Educators from Mediterránea are trained in the protection of children and adolescents

Marist educators from Spain, Italy and Lebanon/Syria, belonging to the Province of Mediterránea, have completed their training in child and adolescent protection, after having started their training in January 2021. The training sessions are part of the “We are a Safe Environment” scenario of the Provincial Strategic Plan, and their main objective is to promote safety and trust in all worksites in the province.

The training aims to generate safe environments that guarantee the well-being of students and to transmit that the protection of children and adolescents is a core issue for the Marist Institution. It also seeks to raise awareness of the reality of mistreatment and sexual abuse in childhood and adolescence; to raise awareness of the importance of prevention and our role in the educational centre; and to present the proposal of tutoring from Infant to Baccalaureate level.

In Lebanon, the sessions were held during the months of January and February. The training took place mainly in the schools of Champville and Jbail, where a series of virtual connections took place – led by the coordinator of the Lebanon-Syria Animation Team, Br Carlos Mario McEwen, together with Édouard Jabré, Pascale Jalkh and Naji Tawa. The training was aimed at all types of workers who interact with children and young people, with plans adapted to the profile of each target group, such as catechists and pastoral group coordinators.

In Italy, the training was carried out in March and April by Gianluca Mauriello, head of the Animation Team in Italy. The coordinators of the tutors of each school (Cesano Maderno, Genoa, Rome and Giugliano) worked alongside him. Online classes were also held to offer more resources to teachers and professors.

In the Spain area, the training days took place in March and part of April, through an equal programme between the schools in Levante (Cullera, Denia, Alicante, Valencia, Algemesí, Murcia and Cartagena) and Andalusia (Jaén, Granada, Málaga, Córdoba, Sevilla, Sanlúcar La Mayor, Bonanza and Huelva) and Badajoz.

This in the area of child and adolescent protection has been promoted by the Accompaniment Team ‘Seeking the Good of Minors’ (EABBM) in the province, and has been developed fundamentally by the Guidance Teams with the support of the Management Teams of the schools. The actions in this area are complemented and reinforced by all the teaching, learning and resources generated both in the Province of Mediterránea and in the rest of the Marist Provinces of Spain.