Over 400 Catholic groups, schools and parishes across Australia have signed up to help young people from disadvantaged communities in our region attend World Youth Day 2008 (WYD08) in Sydney.

The scheme, known as Pilgrim Partnership Support Program (PPSP), was launched by WYD08 in May 2007 to ensure that as many people as possible from Oceanic and Australian Indigenous communities take part in the world's largest youth event.

Around 3,500 Oceanic pilgrims are already expected to attend WYD08, but organisers are calling for further assistance from Host Partners in Australia and New Zealand to help boost this figure to more than 6,000 from 19 countries before the event in July.

"There has been wonderful response to PPSP to date, with Australian Host Partners forming relationships with more than 30 Indigenous communities in Australia as well as neighbouring Oceanic countries such as Papua New Guinea, Cook islands, Fiji, East Timor, Guam and Samoa," said Therese Nichols, WYD08 Communications and PPSP Officer.

"This represents a tremendous achievement considering the majority of these countries have never before been fortunate enough to send pilgrims to World Youth Day," she said.

"As World Youth Day 2008 draws closer, we are now seeking even more individuals and parishes to consider sponsoring pilgrims under PPSP to ensure the greatest participation from our neighbours in the Pacific."

The Program for Host Partners is open to all parishes, schools, dioceses, individuals, businesses, movements, universities, religious institutes or any other church organisation throughout Australia and New Zealand.

The nature of the aid offered and received will vary according to each particular case, but may include assistance with airfares to Sydney, registration fees, and donations of blankets or clothing.

All details of the Program are found at www.wyd2008.org

Up to 500,000 people - including 125,000 international visitors - are expected to take part in at least one WYD08 event from 15-20 July 2008. WYD08 will mark the first visit by His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to Australia.