At the beginning of the day, they were introduced to Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramic with gold varnish. According to this art, the traces of fracture and repair contribute to the beauty of an object. Moreover, one can also “heal” as a human being by virtue of these golden veins establishing something new, something more beautiful. In virtual breakout rooms, they examined the following questions: How would it feel if we no longer had to hide the cracks in our lives? Can one consider vulnerability as an opportunity for growth rather than just “weakness”?

Don Bosco also had to deal with his own misfortunes in life: the loss of his father as a young boy, his fragile health, resistance from different parties, financial problems, numerous hostile attacks by the press and many more. Although these challenges left their scars within Don Bosco, he used his own vulnerability as his strength and as an opportunity for growth. Vulnerability as the birthplace of love, connection, joy, courage, authenticity, empathy and creativity. In this way, vulnerability can also be considered as a source for hope and the path to a deeper and more meaningful spiritual life.

The program’s afternoon revolved around the questions: “How to deal with the own vulnerability as an educator and with the vulnerability of youngsters? How can you assure more resilience in youngsters?”

“The corona pandemic has indisputably left scars in our society. Everybody was confronted with isolation, lack of social contact, loss of beloved ones, uncertainty. Yet by virtue of this enriching program, we came to the hopeful conclusion that by using one’s individual vulnerability and willingness to mend, one can be strong and resilient together with youngsters,” Fr Carlo Loots, SDB from BEN Province, commented.

Meeting colleagues from different countries and contexts, even if online, enriched the exchange. “Worth repeating!” Fr Loots ends.

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