BOGOTÁ, Colombia. The following is a summary of the work carried out by the Social Educational Movement of the Teresian Association in Colombia at a gathering on June 15, 2012.
"A dream, a song that became alive…of a man of strong faith... of commitment… with his mind and heart in the present moment. And today we have a proposal that integrates faith and action … that liberates and urges us to commitment… that makes dreams possible, that has the flavor of a people…. with determination to act and transform because if people are not educated, hope cannot be reborn. This proposal shouts and becomes an echo. Today we have a proposal that integrates faith and action, that liberates and urges us to commitment, that makes dreams possible.” (Words of a song)
With the words of the song above we started our monthly meetings of the Socio Educational Movement (MSE) in Colombia. The last meeting took place on Friday, June 15, in Liceo Segovia.
In Colombia, the MSE, supported by Liceo Segovia in Bogotá, is a movement engaged in ongoing formation. It reflects on the fundamental principles of St. Pedro Poveda and sees education as an option for a transforming project. Thus, the MSE is a space for the interchange of experiences and vision of our reality; it has important political, pedagogical, and evangelizing characteristics. The community has questioned, debated, and tried to understand the challenging reality and will continue to do so as an act of responsibility and engagement in the present historical moment.
This year we have planned to work on the Decalogue of the Educator that highlights fundamental elements in the concretization of educational practices that are oriented to social transformation, with emphasis on the articulation of socio-educational and theological-spiritual perspectives. In each gathering we have started with the sentences that are at the foundation of the Decalogue, contextualizing them within the historical educational reality of Colombia and Latin America, analyzing it at this juncture, designing actions for reflection and debate, and seeking the participation e integration of different elements of our educational community.
During the last gathering, with the participation of 76 people who were teachers from Liceo Segovia, members of the Teresian Association, alumni, parents, students, and other people, who, even though they are not directly connected to Liceo Segovia, they are part of the network that is being created. The encounters are a space for growth, personal and collective formation; they facilitate pedagogical reflection and sharing of different perspectives; they help us to face the everyday challenges and to discover together new strategies; they foster dialogue and help in the empowerment and in the building of a collective conscience.
The main topic of conversation of the last encounter centered on point number 4 of the Decalogue: “Actions give witness and speak eloquently about who we are.” The reading of each of the different perspectives generated much interest and the collective work was very meaningful. This was evidenced in the sharing at the general sessions. Finally, the encounter was closed by going over the first four points of the Decalogue that have been reflected on during the last months and each participant wrote on newsprint what they had internalized in their mind and heart.
The encounter was very emotional, filled with testimonies, which, when shared by the students, became more convincing and motivating to continue educating in these difficult times.
In short, this is an effort to make a reality Pedro Poveda’s call that “we are not inconsequential,” that we should not ignore our world and try to go by without trying to change it. We should be at the service of our time, participate in it and watch so that everyone is included. In this journeying, each time we become more convinced that we are not alone, that we need each other for the project of new life, for the building of a society that is not just more human but more humanly organized. In other words, we need to build that project of a common society that we deserve.
Commission MSE, Colombia.