For a Journey with the Young at Risk

FOR A JOURNEY WITH THE YOUNG AT RISK

DON BOSCO NATIONAL FORUM FOR THE YOUNG AT RISK

Printing Details

Table of Contents

Foreword..............................................................................................00 Message................................................................................................00

Message by: Fr. Fabio Attard SDB.......................................................................00

Message by: Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga SDB.......................................................00

Introduction.........................................................................................00 Acknowledgement................................................................................00

MODULE I

The wonderful world of youth

The world of youth and Youth at Risk (YAR)...............................................

A few relevant statistics.................................................................................

Who are we?.................................................................................................

Catholic religious or lay persons concerned about YaR.................................

MODULE II

Works and social services for the Youth at Risk

MODULE III The Risks.....................................................................................................

What are the “RISKS” the Young at Risk face?...............................................

An analysis of society......................................................................................

Locating YaR in our society............................................................................

The longing for a better society… Kingdom of God?.....................................

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Foreword FORMING CANDIDATES FOR THE MINISTRY WITH THE YOUNG AT RISK I am happy to learn that Fr Thomas Koshy and his team have brought out a book that will contribute to the formation of young Salesians and others in the area of ministry to the young at risk. The young at risk are clearly our preferential target group, as article 26 of our Salesian Constitutions declares, and Fr Koshy brings to the book many long years of experience and above all Salesian passion and intense commitment. This is the humus from which the book arises, besides drawing from the experience and writings of other Salesians in India and also from Salesian Youth Ministry: Frame of Reference (2015).

Given that the book is meant for young Salesians in initial formation, it takes an unambiguous standpoint: the ministry is to young people at risk, and the ministers are disciples of Christ in the way of Don Bosco. Salesians are not, of course, the only agency in the work for the young at risk, and so, in a spirit of communion, the book rightly acknowledges other agencies and inspirations.

Again, there are many models of work, and the book takes a look at several them, integrating their best insights and experiences into a model of Salesian youth ministry.

Salesian youth ministry takes the ‘preventive system’ of Don Bosco not only as method but also as a spirituality that is the driving force and inspiration for those working with youth at risk. ‘Preventive’ is not the most felicitous word in English, and a system that is preventive seems to run the risk of curtailing the freedom of young people. Still, the word has a great genealogy, and so its deepest meaning lies in the ‘prevenient’ love of God, the fact that God has first loved us. Salesians are called to be signs and bearers of this kind of love, revelations, epiphanies, expressions of God’s love, most especially to young people with deficient experiences of parental love. God’s love always respects our freedom, and the Salesian therefore tries always to respect the freedom of the young. At its best, therefore, the preventive system is a pedagogy of freedom, and this Fr Koshy rightly insists on. A child friendly society is one that deeply respects young people, whatever their social condition, and a Salesian educator aims at empowering the young to blossom into the human beings that God has wanted them to be, free, loving, peaceful, creative, constructive, and happy. And surely anyone who has worked with the young at risk knows that God is powerfully at work in them. I recall with great emotion that, even when Mumbai was burning, there was never any problem among our street youngsters at Shelter

Don Bosco, despite the fact that they were Hindu, Muslim and Christian.

Salesian ministry consists in recognizing the presence of God in those to whom we are sent (article 95 of our Constitutions), and in walking with them in the construction of the kingdom of God. May Fr Koshy’s book be one more wonderful note in God’s great symphony of love.

Fr. Ivo Coelho, SDB Rome, 16 November 2016

Message

It is with pleasure that I write the following message for the present publication.

The numerous and varied types of institutions and innovative interventions of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB) in India are a sign of commitment that our confreres in this nation generously witness in line with the original goals of our Founder. Working for the marginalized youth is kind of work that requires immense human touch, persistence, patience, creativity. It calls for an ability to network with all like-minded people and institutions. Adopting numerous approaches, these institutions have reached to several million young at risk in numerous cities across the country over the years.

Salesians here need all the support, flexibility and human and financial resources to scale up their work in this critical segment of youth.

This book is an effort in the right direction in putting into context the heritage that Don Bosco left to us Salesians and translating as a process of on-going formation for all these who share this mission. It is also a tangible step forward in applying the Salesian Youth Ministry Frame of Reference in the area of reaching out to the poorest of young people.

May this exercise in responding to today’s needs and challenges be an example and encouragement to other Salesians across the globe, especially in developing countries. This publication and the good practice it outlines is an opportunity to be taken into consideration, for its method, contents, aims and guidelines it offers.

Fr Fabio Attard sdb General Councillor for Youth Ministry Rome

Message

There is a basic connection between the search for God and search for the poor in Christian spirituality. This is because the God of the Bible chose the least powerful people and the most oppressed people in the Middle East, Israel, as his preferential choice. Jesus himself, in imitation of his Father, went after the lowest in the society, those at risk, we would say today. He identified himself with the “least” and said that anyone who served them, served him! (Mt 25: 40, 45). Among the poor, children and young people had a special place in his heart. “Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” (Mt 18: 10). And so down the centuries numberless saints have always searched for God and served him among the most oppressed and the least important. They knew that the one sure place where to find him was among these. Don Bosco is one of them. In fact, this wish to serve God in the poor is typical all men and women of good will, who respected and loved human beings, even if they were not believers in God. Thus, commitment to the poor is an essential trait of those who believe in humanity and in Divinity!

The Salesians, following their founder’s charism have always been close to the poor in India Boarding houses and orphanages sprang up everywhere. But an explicit and defined commitment to those “at risk” as a special category began some 40 years ago. It began with the search for the oppressed, the bonded labourers, street children, child labourers, the school dropouts the unaccompanied kids, trafficked children, and so on. This commitment spread across India quickly that every province had explicit commissions and structures for this sector of ministry. Indeed the attention for the young at risk became the underlying trait of all the sectors of work. It is only natural that it had to become a part of the formation curriculum itself. Many confreres and lay persons were qualified in special skills needed for such a ministry. The book you hold in hand is one of the tools meant to train Salesians, other religious and lay persons in the skills of working for the Young at Risk!

The book a systematic and practical tool, organized logically into 8 modules, meant for trainers and educators. Starting with some essential information it gives about the situation of the young at risk in our country, the book progresses to create an awareness of the causes of large-scale risk in which Indian children

and youth find themselves. In spite of the apparent economic growth in our country, those being left at the bottom of the pyramid are in hundreds of millions today. And among them the most vulnerable are the children and the young! The book takes up the various methods of social work employed for their liberation, presenting their merits and limits. It shows a preference for rights based empowerment model of work over the welfare model of simple charity. The poor need justice, not just charity in our society.

Some of the best features of the book are in the last few models. The section on creating a child friendly society is a novelty and should be promoted more and more, making the cause of the young at risk not a matter of a few NGOs but of everyone in the civil society. To sustain all this there is the spirituality and our vision of creation as a whole. The Salesian Spirituality or the Preventive System of Education is a time-tested way of life, practiced by generations of Salesians, and it is a way to their holiness. In fact, we believe that God waits for us in the young, particularly the young at risk!

I congratulate the Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk for bringing out this well studied training tool to prepare ministers for working with the young in danger. This is an invaluable tool also for other religious and socially conscious non-governmental organizations to train their personnel, and as such it is a gift to the civil society itself, not only to the formation houses of the religious and of the Salesians. I warmly recommend this training manual to be adopted in the various levels of formation, in order to form committed and skilled apostles who would make a difference to the struggling millions of children in our country and conscientize the political and business class on their duty to work for an equitable society. India has the dubious distinction of being one of the countries where children are most at risk in the hands of unscrupulous elements and an uncaring bureaucracy. There is no way to become a super power in the world, except by making sure that every citizen has his basic rights and minimum standards of dignified human living. And this mission has to start with our children at risk!

Fr Maria Arokiam Kanaga SDB Regional Councillor South Asia Rome

Introduction The journey of the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDBs) in India began in the year 1906, with Fr George Tomatis and five others as pioneers. Today, Don Bosco Institutions are working with the young in the length and breadth of the country in all the states of the North East as well as in West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Orissa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

SDBs run excellent schools, exemplary technical training institutions, shelter homes for the homeless children, several 24-hour toll-free help lines for anyone to call on behalf of children in distress or any child in any difficult situation, counselling centres, outreach programs and many more...

India is young and growing. The demographic dividend that India enjoys is unique in the world today and will remain so until 2040. However, it is equally a startling fact that we have the highest number of child labourers, most outof-school children and a huge army of under-and-unemployed youth. On the other hand, the growth of the Indian economy in terms of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been phenomenal and consistent in the past two decades and the level of abject poverty has certainly reduced. However, there is a job-less growth of GDP and the benefits of growth do not necessarily reach the bottom of the pyramid where grinding poverty and associated problems persist. Many of the macro-economic policies hit the least educated, unskilled and socially deprived segments of the population and the young among them the most.

Against such a background and given the fact that there are almost 2000 Salesians, young and not-so-young, working with the young in India and the huge responsibility placed on us by our vocation and the opportunities available to fulfill our mission, we at the Don Bosco Forum for the Young at Risk discussed what we as a community can do about the current situation.

Top among the priorities was: sensitizing personnel currently working with the young at risk on legal, methodological, institutional and most importantly our over-arching vision and mission for our work with the young at risk of India.

One has to build on our own collective strength. Fr. Barnabe D’Souza, SDB, has brought out a good work on Formation. Keeping his work as the basis,

the present volume, ‘A Journey with the Young at Risk’ is a tentative effort to initiate action to achieve the second priority for YaR at the national level.

An honest declaration is in order here. There are several gaps in the volume when you compare the ‘Contents’ page and the text; the lacunae are on specifics of different sub-sections in each of the eight modules. Being forthright is the strength of all Salesians. We have left these limitations on purpose. We at DBF YaR are not the store-house of the knowledge, insights and wisdom of thousands of confreres living and working across the country.

I invite each and every Salesian who is currently working or has worked in different cultures and settings of India and with different categories of the young at risk to contribute and enrich this volume. Kindly take a few minutes after reading each module and put down your thoughts and send them to DBF YaR national office. Intentionally we have produced only a limited number of copies as a first edition. With your rich inputs, the Salesians of India shall put out a living guide for all young and future youth workers to strengthen the bond between the young at risk and our communities. It is only with your inputs can the immensely valuable work of Salesians in India, through this volume, become a tool to energize the youth of India and Salesians in particular.

Fr. THOMAS KOSHY SDB

Acknowledgements

We would like to dedicate this training manual to all the Young at Risk whom we have reached as well as to those ‘unreached’. They are the reason for a book like this. We hope that the contents of this book will be of practical use for those who wish to walk along with them as loving and caring brothers/sisters.

We must place on record all those who have helped us in compiling this book.

Bulk of the material we have in this book is taken from the book ‘Formation’ Forming Candidates for the Marginalized Apostolate, by Fr. Barnabe D’Souza SDB. YaR Forum’s National team: Frs. Tony Pellissery, Thomas Aquinas and other colleagues; Mr. P.J. Job, who put in a lot of his time and effort to gather all the material, compile and finally saw to the printing as well. We owe him a big ‘thanks’. Our thanks also to Fr. Ivo Coelho SDB, the Councillor General for Formation, Fr Fabio Attard SDB, General Councillor for Youth Ministry and Fr. Maria Arokiam Kanaga, the Regional Councillor for South Asia, for their very encouraging Forwards. Finally, our thanks to all the Salesians in YaR Ministry, who have always been inspiring with their dedication to the cause of the Young at Risk.

THE WORLD OF

�����

1 E L U D O M th u o Y f o d l r Wo l u f r e d n o The W

T

he UN defines “child as any person below 18 years�. Youth could be any one between the age of 10 and 19. This is perhaps the best portion of humanity as Don Bosco remarked. It is a universally accepted fact that child/youth are ill equipped to deal with the challenges and threats to their lives. While most children have parents / guardians to give care and protection some of them (YaR) do not have responsible parents or guardians to protect or care for them. In this situation it is the duty of the citizens/government to give this section of youth care and protection. When they do not receive sufficient care and protection these youth may get into conflict with the law. This is called juvenile delinquency. The Juvenile justice act deals with the child/ youth in conflict with the law.

Youth, age group, Characteristics, statistics, in different parts of the wor World / India are tabulated below.

