Central Commission – ESA

America. The Central Commission of the Salesian School in America (ESA), made up of representatives of the four Regions that form the Network of Schools and Vocational Training Centers of the Provinces of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians and the Salesians of Don Bosco present on the American continent  shares the processes in place of the Salesian School in America (ESA).

The Salesian School in America (ESA) is an educational network that promotes the construction of educational environments and the implementation of processes, projects, and aids to accompany the process experienced in every reality, in every country with pedagogical itineraries, enculturating Don Bosco’s Preventive System in the American context. The School offers quality education and social equality for all students, who face a context marked by poverty, growing social inequality, and the deep gap in the development of digital technologies, which are not accessible to all.

One process carried out was the creation of the Website www.escuelasalesianaamerica.org, with the aim of promoting networking and collaboration between the members of the ESA Central Commission, giving visibility to the processes implemented, and the initiatives and activities that are carried out by the various Regions in the animation of 4 axes (attention to the educational needs of students, ongoing formation of educators, quality of the pastoral educational proposal, and institutional management) defined in the IV ESA Continental Meeting, held in 2017 in Medellín, Colombia.

The Website presents the identity and vision of the Network of the Salesian School America, the animation guidelines, and the Blogs of the 4 Regions that make up the Network: CICSAL e CONOSUR  (SEPSUR Escolar); CINAB and the Andean Region; CIB-CISBRASIL; CINAB-Mesoamerica Region. It is also possible to consult the documents developed and draw on the materials shared by the various schools and institutions. One section is dedicated to Global Pact for Education  and to Laudato Sì, that Pope Francis invites to study as Catholic Schools.

Another process is the updating of the strategic planning of  ESA for the 2021-2023 triennial.  The work carried out in synergy between the members of the Central Commission expresses the revision of the concept “Guidelines of action”, understood as operational objectives, on the basis of which a limited number of activities have been planned that will facilitate their practical implementation. For the evaluation of each activity, the “Indicators” have been defined to verify the achievement of an action to which the “Objectives” are associated, which explain what is intended to be achieved in each period of time.

The development of a Model of Excellence for ESA is currently underway. The model is a stimulus for the schools of the continent to certify their management skills, making use of the Salesian schools and of significant and sustainable educational-pastoral communities. The Model offers a unified proposal for the management of the works through a ‘common plan’ of good practices, to encourage the development of continuous improvement processes and to guarantee quality in Salesian education.

“Every change needs an educational path that involves everyone. This is why it is necessary to build an ‘education village’ where in diversity, the commitment to generate a network of human and open relationships is shared.”

(Pope Francis, Message for the launch of the Educational Pact)