European Solidarity Team

On 9 June, the European Solidarity Team met in a video conference. Brother Ángel Diego García, Director of the Solidarity Secretariat of the General Administration, participated in the conference.

This is a recently created team, and it is beginning its journey. In this beginning of the mission, a series of objectives have been established:

• To energize and encourage solidarity within the Marist European Region through the development of the European Framework of Solidarity and a Strategic Plan that will mark the way forward for the coming years.
• To incorporate the perspective of the Rights of the Child in the Marist Mission through formation activities and the curriculum.
• To promote and coordinate voluntary work by creating a catalogue for this area (protocols, processes, experiences)
• Promote networking by sharing good practices and resources, joint training programmes or courses and by carrying out common projects.
• To facilitate research and training by establishing an Observatory on Children’s Rights and Solidarity.
• To look after institutional relationships and social awareness by articulating the presence in Marist networks (RISM, FMSI, CMI) and in Children’s, civil and ecclesial platforms and by developing a plan of communication and social promotion.

The initiatives of SOLIDARITY of Marist Europe are organized in five fields of action or areas that are interrelated:

• Social works and projects
• Education in solidarity in schools
• International cooperation
• Children’s rights
• Volunteering    

The members of the team

The European Solidarity Team consists of 8 people:

• Inmaculada Maíllo from the Iberian Province. She is a member of the Council of Educational Works and coordinator of the Social Pastoral Team.  She is also president of all the social works of the province.
• Brother Pau Tristany from the Province of L’Hermitage. He is co-ordinator of the Marist Mission in Hungary, member of the Mission Council, member of the Province’s Solidarity Network.
• Brother Juan Pablo Hernández of the Province of Mediterránea. He is the Provincial delegate for Solidarity, Provincial co-ordinator of voluntary work and co-ordinator of voluntary work for the Region of Europe. In addition, he presides over the Marcellin Champagnat Foundation.
• Jasmin Nimar of the Province of West Central Europe. She is the coordinator of youth volunteer groups in Mindelheim (Germany).
• Br. P. J. McGowan of the Province of West Central Europe. From Ireland he is President of the Mission Council of Central-West Europe.
• Belén Salas of the Marist Province of Compostela. She is a member of the Social Mission Team, Provincial Coordinator of Volunteers in Cmi, Coordinator of the Provincial Team of Collegial Solidarity, Member of the Montagne Foundation and, at present, she is the coordinator of this team.

Also supporting the work of the Team are Angela Sestrini, from the Marist Europe Conference, and Angel Prieto, from the Spanish Marist Conference, as liaisons for both.