Marist Solidarity Mission in Spain
From May 13 – 18, 2022, Brothers Ángel Diego and Francis Lukong, directors of the Secretariat of Solidarity fo the General Administration, participated in two Marist Social Works encounters which took place in Spain.
The first one was a resilience Course at Maimón, Cordoba, from May 13 – 15. This encounter, organized and facilitated by José Luis González, coordinator of Fundación Marcellin Champagnat in collaboration with BICE, brought together thirty-nine (39) young people and educators of social works of the Marist Province of Mediterránea. Using the appropriate language, gestures, symbols and activities, the facilitators, during the course, managed to accompany and help the participants to dream and reflect on their abilities as individuals or groups to bounce back from adversity to continue to plan their lives. The jovial atmosphere which characterized the experience at Maimón was an indication that social work is a way forward to journey and bring hope to young people on the margins of life.
Similarly, the two-day meeting of the Marist Solidarity Delegates of the European Provinces which took place in the provincial community House of Iberica at Alcalá de Henares, on May 17 and 18, focused on coordination, organization and best practices in the field of Marist social works in Europe. Brother Ángel Diego seized the opportunity to talk about the structure, organization and functioning of the Secretariat of Solidarity.
The participants equally reported and discussed about their activities and the situation of social works in their respective provinces. This was followed by the visit to some of the social works of the Iberica province including Day centres for children and adolescents at Espartales in Alcalá de Henares and Nuevo Versalles, Community promotion centre for social promotion at Fuenlabrada for people with special attention to women for their personal and social development, and Vocational training centre, Humanes, Madrid for vocational training and the acquisition of social skills.