This is the second edition of a series of interviews with the secretaries and directors of works of JCEP. This time, the interviewee is Agnieszka Baran, the secretary for Primary and Secondary Education of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials and director of JECSE - Jesuit Committee for Primary and Secondary Education.  Jesuit education across Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia is navigating a period of profound transformation—marked by cultural diversity, secularisation, technological change, and growing social and ecological challenges. At the heart of this dynamic landscape stands JECSE, the network that connects Jesuit and companion schools across the region, fostering collaboration, formation, and fidelity to the Ignatian mission. In this interview, we speak with Agnieszka Baran about her personal journey into Jesuit education, the vocation of lay leadership, the evolving role of women within Jesuit structures, and the challenges and hopes shaping Jesuit education today. Drawing on her experience at both local and international levels, she reflects on how Jesuit schools continue to form young people as competent, compassionate, and committed agents of hope in an increasingly complex world.   1 - JCEP: To begin, could you tell us a bit about your personal and professional background, and what led you to work in Jesuit education? Agnieszka Baran: Thank you for the invitation to share my reflections on our educational apostolate. I have a degree in psychology and pedagogy, and from the beginning of my studies I focused on adult education—working as a trainer, coordinating educational projects, and later teaching psychology at the university. This early engagement with education in its many forms helped me realize how much I value creating learning environments that support growth, reflection, and personal development. A decisive moment came when the first Jesuit school was established in my hometown, and I was invited to support the community as a school psychologist. What began as an additional commitment soon became my main professional focus. This experience revealed the importance of working in a setting coherent with my personal values and faith. Jesuit education offered not only professional challenges but also a deep sense of meaning, rooted in care for the whole person and a mission that integrates education, faith, and service. It naturally led me to a deeper, lasting engagement with Jesuit education at both local and international levels—a journey that now guides my work with JECSE.   2 - You are a lay woman serving as JCEP Secretary for Education and leading a key Jesuit education network, JECSE. How do you understand the role of lay collaborators in leadership positions within the Society of Jesus, particularly in the field of education? Do you see this as a specific vocation within the mission? How do you see the role of women in Jesuit structures and institutions? In the educational apostolate of our region, lay collaborators have been exercising leadership roles for many years. Many of us have consciously chosen to work in institutions of the Society of Jesus because we value the possibility of integrating professional responsibility with a clear educational vision grounded in human dignity, justice, and care for the whole person. Lay leaders take on leadership not only because of their expertise, but because they feel personally connected to the mission and want to serve it with responsibility and commitment. I understand lay leadership not as a functional or delegated task, but as shared responsibility for the Jesuit mission. The current reality of Jesuit education makes it clear that lay collaborators are not supporting the mission from the margins; we are co-responsible for shaping its future. In the context of a Synodal Church, this shared leadership also becomes a form of witness: lay leaders, living and working in diverse cultural, social, professional or even family contexts, help translate the Gospel values and Ignatian vision into educational practice that is credible and accessible to all. In this sense, I do see lay leadership in Jesuit education as a specific vocation within the mission, even when it is not expressed in explicitly religious terms. For many lay leaders this vocation is discovered and shaped within professional life itself, through commitment to education, service, and ethical leadership. While lay leaders usually come with strong professional formation, we are invited to grow into the Ignatian way of proceeding through ongoing human, pedagogical, but also spiritual and faith formation. This path requires formation, intentional accompaniment and support adapted to our personal journeys. It allows for a deep and authentic appropriation of Ignatian values such as discernment, reflection, justice, and care for persons, in ways that respect religious and cultural diversity. As a woman, I am particularly attentive to the role of women in Jesuit structures and institutions. Women have always been central to Jesuit education—most staff members in our schools are women—yet their leadership has not always been sufficiently visible or structurally recognized. When I attended my first JECSE delegates’ meeting, I was the only woman present; today, there are several women in our Education Commission. There is a growing awareness within the Society of Jesus that women’s voices and leadership are essential for sound discernment and governance. This is not simply a matter of representation, but of fidelity to the mission. I see the presence of women in Jesuit structures as both a gift and a responsibility: a gift that enriches perspectives and decision-making, and a responsibility to continue building inclusive, collaborative, and mission-driven institutions—especially in education, where the formation of the whole person is at the heart of our apostolic commitment. 