In 2022, the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Global Youth Day is celebrated on March 19, when Adventist youth unite in social actions for others and celebrate the date by doing good for the community. In recognition, the City Council of Araçoiaba, a municipality in Pernambuco, 74 km from Recife, instituted the Municipal Day of Young Adventists.

Bill number 007/2022, authored by Councilor Erison Silva Pereira, was voted on and approved on Thursday, March 3, 2022, incorporating the date into the city's official calendar of events.

"This project will bring greater social development to the city of Araçoiaba. The Adventist Church has done a very important work, and these young people have a fundamental role in our society. The bill will give more recognition to these young people who do a lot for our city," says Pereira.

The Municipal Young Adventist Day will be celebrated annually on the third Sabbath of March and feature events and social actions throughout the city, prioritizing public spaces for use.

Social Relevance

In recent years, young Adventists have developed several social projects in the municipality, promoting the well-being of the population and demonstrating solidarity with the needs of each citizen. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they volunteered to distribute masks, messages of compassion, and prayers for people.

Douglas Araújo is a resident of Araçoiaba and has closely followed the social projects developed in his city. "What is most noticeable when you get in touch with these young people is their proactiveness and willingness to impact people positively. The movements they make to contribute to society is something that everyone should have," he says.

Through projects such as Missão Calebe and Vida Por Vidas, young people dedicated themselves to providing services such as construction and renovation of housing, donations of basic food baskets and appliances to families in need, and blood donation campaigns, supplying hospitals and blood centers.

During the National High School Exam (Enem), they offer emotional support, words of encouragement, and food and water to candidates. "In every action we take, we can feel the sparkle in people's eyes. Seeing our work become relevant and the people of Araçoiaba recognizing our value is very gratifying," says Nara Millena, volunteer and youth leader.

The municipality of Araçoiaba has about 21,000 inhabitants overall and approximately 300 young Adventists acting as volunteers.