Young Anabaptists around the world came together in June to reflect on “Solidarity in Action: From ­Fellowship to Impact,” the theme for Mennonite World Conference’s annual Young Anabaptist Fellowship Week.

“Solidarity is belonging to the same cause, encouraging each other, sharing joy and challenges and moving into action together,” said Valentina Kunze of Uruguay, YABs committee chair and Latin America representative. “It is about making our unity visible and transformative through impactful actions.”

Young people discovered solidarity goes beyond being together. They connected through prayer, testimonies, collaborative art projects, sharing food and playing games in local meetings and two online gatherings.

In an online gathering, young adults prayed for the triumphs and challenges young people face and listened to testimonies from Napoleon Chance Bisi from Mennonite Voice in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Shifa Sidh from Mennonite Church Rajnandgaon India.

“Solidarity is being vulnerable enough to share your life with others while being respectful, putting yourself in other people’s shoes and trying to understand what they’re going through,” said Valary Otieno of ­Kenya. “Only when this happens would solidarity actions become impactful through understanding.”