Via della Pisana 1111 - 00163 ROME

General Councillor for Formation

General Councillor for Social Communication

Content and method

for the various formation stages

Rome, 24 May, 2006

INTRODUCTION

Social communication has always been seen as an urgent and necessary field of formation in the Congregation. Given its importance for Salesian life and mission, from the 90’s onwards there have been efforts to offer a formation programme for the different stages, especially for those in initial formation.

The impetus for these Guidelines results from a range of factors coming together: the promulgation of the new Ratio in 2000, GC25’s practical choice in 2002 to have a General Councillor exclusively for the Social Communications Department, indications in the Rector Major and Council’s Plan, that a formation curriculum for social communication be drawn up, the request by the World Advisory Council for Social Communication in 2004, the publication of the “Salesian Social Communication System” guidelines at the beginning of 2005, and finally the Rector Major’s Letter published in AGC 2005.

The Guidelines which you now have in hand are the result of collaboration between the Departments of Social Communications and the fruit of a Congregation-wide consultation, especially amongst those with competence in social communications, and amongst formators. Their inspiration is based on Church documents relevant to social communication, on our Constitutions and Regulations, and on interventions in the shape of Letters of Rectors Major: Fr Viganò (AGC 289), Fr Vecchi (AGC 370 and 366), Fr Chavez (AGC 387 and 390). Finally, they take account of experiences which have matured in various Provinces and areas of the Congregation.

Those for whom it is intended

The “Guidelines for the formation of Salesians in social communication” are meant for the same people and groups who were given the Ratio, namely: All Salesians, but especially Provincials and their Councils, Delegates and members of Formation and Social Communication Commissions, formators and those being formed, all those responsible for initial and ongoing formation of Salesians.

Purpose:

The purpose of these “Guidelines” is the formation of the Salesian to becoming a “good communicator” (FSDB 252) with special reference to the area of social communication.

To be a good communicator requires a capacity for critical reception and creative production of information and messages; at the same time it demands a capacity for animation and management of social communication in educational and pastoral processes; it demands a capacity for interaction and relationships in social communication within and beyond the Congregation.

The area of social communication concerns the various mass and personal media, such as press, cinema, radio, television, internet, DVD, mobile phones, … ; it includes all interactions in society or in a cultural grouping, such as theatre, music, advertising, public relations; it extends to a consideration of culture and especially the anthropological model created and spread by the media.

Formation levels

It is to be noted that these Guidelines focus on formation and not mainly on “training”, because they are meant not only to achieve a degree of ability and technical understanding in the one being formed, but his transformation as a person, including his attitudes and critical sense.

It is appropriate also to recall two paragraphs here (#59 and #89) from the “Salesian Social Communications System” guidelines which reflect on formational aspects: where it says that social communication is developed within the framework of reference of youth pastoral ministry (# 59), and, where it speaks of formation references in social communication ( # 89).

Folllowing what the magisterium of the Church and the documents of the Congregation say, the “Salesian Social Communication System” in # 90 specifies what the three formation levels are.

The first level, basic, focuses on formation of the receivers. This deals with:

• educating the Salesian to a critical sense and forming his awareness so he can be freed from the subtle suggestions and manipulations of the media; to equip him to make free and responsible choices, using mass media not only for enjoyment, but especially for information and formation, for an harmonious cultural and social growth;

• teaching the technical details of individual media, necessary for a correct “reading” and an objective understanding of their communication; creating an awareness of the social, cultural, political and economic implications which lie behind the messagges and values proposed by the media, giving special attention to the relationship between media and advertising, ideology and political power;

• seeing to the aesthetics of communication by taking up art, literature and music in a communicative key; this means developing an interest in cultural presentation in general; competence in and appreciation of fine arts; a study of the music of the young in order to understand their problems, their language, their dreams, and to be able to dialogue with them and search with them; reading at least some pages of modern literature.