SL. NO

Children in the world

7 billion

100%

1

Under 18

2.2 billion

31.4

2

Under 14

1.8 billion

25.7

3

10-19 years

1.2 billion

17.14

88% in low and in middle income countries

Sl. No 1 2 3 4 5

Children in the world 15-24 years (youth) Street children(world) India population Under 18 Street children

7 billion

100%

1-03 billion

18%

100 million

1.43

World wide

1.22 billion 488million

40%

11 million

2.25%

In India Most of the street children are Aged between 13-18 years.

1.25 lakh

1.14%

1.10 lakh

1%

7

Mumbai Street Children Bangalore

8

Delhi

1 lakh

9

Kolkata

85000

6

Girls less than 30%. (in developed world girls are ?)

50%

The right to education demands that the children/youth should be provided with quality education till the age of 18. After education they have the right to seek a livelihood activity of their choice depending on the skill and ability. The youth who have not successfully completed their education for various reasons (school drop outs), who cannot find jobs, unemployed youths are liable to be “the Young At Risk�

(YAR). They may run away from home, may migrate to cities, be separated from family. They may become victims of drugs, be abused or trafficked.

Young people are the next generation/future decision makers and stakeholders. The YAR need additional support to become decision makers and stakeholders. Working with them will help develop valuable skills and knowledge besides helping them make informed decisions about their future. Working with them is challenging and requires that you become a doctor, a nurse, a police officer, a social worker and a teacher all rolled into one. You have to be firm, fair, non-judgmental, yet offer support in ways that help others to help themselves.

Who are we (the intervening agency)? In this context it is a Catholic religious or lay person: There are many persons, organizations working in the YAR sector but we have opted to do work with YAR as members of the church, with the vision of Christ (building the kingdom) which cannot be complete without wiping the tears of the YAR. This perspective is essential for us.

Our models are Christ, Mary, Don Bosco and the Salesians who have done commendable work in this sector. Our understanding, our response and commitment to YAR evolves into a spirituality of working with the YAR. Don Bosco had this spirituality in him. We need to evolve this and integrate it into our socio cultural milieu.

THE RISKS What are the “RISKS” the Young at risk are facing?

An analysis of society : Locating YaR in society and the longing for a better society.......… Kingdom of God?

MODULE 2 The Risks “Risk” – is exposure to danger.

T

he International Child and Youth Care Network defines “at risk” as “youths ... being failed by one or more adults or adult-driven system or institution.”

Risk is regarded as the probability that an event will occur which generally will have an unfavourable outcome. The young at risk may be defined as youth who are at risk in the existing system or institution. It means that the youth is unable to fit into and be a part of the existing system and it results in the youth being either maladaptive or pushed out from the system.

Vulnerability: is measured by one’s capability to protect oneself from danger. The young at risk are vulnerable. They are exposed to danger and are unable to protect themselves. They need a significant person to provide them with “care and protection”.

Children and youth undergo continuous physical and psychological change in their journey from childhood to adulthood — a period of transition to independence.

This period of transition is rife with risk. It calls for mastery over certain developmental tasks, of adolescence. These tasks include achieving new and more mature relations with peers of both sexes, identifying and achieving a masculine or feminine social role, accepting one’s body, achieving emotional independence from parents and other adults, selecting and preparing for an occupation and eventual economic independence, desiring and achieving socially responsible behavior, acquiring an internal ethical system to serve as a guide to acceptable behavior, and preparing for marriage and family life (Havighurst, 1952)18. This is also the decisive period where the child/youth moves from externally imposed conduct patterns to an internally controlled set of personal values and moral standards.

What are the “RISKS” the ‘Young at Risk’ are facing?

Youth at Primary Risk: They include those living in situations of poverty and are at high risk of leaving school or compromising upon their healthy development.

Youth at Secondary Risk: These are youth who move from general to specific risks because of some external calamity or crisis, the need to earn money or particular characteristics of the household (for example leaving school, working at an early age, facing physical or sexual abuse at home etc), which predisposes them to enter harmful situations. Youth here still have some connection with the family and other social institutions, but the ties are weakening.

Youth at Tertiary Risk: They suffer the impact of a particular situation or the consequences of specific high risk behaviors, such as motherhood, incarceration etc.

These youth have lost their connections with their family, communities and social institutions.

‘High-risk’ behaviors might include: • habitual verbal and physical assaults upon others, • destruction of property, • self-harming, substance dependency, • high mobility • high-risk sexual behavior.

Of most concern may be underlying mental health issues characterised by a chaotic and reactive lifestyle, heavy substance use and detachment from emotional support.

Risky behavior of the young: Growing-up problems and Some indicators of this behaviour The young who are prone to risk include those who: • Live in extreme poverty, suffer hunger, are illiterate, and live under hopeless, abysmal conditions • Struggle with serious religious and moral problems • Are immersed in addiction • Are abandoned and in danger • Have low social competence • Are involved in anti-social behavior • Are school drop-outs • Show attendance problems in schools • Display ongoing behavior problems— he/she frequently fails, or is at high risk of failing to achieve school or individual behavior targets.

• Are homeless or suffer from conflicts at home • Have a migration background with poor social integration • Are in the process of changing schools • Are in transition from school to employment • Face permanent exclusion, or risk being permanently excluded

Natural or Man-made?

Are these risks arising out of natural factors or man-made factors? Many of the risks are closely related to poverty. There is also a relationship between risks and family which suffers social discrimination (caste, class, gender) . So these risks are mostly man –made arising from a mixture of poverty and discrimination. The child has: Right to life, Right to protection, Right to development and Right to participation.

The child has a Right receive “care and protection” till the age of 18. Each of these rights is violated as the poverty level increases

The violation of the Right to Life — infant mortality is much higher among the poor than among the rich.

The violation of the Right to Participation – de-valuation of children’s opinions and denial of the right to be heard is much more common among poor families, slum schools, communities and organizations.

Poverty reduction, empowerment (resisting discrimination) and a more serious implementation of “Child rights” may reduce these risks that children face.

OUR ROLE

How does our intervention ‘Reduce the risks’?

Sharing the experience of eminent persons and Organizations who worked with YaR. In the Church : Don Bosco and others in India In the secular world: NGOs working with YaR in India, Eminent persons Human Rights and child rights: Work of the UN, UNICEF, and Status Reports.

3 E L U D O M

in y c n e g a ing n e v r e t n i the f o e l o r e k s i Th R g n i c re d u (The session can be mutual sharing and expert sharing).

Y

oung at Risk: It is assumed that the child /youth is not receiving sufficient “care and protection’ from the family. The intervening agency supplements the role of the family and its role is to provide ‘care and protection’ to the children/youth at risk. (The role of parents, and other members in a family).

2. The model of working with such children/youth with economic, social, psychological and situational deprivations is the family model. The family has the mission to guard, reveal, and communicate love and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God’s love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the church, his bride (Pope John Paul II, On the Family).

First -- the family provides the physical necessities for growth; food, clothes, shelter, medical care …..health.

Second – it provides education – quality education Third –it provides unconditional love, dependability, models to imitate, care, guidance…

--It provides some religious values, love of God, love of neighbour… This will reduce the risky behavior in most cases.

Reason, religion and loving kindness -- was Don Bosco’s formula.

It is beyond the means of any institute to provide care and protection to all the YAR in India (2.2 billion)... perhaps not even the Government can.

3. The vast majority of the YaR belong to the poorer / marginalized sections of society. Many of the risks are poverty induced. Reduction of poverty will have an overwhelming effect in reducing the risk.

The Government has a vast “poverty alleviation programme”— urban as well as rural. Our YaR mostly belong to the urban sector.

Can the YaR in our care access some benefits from the poverty alleviation programmes of the government? Can we support them to overcome the discrimination they face when they approach the Government agencies? Can we empower them so that they can get their Rights from the Government? This calls for a “rights- based” program for YaR. 4. Institutional care of the YaR is not the preferred method today. Community based remedies are preferred.

There are strong reasons why we have to access benefits from various schemes of the Government. It may be advisable to make a study of the benefits that can be derived from the urban poverty alleviation programme of the Government. This may be a tardy process. Yet it may be the more sustainable, replicable method. Another problem these families face is the “Discrimination” they face when they approach the various Government agencies. This deprives them of the benefits of the government’s poverty alleviation programmes.

Here the government often allies with the oppressing rich, upper caste forces. The intervening agency’s role is to empower the families in claiming their rights and strengthening democracy.

5. Democracy gives the poor and marginalized equal rights with the rich and powerful. This means they need to have local organizations, know the method of approaching the government and mutual support. Food is a most important need. The Government has “Food Security for all”: The Public Distribution System is linked to ration cards. Education, health are also rights of the citizen.

“Rights are claimable”. The marginalized need to be empowered and organized to claim them.

6. Health: The family is most concerned when a member is sick: It is precisely in times of sickness that the need to find adequate responses to the ultimate questions about human life is the most pressing: questions on the meaning of pain, suffering and death itself, considered not only as an enigma that is hard to face, but as a mystery in which Christ incorporates our lives in himself, opening us to a new and definitive birth for the life that will never end.24 In all countries, whether developing, transitional or developed, disabilities and acute and chronic illnesses are often induced or compounded by economic hardship.

Despite international epidemiological demographic shifts and policy improvements, health has so far failed to make the world “fit for children� as forecast by the twentyseventh special session of the General Assembly on Children in 2002.

The local community relies on the Government health centers close to them. What can we do to empower the local community leaders to demand health services from the Government agency?

If the health center works reasonably well many health problems are overcome without draining the financial resources of poor families. Then there are always health problems which require specialized care: our intervention is to change the attitudes of the family and community so that they accept and bring healing to the young who suffer from these common diseases.

7. Children who are suffering from mental illness or mental retardation are subject to the worst stigma and severe social exclusion. In daily life, their abilities and capacities are underestimated and their needs are given low priority. Their civic, social and political rights are violated or neglected in almost all areas of their lives and they are largely deprived of personal freedoms as well as of effective and full participation in family life and in society. Vulnerable to neglect, physical abuse, sexual violence and exploitation by their families and communities, they are less likely to obtain preventive care, police intervention or legal protection. Girls with disabilities suffer even more, experiencing exclusion on account of their gender and their disability and are more likely to be abandoned, discriminated against, and excluded from education, marriage and motherhood. They are also particularly vulnerable to all kinds of abuse.

Young people with chronic conditions are potentially at risk for health problems such as substance use, early onset of sexual activity or unsafe sexual practices, violent or suicidal behaviors, antisocial behaviors and disordered eating. One in ten young suffers from a chronic illness or disability that limits his or her daily activities.

8. HIV/AIDS - Of the over 1 billion youth (ages 15-24 worldwide) some 10 million are living with HIV25. In India, over 35% of all reported AIDS cases occur among those in this age group. The late John Paul II said that AIDS was symptomatic of “pathology of the spirit”. To fight it responsibly, it is necessary to increase its prevention by teaching respect for the sacred value of life and the correct approach to sexuality27. He exhorted pastoral workers “to bring to their brothers and sisters affected by AIDS all possible material, moral and spiritual comfort.”

9. Education After food and health the next most important need is Education: Government provides “Free and Compulsory Education” (RTE). At present this is not quality education. We can remedy it in two ways: Try to improve the school through “School development committees” whose members are the parents. What are the problems the local school / teachers are facing? Can anything be done? Can we supplement the education through evening tuitions? If the Anganwadi and the school runs well in a slum area the number of young at risk will reduce... a part of our work is done!

In practice many children drop out of school to help with the family survival. For adolescent girls, who drop out of school, child marriage, early pregnancy and other reproductive health problems are imminent. Child parliaments and children’s clubs can make significant contributions in improving this situation.

The ultimate aim of the Convention on the Rights of the Child is to guarantee the development of the child to his / her fullest potential, and education plays an important role in this regard (Article 29.1.a). The Committee states that: “Education” in this context goes far beyond formal schooling to embrace the broad range of life experiences and learning processes which enable children, individually and collectively, to develop their personalities, talents and abilities and to live a full and satisfying life within society (Committee on the Rights of the Child 2001, para.2).

Many children face educational deprivation on account of their poverty, caste, culture and class. Families and communities, along with schools, are the key educating institutions in our society. Young people are at risk, if they have not received formal quality education. In Practice: absenteeism of teachers and students: need of children’s labor during seasonal cropping have only compounded the problem of education in rural areas. Research has revealed that when there is money in the house (food), children are not sent to beg or fend for themselves on the streets but are sent to school. Educational qualifications have helped to transform the socio-economic strata of these struggling marginalized people.

