Accompanying educators and fostering the charism through its vital core, that is the Preventive System, is a constant challenge for all Salesian education, secondary school and university. For this reason, this cycle of distance learning was created, through the Zoom platform, for all those educators present in America who wish to strengthen their educational and charismatic vocation.
About 170 people - including Salesians, Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Directors and Rectors, teachers of schools and vocational training centers and universities, from the American continent – as well as the Provincial of the Salesians of Chile, Fr Carlo Lira - took part in the first meeting, held on April 7.
Fr Claudio Cartes, Referent for the Salesian School of America of the Salesians of Don Bosco, greeted the participants and said that "Salesian environments have a great path, which is the Preventive System. We want to strengthen this charismatic identity in our educational and evangelizing mission.”
Sr. Ivone Goulart, Referent for the Salesian School of America of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, also greeted participants: “The challenge is to educate like Don Bosco. The preventive system in education is needed today more than ever," she said.
The speaker of this first meeting was Fr Alejandro Rodríguez, Doctor of Education at the University of San Francisco, who discussed: "Salesian leadership, charism and education in a preventive key".
The priest presented several elements that should be considered in educational spaces in the post-pandemic era, such as: planning in the face of economic volatility, building trust, greater systemic optimization, high expectations to deliver quick results, new skills , abilities and knowledge, increase personal and organizational adaptability, greater flexibility to work how and where one wishes to.
And after having manifested: "The preventive system is a vocation of service to young people who are looking for answers", he concluded with some points that he wanted to emphasize clearly:
- Educating is an art that requires a familiar environment and a precise intentionality.
- The Salesian Preventive System is a relationship.
- The added value is its own prevention.
- Leadership is experience: of the spirit, of Don Bosco, of the Oratory as structure and criterion, of assistance as presence, of encounter in joy and solidarity.
His presentation was completed by a question and answer session.
The next appointment will be held on Wednesday 14 April at 10:00 (UTC-4) in Chile and the conference will be held by Fr Michael Vojtas, professor at the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) in Rome. To register: www.salesianos.cl/sistemapreventivo