The inspectorial meeting is a training proposal and a meeting place for the educational teams of the different projects and resources of the three entities that make up the Salesian Social Platforms of the SMX Province: FISAT Foundation, Don Bosco Foundation and Salesians Sant Jordi.
Around 400 people from the teams of the Salesian Social Platforms shared this new day of training, to share knowledge and experiences and continue to grow in the mission, in the care of the teams and in strengthening the educational proposal.
The day focused on the importance of the Salesian courtyard as a meeting place, where bonds are created and the foundations of educational relationships are laid.
The underlying theme of the meeting, which took place online, was that of the different experiences of “Salesian courtyard” in the respective projects of the Social Platforms. Through the micro-testimonies of educators and participants, the play spaces and the sense of belonging that is generated through their dynamics were made visible.
During the meeting, through a video message, the Rector Major of the Salesians of Don Bosco, Cardinal Ángel Fernández Artime, offered his reflection, referring to the courtyard as one of the four pillars of Salesian education. “We Salesians say, also in our Constitutions, that every Salesian presence is a home that welcomes, a school that educates, a parish that evangelizes and a courtyard where you can meet friends – underlined the 10th Successor of Don Bosco – The courtyard is one space of freedom, it is a meeting place for friendship, it is the ideal of the possibilities of the Salesian sacrament of presence, it is an opportunity for everyone to be themselves”, he added.
Don Joan Valls, Provincial Coordinator of the Salesian Social Platforms, took up the same concept of the courtyard and recalled that for Don Bosco the courtyard is “the heart of all educational action, the center of all possible meetings, of relaxation, of word in the ear, of the game in which everyone shows themselves as they are, without any artifice or fear; and many other things”.
“Perhaps we have limited the courtyard to a physical space – added Don Valls – But the courtyard is much more. It is a pedagogical place, a privileged setting for our educational action, a spiritual place, where we live the most important values, and a theological place, a privileged place where we live our encounter with God and help young people to do the same. This reflection is necessary today, because it is necessary to redefine what the playing field is in our environment of social platforms.”
The main speech of the day was that of Don Bejarano, who proposed revisiting the Salesian courtyard through a rereading of the Gospel and extrapolating the action of Jesus in the work of educators, to analyze the meaning of the Salesian courtyard today, in Salesian social projects.
“In the courtyard we will verify the meaning of our affective and effective presence”, underlined Don Bejarano, inviting the participants to reflect on what they feel when they meet young people in the courtyard.
“The playing field is the key to the success of Salesian pedagogy. In a globalized world, the real difference is in the playing field. The latter is the opportunity for the educator to come into contact with young people”, he continued Don Bejarano, then underlining how the playground is not just a physical space, but “an attitude, the ability to feel close to the kids even in a formal space”.
The second presentation was curated by Jota Llorente, National Coordinator of the Salesian Social Platforms. Llorente shared his knowledge and experiences on social and educational innovation and explained the difficulties encountered in thinking about how technology affects us in a changing and very complex world.
After analyzing the way in which different generations relate to technology, he underlined the importance of combining real space with the digital one and provided the keys to understanding what the presence of professionals on social platforms should be like, highlighting how follows:
- Talk with them. The key is the tone: clear, direct, organic, genuine, positive and empathetic message;
- Be natural and real, favoring real experiences and testimonies;
- Introduce yourself into their daily lives and suggest entering alternative channels to those of the social entity, which they use regularly.
Source: salesianos.info
