austraLasia 1433
A frog story to add to your collection - with a happy
ending?
CHENG CHAU HK: 6th February 2006 -- How many frog stories
do you know? Most of the Aesop's kind have unhappy endings: the
frog and the crocodile, the frogs who wanted a king, the ox and the
frog, but there are happy endings like the frog in the milk-pail,
remember?
So! Thirteen youth ministry delegates from
most of the provinces in our region (AUL and VIE couldn't come), with
only three of them ever having attended a YM meeting before - most have
come into the job since Lysterfield 2003 - met today, and will meet on
the morrow too. They chose a frog story to 'kick off' with. Three
of the group have only just been appointed, so with change management
high on the list of practical priorities, here is the story they began
with.
They say that if you put a frog into a pot of
boiling water, it will leap out straight away to escape the danger.
But if you put a frog into a kettle with water that
is cool and pleasant - it stays.
And if you gradually heat the kettle until it starts
boiling, the frog will not detect the threat until it is too late.
Frogs are geared towards detecting sudden
changes, not gradual change.
The story is open-ended! So, what was the reaction
of our delegates (who also include 1 provincial, 1 vice provincial and
4 Rectors, suggesting that YM has the high priority it deserves).
"Who put it inside the pot?" (ITM - lateral
thinking!). "We didn't plan our YM and we are happy what we
do. It's more reactive that way" (KOR). "Our changes are very
sudden, we are always reacting "(CIN). "We'd like to make it
happen immediately - you know flashy work, instant style" (THA - can
frogs get tongue in cheek?). That's just a sample of reactions
from around the table. The general consensus, however was that
most people, most provinces find themselves in a rapidly changing
world. Planning is important, very important, but if the plan
takes too long then... goodbye frog!
The delegates are dealing with a 'new pastoral
model'. In some respects it is not new, and if you don't know
what it is check it out anyway on Bosconet (go to the YM page).
It is a model that needs to be enculturated, probably needs to move
from being simply tolerated to being respected, as the FIS delegate put
it so well. The RMG delegate, one of a team whose task is to keep
in touch with all the others and support them in every way possible,
talks about the 'Seven Habits of High Effective Frogs'! Now that
certainly has possibilities. Any takers?
The meeting continues and so will our reports on it,
and it moves into some serious material as it considers the core issue
of the Salesian Community, the Educative and Pastoral
Community.....there, we said the model wasn't new after all, but fully
understanding it and getting everyone to understand it remains a
challenge. This frog story is heading for a happy ending,
methinks.
________________________________
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