It has been observed that “the overall condition of the education system can be a powerful influence on the supply of child labor “(Grootaert and Kanbur 1995,). Often children seek employment simply because of the poor quality of the education that they receive... that often makes attendance at school a waste of time for the students.

Schools in many developing countries suffer from problems of overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, sanitation and apathetic teachers. As a result, parents may find that it is no use sending their children to school when they could be at home learning a skill (for example, agriculture, fishing) and supplementing the family income. Children may drop out of school due to the family’s financial situation- the pressing need for the child’s earnings as well as low ‘perceived advantages’ of school.

When these children leave school, they become potential workers.

Another area of concern is the neglect of the education of underprivileged and vulnerable girls. Many communities have a bias against educating girls beyond a certain age, be it due to their coming of age, early marriage, need in household chores or families seeing the futility of education for the girl child as an unproductive future investment. At the core of this perception is the violation of the Right to Education and the Right to human dignity. It is imperative for the candidate to understand the necessity and to make families and communities aware and responsible towards gender equality in education.

To fulfil the mandate she has received from her divine founder of proclaiming the mystery of salvation to all men and of restoring all things in Christ, Holy Mother the Church .... has a role in the progress and development of education. ... ...For ‘true education’ aims at the formation of the human person in the pursuit of his ultimate end and of the good of the societies of which, as man, he is a member, and in whose obligations, as an adult, he will share.

Schools must be safe spaces where young people can forge identities, clarify values and develop critical thinking skills, while also learning to exercise their rights. Education is the key to improved livelihood, healthcare, nutrition and the exercise of civil and political rights. ‘Equal treatment’ of boys and girls in the classroom should be emphasized, as such experiences will empower girls to stay in school and give them a model of gender equality in action.

This sacred synod.... earnestly entreats all those who hold a position of public authority or who are in charge of education to see to it that youth is never deprived of this sacred right. It further exhorts the sons of the Church to give their attention with generosity to the entire field of education, having especially in mind the need of extending very soon the benefits of a suitable education and training to everyone in all parts of the world (Cf. John XXIII’s encyclical letter, Mater et Magistra, May 15 1961: It is very important for those working with the marginalized to understand the importance of qualification for a better quality of life. The church/ parish schools have a variety of resources— space, infrastructure, personnel (retired teachers and headmasters), experience and a mission towards the marginalized. Today, several school buildings are under-utilized due to lack of creative, organizational abilities. These resources could be used for a far greater outreach towards the out-of-school, dropouts and struggling students. Use of available resources for evening tuitions, night schools, short-term soft-skills, job-oriented courses... is the need of the hour.

“We are on the side of the young because we believe in the worth of the individual, in the possibility of a different kind of world and above all in the great value of education... Educating the young is the only way to prepare a better future for the whole world. We want to respond to economic globalization with a globalization of an educational character!” ( Cf. GC 25 n.140).

There are certain factors that may offset the risk factors mentioned earlier and can be termed as ‘protective factors’ - those which reduce the impact of the negative factors.

These may include • Having at least one important stable person in the youngster’s life • Having friends • Having high social competence • Possessing a sense of self-value • Having competence/mastering — being good at something • Possessing a sense of social coherence and meaning in life 10. Employment The youth have a ‘Right to Employment’. After the age of 18 they must be provided with a livelihood activity depending on their skill and ability. The Government provides self employment opportunities to the educated unemployed youth.

Young children and adolescents who do not have the opportunity to finish their education and acquire the life skills they need for suitable employments are liable to be child labourers.

They are exploited in the job market, often working for low pay, under hazardous conditions, and with little or no prospects. In developing countries, young people work too early and too long. While work affords some the opportunity to earn, learn and develop new skills, many others are trapped in low-wage, low-skill sectors with few opportunities to advance or to escape from poverty.

Large numbers of poorly educated young people without employment prospects is a recipe for continued poverty, inequality and civil unrest. Of the 185 million people unemployed in the world, approximately half are between the ages of 15 and 24.33 Lack of opportunities and underemployment push millions of rural youth to seek a living in the cities.

11. Don Bosco worked precisely in a situation where there was high migration, broken families, poor youth lacking food, health facilities, lack of schooling and high unemployment. He was able to win the trust of these youth, support their families to continue their education, find jobs and make them good Christians and useful citizens. The three principles of his work: reason, religion and loving kindness.

After food, health, education the young need loving kindness: unconditional love, dependability, models to imitate, care, guidance,‌..religious values, love of God, love of neighbour‌Here our Christian commitment to the YAR comes into play

12. The UN CRC demands that the adult relationship to the child must be “friendly”.

A child friendly attitude is essential.

The child has also the right to participation. It is the adults who violate the rights of the child. When the rights are violated the child has the right to express his/her opinion to the local authority. The significant adult must encourage the child to express his/her opinion, and listen as the children have a “Right to be heard”. If the opinion expressed is in the best interests of the child it has to be implemented.

When the local school has no sanitation facilities, the children express their opinion on this and the school authorities listen to the demand of the children for toilets and implement it – the children have participated in the “governance” of the school.

Child parliaments /children’s clubs can play a positive role in the governance of the school local community, village, mandal or municipality.

The parents, educationists and mentors play a crucial role in the formation of these young lives. The love and fear of God forming a connection/relationship with God is an intrinsic element to the formation of these young minds. Each of us is created in the image and likeness of God, there is a predisposition and a propensity to a relationship with God, but this relationship easily fails through the non-catalyst approach of the parents/mentors. If ways and methods of relating to God are not offered to young minds, developing such relationships and openness to our Heavenly Father is, unfortunately, shut out. Hence, those responsible for young people need to understand the crucial period of development of the young that they are dealing with. It is the duty and responsibility of those answerable for the young to develop, kindle and establish that love for Jesus which will help the young people to overcome the situation of’ risk/vulnerability’ that he/she has to face. On this rootedness of relationship with Jesus hinges the foundation of a strong faith that helps young individuals at risk to avoid falling prey to turning away from God. “... ....Every child asks for our love. ....Let us think of those street children who do not have the blessing of a family, home; of those children who are brutally exploited as soldiers and made instruments of violence, instead of messengers of reconciliation and peace. Let us think of those children who are victims of the industry of pornography and every other appalling form of abuse, and thus are traumatized in the depths of their soul. “/7(Pope Benedict XVI, 2008)

“Jesus loved everyone, but he loved children most of all. Today we know that unborn children are the targets of destruction. We must thank our parents for wanting us, for loving us and for taking such good care of us. “ (Mother Teresa).

13. Call for Youth Inclusion Children and youth are disproportionately poor, uniquely vulnerable and face the highest physiological and social risks. Youth inclusion is one of the most daunting challenges faced by the world today and includes six main areas of concern: • limited access to good-quality education, • lack of economic opportunities, • exclusion from political participation and voice, • insufficient space for recreation, • a widening cultural gap between youth and older generations, • and gender disparities.

14. Areas of child abuse: a. Child Labor : Child labor according to the International Labor Organization (ILO), “Child labor includes children prematurely leading adult lives, working long hours for low wages, under conditions damaging to their health and to their physical and mental development, sometimes separated from their families, frequently deprived of meaningful educational and training opportunities that could open up for them a better future.�

Nearly 352 million people between the ages 5-17 were estimated to be working in 2000 171 million of them in hazardous situations.

Child Labor in India- India has the dubious distinction of being the nation with the largest number of child labourers in the world. Notwithstanding the increase in the enrolment of children in elementary schools and increase in literacy rates since 1980s, child labor continues to be a significant phenomenon in India. In India the school drop-out rate is nearly 50%. A majority of children work in industries such as cracker making, diamond polishing, glass, brass-ware, carpet weaving, bangle making, embroidery, brick kilns, lock making and mica cutting to name a few.

b. Street children : Although street children are not confined to the poor countries, in developing countries, factors such as conflict, disease, abuse and political instability compound the problem of poverty, often leading to family disintegration. Some children are orphaned, lost or abandoned; others have migrated from rural areas, tempted by empty promises of work and opportunity. “Too many children are deprived of the warmth of a family. Sometimes the family is absent. In fact, the parents, taken up by other interests, leave their children to their own devices. In other cases the family simply does not exist: thus there are thousands of children who have no home but the street and who can count on no resources except themselves

c. Trafficking Trafficking in persons may be regarded as the transfer of persons by fraudulent means for exploitative purposes.

It is closely associated with migration, the pressing need to migrate in search of work creates a fertile ground for traffickers and unscrupulous agents to exploit this need and profit from it. “The scourge of trafficking in human beings is a multi-dimensional social phenomenon of misery, poverty, greed, corruption, injustice and oppression which manifests itself in sexual exploitation, forced labor, slavery and the recruitment of minors for armed conflict. ... Globalization and the increased movement of people can also make vulnerable groups, such as women and girls, easier prey for traffickers, who clearly have no regard for the dignity of the human person and who view people as mere commodities to be bought and sold, used and abused at will.

d.Substance Abuse The vulnerability of young people to drug abuse has in recent years become a major concern. The consequences of widespread drug abuse and trafficking, particularly among young men and women, are frightening…

Substance Abuse in India India is the world’s second largest producer of tobacco. Indians consume tobacco in a variety of ways, including smoking and chewing. It is believed that like in any other developing country, the most susceptible age for initiating tobacco use in India is adolescence and early adulthood (ages 15-24)57.

e. Juvenile Delinquency “We see them, too, passing before Our sorrowful gaze, wandering through the noisy city street, reduced to unemployment and moral corruption or drifting as vagrants uncertainly about the cities, the towns, the countryside, while no one — alas — provides safe refuge for them against want, vice and crime. “50 Rapid population growth, unemployment, unavailability of housing and support services, overcrowding, family disintegration, ineffective educational systems, all predispose children and youth towards offences such as substance abuse, violence etc. Children who are orphaned, abandoned, lack supervision, shelter and other basic necessities of life are at the greatest risk of falling victim to juvenile delinquency. Current efforts to fight juvenile delinquency both in developing and developed countries are inadequate, characterized by a lack of systematic action and hampered by lack of international comparative data.

Our social work should promote Gospel values, happiness, inclusion, community caring‌ In India, it is the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 that is the key legal framework to ensure the right to protection of children.

Formulated in 1986, the JJ Act was amended in 2000 and again in 2006. The Act has a child-friendly approach underlining proper care, protection, treatment and rehabilitation and reintegration of children below 18 years. The JJ Act has attempted to standardize the care and protection of the child all over the country. Involving various informal systems and community based welfare agencies in the protection, care, treatment, development and rehabilitation of children is the final objective. Its particularities are best treated in formulations of the Rules Act (2007) to be laid down by each state in the country. The JJ Act is currently going through a revision process in the Indian Parliament (as of 2015).

Among all these risks and deprivations we never stop sharing, joyful celebrations, fellowship, care for creation, harmony of human beings with nature, participation and working with government instruments. Our basic strategy of intervention should be one of networking with the media and community, through participation to uphold human dignity, accountability, transparency, professionalism and competence towards a rights-based approach, dialogue and collaboration with other faiths. There is need for strategic planning, scientific data collection and networking with other bodies that make this whole. We should project these ideas and how we want to implement them, through advocacy and lobbying.

Evaluation and analysis must play a key role for we need to reflect upon what we are doing, how and why? This will help change and redefine our objectives to tackle present day challenges. “..... When young people feel hopeless, they risk doing desperate things that are costly to them and to society at large. Our work will fall short if we cannot provide these young people with the opportunity to build a better tomorrow. That means we must do more—and do it better—to reach them now...... We must intensify our efforts to reach the youngest with appropriate early childhood interventions to ensure that they have the necessary foundations upon which to build a healthy and productive future. We must also deepen our knowledge about the most effective means to address the multitude of challenges facing poor youth, from lack of marketable skills and employment prospects to violence and crime, from early pregnancy to high rates of HIV/AIDS. “ (James D. Wolfensohn, World Bank President)

It is imperative to recognize that poverty is a significant determinant of risk particularly among the young. Therefore, prevention must be the overall guiding principle behind any strategy aimed at reducing the risks of children and youth.

