37th International Fe y Alegría Congress

37th International Fe y Alegría Congress 22/11/2007

We have attended, another year, the International Fe y Alegría Congress which this year was held in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For the second year running, the congress has focused on Fe y Alegria's work to promote community development. In these communities, school abandon, violence, drugs and family disintegration are frequent characteristics. This is where Fe y Alegría believes that the schools should become encounter platforms with families and environment.

Lines of action have been set up at the Congress based on the experiences of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Venezuela and Dominican Republic. Important points were: the importance of networking with other institutions, both public and of the civil society and the Society of Jesus; promoting civic activities by Fe y Alegría students; keeping a permanent reflection on activities carried out and systemize experiences that will serve as reference for the Institution and public policies. This systemization has to always take into account certain flexibility, given the complex realities of the communities.

It has been pointed out that, above all, the communities have to be the main actors of their own development.

According to Jorge Cela, General Coordinator for the International Fe y Alegría Federation, the congress has tried to "consolidate that the school may regard itself as a whole part of the life of the populations, in order not only to influence the personal growth of the students but also to inspire the way to building a new society where the communities will be the main players."