| SECRETARIAT FOR THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION
 IN PREPARATION FOR THE LASALLIAN EDUCATIONAL MISSION INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF 2006:
LASALLIAN EDUCATIONAL FORUMS
In circular 447 (prop. 8), the General Chapter of 2000 announced that an International Assembly on the Lasallian Educational Mission was to be held.
The preparation for this Assembly will obviously be in the hands of the Secretariat for the Educational Mission, but it will also be undertaken in the EDUCATIONAL FORUMS held in Regions, Districts, Sub-Districts and Delegations as requested by proposition 7 of the Chapter.
AIMS:
The aim of the educational forums is:
  to study and understand the present-day educational situations in the various parts of the Institute
to question our present-day concrete responses to educational situations
to consider the forms of actions to adopt which will be suited to future situations
These forums will generate a body of information and documents. Between 2003 and 2005, this information will be sent by Regions and Districts to MEL which will prepare a synthesis of all the material received while respecting the various cultural differences involved. This synthesis will be prepared between September 2005 and March 2006 so as to be ready for the International MEL Assembly to be held in May 2006.
PERSONS TARGETED BY THE FORUMS:
These forums are intended for all promoters of the Lasallian mission (young people, educators, parents, former students, administrators, catechists, and resource-persons...), according to the means of Regions and Districts.
TIMETABLE AND AGENDA
April 2002: MEL sends document to Regional Coordinators outlining the form forums should take
In 2002: Regional Coordinators and Visitors agree on the dates for the forums, the topics they want to have discussed, and on how Districts can help one another to defray the costs of the forums, so that Districts lacking in human and fincial resources can participate
2003-August 2005: Forums are held in the Regions
Sept. 2005-March 2006: MEL prepares its report
May 2006: The Standing Committee presents its report to the International MEL Assembly
ROLE OF REGIONAL COORDINATORS
Each Region
makes arrangements in line with its resources and decides what form its forums will take (congress, study days, periodical meetings)
decides the dates and venues for the assembly in accordance with the means of Districts
after consulting the Districts, decides the 3,4,5,6..topics it wants to be studied, topics which are most closely linked with its own situation and concerns and with those of the Districts
tries to centre its attention on the 3 areas targeted
CONTENTS OF FORUMS
The Standing Committee has chosen:
3 AREAS on which attention should be concentrated
This is done by the study of a series of TOPICS
The topics chosen should provide answers to 4 QUESTIONS |
AREAS ON WHICH TO CONCENTRATE ATTENTION
A. the building up and growth of the individual
B. the building up of the common good and of social life
C. the development of interiority, spirituality and the proposal of FAITH in Jesus Christ as an option
| AREA A. What influences young people and adults in formation today in their growth as persons. |
Suggested topics:
A.1 Youth culture: mentality, behaviour, interests, values, means at their disposal to promote their personal growth
A.2 The family, present forms of family life, roles in families, the new phemenon of "adoption" in reconstituted families, one-parent families, family-substitutes. Repercussions on the personal growth of young people
A.3 Impact of new technology on the attitude of young people, family life, education, the role of teachers
A.4 Education in responsibility: affective relationships, social relations
A.5 Initiation into interior life, spirituality
| AREA B. What influences the young people and adults in formation in the development of their social conscience. |
B.1 The universal access to knowldge
B.2 Access to the world at large
B.3 Community service
B.4 Voluntary service
B.5 Civil, social and political commitment
B.6 Commitment to the human rights of groups at risk (women, children, displaced persons, handicapped people)
B.7 Respect for creation
| AREA C. What influences young people and adults in formation in the development of their spiritual life, in the deepening of their understanding of their own religious faith, and in their proposal of the Christian faith as an option wherever this can be done. |
C.1 Programmes of human and religious formation
C.2 Programmes and organisation of voluntary service
C.3 Programmes promoting the awakening of faith and Christian commitment
C.4 Inter-faith dialogue
C.5 Ecumenical dialogue
THE 4 QUESTIONS
for which each suggested theme should try to find answers
1. Look at the situation in your District or in your Region in the light of the topic chosen, and determine in what areas and how young people and adults in formation are influenced by their environment.
2. What concrete responses do institutions and works provide in the face of this influence?
3. What results do these responses obtain? What can we say about the relevance of our responses?
4. What kinds of action or procedures should we adopt to respond more fully in the near future? What criteria and what forms of evaluation should be applied?
REPORT
Of course, a report will have to be drawn up for each forum.
This report, to be sent to the MEL Secretariat, should consist of:
1. Documents, studies, dossiers that forum organisers think it useful to send to the MEL Secretariat
2. A brief summary report presented in the following standard form:
a) In 10 points: the situation highlighted by the topic
b) In 10 points: noteworthy characteristics of most relevant educational responses in connection with the topic
c) In 10 points: concrete guidelines for the improvement of our practices
These summary reports will be put on the La Salle website.
The MEL Secretariat will attend the various forums either in the person of the Secretary or in that of a member of the Standing Committee.
|
