AICUF
The All India Catholic University Federation (AICUF) is an organisation of catholic university students. The movement was started in 1924, at St.Joseph's College, Tiruchirappalli by Fr. Carty, SJ. Currently it operates in 14 states of India. The organization is affiliated to Pax-Romana, an international association of catholic professionals.
History
The Catholic Young Men Guild (CYMG), started by a group of college students with the guidance of Fr. P. Carty SJ at St.Joseph’s College, Trichy was an organization in the tradition of ‘Catholic Action’. The guild had the following principal aims: a) the spirit of Christian Brotherhood b) informed catholic mind c) application of catholic principles to social problems Study clubs were main units for functioning. The Rally, the student magazine accompanied the guild from its inception. It was then merged with the MCYL (Malabar Catholic Youth League) that was founded by Fr. Honore SJ in 1915. CYMG was renamed as CYMF (Catholic Young Men Federation). In 1937 CYMF grew far and wide in the Southern part of India and got re-christened itself as SICUF. SICUF became AICUF in 1949 as a national level student movement and got recognised by CBCI (Catholic Bishops' Conference of India) . AICUF publishes an alternative student monthly 'THE RALLY' in English. The Rally is a mouth piece of AICUF. It delas with the current educational, social, cultural and political scenario of the country on various themes.
Members
The AICUF membership is open to university students who share the ideals of the movement as enshrined in the constitution. However, every member state has the autonomy to decide on its own policy regarding membership.
Every member is entitled to participate in all the decision making activities of the unit. However, a member can be selected as an office-bearer only on completion of one year in the AICUF, except in the case of newly formed units.
Structure
AICUF structure is geared to ensure it mass students movement character. The AICUF functions at the national, state, regional and unit levels. The state is the primary decision making body in AICUF. The various states are linked at the national level as members of a federation.
AICUF Maharashtra
At present, the only AICUF unit in Maharashtra exists in St Xavier’s College, Mumbai. This unit was revived by Fr Roy Pereira SJ in 1998. The AICUF's vision is to sensitise students towards those at the margins and involve ourselves in the struggle for their basic rights by equipping ourselves physically, intellectually and spiritually while networking with NGOs and peoples' movements.
Steering Committee 2009-2010
- President: Virgil Sequeira
- Secretary: Delfi Chinnappan
- Treasurer: Michelle Fernandes
- State Human Rights Cell Representative: Rolen D'souza
- State Women's Commission Representative: Gretel D'mello
- Publicity Coordinator: Sanaa Jummal
- Liturgy Coordinator: Janice Pinto
- Social Outreach and Action Coordinator: Annalize Fernandes
- Cultural Coordinator: Alvita Barnes
- Editor-in-Chief: Marisha Fonseca
- Staff Animator: Dr Agnelo Menezes
AICUF Maharashtra organizes various activities keeping 3 objectives in mind - Social Outreach, Personality Development and Spiritual Growth. These activities include camps, retreats, hikes, exposure visits, exhibitions, seminars, rallies and campaigns. The AICUF has taken up several social issues such as human trafficking, displacement due to Special Economic Zones etc. We also tutor underprivileged children and conduct workshops for them at the Garden School, Colaba. We organise visits to Ashadaan and St Catherine’s Home.
Every year in December, we celebrate AICUF Day which includes sessions, Mass, tele-games and an inter-College Carol singing Competition- Mistletones. Besides the AICUF Day, some of the standard AICUF activities include an annual retreat, the YES (Youth Encounter Sessions) personality development camp in Khandala, Diwali workshops on various skills and crafts, an inter college seminar on a relevant social issue and weekly meetings in the Seminar Room of St. Xavier’s College.
In the year 2007-2008, the AICUF initiated several new activities including a Letters to the Editor campaign - A Time to Change, and a summer Cadre Training Programme. In 2008-2009, Virgil Sequeira founded Less Than Perfect a street performing group, which till date has performed 2 street musicals on the girl child at Carter Road, Bandra, and one song medley at YWCA, Fort.
AICUF Maharashtra has 4 publications:
- The Phoenix- General monthly newsletter.
Editor: Shefali Menezes
- Anamika- State Women’s Commission quarterly newsletter.
Editor: Manali Paralikar
- Amnesty AICUF- State Human Rights Cell quarterly newsletter.
Editor: Geraldine Pinto
- The AICUFer- Annual AICUF magazine.
Editor: Marisha Fonseca