How can young Jesuits prepare themselves for future mission?  How can they develop leadership and management skills?  To begin to address this concern, the Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific organized, in collaboration with the Ateneo Centre for Organization Research and Development (CORD), an Essential Management workshop for scholastics.

“This is the first time we have held such a workshop,” said program coordinator Fr Norris
Seenivasan SJ, JCAP Delegate for Formation. “GC 35 recognized that leadership in the Society today is a very demanding ministry and ongoing formation programs in areas such as leadership and management are very much needed, in addition to knowledge of philosophy and theology.”

Eighteen scholastics, most of them regents, participated in the workshop held at Stella Maris Pae Resort in Rayong Province, Thailand from April 13 to 17.  The scholastics were from Myanmar, Thailand, and China, and included one South Korean scholastic on regency in Myanmar, and a scholastic from Benin in West Africa who is doing his regency in China. The presence of five nationalities brought about an atmosphere of international friendship that partly contributed the success of the workshop activities.

The scholastics had to prepare for the workshop a month in advance by completing two tests, Enneagram and HA Innerview.  On the first day, they analysed their Enneagram test with the help of the two workshop facilitators from the Philippines, Jet Magsaysay and Ansley Joyce Abaygar. Learning their personality type increased their self-awareness and helped them  understand strengths and weaknesses that can lead to a conflict within and without.

The second and third day focused on the importance of being a leader with effective management.  The scholastics learned how to make a plan with a clear objective in mind and that the plan would help them focus on their mission.  They learned how to organize and control the management process, which are important components in achieving the objectives.  Activities and games were organized to encourage learning.  For example, they were divided into small groups and asked to apply the management method to their mission and then share this with the other groups.

“Although the workshop was only three days, it gave us practical methods, techniques, and processes to develop ourselves and our mission,” said Thai Sch Nopparut Ruankool (Bee) SJ.