MULTI AGENCY APPROACH

THE INSTITUTIONAL MODEL

YaR WELFARE MODEL

CULTURALLY INCLUSIVE

EMPOWERMENT MODEL

PREVENTIVE APPROACHES

CURRENT MODELS OF WORKING WITH THE YOUNG AT RISK

MODULE 4

king r o w f o s l de o m t n e r r Cu with YAR (Discusses current models in the Provinces of Salesian India)

Social Work in India

T

he changing role of governments in India has been echoed by the changing roles of its civil society organizations. As the government’s role has changed from a police state to a welfare state and subsequently to a development state, so also has the NGO’s role shifted from charity, relief, welfare, development to empowerment and now a rightsbased role.

The Church has always had a strong social concern.

There has been a paradigm shift from a welfarist approach wherein the non-Christian interpretation of the Church’s history in social action had been termed as use of social work for ‘conversion’. The spirituality of working with the marginalized suggests that social work is the building of a ‘just reign of God’ on earth. There is a relationship between humanizing and evangelizing. Hence, there is no dichotomy in a religious social worker’s involvement in society as a social worker and as a consecrated religious being. It is a call within a call that is intrinsic to being a religious consecrated social worker actively involved in building a just reign of God. The essential element lies in the interpolation of one’s calling (vocation) enacted in a ministry for the marginalized. One is consecrated to the Lord first and follows Him in His specialized ministry towards the marginalized.

2. Apart from religious NGOs working with YaR (the work of the different Salesian provinces) who have created different models and their success stories, there is also commendable work done by secular NGOs. The Nobel Prize winner Kailash Satyarti’s work is an outstanding example.

We may enrich each other by sharing the experiences and by learning from one another. We, religious, need to shed the allergy we have in recognizing the work done by others in the NGO sector. The effort should be to create models and bring pressure on the Government to take up the work for YaR. NGOs are active in areas where the government has not entered or failed in its duty.

3. Engaging with the Young at Risk For any youth program to be effective, it is important that the youth feel involved at every stage. For this, they need to be placed at the centre of the process and feel comfortable both with the worker and the process right from the beginning. The relationship should resemble a “good parental relationship, in terms of providing acceptance and warmth, but also a measure of firmness...thus constitute a corrective emotional experience.”

4. While working with the young, it is important to think of the following: • Why have they come to you for help — this could be due to lack of support from the family or friends, • lack of awareness about the consequences of their actions, difficulty in committing to a positive course of action to help themselves etc.

• What are the problems they face while engaging services---fear and distrust of official agencies, lack of knowledge about whom to approach, fear of disapproval or victimization by the agencies etc.

• Where and when would they like to meet you?

• How can you build up your relationships with them?

5. Building Relationships with the Young Integral human development starts from where young people are; it banks on their inner resources and assures them of patient accompaniment in their human and Christian development. The attempt is to help the young build their own personal identity, give new life to values they have not succeeded in developing because of their marginalized circumstances and give them reasons for living with meaning, joy, responsibility and competence.

Trust is a prerequisite for building up any relationship, but it takes time and is a challenging task, especially with those youngsters who have never had a trusting relationship with an adult or who have had bad experiences in the past. With trust comes a greater willingness to share experiences and feelings… and a better chance of getting to the bottom of the ‘real’ story.

Confidentiality: Young people should be consulted and their perspectives taken into account in reaching decisions about their future. Ensuring that confidentiality is not breached means gaining consent to information being shared either from the young person or the responsible stakeholder, whenever possible.

Informed Consent: Informed consent means that the person giving the consent must understand the reason for and possible consequences of intervention. Young people must have a choice.

Information Sharing: Information must be shared with other individuals involved but only with the consent of the young person. The information is collected from the young or else from the responsible stakeholder. This sharing must take place within the boundaries of law, with no breach of confidentiality.

6. Current Models for Working with the Young at Risk Models of working with youth at risk include the welfare model, the institutional model and the empowerment model.

The Welfare model consists of just distributing welfare in various forms. Such a model is recommended only in case of emergencies and not in the context of a dynamic society, as it tends to breed dependence — people become mere receivers and continue to remain so throughout. It maybe better suited to small children who are helpless and need appropriate care.

The Institutional model is based upon the philosophy... teaching a man to fish, rather than giving him fish to eat. It brings in greater sustainability as it teaches him to stand on his own feet (through training and employment) and not be dependent upon charity. Yet this model also has its challenges -- there is a tendency for elitism to creep into the institutions, causing a gradual distancing from the poor. Dependency (financial) is another issue that this model needs to grapple with.

A third model is one of Community Empowerment, wherein the people themselves are true participants in their development, with due emphasis on rights. Empowerment gives the people a sense of ownership. Empowerment indicates how “the intrinsic motivation and self efficacy of people are influenced by leadership behavior, job characteristics, organizational structure and their own needs and values” (Yukl, 2006, p. 107). The empowerment process encourages commitment, risk taking and innovation and seeks to develop followers who can lead themselves by thinking and acting independently.

A growth-based model may enhance the quality of life of many, but it still leaves out the basic human rights of many more. A rights-based approach ensures equity and a decent standard of life for all persons. Social workers today face not only the challenge of the growing divide between the haves and the have-nots but also that of tackling the top-down charity and donor approach as against the well-deserved rights based approach of the people. This stress on a ‘bottom-up’ mode of operation for goal compliance enhances the NGO’s credibility and legitimacy in government circles for collaborative purposes.

7. Youth Ministry Patterns of decline in religious affiliation and participation pose new challenges as they seek to engage youth in church life. A religious consecrated is called to live for others and not for himself, in imitation of Christ, who came “not to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many� (Mk 10:45).

Hence, the goals of the youth ministry are to empower young people to live as disciples of Jesus Christ in our world today, to make them responsible participants in the life, mission, and work of the Catholic faith community and to foster their holistic growth — personal and spiritual.

8. Arthur Canales (2006)80 suggested four prominent models of adolescent youth ministryIn the Christian Discipleship model, youth are treated as disciples, as “learners,� who follow the teaching and instruction of others who are more advanced in the faith.

Usually discipleship was manifested in the indirect example set by the leader or youth minister as they worked together with youth on different programs.

In the Friendship model: youth ministry personnel play the role of friends and mentors, as trusted adults, enabling the provision of support, encouragement and nurture in a way that would help youth develop leadership roles in both the church and the community. The task is to help young people express their relationship to Jesus as a friend, similarly as Jesus revealed himself to them in their relationships with friends and family at school and at home (cf. Canales 2006).

The core imperative of the Social Justice Model is to empower young people to care for the disadvantaged.

The Liturgical Initiation Model is centered on sacraments and liturgies.

Those models that allow for youth ownership and are dynamic rather than static, appear to be the most successful. They offer opportunities for ownership and the development of skills, rather than simply a service from a position of authority. By ownership is meant giving youth a chance to have a say in the activities being offered and design the content of programs. For this the particular circumstances of the youth at risk must be taken into account.

THE RELEVANCE OF THE PREVENTIVE SYSTEM OF DON BOSCO FOR WORKING WITH THE YOUNG AT RISK The sociological context The Indian context, a reality check Revisiting Don Bosco’s preventive system Preventive system and the concept of resilience The preventive system promotes child rights The way forward

MODULE 5

O’S C S O B N DO f O e c n a v ion t a c The Rele u d E f mO e t s y S e v i P re v e n t IN THE CONTEXT OF THE YOUNG AT RISK IN INDIA INTRODUCTION:

O

n 25th January 2015, Don Bosco Navajeevan (A home for street children/ Young at Risk) in Hyderabad received 230 young boys. They were rescued by the police who raided bangle-making units in the Old City in Hyderabad.

The children, aged between 8 and 18, were held for bonded labour.1 This is only the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Mr. Sathyarthi, the Nobel Prize laureate, says that the Indian cities have many more hidden child labourers working under near-slavery conditions. What is worse, the children were not quite able to appreciate their release from “child labour” and being sent to their home states: Bihar and West Bengal. Many of them said that they would return to the same work later. Poverty is so prevalent that it acquires such tragic dimensions. What is appalling perhaps is society’s mindset where ‘Child labour is not a big crime’ or a mindset which does not place children on a priority list. There is also the discrimination that ‘These are the children of the lower castes who do not really matter.’

India is said to be an emerging global power with its demographic dividend of an eligible work force (the 15-64 age group) comprising 430 million people, mostly youth -- India’s key to future success. It is in fact a ticking time bomb as the frustration among the youth creates political instability and our generational divide could turn into a disaster.

It is a growing mass of largely under-nourished, under-educated, and unemployed young people who aspire to a better life but don’t have the means to get there – only 30 million people are employed in the organized sector, and the remaining 400 million people are finding themselves in the unorganized sector. Sixty percent of the total workforce is engaged in agriculture, which contributes only to 18% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), indicative of the widespread disguised unemployment and low productivity.2 The option for poor youngsters and abandoned at risk, has always been at the heart and life of Don Bosco’s Salesian Family from the beginning right down to the present day. It has occasioned responses everywhere in a great variety of structures and services according to the educative choices inspired by the preventive system. Our vocation as Salesians will not allow us to remain at ease in the face of a situation like this, which we find today not only in the developing world but indeed everywhere. It prompts us to commit ourselves to providing some response to the more urgent situations of youngsters at risk” (cf. GC 21:158; GC 22:6, 72; GC 23: 203-214). The situation of today’s society challenges us, as defenders of children, to find new responses. The present discussion focuses on the application of Don Bosco’s Preventive System of Education in India, as a representative context of the global scenario, especially the developing nations. Pope Francis’s reminder of the Church’s mission today perhaps may be a lead to the whole discussion on the significance of the Preventive System:

“Let us go forth to offer everyone the life of Jesus Christ. … I prefer a Church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a Church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.

I do not want a Church concerned with being at the centre and which then ends up by being caught up in a web of obsessions and procedures. If something should rightly disturb us and trouble our consciences, it is the fact that so many of our brothers and sisters are living without the strength, light and consolation born of friendship with Jesus Christ, without a community of faith to support them, without meaning or goal in life. …”3 To be out on the street in the context of the present discussion on the Preventive System of Don Bosco means to be a significant adult identifying certain qualities in a child/young adult at risk and facilitate him/her with unconditional acceptance, to build his/her inherent power of resilience that enables him/her to deal with risks and thrive in spite of them.4

1. The Sociological Context – Genesis of Don Bosco’s Preventive System The majority of the 125,000 inhabitants in Turin were poor and marginalized when Don Bosco started his oratory for the young at risk. Every street had beggars and the poor took shelter under the church porticos or in public buildings.

In winter, more farm workers from the villages flocked in to find work. The children (boys and girls) put to work or abandoned by parents, worked as shoeshine boys, chimney sweeps, in factories, pickpockets... They all belonged to the army of delinquents.

They were packed together in inhuman conditions, the air polluted by the stench of the gutters, and smog from the factories.

Only one of every four children was legitimate. The city responded with repressive regulations which resulted in the introduction of identity cards for the workers in 1829, registration of beggars in 1831 and the opening of a beggars’ asylum in 1840.

Consequently, charitable works for the beggars like the Cottelengo’s small house of Divine Providence and Fr. John Cocchi’s “oratory” for abandoned boys were started.

Moral rigorism was the norm of the day at the Convitto where Don Bosco lived at this time. This element of the repressive system, Don Bosco rejected outright. (Lens John, Don Bosco in His Times, 2000).

Fr. Cafasso initiated work in prisons. Don Bosco too, went to the prisons. It was horrifying for Don Bosco to see many youngsters locked up behind bars, tied together like animals and no special care for those condemned to death. Once, Don Bosco accompanied a boy to the scaffold but fainted before he reached the place of execution.( Note the repressive system awarding capital punishment to the young.) Don Bosco was appalled to see numbers of youngsters aged between 12 and 18 years -- healthy, strong and intelligent, remain idle, eaten by vermin....

Witnessing such horrifying situations of youngsters, Don Bosco mediated and got several of them released, but unfortunately they found their way back into prison.

He meditated and decided that S‘if only a friend’ would take care of them and teach them catechism, they would be transformed. He believed in the innate goodness of the youngsters. In other words, everyone has the potential to deal with the worst situations and the possibility to overcome tragic and traumatic experiences provided they are supported by appropriate opportunities and platforms. Therefore, he allowed the children freedom of expression and encouraged fun, expression, noise and cheerfulness.

The basis of Don Bosco’s Preventive System is Catholic anthropology — a belief in the basic goodness of human nature, coupled with a healthy and realistic acceptance of its woundedness. He believed that original sin had affected but not completely corrupted human nature. Consequently, he believed in both the innate goodness of the child as well as the necessity of grace for his growth. We see here the evolution of the preventive system.