The second level focuses on the preparation of educational and pastoral workers. This deals with:

• equipping the Salesian for the correct use of the various social communication media in educational and pastoral activity;

• forming Salesians and laity in the use of social communication for teaching and in education, in catechesis and preaching, in the fostering of peace and development and in giving a voice to the needs of the poor;

• sensitising and preparing the Salesian to integrate the Gospel with the “new culture” created by modern social communication.

The third level concerns the preparation of specialists in social communication whose task is on behalf of the entire provincial community which needs to:

• prepare some confreres who show a special inclination, so they can be experts in teaching this social communications;

• prepare some people for working in production in this media field and for exercising their competence in the management and animation of province enterprises in this field.

Initial formation is aimed at the first and second levels; these are brought up to date in ongoing formation and for some it includes achieving the third level.

Proposals for each formation stage

For each stage of initial or ongoing formation, these guidelines offer a brief summary of what the Ratio says concerning the nature and scope of that stage.

Then it highlights certain formation aspects in the stage, which are particularly relevant to social communication at this stage. It deals with the aims of formation to social communication, presented not in an abstract way but by way of directions to be taken up.

This is followed by proposed study topics to encourage a theoretical reflection on the significance of the media, its social role, its languages and a critical use. The contents involved in the study can be better organised once one has taken into consideration what the Ratio Studiorum says about the different stages.

Finally, experiences to exercise and some competencies to acquire, to help the following up of aims indicated. Obviously these experiences are not to be restricted to just the stage under consideration, but are something to be continued and looked into more thoroughly in the stages that follow, as indeed are the competencies needing to be gradually acquired. This part - experiences and competencies – will need to be understood in greater depth and above all exercised. It requires, then, that support materials be offered; these will be offered in due course.

For each formation stage then, we find: a summary of the nature and scope of that stage, its aims concerning social communication, study and reflection topics, experiences and competencies.

Our thanks go to everyone who has helped in putting these Guidelines together. It is our hope that they can be of real help in forming Salesians, that they can be a common departure point for fruitful experience, and that they contribute to cooperation between the Province Delegates and Commissions for Formation and Social Communication.

Fr Francesco Cereda Fr Tarcísio Scaramussa

General Councillor for Formation General Councillor for Social Communication

3.1. The postnovitiate is the stage where the newly professed Salesian strengthens his own vocational growth and gets ready for practical training, gradually integrating faith, culture and life through a deeper understanding of the experience of religious life and Don Bosco’s spirit, and an appropriate philosophical, pedagogical and catechetical preparation in dialogue with culture (cf. C 114).

3.2. A part of the postnovitiate formation, then, is the fact that he:

• gains a capacity for a serious relationship with culture, with the world of young people, with problems of education, with the Christian viewpoint (cf. FSDB 401);

• acquires a broad and at the same time critical understanding of social communication, knowing how to read, critically evaluate and interact with media, information and modern advertising, and is able to grasp its social and psychological effects in ordinary settings, and on the young;

• achieves a certain competence in the techniques of various kinds of social communication, with a view to knowing how to use these for educating and evangelising the young (cf. FSDB 410);

3.3. Since intellectual formation is the characteristic aspect of this stage, the postnovice takes on studies in the social communication field: theory of communication and social and psychological problems of social communication; kinds of communication, in particular, new technologies: press, radio, TV, internet; the culture produced by social communication; media education; applications of social communication to the different areas of catechesis, liturgy, pastoral activity in general, teaching and cultural animation.

3.4. These studies are accompanied by different experiences to be exercised and competencies to acquire which serve to put what is learnt at school into practice:

• developing attitudes for social communication in regard to photographs, video, theatre, journalism, computer programmes, drawing, posters, noticeboards, music, audiovisuals;

• taking part in analysis and discussion groups which evaluate products offered by mass media with a Christian and critical sense, especially with regard to content and language of news, advertising, newspapers, film, video and internet and video games, and that reflect on the globalisation of information;

• knowing the language and jargon of the young; bringing to life amongst themselves the Salesian approaches to theatre, feasts, academies, courses, …;

• involvement in producing information services whether they be at local or province level.