The goal of our life is to live with God forever. God, who loves us, gave us life. Our own response of love allows God’s life to flow into us without limit. All the things in this world are gifts of God, presented to us so that we can know God more easily and make a return of love more readily. As a result, we appreciate and use all these gifts of God insofar as they help us develop as loving persons. But if any of these gifts become the center of our lives, they displace God and so hinder our growth toward our goal.
In everyday life, then, we must hold ourselves in balance before all of these created gifts insofar as we have a choice and are not bound by some obligation. We should not fix our desires on health or […]
Youth Animation
3 ways to suggest discipline among young people (also in school contexts)
1. Use Reason
Believe that they are basically good.
Appeal to their reason.
Make reasonable rules and sanctions, explain them to the youth. Say why it is good for them to follow these rules.
Use: ‘Word in the ear’ – meet individual youth briefly informally and suggest to them very calmly the behaviour you expect from them.
Deal with individual misbehaviour individually; and not punish the whole group.
If you believe that people can reason out just as you do, then there is no need to offer corporal punishment.
2. Use Religion
Realise that human beings are also spiritual.
Appeal to their faith and conscience.
Accompany them towards a higher sense of purpose in their life, and motivate them to dream big.
Help them bring their faith to life – this is spirituality.
3. Use Loving Kindness
Realise that we all want to love and be loved.
Appeal to the heart of young people.
Begin on a note of deep compassion towards people under your […]
Chuo Cha Maisha – Christian Life-skills Training
‘Chuo Cha Maisha’ (Swahili for ‘Institute of Life’) is a training programme in Christian Life Skills that I initiated in 2006 within Don Bosco Youth Educational Services – Tanzania. It empowers young people, aged between 14 and 30, to celebrate adolescence and thus prepare themselves for adult life. It has as its motto: “Uhai Tele – Life in Abundance” – Jn 10:10.
29 May 2011 -Sunday witnessed the fifth ‘graduation’ of 250 youth who participated in this training programme that lasted 20 days of training, spread throughout one year. Every day of training consists of at least 6 hours of participatory sessions. I was privileged to be the chief guest at this year’s graduation function, held at Don Bosco Youth Centre, Upanga, Dar es Salaam (Photo below: one of the 5 groups). It was a very gratifying moment for me to see this programme still in growth – now 5 years […]
Discipline in School Context – A Session for Teachers
1. Individual work: Give participants individual work. For instance, last Sunday I gave the teachers two questions: a) What is discipline? b) What strategies do we follow for maintaining discipline in class?
2. Merry go around: After they have answered the questions. Take them to the 2nd step: Ask all participants to stand in a circle. They say numbers in two’s – one, two; one, two. All the ones stand where they are. The twos face the ones on their left. Now they start sharing with each other their answers. After one or so minutes when the signal is given, the one’s stand wherever they are (outer circle) but the two’s (inner circle) move a step to the left in such a way that they meet a new person in the outer circle. And now start sharing […]
Personal Mission Statement in 4 Steps
1 May 2011, Nairobi
There was a weekend seminar for secondary school students who are financially sponsored by the Salesian Community where I now stay – Don Bosco Youth Educational Service (DBYES), Karen, Nairobi, Kenya. The students go back to school this week after their April holidays. These 29 students are part of a larger project run by the Salesians of Don Bosco in Kenya and Tanzania, that sponsors almost 800 students, thanks to a legacy left behind by an American gentleman. During the weekend, I facilitated two sessions aimed at assisting the students to come up with their own personal mission statement in four steps.
1. As the first step in this process each participant was invited to do a personal SWOT Analysis: in a quadrant they write down their Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. Basically strengths and weakness […]