2. The Indian Context – A Reality Check According to the statement of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation in October 2012, as many as 48% of children in India are malnourished: “a national shame,” stated Shantha Sinha, the then chairperson of the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights.

Malnutrition is higher among children whose mothers are uneducated or have less than five years of education. As per the report, 40% of children do not complete their vaccination cycle and 8% of children never received any vaccination.5 12% of children aged 5 to 14 years are engaged in child labour.6 Another acute problem is the rapidly falling child sex ratio.

As per India’s Ministry of Health and Family Affairs estimates, the prevalence of mental disorders has been found to be 6-7%, i.e., more than 60 million people. The rate of psychiatric disorders in children, aged between 4 to 16 years, is about 12%, meaning around 50 million less than 18 years of age, including 20 million adolescents with severe mental health disorders, who require specialist services. Around 90% of them currently do not receive any specialist service. 22% of adolescents (14-18 yrs) have a mental or behavioural problem; and depression is on the rise (NFHS-3, 200506). 53.22% of the children reported to have faced some form of sexual abuse with the state of Andhra Pradesh ranking highest (“Study on Child Abuse – India 2007”, Ministry of W&C Development, Government of India). 13.1% involved in drug and substance abuse are below 20 years. Suicide rates are highest in the15-29 age group, peaking in southern Indian states, which are more developed when compared to the northern states.

According to the National Crime Records Bureau, India (2013)7, an increase of 52.5% in cases of crime against children was reported in 2013 over 2012. In percentage terms, the majority of ‘Crimes against Children’ during 2013 were reported under kidnapping and abduction (48.4%), rape (21.2%), murder (other than infanticide) (2.8%), procuration of minor girls (2.1%).

The number of Juveniles in conflict with the law under both the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Special Local Laws (SLL) has increased by 13.6% and 2.5% respectively during the year 2013 over 2012. In 2013, the share of IPC crimes committed by juveniles to total IPC crimes was reported as 1.2%. Of the total juveniles (43,506) involved in various crimes, 8,392 (19%) were illiterate and 13,984 (32%) had education up to primary level. A large number of juveniles (50.2%) belonged to the poor families whose annual income was less than Rs.25,000/-. Children living with parents (35,244 persons) have accounted for 81.0% of the total juveniles apprehended for committing various crimes during 2013.8

There are many similarities between the situations of the young at risk in India today and that of the young at risk in Don Bosco’s times. There are many differences too.

Today the Indian Government’s response is the Juvenile Justice Act and the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). However, the correction homes of the government are much like the prisons of Don Bosco’s days. Most of the juvenile justice homes established to provide care and protection as well as re-integration, rehabilitation and restoration of the juveniles in conflict with law and children in need of care and protection, have become India’s hell holes.9

In his days, Don Bosco thought out of the box and came up with fresh thinking (including the Preventive System). The basic question before us is: Have we grown with the times and have we something still unique to contribute? How do we spell out the Preventive System today so that we the Salesians of Don Bosco become relevant and significant to the young at risk? How do we get out on the street to be a significant adult, accepting the child/young adult at risk unconditionally and facilitate him/her to build his/her inherent power of resilience?

3. Revisiting Don Bosco’s Preventive System of Education10 3.1 The Expressive Presence – the Visible Structure of the Preventive System “Expressive Presence” means to be with the young at risk in a way that is friendly, attentive, lively, caring and creative with an effective presence. This positive and enabling presence is the visible structure of the preventive system, in contrast to the repressive/ punitive/ manipulative system of dominating the child with firm restraints of punishment – inculcating fear, dishonesty and dependency and eventually breeding anarchy/ delinquency.

The Expressive Presence prevents the need for punishment but inculcates a homely and non-formal environment, facilitating the young to become aware of, express and bloom to full potential. It is a presence that motivates, encourages, infusing enthusiasm and optimism. It is corrective where the educator is proactive but not repressive and punitive. It is a process of dialogue not monologue. It is holistic and other-centered, inculcates team work — not merely utilitarian and result oriented towards socio-economic gains for oneself. It is flexible and non-regimental but inculcates self-accountability.

In sum, taking a cue from the changing attitude of the Church as expressed in Instrumentum Laboris, Don Bosco’s preventive method is “caring and compassionate and non-judgmental.”11 It is a journeying with the young at risk. Here the educator becomes a role model: the message, messenger and medium converge. As Pope Francis points out, “educating is not a job; it is an approach, a way of living.”12 3.2. The Three R’s (Rapport/Loving Kindness, Religion and Reason): The Foundation The Expressive Presence of the preventive method of education is effective in taking care of the basic needs of the young at risk, as it is firmly founded in three R’s: Rapport/Loving Kindness, Religion and Reason: i. Rapport/Loving Kindness: The learning begins in an environment of unconditional acceptance of the young at risk – with love and trust that builds his/her self-confidence and esteem.

Effective expressive presence means here: empathetic listening, availability and being creative. Archbishop Bergoglio (Pope Francis) once commented on Don Bosco’s Preventive System of education, “It’s important to spend time talking to children, to keep your ears open, even though we often think they’re being silly. But among the hundred things they say, there’s one thing that is unique, and deep down they’re looking for something: for you to pay attention to their particularities, to say to them, ‘You’re okay.’”13 ii. Religion: The preventive system facilitates the young at risk to undertake the journey within from self-discovery through self-acceptance to self-expression while mainstreaming him/her into society as a self-reliant and responsible citizen, carrying out tasks without fear and external compulsions (principled behavior), respecting others and one’s environment.

Here learning aims at interior maturity – a harmonious blending of one’s thinking, action and words. Here faith in God is expressed through festivity, gratitude and praise, joy and optimism, reverence and respect for all creation. iii. Reason: It safeguards a relationship based on love from degenerating into mere sentimentality. Unlike a repressive system which disciplines through punishment, the preventive system of expressive and effective presence disciplines in an atmosphere of understanding, acceptance and respect. Here both educator (not mere ‘teacher’ in a class room) and child are comfortable within and to each other. The educator is not a supervisor engaged in maintaining the rules, but a mentor providing proactive assistance for all-round growth. In sum, the three R’s of the Preventive System are interlinked very closely. If Reason mediates Religion and Rapport/Loving Kindness, it is itself sublated by both Religion and Loving Kindness. If Religion sublates Reason as well as Loving Kindness, it is itself both reasonable and loving. If Loving Kindness colours the practice of Religion and sublates Reason, it itself flows from Religion and is given a direction by Reason.

Don Bosco’s Preventive System and the Concept of Resilience Don Bosco’s Preventive System, with its visible structure of Expressive Presence founded on the principles of Rapport/Loving Kindness, Religion, and Reason, invites the Educator to be a significant adult who accepts the child/young adult at risk unconditionally and facilitates him/her to be aware of that resilient quality within. Resilience here “refers to the concept that even in situations of multiple risks to an individual’s development, there are certain qualities within the individual or his/her environment that allows him/ her to deal with these risks and thrive in spite of them.”14

Though resilience may be an inherent quality, an inbuilt mechanism within oneself to thrive in spite of risks, this is to be identified and nurtured by a significant adult – the educator in Don Bosco’s Preventive System. The concept of Resilience focuses on two strategies: “first, searching for better indicators to identify characteristics of individuals or environments that serve a protective function (a resilience focus); and second, investing in early childhood as a way of preventing risks from having as great an effect (a preventive approach).”15 A retrospective analysis into Don Bosco’s Preventive System, with its three founding principles of Rapport/Loving Kindness, Religion and Reason, reveals that these strategies form an inherent part.

In Don Bosco’s Preventive system or in its modern version of Resilience, inculcating self-esteem and self-respect in the child/young adult at risk by the significant adult with unconditional acceptance and expressive presence, is the key. The significant adult facilitates him/her to be aware of his/her inner self, and identify and build the resilient quality within. It is a facilitation of the discovery of meaning from within by the child/ young adult at risk.

As Vanistendael describes, “Unconditional acceptance of the person (not any behaviour) will stimulate self-esteem. So will the discovery of meaning: if my life makes some sense, then it cannot be all that bad. … Self-esteem can be very important in its own right and there is a lot of simple everyday behaviour that can stimulate or destroy it. For example, harsh discipline, much negative criticism, unattainable standards and sharp irony may be fairly common, but they can be very destructive for self-esteem. Some well-founded encouragement, constructive criticism, standards without perfectionism may not be so common, but they will tend to bolster self-esteem.”

Depicting the process Vanistendael cites the anecdote of a street educator who dealt with street children habituated to stealing: “He did not simply criticize them for theft.

First he let the child explain how he managed to do it.

Often the theft was very ingenious! Only then the street educator gradually tried to reorient such cleverness to more constructive goals in life. So he tried to save both the self-esteem and the ingenuity of the child, framing it in a socially acceptable way. This illustrates several issues: a) not accepting the child’s behaviour, but accepting the child as a person; b) bringing out some positive qualities which many people may not notice because they are in a sense hidden behind unacceptable behaviour; c) respecting and bolstering the child’s self-esteem in that whole process.”16

5. Don Bosco’s Preventive System Promotes Child Rights: It’s Relevance Today The essence and fundamentals of the Preventive System in the context of the young at risk can be perceived in terms of the United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Don Bosco’s Preventive System of education, with its effective expressive presence and the 3 R’s (Rapport/Loving Kindness, Religion and Reason), is the best tool to promote the practice of Child Rights in a non-formal environment and educational setting. With its unconditional acceptance, care and protection, Don Bosco’s Preventive System of education accepts a child as the agent of his/ her life – capable of participating in a decision making process (“right to be heard”) that affects his/her life and brings positive changes (Convention on the Rights of the Child – CRC ART 12)

The emphasis of the Preventive System on holistic education aims at all-round development (“best interest” – CRC Art.3) on an equitable basis (“non discrimination” CRC Art.2). Here the educator is a proactive Significant adult in his/her life and accompanies him/her to “prevent” him/her from “falling”, helps him/her to “get up” in case he/she falls, by inculcating a culture of Reason (principle based behavior), Religion (spiritual/God fearing – irrespective of the creed one follows) through building Rapport/ Loving- Kindness where deeper relationships are formed where the helping and healing of hearts takes place. And in that process, it enables the child to become a God fearing and other-centered, productive, self reliant, socially-responsible, eco-conscious and responsible citizen.

The system we practise today contains the Preventive System as its core with several add-ons from psychology, sociology, human rights, child rights and religious insights (for instance, the conceptual framework of the Juvenile Justice and the legal bodies/ programmes thereof: Child Welfare Committee, Juvenile Justice Board, Integrated Child Protection Scheme, etc.). The preventive system is a response to the repressive systems practiced by the government and other educators then and now.

5.1 The Right to Life or Survival Not just survive but live with dignity. As mentioned earlier, Don Bosco gives the young at risk a dignified life: basic necessities –food, shelter, clothes, medical care and a career option — formal education or training for a dignified livelihood. Recognition of the fact that they are right holders and therefore what is given to them is not out of charity.

This is what Don Bosco did for the beggar children, working children, illegitimate children, to those children released from prison.

This action prevents a lot of crime and misuse of youthful energies. After supplying the necessities of life, Don Bosco never wanted strict, disciplined behavior from them. He used the words used by St. Philip Neri: run, jump, play but do not sin. The world of the Salesian is not a clock work world. Our world is not pure system: it is a mixture of system and non system. So the Preventive System is not so thoroughly a system as to leave no space for the non-systemic. It is in fact a system of education with a thorough and healthy respect for the non systematic. Don Bosco’s houses and most especially the oratory at Valodocco were marked by a pleasant disorder, a happy chaos. Don Bosco had a vivid sense of the unforeseeability of life and knew how to operate in the midst of many unknowns.

This is not to say that planning and preparation have no place in the Preventive System.

Carlo Nanni, from whom I have taken the insight about the acknowledgement of the unforeseeable, and acceptance of certain happy disorder in Don Bosco’s works, also points out the place for planning and preparation.

Foresight, planning and preparation are synonyms with the “preventive”. We need to create the necessary structures, supports and conditions we need to make sure that we are present to what the young are doing and where they are, we need to create platforms of communication with them; he made an explicit choice for the word “assistance”. All these are the preventive elements to which we need to dedicate time, energy and money.

In this light must be placed the ban on physical violence, and we must add on verbal and all other forms of violence. Don Bosco would not have discipline at all costs. At the very center of the system is that the young person must be helped to grow.

