Religion teachers conference, Chile - An environmental educational approach

The annual meeting of religion teachers from the Salesian Schools Network in Chile was held at the Provincial House on April 20 and 21.

The objective of the meeting revolved around accompanying religion teachers in relation to the environmental educational approach present in current religion programs.

The day began with a Eucharist celebrating the joy of the Easter season where Jesus Christ makes all things new.

Subsequently, Freddy Araya, Executive Coordinator of Pastoral Juvenil , developed the general framework of the meeting through the exhibition "Integral ecology: co-inciding from the care of the common home" . Then, the Coordinator of the Field of Evangelization and Catechesis of the Provincial Youth Ministry Team , Lorena Basualto, presented the "Positioning Document: The Salesians of Don Bosco on the way to a sustainable world from the perspective of integral ecology."

Subsequently, the theologian from the Silva Henríquez Catholic University (UCSH), Mg. Doris Muñoz shared the topic “A theological reflection in times of climate crisis. Questions to give new meaning to the sacred and the practices of spirituality”.

The academic delivered a framework of ecological spirituality based on the paradigm shift and the need to transform consumption practices , becoming aware of one's own carbon footprint. She ended the theme with a prayer from the body, in which the participants contemplated and gave thanks for God's creation .

The theme on "Caring for the common home in school religious education programs" was worked on, in which Vanesa Páez, Pedagogical Coordinator of the Education Team of the Province worked on the Curricular Project , the contribution of religion teachers and the importance of the curriculum articulation.

Lorena Basualto coordinated a practical work with the Edebé religion books and the creation of didactics in joint work with other subjects to deploy pedagogical projects with other areas of knowledge where the religion class can be transformed into an interdisciplinary teaching and learning space.

The meeting ended with a field trip to the Lo Cañas Campus of the Silva Henríquez Catholic University where the Weliwen (New Dawn) experience was visited by academic Mg. Valeska Leiva who explained the genesis of the space and value that this place has for the professional and personal growth of young university students.

The academic, together with her students, deployed with the religion teachers some environmental didactic experiences to work in the units that refer to the care of the common home.