Educators Training Seminar 2022

The Educators Training Seminar, annually organized by the Education Commission of the two Unions of Superiors General (UISG – USG), has just come to an end. From October 13th to October 15th, almost 400 formators from 70 countries and 68 religious congregations gathered online, to reflect together on the topic of “The Global Compact on Education: Current Context and Future Prospects”, developed by the Fundación Santa María. The goal of this reflection was understanding what is currently being done, discovering concrete education experiences and planning future strategies.

These three main points inspired the three days of work, whose activities had been planned based on three verbs: INSPIRING, QUESTIONING AND BUILDING.

During the first day of the Workshop, dealing with what is our current situation, the participants’ understanding of the current context of the Compact was enhanced by three bodies, namely: the Congregation for Catholic Education, represented by Monsignor Angelo Zani and Professor Maria Cinque; OIEC, represented by Juan Antonio Ojeda, one of the De La Salle brothers, and Adolfo Sillóniz, from Fundación Santa María. A general overview of what is currently being done in these institutions was provided, together with a description of the Compact’s possible future paths and a future prospect on how to continue implementing the Compact itself.

Great expectations accompanied the moment in which to discover some concrete experiences on how to put the Global Compact on Education into practice and this moment finally came on October 14th. Three experiences from different contexts on the development of the Global Compact on Education were described: the first one was a local experience in the development of the Compact, which involved the region of Santander (Colombia), and which was described by Liliana Vergel, Director of the Project on the Education Compact in Santander; the second one was a congregational experience in the development of the Compact in the Company of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, which was described by sister Pilar Liso, STJ., General Delegate on Education; and the third experience was actually a continental one, focusing on how the Society of Jesus in Latin America joined and developed the Global Compact on Education, whose results were described by Father Luiz Fernando Klein. sj., Delegate on Education for the Conference of Jesuit Provincials in Latin America and the Caribbean (CPAL). These were all concrete signs that demonstrate that not only is the Compact possible, but it is also being put into practice thanks to concrete initiatives that aim at its development, at various levels. 

These experiences are a trigger and a step forward on this path

With these important echoes and questions, the third day of Workshop finally came, with the goal of developing and opening a horizon. Augusto Ibáñez managed and was the virtual spokesman of the expectations for this day. He repeatedly focused on the purpose of the Global Compact on Education as a project that aims at transforming our society and creating a new humankind.  And, just as with any change, discernment is now necessary, to understand what useful resources to keep, what useless elements are to be cut on and what new elements we need to develop, because they still don’t exist. There are no recipes to follow, but rather criteria for an appreciative leadership, a Samaritan pedagogy, a Samaritan pedagogy-inspired welcoming approach, the creation of true teams and a truly meaningful pastoral; all these elements must be contextualized in our current reality. 

We wanted to know about our current situation, we wondered if the Compact could indeed be implemented and how to put it into practice in this much complex, global, and changing reality. And Mayte Ortiz, Adolfo Sillóniz and Augusto Ibáñez, the team of the Fundación Santa María, with the help of a great technical support, paved and walked the way of the Workshop with wisdom, excellent organizing skills, and cleverness, to depict a brighter horizon for all of us to walk in. Together, with hope and … in the long term.  

Sr. Adelaida Moreno Puente, CCV
Member of the Education Commission of UISG and USG

Photo gallery of the event