The full: the podcast that listens to young people and brings them around friendship and faith

“Do you want to connect with young people? Ask what they want.” With this conviction, Fr. Juan Carlos Vásconez, priest and digital evangelizer, promoted in the San Josemaría church in Samborondón (Ecuador) an innovative project that today brings together young people around faith and friendship: full, a live podcast that seeks to generate a solid community.

The priest said that when assuming the rectory he found a challenge: there was no consolidated youth pastoral. “Instead of creating a group of young people from above, we decided to listen to the boys. They themselves told us what they were looking for and from there the idea of ​​the podcast was born,” said Aci Press.

Each episode has two hosts – a young woman and the priest – who dialogue with a guest on transcendent issues, without a class. “In The full We do not limit ourselves to a fixed agenda. We talked about issues that really question young people. For example, we have talked about friendship, family, how to handle the failure and importance of personal vocation, always in a tone of conversation, not class, ”said Fr. Vásconez.

Some of the chapters have addressed issues such as “How to live with purpose without losing you in chaos”, “Really friends, how to recognize them” o “How to overcome a break without losing”. According to the priest, the goal is clear: “We always try to give a supernatural vision to move the curiosity of the listeners.”

The “After” that follows each recording is key. There the young people talk, they know and share a space of friendship. “The conversation format and the ‘after’ after each program are fundamental; there people know, talk, and that community environment is the way in which the Holy Spirit is opening through their hearts,” he said.

The fruit is already visible, says Fr. Vásconez. “Thank God we have seen young people who have approached faith more and people who have felt removed by the content of the podcast. This shows in decisions of greater commitment, or people who approach after a long time to the sacraments,” he said.

The project is not exempt from challenges. “The biggest challenge has undoubtedly been the workload that everything implies doing it professionally. The lesson that I believe that the Church can learn is that to connect with the new generations we cannot be afraid to innovate and do things well. And, above all, we have to listen to them,” said the priest.

Experience has also become a fertile terrain to arouse vocations. “When a young man undertakes to serve and sees that his work has a real impact, he discovers a deep joy. This atmosphere of friendship and faith is a very fertile terrain so that concerns arise, either to the priesthood, to the consecrated life or a committed lay vocation,” he said.

Finally, Fr. Vásconez sent a message to other priests and pastoral agents: “Do not give up and are not afraid of changes. The first key is listening. The second is creativity. And the third is the dialogue. The key to the key to The full It is not a monologue, it is a conversation. Ask, involved and trust their enthusiasm. ”

With just eight chapters, The full It has already become a model of fresh, close and professional evangelization, where the church and young people co-create together a space that, in the words of the priest, “was born from a question and today moves hearts.”