5.2 The Right to Protection The young at risk may have developed “survival skills” (resilience), in the street for self- protection. Yet, she/he is exposed to every kind of danger: violence, abuse, threats, deprivation, ill health, bad influence, exploitation, inclemency of nature etc. The intervention made by a “significant adult” is with the offer of total protection. Therefore, the child has to choose between the available street/situation of risk and the offer made by the significant adult. The open shelter is the first space in Don Bosco’s intervention for the young at risk, offering protection. The enabling presence of a significant adult, which Don Bosco called “assistance” comes into play here in a meaningful way. Don Bosco planned and created an environment in which it was almost impossible for the young to make a mistake (to sin). This is the right to protection as declared by the UNCRC.

5.3 The Right to Development Physical development is taken care of by the food, clothes and the medical care provided. In India and in many other developing countries, we have to take note of the malnourished status of the children.

Next, the care giver is responsible for the mental development of the child. The child who had lived one day at a time without thinking of his/her future has to be involved in planning the course of his/ her life. The human being is not merely a moving system, but a moving system that has become intellectually conscious. This means that consciousness is the starting point and the end is somehow built into the process of growth. Human beings in other words, cannot grow without asking themselves, “‘where do I find myself ’, and ‘where am I going’?” Don Bosco is clearly conscious of this need, and constantly invites the youngster to take stock of his present situation in order to move towards the end. God has a plan for life that finally leads to that salvation. Don Bosco did not want the youngster to return to prison or begging. He wanted a livelihood for the youngster. The young person has to be prepared to plan his future.

5.4. The Right to Be Heard (Respect for the Views of the Child) When adults are making decisions that affect children, children have the right to say what they think should happen and have their opinions taken into account. This Convention encourages adults to listen to the opinions of children and involve them in decisionmaking, especially in matters that affects their lives. Every young person has his /her opinion and has the right to express it freely. Children can also have associations and form groups as a forum to express their opinions.

Their opinions are to be communicated to the local authority because they have a right to be heard. The local authority is obliged to implement the opinions if it is in the best interests of the young. When the local authority implements their opinions, the children have to be included in the governance of the local community (Art.12-13 of UNCRC). Respecting the views of the young at risk and making them participate in planning, implementing and reviewing the matters that affect them is inherent in Don Bosco’s Preventive System.

5.5. The Community Dimension The Preventive System has a very strong community dimension, with its emphasis on building the “spirit of family” in every educative setting. Don Bosco’s Preventive System strives to create a family environment to provide the young person the necessary milieu for healthy and holistic growth. Similarly, realization of the rights of the child enshrined in the UNCRC is in fulfilment of Don Bosco’s educative pedagogy in the context of the young at risk. For this reason, the interventions for the young at risk emphasize on family re-unification wherever possible and in other cases, believes in alternative forms of care, replacing institutionalized care for all the young at risk, viz., group care, individual foster care, kinship care and adoption when possible.

The Preventive System involves all - the necessary convergence of all involved in the work along with the children/young at risk (the primary stakeholders), the lay collaborators, and all the others, such as local community elders, allied systems such as the police, health systems, judicial systems, local administration and Civil Society Organizations.

The Preventive System provides special emphasis to the children of the most vulnerable and marginalized, socially-economically-politically excluded. Does the Salesian system encourage the young at risk to participate in the “governance” of the community?

Respect and esteem for the individual person is the very basis of the Salesian educational system. This implies allowing him/ her freedom of expression. Don Bosco also formed groups like sodalities for children to express their opinion.

A contemporary incarnation of this spirit of family is the educative pastoral community so much recommended by the 24th General Chapter. The major concepts underlying the CRC were present in the Salesian Educative system then and are present now as well.

We have to deal here with the relationship between the levels of experiencing, understanding, judging and the operations on the level of deciding. There can be no human doing and acting without prior contribution of the operations that make up human deciding.

5.6. Building Relationships - Rapport/Loving Kindness Building Relationship through loving kindness is also part of Reason where the heart overrules the head. The salt of Christianity, the love of God as expressed in Jesus is at the core of this loving kindness. Many of the young at risk are in conflict with the family, not able to taste parental love. The unsupportive attitude of the parents might have forced them to leave home. This is the “wounded” human being, who cannot understand a loving God because he/she has not experienced human love -- the love of parents. The young person has to experience this love through the caregiver at our child care facilities, who has intervened in his/her life. Here comes Don Bosco’s charism of capturing the heart of the young. Boys simply put their whole trust in him and this replaced the lost love of the parents. Once this love was experienced (the young must not only be loved but must feel that they are loved) he could explain the love of God to them. This is the core of the loving kindness of the Salesian Preventive System.

“The caregiver builds a relationship which is loving, friendly, trusting and sometimes challenging. It is a relationship that fosters harmonious growth of the young person’s inner resources. It is the relationship that helps to bring out the best in the youngster.

For the caregiver/educator this means being with the young, not merely in physical sense but more importantly at the level of the mind and heart.”17

This is a relationship of trust which cannot fail. The youngsters had the temptation to return to the enjoyments of the street. It was this “trust” which they found difficult to betray. Don Bosco was there with his loving kindness in time of crises and encouraged them to trust him. This mutual charismatic love and trust is at the heart of the “Loving Kindness” in the preventive system. Don Bosco’s originality lies in his method, but his greatest originality lay in the way he handled the element of loving kindness.

The basis of the Preventive System is a thoroughly Catholic anthropology: belief in the basic goodness of the human nature coupled with a healthy and realistic acceptance of its woundedness. Don Bosco followed neither Jansenist rigorism nor Rousseau’s naturalism. He seems to have taken elements from both. Like the Jansenists, Don Bosco stressed individual attention, gentleness and constant vigilance. Unlike them, he believed in the innate goodness of the young in spite of all the wrongs he might have committed earlier. Don Bosco allowed expression, noise, cheerfulness and made place for affection.

The young who manage to thrive, despite the harshness of the environment that surrounds them, have much to teach. They remind us that competence, confidence and caring can flourish even under adversity. As noted, we call this quality “resilience” in a person. The educator does well if he is able to identify resilience in a young person because this comes out as the “strength in a person” and hence can be used as the foundation on which further strengths could be built. We recall the incident when Don Bosco found a boy who had no abilities to mention and he asked him if he could whistle.

This ‘appreciative enquiry’ approach is a reflection of Don Bosco’s deep involvement in the lives of the young. This style of education works as a nursery for the all round growth in the young -- spiritual, moral and intellectual. Finally, the young person is prepared to go out into society and live as an honest, self reliant and responsible citizen.

The positive and enabling presence (assistance in traditional language) could be used as the means to help the young at risk to develop secure bonds with caring adults.

“Unless we look at a person and see the beauty there is in this person, we cannot contribute anything to him or her. One does not help a person by discerning what is wrong... what is ugly... what is distorted... Christ looked at everyone He met, at the prostitute, at the thief... and saw the beauty hidden there. Perhaps it was distorted, perhaps damaged, but it was beauty none the less, and what He did was to call forth this beauty... This is what we must learn to do with regard to others. But to do so we must first have a purity of heart, a purity of intention, openness which is not always there... so that we can listen, can look, and can see the beauty which is hidden. Every one of us is an image of God, and every one of us is like a damaged icon. But if we were given an icon damaged by time, damaged by circumstances, or desecrated by human hatred, we would treat it with reverence, with tenderness, with broken-heartedness.

We would not pay attention primarily to the fact that it is damaged, but to the tragedy of its being damaged. We would concentrate on what is left of its beauty, and not of what is lost of its beauty. And this is what we must learn to do with regard to each person”18.

5.7. Religion in Promoting the Positive “Indeed God has loved us first: He continues to love us first, every day and every hour; even the very desire for God is itself a gift of God to us; we would not even be seeking God if he had not already found us; the very first movement towards God itself comes not from us but from God”19. The Salesian educational system is clearly theistic. It presupposes the existence of God. This God is good and provident. The primacy of God’s love is the basic Salesian theorem.

The great Salesian emphasis is on the preeminent love of God. When the Salesian commits himself to becoming “the sign and bearer” of God’s love, he tries to be the one who makes the first move, the one who takes the initiative – his intervention in the life of the young at risk, and hence, the great appreciation of the sacraments especially those of reconciliation and Eucharist.

How did Don Bosco use Religion in promoting the positive? For Don Bosco, all children have basic goodness in them. It is also to be noted that many of the Young at Risk have some kind of background of being in conflict with the law, out of prison status, unhappy situation at home, rejection of/by parents, stealing/petty offences, drug addiction, violent or exploitative actions towards fellow street children, sexual offences, victims of sexual violence/abuse....

This has destroyed the dignity of the child. This has to be regained. Don Bosco extends to the young, his invitation to a life with the dignity of a human being.

The young need to get over this background of damage – need healing/forgiveness.

Don Bosco used the sacrament of reconciliation to give healing/ forgiveness to the children, free them from guilt feelings and restore dignity. In a multi-religious context, prayer, counseling, psychosocial support, trauma care, de-addiction etc are used to restore dignity.

Don Bosco used the Eucharist, communion to gain acceptance back to the Christian community. The young person needs to be accepted – he is not the same person anymore: that does not warrant discrimination. Today the young at risk suffer from several discriminations – caste discrimination, discrimination as a result of the various tags that are put on him/her: “street child”, “drug addict”, “petty criminal”, “disabled”, “runaway”, “anti-social” etc. We often see these children overcoming all discriminations and joining ‘happy company’. Society still has discrimination for these children and the care-giver must show added love and kindness in order to overcome these. They have to be accepted by the community – community of the children, and caregivers, and civil society. In this context, the teaching of the catechism is mainly meant to teach children about the loving fatherhood of God, loving kindness, forgiveness (preparation for confession), and acceptance of community (preparation for communion). Serve the Lord in gladness, happiness that feels and understands even in the midst of suffering, ‘that a piece of paradise will adjust everything’. Religion for the Salesian is simple long prayers and liturgies that are incomprehensible to the young and the common people are not part of the preventive system. Religion for the Salesian encompasses the following: • Informal networks of support that have at their very centre, a relationship of unconditional acceptance of the child by at least one significant adult. This acceptance is probably the base on which all the rest can be built.

• The discovery of meaning, sense and coherence. This is related to spiritual life and to religion.

• Some social and problem-solving skills and the sense of having some control over what happens in life.

• Some self- esteem, some positive idea about oneself.

• Some sense of humour20, or a climate in which humour can grow.

In these areas we may find some possibilities for resilience, but in each situation we have to check carefully in which area we can intervene positively, what we can use and how we can use them, or if there are any other areas for resilience, which are worth discovering and using. Resilience grows in an interaction between the child and its environment.

As resilience is neither absolute nor stable over time, it needs to be fostered, always in a specific local cultural context.

Some young people who have had a terribly deprived childhood may escape adversity and make a living by drug dealing and violent crime.

They have found a way to survive, but can we call this doing well in spite of difficulty? Is this resilience? No. Resilience is not the law of the jungle nor is it survival at any price. The way in which the potential of resilience is used is not indifferent. It must be survival in socially acceptable ways, as Professor Osborn from Bristol, UK, pointed out in a speech on resilience made at an ICCB conference in New York in 1993.And he specified: “Thus despite the failure of society to meet the social and economic needs of all its members it nevertheless demands that those suffering the worst deprivations may only free themselves from such deprivations through socially legitimate means”.21 5.8. Application of the Preventive System in the Multi-Religious-Cultural Context of India: As far as God is concerned, all religions speak the same language: God is compassionate and love, which is acceptable to all. According to Hinduism, “All the gods of the Trimurti — Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva — are compassionate, but the most compassionate is Vishnu. He is the sustainer of the universe, and Vaishnavites, who form a distinct sect within Hinduism, worship him as the personification of love. Hindus believe that it is compassion and forgiveness that motivates him to incarnate at various times to restore the balance of the universe. According to the Hindus, Gautama Buddha, the embodiment of compassion, was his most recent incarnation.”

According to Islam, “The Loving” is one of Allah’s names as revealed about Himself: “And He is the Forgiving and Loving” (Qur’an 85:14). Love is just a word which must be translated into action and it becomes obedience in the case of His creation, human beings, and mercy in case of the Creator, Allah. You can see that when love is translated into action it is mercy and His mercy is unconditional. You receive Allah’s mercy whether you are an obedient servant of Allah or you are a mushrik (pagan, idolater) and sinner; they all receive equal treatment in this life.

