“Supremacists”. That’s what we used to call them. When I was working as the Pastoral Animator in one of our schools we were trying to iron out the organization of a plethora of youth groups and clubs. It was then a mess since groups were competing with each other. After laying out the path forward, we were met with resistance by some teachers and students.
In their interpretation, the Supreme Student Government should be the highest organization in our school. (Thus the name supremacists). As the custodian of the Salesian spirit in the school I had to set my foot down.
It is interesting to note that in the context of a school several youth groups would pop out. You’d have the student government, a mandated organization by the government which will train students in the political life and civil service. There are also the sports and varsity groups, the religious groups, the academic and technical clubs, and all the other interest groups from outside that put up their own chapter in the school.
As the Salesian pastoral animator, how would one unite this diversity while staying true to the Salesian spirit and mission?
Our Youth Ministry is Salesian. The Salesian Spirit is a non-negotiable aspect of our journey with young people. To harmonize the different groups, we took inspiration from the previous Salesians’ efforts, and continued the BOSCO Council. From an executive council we transformed it to a coordinating council that will act as the brain to synergize the different arms: youth groups in government, academic, technical, sports, interest and religious interests.
The officers of the different “sectors” will elect a representative who will sit on the BOSCO Council. To the BOSCO Council was given the task of preserving the Salesian Youth Spirituality which will make all youth groups, including the Supreme Student Government, Salesian.
There is a way to educate young people towards governance and public service. Give them power and office and let them act like little politicians who campaign for grandest platforms with little results to show. We have seen how the Sanguniang Kabataan system is training our youth to be come the next generation of corrupt politicians (disclaimer: not all are, and a few a reasonably service-oriented). We don’t want our Bosconians to turn up the same way.
We have a Salesian way. Our way is a service that flows from the Salesian Youth Spirituality and modeled after the Good Shepherd, the icon of Salesian leadership. Even at the high school level, young people must be taught how to be civic leaders with Christian hearts. You cannot exclude the SYS from the Supreme Student Government if you are in a Salesian school.
The “supremacists” continued to be a thorn in the side, yet those who stayed true to St. John Bosco became the better Bosconian leaders. They were serving not because they were elected or popular, but because they were moved by gratitude and self-donation. I am happy that the school continued that path even if I was reassigned to another Salesian house. The vindication arrived when the school in applying for accreditation was commended for its organization of student groups which reflected its Salesian identity and posterity.
In a world that has its own image of governance and service, Christians are called to be counter-cultural, to stay true to Jesus the Good Shepherd. As sons of Don Bosco, our youth ministry is Salesian.