincentian work.
“The energy to engage people in a spiritual way is something I think will reinvigorate my Conference and possibly bring new Vincentians to the table to help our neighbors in need,” said Jonathan Field, a Vincentian with the Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Conference in Attleboro, MA.
“Pray, ask, advertise: I realized I need to pray more for our efforts and ideas on how to better serve. I liked how it was stressed that SVdP empowers anyone to find local needs and will help carry out solutions,” Said Kayla Palacios, Vincentian with the St. Philip Neri Conference in Midwest City, OK. “I plan to ask others if they receive any common requests/themes in my area that are not addressed and see how we can help. Lastly, always letting others know about our organization to get the word out.”
It was an exciting opportunity and we look forward to continuing to encourage the involvement of Young Adults in the work of SVdP to helping those in need. We hope that through connections made at YCP, we will welcome new SVdP members and hopefully see some of our new friends at the SVdP National Assembly in Baltimore!
“YCP was truly life changing where I was able to experience community and the Vincentian Spirituality,” said Tina Tacati, Vincentian with the St. Eugene Conference in Brownsville, TX.
Young Adult Vincentians Use Social Media Fame to Support Their Neighbors in Need
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John Paul Brissette, a member of the SVdP National Youth Committee, and his brother, Francis Brissette, have Vincentian blood pulsing through their veins. Their mother, Renee, is the
Executive Director of the Rhode Island Council, and along with their siblings Kat and Peter, they are founding members of Rhode Island’s Youth and Young Adult Conference, called Next Gen.
Over the past couple of years, John Paul and Francis have worked hard and become social media influencers. They publish family-friendly comedy content using various internet platforms like Twitch, TikTok, and YouTube.
“We grew from two brothers whose only follower was our mom, to a follower base of nearly two million in just over a year,” said John Paul.
Recently, the brothers decided it was time they returned to their Vincentian roots. They wanted to use their internet fame to help those in their community who were suffering. “We knew we were given a gift from God, and with having some of the best fans in the world, we knew we needed to give back.”
They hosted a 24-hour live stream on Twitch as a fundraiser for SVdP Rhode Island’s Necessities for Neighbors program. The live-stream offered the brothers an opportunity to teach people about SVdP and the work that Vincentians do to help neighbors in need. They also spent time playing games and making people laugh, something they are very good at.
“We raised over $2,500 and counting, and promoted an Amazon wishlist for people to purchase toiletries and other items for Necessities for Neighbors,” said John Paul. “We also posted a video to YouTube promoting the stream, with ad revenue going directly to SVdP Rhode Island.”
The following weekend, they promoted and sponsored the first-ever Do Gud Day. It was an event which promoted youth volunteering in a fun and competitive way. 
Sixteen youth and young adults were split into two teams, who held a friendly competition of filling backpacks with toiletries and notes to give out to people in need in the community through SVdP Rhode Island’s Necessities for Neighbors program. Kat Brissette, their sister and SVdP National Board Member, designed the day by creating a program and resources that can be packaged and used in any location.
“JP and I have been given a gift which every day feels like dumb luck. Our mantra is ‘you were put on this world to make a difference,'” said Francis. “And when you are just two kids from Rhode Island, or young people anywhere, you tend to struggle with figuring out just how you can make a difference. With our internet fame, which we believe is a gift from God and something we have always dreamed about, and our work with the Society, we now feel like we’re finally making that difference in the world.”
To watch the video about Do Gud Day, click here.
If you are interested in following the Brissettes and their social media accounts, you can find all that information on their website: https://broskiesstudios.com/.