“Therefore, love must be translated into action, attitude and behavior; otherwise it is just a word without meaning. Similarly Allah’s love is translated in His attributes of forgiving, compassion and mercy. Look around and you will find that Allah’s mercy is spread all around”. According to Pope Francis, “I believe in God, not in a Catholic God. There is no Catholic God. There is God and I believe in Jesus Christ, his incarnation.

Jesus is my teacher and my pastor, but God, the Father, Abba, is the light and the Creator. This is my Being”. Recognizing the multi-religious context of the young at risk, the Don Bosco National Forum for the Young at Risk, organized a national level seminar on ‘praying in the multi-religious context’ and elaborated on the essence of various religions and their contribution to human growth.

6. The Way Forward Reason, Religion and Rapport/ Loving Kindness are the three basic principles on which modern caregivers intervene in the lives of the young at risk today. To make Don Bosco’s Preventive System relevant today, we need to introduce concepts of Human Rights, Rights of the Child, elements of child psychology, etc. in a more meaningful and active manner, into the curriculum of budding Salesians. We have to introduce the concept of Religion within the Preventive System in a pluralistic context. This would mean a deeper understanding of one’s own faith as well as being in touch with the teachings of other faiths so that the caregiver is able to help the young to see the loving and merciful aspects of the “God he/she believes in.”A Child Policy embedded in Don Bosco’s Preventive System but synchronized with the international conventions, national policies and legislations is to be evolved and actively practised in our childcare facilities, especially those meant to work with the young at risk. This process of synchronizing Don Bosco’s Preventive System with the present needs and emerging challenges in working with the young at risk means synergized efforts among our various focus areas/ programmes: evangelization/parish, education, social development including the young at risk, formation, health, etc.

Eventually, taking the lead from Pope Francis, it necessitates active witnessing from us Salesians -- both as a community and as individuals -- to be ready to get “bruised, hurt and dirty because he/she has been out on the streets, rather than … remaining shut up within structures which give us a false sense of security…within rules which make us harsh judges… within habits which make us feel safe …”22 Don Bosco’s Preventive system is all about being out on the street with the child/ young adult at risk and engaging in the process of identifying and building resilience -- inculcating self-esteem and self respect in the child/young adult at risk as a significant adult with unconditional acceptance and expressive presence. As such, it calls for thinking out of the box to facilitate them to identify inherent resilient qualities, individually and in a group environment. Investment in such preventive efforts results in a greater impact not only for the individual child/young adult at risk, but also for the Church and Society as a whole.

JOURNEYING TOWARDS A CHILD FRIENDLY SOCIETY Parameters of a Child Friendly Society Participation and Child Friendly Society Participation in Governance A culture of devaluing Children’s opinion.

Stages of Participation

MODULE 6

sa d r a w o t y rne u o j g n o l A Y“ T E I C O S DLY N E I R F D “CHIL

T

oday Many Child Rights activists, NGOs and agencies entrusted with the care and protection of children talking of a “Child Friendly Society”. A child friendly society will conform to the spirit of the CRC and thereby follow all individual laws for the care and protection of the child even without the knowledge of the CRC. Beyond CRC we need a culture of child friendliness. A society with a culture of child friendliness is a ‘child friendly society’. This culture particularly refers to friendliness is particularly shown to the young at risk, the juvenile in conflict with law or any child in need of care and protection. Our work with the YAR can contribute to the creation of a “Child Friendly Society”. The processes that we practice in dealing with Children should be friendly – If the dealing is non-friendly, it is Secondary Victimization! If so would it be possible for us to lay down some parameters of a child friendly society?

2. The CRC itself does not use this phrase “Child Friendly”. In article 3 it comes close to this concept where it says: “The best interests of the child shall be the primary consideration”. A child friendly society is a society that is aware of and respects the Rights of Children.

3. We usually summarise Child Rights into four fundamental Rights: a .Right to life b. Right to protection c. Right to Development d. Right to Participation

It is clear that child rights are violated by adults. When adults violate the rights of the child to whom can the child appeal? The “Right to Participation� answers this question. The Participation articles encourage the children to express their opinion to adults in authority who have the power to protect them and it places the obligation on such adults to listen to the opinion of children. In this way children themselves can seek remedies to the violation of their rights.

4. The Right to Participation is given in articles 12, 13, and 15 of the CRC

Article 12 1. Parties shall assure the child who is capable of forming his or her own views, the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

2. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided with the opportunity to be heard in any judicial or administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.

Article 13 1. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art or through any other media of the child’s choice.

2. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary: (a) For respecting the rights or reputations of others; or (b) For the protection of national security or of public order, or of public health or morals.

Article 15 1. Parties recognize the rights of the child to freedom of association and to freedom of peaceful assembly.

2. No restrictions may be placed on the exercise of these rights other than those imposed in conformity with the law and which are necessary in a democratic society in the interests of national security or public safety, public order (order public), the protection of public health or morals or the protection of the rights and freedoms of others.

Article 12: Gives the children freedom to form opinions in matters affecting them and express them freely and the Right to be heard.

Article 13: Gives children the right to freedom of expression and the right to seek and receive information.

Article 15: Gives children the right to “freedom of association”.

5. Freedom to form opinions: Children can have opinions on the people around them and on the structures into which they are placed, the home, neighbourhood, school, place of worship etc. (any matter that affects them). The most important, the opinion that their rights have been violated or are liable to be violated… a feeling that something wrong, unjust has been done or may be done to them.

The right to be heard: Children express these opinions directly to the one who violates their rights or to the authority that has the duty to care and protect them: Parents, teachers, religious authority, local government, district, state, national or international authorities.

Freedom of expression and freedom to seek and receive information: This leaves the choice of the medium of expression (of opinion) to the children: Speech, print, drawing, musical, cinema, etc. They can also have free access to information on government policies, on organisations dealing with children, opinion of experts and status of children in similar situations in other parts of the world etc. So it gives the children the freedom to strengthen their opinion with information and express them in the medium of their choice.

Right to freedom of Association: It may also mean that when a child is afraid to express its opinion to the appropriate authority individually she/he may gather some more children and may approach the authority in a group. In other words the children may form an association (children’s clubs or neighbourhood children’s Parliament), a forum to express and discuss their opinions on Rights violations. This discussion may reach a consensus opinion. This consensus opinion is made known to the concerned authority. The authority must listen to the opinion of children and if it is in the “best interests of the Children”, it should be implemented.

6. The right to participation requires the children to express their opinion when their rights to LIFE, PROTECTION and DEVELOPMENT are violated. The right to Participation safeguards the other three rights. The Right to participation may be considered the most important Right in the CRC. 7. Participation in “Governance”: The Right to Participation is for Participation in Governance. In our democracy the children do not have the right to vote, to elect their representatives. Through their Right to Participation the children get the opportunity to participate in the Governance of the School, the Panchayat, the district, the state, the nation, the world. In a school where there is no play ground the Children’s club may appeal to the Head Master to provide play grounds. The Head Master listens to the Children’s opinion and provides the Play grounds. Then the Children have participated in the Governance of the school. In the village where there are no individual toilets the children’s Parliament may appeal to the Village President to provide toilets. When the Village President listens to the opinion of children and takes action for the construction of the toilets, the children have participated in the Governance of the Panchayat.

The state federation of the Children’s Parliament have appealed to the chief minister to implement the RTE, and make available free note books to the students. When the state government passes orders making free notebooks available in all schools the children have participated in the governance of the state. The National federation of the Children’s clubs appealed to the Prime Minister to reduce the number of children who suffer from malnutrition. When the Prime Minister / Parliament enacts suitable laws to improve the nutritional status of children, the children have participated in the Governance of the nation.

8. Child friendly family is not the one which gives more freebies to children or which gives better clothes, education or which provides better health to children. A family which listens to the children’s opinions, takes decisions for the best interests of children and is willing to change life style, gives importance to children’s preferences for education, food or clothes may be a child friendly family. Child friendliness in family or society may be measured by the degree of “Child Participation” (listening to children’s opinion and implementing it if it is for the best interests of children).

9. A culture of not listening to Children: Generally we live in a society which does not give value to children’s opinions. The family is discussing the construction of a new house, with close relatives, trusted friends and engineers. Children are rarely invited to participate in such discussions. If a 12 year old daughter/son interferes and gives an opinion about the position of the bed room, the immediate reaction of the parents may be to tell him/her that he has no experience in house construction advice her/him to attend to his studies which is more important. This child will live in the house much longer than the parents... and what appreciation and feeling of ownership there would have been if their opinions were taken into account! Which district collector who is entrusted with the construction of a children’s park will spend time gathering the opinion of children about the park: Children’s opinion on which animals are to be represented and how to make the caves and hills in the park. He may consult engineers but not the children.

When the park is complete the children come to play in the park, they will scratch the paint off the animals and peal the plaster off the caves. If the collector had gathered the opinion of the children they would have been delighted to see Giraffes and Elephants, hills and caves placed according to their suggestions. They would talk about this and would take great care of the park.

10. The more the child participation the more childfriendly the society is. The child friendly society gives value to children’s opinions, listens to children and incorporates their opinions into decisions that affect these children. It is difficult to gather children’s pinion from every child. To get children’s opinions we may have to organize a forum where children can express their opinions freely. Examples of these children’s forums are: children’s associations like “Children’s clubs” or “Children’s parliaments” in schools or neighbourhoods.

The local, state, national governments who value child participation must organise such forums. Budget allocations may have to be made for these and responsible staff spends time with children.

11. There are four stages of child participation in an organisation/ school/ village/ district/ state/Nation 1. The organisation is indifferent to child participation/ children’s opinion 2. The organisation allows child participation /does not gather children’s opinions 3. The organisation is willing to listen to children, encourages child participation and gathers children’s opinions. The organisation mandates by law Child participation /it incorporates children’s opinions in all decision making processes. It organises forums for children to express their opinions and documents their opinions on all relevant topics affecting them. The organisation which incorporates children’s opinions into its decision making process is enabling the children to participate in the governance of the organisation. Several intermediary steps are necessary to journey towards a child friendly society.

• Encourage children’s associations in school, neighbourhood...where children can speak freely.

• Whenever major decisions affecting children are to be taken, this information must be given to the children in advance.

• Children discuss this in the forums available to them and document their opinions.

• The authorities listen to children’s opinions • Children’s opinions are incorporated into the decision making process.

• Children are informed about how their opinion has affected the final decision.

This will make the children feel responsible for the decisions and contribute to their implementation. This process makes a society Child Friendly.

SPIRITUALITY FOR THOSE WORKING WITH YAR What is spirituality?

Jesus the model, Shepherd.

Contributing to the establishment of JUSTICE, the KINGDOM Don Bosco’s preventive system and family spirit Recharge and inspiration – the Eucharist The devotion to Mary, a mother for me and for the young at risk

MODULE 7

g n i k r o w e os h t r o f y t i l Spiritua with YAR (Resource person sharing personal experience and sharing from the participants)

S

pirituality of a particular activity or a way of life is how we are able to interpret that activity or way of life as a part of the redemptive work of Christ. It gives a spiritual meaning to the activities and one is able to derive a spiritual joy and satisfaction in continuing that activity.

2. The work with the YAR can well be interpreted as the work of the good Shepherd who leaves the 99 and goes after the lost sheep. Certainly the young at risk is the sheep that is at risk of separating himself / herself from the fold, perhaps has lost the way and the YAR worker is following Christ the good Sheppard when he tries to support them. This is done not in a standardized way, but there are millions of ways of doing this. All these are the colours and shades of this spirituality. He will certainly experience the joy of the Good Shepherd. The kingdom of God cannot be complete as long as the young are at risk, as long as we have a society that neglects them. This is the foundation for the spirituality of the person who works with YAR.

a. Don Bosco is the model for us to follow. Hence the Spirituality of Don Bosco is a blue print for us. The love for the young at risk, the preventive system, the family spirit, cheerfulness, devotion to the Eucharist, devotion to Mary, trust in providence, celebrations, music, games, all the elements of the charism of Don Bosco …….. all these are the bricks that build the YAR spirituality shrine. Adding more elements from experience, success and failures and the way these are interpreted in prayer one must work to complete this shrine. One must not keep this shrine hidden but share the progress of this spirituality with fellow workers, contributing to a common spirituality, a beautiful spirituality of working with YAR can emerge and grow more beautiful. The candidates develop the conviction that he is fully participating in the redemptive work of Christ, contributing to the kingdom of God. 3. There is a divergence of perception with regard to religious in consecrated life doing social work. They tend to be classified as mere social workers with little spirituality, prayer life and community life. Those working with the marginalized need to make sure that the first prerequisite for working with the marginalized is a deep-rootedness in Christ and an optimistic view of life, a sense that it is not he/she alone who is caring and saving the marginalized, but the Lord along with the spiritual community.

