(ANS – Brazil) – From 27th to 29th September Directors, Executive Officers and those responsible for 6 hubs in the Salesian Schools Network – Manaus, Recife, Campo Grande, Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre – gathered at the Convention Centre "Israel Pinheiro" in Brazil, to assess the progress made in recent months and to plan the activities for 2013.

This ninth meeting saw the participation of 30 people, who, faced with the new challenges of education, reaffirmed their belief in the Salesian educational mission. "The tone of the meeting was determined by the strategic intention to advance. In this sense, the new projects approved are to support the pastoral qualification of educational activity in the Salesian community", said Fr Nivaldo Luiz Pessinatti, who, along with Sr Ivanette Miranda Duncan, form the Executive Board of the Salesian Schools Network (RSE, in Portuguese).

The afternoon of 27th September and the morning of the following day were devoted to sharing the steps taken in the 6 hubs of the network in 2011-2012, with particular attention paid to the challenges faced and the successes achieved in each area of the country. The delegations of the six institutions, to that end, had already prepared the reports.

In the second half of the meeting the programming of future activities took place. By way of  comparisons and debates, the importance of lifelong learning emerged, also in light of the development of Digital teaching materials. The scheme covered the training plan, institutional assessment, communication and educational management. The meeting came to a close. A session was reserved for meetings among those chosen from the delegations, in order to define specific references and plan internal meetings.

The good organization and the quality of the meeting were appreciated by all participants. The Director of the Belo Horizonte, Rita Jellinek said: “The initiative for the meeting – ENCPOLOS – is extremely illuminating and consistent with the proposed network. The proposed organization is strategic, considered the sharing of activities that we have undertaken and discussion of on-going projects. To administer by animating and animate by administration is our hallmark, and within this precept is fundamental to our way of sharing opinions, viewpoints and reflections for all directors, executive officers, managers and Secretaries”.

Published 09/10/2012