Social Transformation in the Pious Schools Betania province, from the Keys of Dialogue, participation, and Co-responsibility
Constanza de las Marinas. Social Action Coordinator
In the II Provincial Chapter of the Betania province of the Pious Schools held in 2019, we became aware of the need to look towards, by, and for the poor, deepening the social dimension of our charism.
In January 2020, after the explicit request to the Provincial Team of Itaka-Escolapios to take on this task, the reflection began with the conviction that the Pious Schools were born for social transformation. This affirmation underlies all subsequent work. Due to the evangelizing character of our educational model, it was clear to us that the social dimension is one of the three key pieces for promoting the Piarist mission (EDUCATE, ANNOUNCE, and TRANSFORM).
We had difficult months of work during the COVID pandemic and consulted the different provincial teams. We progressed little by little with lay ministers’ contribution to social transformation, several religious, and the institutional involvement of Itaka-Escolapios. All this work resulted in the provincial document “Social Transformation in the Bethany Pious Schools.”
This simple, direct, and concrete document, approved in June 2022 and presented to the Provincial Council of Presence (Avila, Nov 2022) and to the Provincial Chapter (Madrid, Feb 2023), will begin to be developed in the four-year period 2023-2027. We will perfect the way in which we accompany the local leaders and summon young people and educational agents to meet and get to know each other in order to grow.
Presentation of the framework
The provincial framework document “Social Transformation in the Bethany Pious Schools” is divided into three blocks, which are:
IDENTITY AS A STARTING POINT
The first point to define who we are and from where the Betania province of the Pious Schools are situated from the general to the particular as citizens of the XXI century because we have to respond to today’s society, its needs, and challenges. As followers of Jesus and part of a Church that invites us to remain “on the way out,” as Pious Schools, following in the footsteps of Calasanz and called to educate in search of a social transformation that helps to build the Kingdom. Betania Province is a place of welcome to those who live in risk and social exclusion and remains open to the participation of all, calling for closeness, coordination, and co-responsibility.
EDUCATIONAL AGENTS FOR SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION
This is a second block that seeks to make visible all the work in the field of social transformation that we have already done and continue to do in the Betania province of the Pious Schools in all our works. Putting in value:
– The model of accompaniment and individualized education is in the style of Calasanz in the boarding schools of Salamanca, Villacarriedo, or Atambua.
– The educational proposal of the House-School Santiago Uno that works both in Formal and Non-Formal Education.
– The work in schools for an education of solidarity and values, as well as the proposal of attention to diversity.
– The construction of Pious Bethany Schools “on the way out” in Itaka-Escolapios. The local, provincial, and general network with which the Piarist mission shared between the Order and the Fraternity is promoted. And that is concretized in our Province in educational proposals for social transformation in schools, in the convocation and accompaniment of Piarist volunteers, and the attention to children, adolescents, young people, and their families in the socio-educational centers and social projects of the presences of Madrid, Albacete, and Valencia.
BUILDING TRANSFORMING PRESENCES
A last point that invites us to walk, grow, and work together for the transformation of today’s society from the evangelical keys through education. Inspired by the model of the Order of Full-Time Schools, we propose to look towards the future and to walk along three lines of progress as diverse as they are complementary:
- The accompaniment of schools according to the EDUCA model, Educational Network for Transformation driven by Itaka-Escolapios and fully aligned with the Global Education Pact proposed by Pope Francis. For many years now, this entity has been responsible for the training, orientation, awareness, and promotion of the joint, supportive, and transforming work of the cloisters in the 19 Piarist schools of Betania through the work with the people who coordinate the Social Transformation in each of these schools.
- There is active participation in the local presence teams of all the agents of social transformation located at the previous point. To make this a transversal work matter in all the Piarist presences of Betania.
- The promotion and consolidation of the Betania Social Table as a meeting place for educational and transforming agents of the Province. A space where to listen and give voice to all the groups that form the Pious Schools of Betania. And from where to be able to work and define lines of progress and joint provincial growth in social transformation. In short, it is a place to work on the answers that our society needs today, from the Gospel and in the style of Calasanz, as suggested in the first block of the framework document.
