YOUTHS from Baimuru Seventh-day Adventist local church in Yangoru Sausia District, East Sepik Province, took a bold step for their community by hosting a law and order awareness program as part of the 150th Global Adventist Youth Day celebration.
Held under the theme “Empowering Youths, Transforming Lives,” the program brought together officials from PNG’s law and justice sector, community leaders, Pathfinders, and students from two Adventist primary schools. The event opened with a march led by the Pipe Major of the 2RPIR Platoon from Moem Army Barracks, setting a disciplined and purposeful tone for the day.
Guest speakers included Senior District Magistrate Lorna Sani, Rural Police Station Commander Sergeant James Sengi, and Sergeant Alois Peter from Boram Correctional Institution Service, alongside community and neighbouring village leaders.
Magistrate Sani used her address to urge young people to fill their time with purposeful and constructive activities, warning that choices made in idle moments could one day bring them before her in court. She commended the initiative as a powerful and positive example of what church youth groups can achieve for their communities.
The programme’s most powerful moment came when Sergeant Peter brought in a group of inmates — both male and female — to share firsthand what life is like behind bars. Their raw and unscripted testimonies left a deep impression on everyone present, with the inmates urging youths in particular to pause and consider the consequences of their actions before it is too late.
The program closed on a high note, with guests and community leaders praising the Baimuru Adventist youths for taking ownership of a pressing social issue and turning it into an opportunity for transformation — not only for themselves, but for the broader community around them.
