The first presentation was by Mr. Marzà, who stated that "in a society where values are sometimes dissociated, the Salesians do a great job with innovative methodologies, with an education that does not remain only in the classroom, and with an education that looks especially at the last; with the aim of helping society to become more humane and more just."
For his part, the event coordinator, Luis Miguel Notario, underlined that for the Salesian Schools this appointment "was an experience of depth and sharing, to create awareness of who we are as an educational institution and of the potential we have."
Afterwards, the Valencian philosopher Adela Cortina proposed that participants "educate students so that they are the owners of their lives and carry out activities that make them happy: educate them to be prudent and to the art of self-sufficiency."
Fr Asurmendi emphasized that "the true secret of a school lies in the relationships established in the educational center."
In the afternoon, the short film Bienvenidos by screenwriter and director Javier Fesser was screened, showing the arrival of the Internet in a remote school in the heart of the Peruvian Andes, and which was inspired by the project "Luces para aprender" (Lights to learn) of the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (EOI).
Subsequently on stage was Mr Cebreiros who spoke of the passion this work requires and the need to learn to communicate what we are in an effective and affective way.
The closing session of the 1st SMX Salesian Schools Congress was held by Fr Canino before about a thousand participants, including teachers, directors and administrative and service personnel of the Salesian centers, committed daily to around 14,000 students.
Salesian schools are one of the largest non-university educational networks in the country. Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians run 139 schools, attended by 96,600 students and 5,750 teachers. Networking and the formation of directors, pastoral teams and teachers continue to be a priority, to which the care of the Salesian charism, the reflection on the school-family relationship and the care of the Salesian charism are added in the context of the proposal "Salesian Schools 2020" impetus for pedagogical innovation with new methodologies.