4. Jesus said, “Let the children come to me and don’t stop them -- for the Reign of God belongs to such as these.’’ (Mark 10:14). It is a mandate that speaks of all children included in the Reign of God…that his work with the marginalized youngsters is a mandate from God. There is often a conflict with the rest of the Community members misunderstanding his/her zeal or methodology of working in the YAR apostolate.

This misunderstanding may lead to crisis situations. Herein the depth of his faith, his prayer and spirituality comes into play: these elements automatically take care of his misunderstandings and misconceptions.

Jesus answered “Healthy people do not need a doctor, but sick people do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” In Christ lies the hope of true, full health; the salvation that he brings is the true response to the ultimate questions about man.

There is no contradiction between earthly health and eternal salvation, since the Lord died for the integral salvation of the human person and of all humanity, (cf. I Pt 1: 2-5; Liturgy of Holy Friday, Adoration of the Cross).

5. Being a Good Shepherd Of the many images painted by John in his powerful Gospel, probably the most descriptive is that of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep (Jn 10:1 Ob-11). Christ the Good Shepherd epitomizes all the most desirable traits and qualities for a consecrated social worker.

To him all should look for guidance and strength, seeking to imbibe something of the spirit of the Lord. In developing this likeness to Christ they will qualify themselves to shepherd after His model (1 Tim. 3; Tit. 1). They will tend, feed, guide, and defend the sheep for the sheep’s benefit, not for themselves. Like a shepherd, Jesus is concerned with the welfare and care of His sheep. He gave His life for us so that we might enjoy life to its fullest and have the hope of living forever. .... One could say that by his own example Jesus Himself, the Good Shepherd who ‘calls his own sheep by name’ (cfJn 10:3-4), has set the standard of individual pastoral care: knowledge and a relationship of friendship with individual persons.....to help each one to utilize well his own gift and rightly to exercise the freedom that comes from Christ’s salvation, as St Paul urges (cf Gal 4:3; 5:1, 13; see also Jn 8:36).

6. Developing a Spirituality of Working with the Marginalized To develop a spirituality of working with the marginalized, one needs to have a deep rooted faith in the wisdom of God’s special plan for the individual; a sincere belief that no life that is brought on this earth is purposeless. The spirituality of the marginalized suggests that social work is a building up of a just Reign of God on earth, where our unfortunate brethren have the same opportunities and quality of life to fulfil their ontological vocation in the Divine Being of Christ. This involves a complete transformation. It is a call within a call that is intrinsic to being a religious consecrated social worker.

This does not mean that the religious is called to be a social worker or vice versa, but that he/she is actively involved in building the Reign of God. The candidate’s spirituality of working with the marginalized lies in the depth of his/her being, primarily conscious of the problems, needs and struggles of young people. Along with this, there is a need for silence, prayer and periods of withdrawal to soak in the Grace of God.

The work of grace is an innate element of contemporary Christian spirituality in working with the marginalized. With its foundation in the Eucharist, the work with the marginalized is effected in the true spirit of Jesus, the Source of Health, the Light of the World and the Shepherd of Love, who “gave life to the sheep” such that all “life may be deepened, made rich”. “Of His fullness, we have all received,” and in our work with the marginalized we may reflect His spirit of abundance of Grace.

7. Fundamental Values for a Spirituality of Working with the Marginalized Three sets of values may be said to lie at the heart of formation.

• The first set of values concerns the Human Person — these are the fundamental human values without which the person is dangerously handicapped in his humanity, for instance, truth, justice etc.

• The second set of values concerns the Person’s Spirituality: His faith, his acceptance of the will of God and the values of Kingdom, the consciousness of working to one’s mission etc.

• The third set of values include his/her internationalization of a Charism and its Values — sense of belonging, openness and fraternity with the other members of the same congregation/community, capacity to think, to share and to work and celebrate, together, etc.

Social values such as truth, freedom, justice, love are inherent in the dignity of the human person, defending the rights of the young at risk, whose authentic development they foster. Putting them into practice is a sure way of obtaining personal perfection and a more humane social existence.

8. The Quintessence of a Spirituality of Working with the Marginalized Traditionally, consecrated life has a set framework around which it has built its spirituality / way of life. The dilemma herein lies in applying these set norms to the context of the marginalized apostolate, whose demands, challenges and issues belong to a completely different paradigm. The confusion arises when the candidates have been formed and brought up in an orthodox traditional paradigm with its structured norms and community requirements. There is a yawning gap to be bridged between traditional formation and the contemporary reality of an unorthodox marginalized apostolate. Thus the articulation of a distinct spirituality of working with the marginalized needs to be addressed. a. The spirituality of working with the marginalized suggests that social work is a building of a Just Reign of God on earth. It means a transformation and development of our unfortunate brethren to have the same opportunities and quality of life to fulfil their ontological vocation in the Divine Being of Christ. Hence there is no dichotomy in a religious social worker’s involvement in society as a social worker and as a consecrated being. His/her consecration is what accentuates his total self giving to the apostolate making Christ his/her model and because of whom he/she does what they do.

b. Such an apostolate requires a deep commitment to Prayer. The power of prayer is manifested in divine interventions in such circumstances. A deep faith in the Power of Prayer is an intrinsic element to the spirituality of the marginalized for it manifests to the candidate that it is not he/she alone who is entrusted with uplifting the situation of the marginalized youngsters, but it is the community and the Lord who takes part in the redemptive and salvation dimension of one’s apostolate. The necessary meeting of the human with the divine makes possible what seems humanly impossible. Thus prayer is an intrinsic element of the spirituality of the marginalized.

c. Further, the candidate develops the Perception of the Process of how every action is contributing towards building the Reign of God. This gives him/her a consciousness that it is a collaborative God+man (woman) effort. When the feeling of inadequacy sets in, he/she surrenders to the Almighty in total faith and takes recourse to prayer. This is a recurring theme in the spirituality of working with the marginalized. Creative abilities are required on the part of those working with the marginalized to bring education to such children. (For example, negotiations with the owners of small embroidery workshops where children are employed, can help promote literacy classes for an hour daily for these children and create an interest for further studies.) The spirituality of the marginalized entails the idiom that where there is a door closed, God always helps by opening a window to reach the marginalized. It is the creative ability and skill of those working with the marginalized to open the door or get access or reach out to the marginalized through ingenious methods. d. The demands of caring for vulnerable children and being available for them 24x7 has traditionally led to conflict between the demands of observing religious/convent community time tables. In such circumstances, the spirituality of the marginalized demands a Human as well as a Spiritual balance. It is an understanding that the spiritual element, the community element and the apostolate are complementary rather than opposed to one another. The spirituality of the marginalized endows the candidate with a firm deep-rooted spiritual foundation on which to build the enlarged edifice of community service.

9. However, there are some challenges that arise in the course of this spiritual journey.

• The element of misunderstanding within the Community or the apostolate is an area which the formator should prepare the candidate for. This is one of the challenges one must face in working with the marginalized. The challenge of knowing the demands of the apostolate, to be more sympathetic to the people one is dealing with, the demand for long hours with them in the field, having to explain one’s excuse for absence from community gatherings, etc. Being labelled as one who is always “out” of the community or not doing work, since it cannot be seen or measured by the superior or the other community members, is a struggle that one immersed in this apostolate has to go through. The solution is not rebelling or giving up but engaging the community or the superior in one’s apostolate, keeping them informed, invited and interested in one’s apostolate.

• Another serious challenge is being labelled as one who does not Pray, who is merely a social worker, and one who is not involved in real sacramental ministry.

One needs to be in constant union with God. Offering up his/her challenges of the apostolate to the Lord. The fact of his/her visibility in places of prayer, does not make him less prayerful. His ministry is not less sacramental. It is the medium of comparisons to those within a structured apostolate that brings a heartburn to the one working with the marginalized. These challenges and heartburns are best laid before the Lord and the candidate has to make a consistent and conscious effort to make his prayer moments more frequent and accentuated personally and in community.

• Another heartburn often felt is when one’s apostolate is not given the same credit or respect as an educational institute, a parish or middle-class institution within the congregation. Ironically, this often makes those who work with the marginalized to feel marginalized and victimized within one’s own religious circles. These are often misunderstandings that are overcome with open sharing, mutual respect, understanding and prayer at the altar of the Lord’s sacrifice each day at the Eucharistic table.

• Another challenge for those totally immersed in the marginalized apostolate is being judged, measured or needing to listen to those in authority who have not had the opportunity to work with such groups or seemingly do not understand the apostolate The benchmark of judgment is with ‘regular’ apostolate that has a different approach altogether. The needs, timings, resources, geographical areas and outreach are totally different and make different demands. The challenge is to be able to accept such comparisons. Herein lay the reserves and depth of the spirituality of those working with the marginalized. It is not about accepting a different treatment or judgment that one would feel is far from reality but in placing these situations and challenges before the Lord. In His time, He makes all things whole and understood.

• One of the challenges that one faces in one’s religious circles is often an inexplicable transfer when one feels that one is doing well or is needed in that particular apostolate for a longer period of time. These situations in hindsight seem to be the best possible situation that could have been for the individual. Time and prayer are the candidates’ constant answer and solution to these challenges. A transfer is an invitation by Jesus through one’s superior to a new area of apostolate that often has its own hidden treasures and the joy of bringing His love to one’s new area. It is also a time to come away, rest, reflect and become better equipped. At times, a transfer to a change in the type of apostolate is one that helps one to share one’s experience as that is what makes his/ her spirituality a lived reality. It gives him/ her time to reflect and pray for the work that has been done by the Lord through him/her and for the future of the marginalized.

10. In conclusion, one could say that the word “spirituality” carries several connotations and also encompasses deeper, more meaningful ways to work. It does not matter how spirituality is labelled — what matters is that the spirituality of working for the marginalized is encouraged, shared and promoted. Holy Scripture is clear that the church must advocate and live for the poor and the marginalized in the world, caring for their needs and pursuing justice on their behalf to build a just Reign of God here on earth. We are His instruments and it is a given mandate to us to establish His kingdom.

11. Spiritual needs cannot be neglected for social ones, nor social needs be replaced by purely spiritual ones. The two areas of need are not in opposition. On the contrary, Christ demonstrated care for the whole person, body and spirit. As His followers, we must demonstrate the same. There is a struggle to define outcomes from spiritual journeying, but the challenge for those ‘in formation’ is to find ways of describing spiritual progress rather than give up supporting it because it is difficult to measure.

12. It is the Lord, who challenges us: our response can come only from a solid faith that nurtures a ‘living hope’ and manifests itself in a concrete and unconditional love for God and our brothers and sisters in whom we see the face of the Lord Jesus. Only then can our fidelity in consecrated life be relevant, as it has been in the tradition of religious institutes, beginning with its Founders. Only a lived reality in the present which is faithful to its past and open to its future can be relevant and meaningful to our vocation in serving the marginalized.

13. This spirituality of working with the marginalized, articulated within the framework of consecrated life, is not opposed to but is in complementarity to a structured formation — this is the human and social face of formation. It brings alive the mandate, “Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Mk. 12:31). The formation of a candidate in working with the marginalized is built upon the edifice of his/her initial traditional formation. It is necessary to go through that initial formation to get one’s basics right in consecrated life, structure one’s moments of prayer, reflection, draw the line between one’s personal vocation, called within the context of the community and the congregation/diocese. It helps to bring a balance and judgment to one’s work and prayer, between vocational calling and enthusiasm for the apostolate, between the demands of community life and the apostolate. Hence his initial formation is not opposed to his formation in working with the marginalized but complements and fits in well with his future mission and spiritual life.

14. Thus the spirituality of working with the marginalized is a lifestyle that encompasses the demands of the apostolate, the challenges of community life and the vision provided in the Gospels. In the Master, in Jesus, we have a model that endows us with Grace and completes us. Where there are human inadequacies or a lack of understanding of how an impossible situation will be solved, oftentimes grace and prayer help all the pieces fall into place and solve the puzzle.