(ANS – Brasilia) – The Network of Salesian Schools in Brazil (RSE) launched a website “Nossa Turma” (our class) at the end of April. This project will present the daily life in Salesian schools through the medium of comics.  Visitors to the “Our Class” website will be able to see various publications, animated cartoons, to get to know the staff and to suggest topics for new stories. The website exists already on the social networks and on the portal of the RSE. It carries stories of Christian, Catholic and Salesian life in daily strips that introduce 30 people – students, educators, sisters and Salesians.

“The project was born out of the need to transmit the values of RSE in a language closer to that used in daily life by the students, and to ensure that these stories will be widely viewed on the social networks” according to Celio Ballona, Communications Officer of RSE. In its first month it dealt with topics like: Fraternity Campaign 2013, World Youth Day, ways to holiness, the power of prayer, love for nature, citizenship, relationships with peers and with teachers.”

Other regular topics include Don Bosco’s recommendations on relationships in schools, and the Salesian five “S”s: (Successo, Salute, Sostenibilità, Saggezza e Solidarietà – success, health, sustainability, wisdom and solidarity). “Our Class is a project aimed at creating an atmosphere of interaction between students, teachers and families. It reinforces the intention of RSE to form good Christians and honest citizens. In conversation with well known people the project draws attention to RSE and its educational-pastoral aims. There are references to global values of faith and typical situations found in a Christian school,” adds Mr Ballona.
 
As far as the Salesian aspect is concerned, apart from the involvement of the educative community, the Our Class strips contain the essence of Salesian pedagogy, “to educate by evangelizing and to evangelize by educating,” says Antonio Boeing, head of Pastoral Ministry in RSE. The language of the comics helps the young people to adopt Salesian values.  “A Salesian school is known as one with a pastoral vision, in which all the activities transmit the values of the Salesian Institute.  These cannot be taught rigidly or in language the young people cannot understand. These comics are beautiful because they communicate the essentials in informal language, and attract the interest of students and teachers.”

Published 31/05/2013