Education delegates from across our Jesuit Conference of Asia Pacific (JCAP) gathered in Bali, Indonesia, from 10 to 13 April to foster collaboration and synergy in Jesuit education. The first in-person meeting to take place in several years, the event brought together 10 Jesuit and lay educators from Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Australia, the Chinese Province, Malaysia-Singapore, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, and Micronesia.
The conference opened with a Mass celebrated by Indonesian Provincial Fr Benedictus Hari Juliawan, followed by several online sessions with key officials, including JCAP President Fr Jun Viray, Education Secretary for the Society of Jesus Fr Jose Mesa, and Global Community Associate Director at Educate Magis, Ciara Beuster.
Fr Viray emphasised the importance of companionship and a positive working environment in facilitating collaboration. Meanwhile, Fr Mesa shared insights on the global state of Jesuit education, and Beuster presented how the Educate Magis platform can support educators, particularly in communication and collaboration with other Jesuit and Ignatian educators worldwide.
On the second day, JCAP Education Secretary Fr Leonardus Winandoko led the discussion on regional updates, with each delegate sharing their specific situations and challenges. This was followed by an online presentation on the Promotion of a Consistent Culture of Protection (PCCP) by Fr John Guiney SJ and Dr Sandra Racionero-Plaza. PCCP is a training and formation programme in safeguarding of the Society of Jesus that aims to help eradicate abuse inside and outside the church. It will be rolled out across all apostolic works of the Society starting with the education apostolate.
Preparations for the upcoming II Seminar JESEDU-Jogja2024 capped the discussions on the second day, with the delegates exploring the benefits of using Educate Magis as the platform to facilitate communication and collaboration for all participating schools of the global event.
The third day saw them agree on future JCAP education programmes to benefit educational efforts across the conference. These include initiatives for school staff, resource sharing between regions, targeted support for formation programmes, student programmes, and strategic planning meetings.
As the conference wound down, the delegates took a moment to immerse themselves in Balinese culture. They enjoyed a traditional dance performance to conclude a successful and enriching gathering. The next JCAP Education Delegates Meeting is scheduled for April 2025. [JCAP Education]
