The document Stand Up, Speak Up, and Act will be launched on March 20
We’re excited to announce the upcoming online launch of “Stand Up, Speak Up, and Act: A Guide for Children and Young People’s Participation in the Marist Mission.” This guide aims to empower children and young people within the Marist mission and community worldwide.
Join us on March 20, 2024, at either 9:00 am (youtube) or at 4:00 pm (youtube) (Rome time) for this special event. The launch will feature Br. Ernesto Sánchez Barba, Superior General, and Br. Luis Carlos Gutiérrez Blanco, Vicar General.
How was the document developed?
This initiative, led by the Institute’s Secretariat of Education and Evangelization and endorsed by the International Marist Mission Commission, commenced in early 2019 with the aim of crafting a guide centered on the involvement of children and young people within our Marist educational works. The goal was to imbue this guide with the essence of the Marist charism and make it accessible across all Marist educational settings catering to children and young people.
Following the initial drafting phase, the project advanced to a consultation stage. In October 2019, representatives from each Administrative Unit of the Institute were presented with a draft of the guide, encouraging them to contribute their perspectives, experiences, voices, and reflections for its refinement.
Exploring Themes through Online Consultation
In the pursuit of exploring various themes, an online consultation process was embraced, commencing in the first half of 2020, and extending into the early months of 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This innovative approach catered to the diverse needs and preferences of young participants by employing a rich array of tools such as surveys, interviews, creative activities such as drawings and socio-dramas, as well as interactive mediums like music, videos, and storytelling. Questions tailored to their age and developmental stage ensured meaningful engagement.
Simultaneously, Marist educators contributed to the dialogue through focused group discussions, interviews, and surveys, aligning their input with the thematic scope of the initial guide. Their insights, garnered through this collaborative process, pinpointed areas for adjustment, reinforcement, and expansion within the document.
By early 2021, the fruits of these consultations became evident, with feedback pouring in from various Administrative Units. Nearly 10,000 children and young adults, alongside over 400 education professionals, lent their voices, enriching the document with their diverse perspectives and experiences.
Following video conferences with project liaisons from each Province/Administrative Unit in February 2021, efforts were made to refine and bolster implementation strategies, address challenges and proposals, and recommend follow-up measures. Subsequently, external consultants reviewed the received contributions, leading to the drafting of the final version of the document.
What is this document about?
The document serves as a response to the mandates outlined in recent General Chapters and Marist International Mission Assemblies. It echoes the call from the XXI General Chapter (2009) to “become experts and advocates for the rights of children and young people in public forums,” and from the XXII General Chapter (2017) to “open the eyes of our hearts and listen to their cry; to promote, protect and defend them and empower them as agents of transformation.”
Moreover, this document aligns with the recommendations of the 1st and 2nd Marist International Mission Assemblies (MIMA I and II), which urged us “to expand opportunities for Marist children and young people to participate in decision-making, strengthen their leadership and encourage them to act,” and “to be recognized as prophets with a voice for the defense of their rights in the political and social forums.”
The document aims to invigorate our collective commitment to guarantee, promote, protect, and defend the rights of children and young people, placing their rights to express “their views freely in all matters affecting them, and to have those views given due weight” (Art. 12, Convention on the Rights of the Child) at the heart of our educational and pastoral practice. Consequently, it becomes one of our most urgent apostolic priorities.
The document provides informational and training resources to individuals starting their journey in advocating for the rights of children and young people, empowering them as agents of change. Above all, it seeks to inspire and strengthen practices promoting child and youth participation in various Marist mission contexts.
The Marist Institute hopes that this effort will serve as a source of hope and enthusiasm for developing better ways of supporting children and young people as individuals with rights.
This new document, from 20 March, will be available both online and in hard copy format.
