The Workshop for Leaders, a project of the Itaka-Escolapios México Foundation, aims to create spaces for the development of leadership in young people. It focuses on Calasanctian spirituality, based on vocational accompaniment and the methodology of Design for Change, to commit to the call to change reality through proactive, responsible and conscious leadership, developing a project that they will carry out upon their return to promote active participation in our works.
During the weekend of March 24-26, the High School Leaders Workshop was held for the first time at the Cristobal Colon University of Veracruz, Calasanz Campus, in its university residences. Forty-eight students from the Piarist schools of the Province of Mexico participated.
The methodology of the workshop for leaders is divided into three phases: “Thinking”, “Feeling” and “Acting”:
THINKING: The moment of thinking is the framework of the workshop, which starts from three important stages, the first of which is self-knowledge, the second is the DAFO context, which refers to the analysis of the reality of my work, and finally, human formation.
FEELING: The moment of feeling aims to recognise ourselves and understand our greatest challenges, our limits and our abilities to see ourselves as leaders and in this way engage in a process of personal understanding from the perspective of Christian leadership and a vocational process; then the CALASANZIAN LEADERSHIP, how St. Joseph Calasanz renews and breaks schemas in many of his life processes and how he invites us to trust until the last minute.
ACT: The time to act will give us a space to commit to the call to change the reality through proactive, responsible and conscious leadership. We will have time to develop a project that we will carry out upon our return, as well as the way in which we will actively participate in our works and a space of commitment in which each participant will assume the role of leader of the province, creating spaces for reflection and encounter, as well as their active participation in the Calasanz Movement and pastoral activities.
It is worth highlighting that this is the first workshop for leaders held in person after the pandemic that we are experiencing worldwide, so this weekend was full of mixed emotions and moments that promoted reflection and unity.
We would like to thank everyone who made this workshop for school leaders possible: the leaders of each school who accompanied the young people and for their active participation at all times (Colegio Carlos Pereyra de Puebla, Instituto Fray Pedro de Gante de Apizaco, Instituto José María Morelos de Tlaxcala, Instituto Carlos Gracida de Oaxaca, Colegio Cristóbal Colón de Veracruz); the participation of the Fraternity as a reference point for the vocation to the piarist life along with the Calasanz Movement, and also the valuable participation of the Juniorate to focus the workshop on our vocation from our Christianity. Thank you for believing in this project and for participating with so much joy and enthusiasm.
We look forward to seeing you again in the next edition of Calasanz unites Us!
Master Gustavo Amador Illescas
