Tamil Nadu AICUF 3.69

The Modest Beginning…

AICUF had a modest beginning by a group of college students with the guidance of Fr. P. Carty SJ at St.Joseph’s College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. It was then called The Catholic Young Men Guild (CYMG) to function in the tradition of ‘Catholic Action’ by way of study clubs with the following aims:
a) the spirit of Christian Brotherhood;
b) informed catholic mind;
c) application of catholic principles to social principles
A student magazine which was then called ‘The King’s Rally’ accompanied the guild from its inception. The guild merged with the MCYL (Malabar Catholic Youth League) founded by Fr. Honore SJ in 1915 for more collective action. CYMG was renamed as CYMF.

In the 30s,
· Civil disobedience movement against British Colonialisma with the famous Dandi March in which the students, youths, peasants and workers taking part,
· the 40th year of Rerum Novarum (Leo XIII) emphasising the need of reconstructing the social order.....
As CYMF grew far and wide in the Southern part of India and got re-christened as SICUF 1937 ... ... the federation became a unit of the Pax-Romana (International Movement of Catholic Students)

In the 40s,
New challenges emerged in the form of wars, fascism, and Nazism.
Unions and associations were needed and in 1944-46 Catholic Students’ Union (for university students) and Newman Association (for catholic graduates, professionals and intelligentsia) were formed…
As more students joined the movement, SICUF to have a National character became AICUF in 1949 as a National level student movement. It was recognised by CBCI (Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India) and affiliated to the International Movement of Catholic Students.

AICUF in 1950 & 1960
Had the vision to develop a new humanism with the objectives:
§ Developing leaders, professional and administrators to influence public life with positive values.
Held National Congresses and Conventions

AICUF in 1970
The movement in tune with the demands of the time was:
§ Moving on to 'Social Action' & 'Liberation'.
§ Having Dialogue with Marxism & opting for radical.
§ Demanding structural changes in society, in the church & in university.
§ Coming into serious conflict with the local churches & managements.
§ Analysing, making aware and organising through Project Know India, Poonamallee
Declaration, Documentation Centre, Debates, Conflicts, Controversies, Liberation theology and the radical Jesus and much more.
§ Sowing the seed for 'AICUF projects' & 'Social Action Groups'.

AICUF in the 1980
Anxious to discover ' University to the Masses' with the slogan 'Back to the Campus'
§ Searched for the secular alternative.
§ Looked inward for clearer roles and formulations.
§ Faced crises, confusions, and contradictions.
§ Revitalised itself through a search for a new Constitution.

AICUF in 1989
§ Held the National Convention of 300 students, advisers, Ex-Aicufers, social scientists, theologians, officials and friends....
§ Evolved & approving a New AICUF Constitution

AICUF in 1990
§ Taking a special option for Adivasis, Dalits & Women and for the students among these oppressed sections.
§ Initiating locally based and secular student movements and strongly re-discovering the Federal Style.
§ Searching for new pedagogies and new models in a world caught up with Globalization & Communalism.

AICUF in 1999
The IV National Convention under the theme Marching with the Marginalised in which 465 students from all over India participated was conducted.

AICUF from 2000
§ Raising levels of consciousness of university students through a number of summer camps in various parts of the country.
§ Focus sharpened on awakening, being conscrentized, becoming sensitive to the marginalised.
§ Becoming aware of Student Rights.
§ All leading to evolve alternatives towards a just society.
§ First National Women’s Convention in December 2004 in Gujarat.
§ First National Dalit Commission Convention in May 2005 in Hyderabad.
§ First National Adivasi Commission Convention (Adivasi Yuva Chetna Manch) in December 2008 in Ranchi.
§ AICUF coordinated with JEA to organize for students Jesuit institutions ………????/

AICUF from 2010
The V National Convention on the theme ‘Students to Be Political and Act Political’ was the milestone event to begin the decade.