3 -  Could you briefly introduce JECSE to our readers and describe its current priorities, team structure, and main activities? JECSE is the network of Jesuit and companion schools in Europe, the Near East, North Africa, and Central Asia. Its mission is to promote Jesuit education in creative fidelity to the Ignatian tradition, supporting schools in responding to contemporary challenges while remaining rooted in their spiritual and educational identity. In the academic year 2024/2025, JECSE brings together 222 institutions, making it the second largest regional Jesuit school network in the world after South Asia. Together, these schools educate 173,216 students and work with 15,910 staff members, including 149 Jesuits. Each Province or Region of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP) is represented by an Education Delegate. Together with Regional Coordinators, they form the JECSE Education Commission, which guides the network. A small central office supports daily operations by coordinating collaboration, communication, formation programmes, and strategic priorities. JECSE’s priorities focus on fostering reflective and collaborative discernment, strengthening formation for leaders and staff, supporting faith formation and interreligious dialogue, deepening a sense of global mission, and ensuring safe and healthy school environments for all. JECSE provides spaces for Education Delegates and school communities to meet, share experience, and work together in service of a shared mission. It supports the formation of staff in Jesuit and companion schools through programmes that complement provincial initiatives, including training for formators and facilitators. Current formation proposals include accompaniment of the Education Commission, a Pastoral Conference, annual thematic conferences for school leaders, the Ignatian Leadership Programme, the Ignatian Pedagogical Formation Programme, and support in the areas of Global Citizenship and Safeguarding.   4  - Can you please describe the current landscape of Jesuit education in Europe, the Middle East and Northern Africa today? What are its main strengths and tensions? Jesuit education in Europe, the Middle East, and Northern Africa today is marked by great diversity of contexts, histories, and educational models. The JECSE network brings together schools operating in very different social, cultural, political, and religious environments— in pour network we gave both public and private institutions; Jesuit and companion schools; institutions from early childhood education to secondary level (including sixth-form) and even offer vocational training. This diversity is both a richness and a challenge, shaping how schools live the mission, offer faith formation, and implement Ignatian pedagogy. A key strength of Jesuit education in the region is its strong sense of mission and identity, rooted in the Ignatian tradition. This is expressed through care for the whole person, commitment to justice, and a culture of discernment. While deeply embedded in their local contexts, schools are also connected through a strong international network that fosters collaboration, mutual learning, and solidarity. At the same time, Jesuit education faces significant tensions. Increasing secularization, declining religious literacy, and the rise of religiously unaffiliated young people challenge how faith is proposed and lived. Schools also respond to the rapid impact of AI and social media, socio-environmental crises, youth loneliness and mental health concerns, teacher shortages, and demographic shifts. In some regions, political instability, migration, and limited resources add further pressure. Despite these challenges, Jesuit schools remain spaces of hope, seeking to form young people who are intellectually competent, socially responsible, resilient, and open to faith, dialogue, and engagement with a complex and changing world. 5 - How would you describe the role of JECSE in the above mentioned context? In today’s complex and rapidly changing educational landscape, JECSE serves as both a bridge between schools and the global Jesuit mission, and as a support network for Jesuit and companion schools in our region. Its primary role is to foster collaboration, mutual learning, and solidarity, while helping each school remain rooted in the Ignatian tradition and committed to its mission. JECSE provides formation and professional support for school staff to help them navigate contemporary challenges. An important place in this work is held by the Ignatian Leadership Programme, which prepares school leaders to facilitate Spirit-led change within their school communities. JECSE also promotes a sense of belonging to a wider Jesuit network, helping schools see themselves as part of a larger mission. In addition, JECSE acts as a hub for strategic reflection and exchange of good practices, supporting provinces and schools in clarifying priorities, assessing identity, and translating Jesuit values into concrete educational action. In short, JECSE helps schools respond to today’s challenges while growing as communities of learning, discernment, and hope—where students, staff, and leaders are empowered to make a meaningful, positive impact locally and globally.   6- Western societies are becoming increasingly secular and culturally diverse. How do Jesuit schools understand and live their Jesuit and Christian identity in this context, while remaining open and inclusive? Our schools today operate in increasingly secular and culturally diverse contexts, which brings both challenges and opportunities for living our Catholic and Jesuit identity. We understand this identity not as a rigid label, but as a commitment to the Ignatian mission: forming the whole person—head, heart, and soul—and inviting students to discover God in all things. This formation encourages students to encounter Christ through prayer, service, community, and critical engagement with the world, rooted in faith yet open to dialogue. Living this identity in pluralistic settings means being deeply rooted in our values while remaining open and inclusive. Most of our schools intentionally offer faith formation and spiritual experiences that are authentic, accessible, and respectful of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds. This includes fostering dialogue, empathy, and ethical engagement with complexity. We also recognize that faith formation must be strengthened—not only through pastoral care for students, but by providing opportunities for spiritual and faith growth for staff. Jesuit schools focus on building communities of encounter, where students and staff listen deeply, reflect together, and act with conscience and courage. Being faithful to Ignatian spirituality does not mean excluding those with different beliefs; rather, it calls us to witness through presence, attentive listening, and accompaniment—engaging with others in a spirit of respect and dialogue. In short, Jesuit schools live their identity by being both rooted and relational: rooted in Christian values and Ignatian spirituality, yet open to diversity, forming young people who can navigate complexity, embrace dialogue, and bring hope and justice to their communities. 7 - Looking ahead, what do you see as the main challenges—and sources of hope—for Jesuit education in Europe over the next decade? As I mentioned, our schools operate in increasingly secular, culturally diverse, and technologically transformed societies, where social media, AI, and shifting worldviews challenge how truth, dialogue, and faith are understood and lived. Persistent teacher shortages, growing individualism, youth mental health concerns, and socio-environmental crises place additional pressures on both students and educators. At the same time, demographic shifts and the rise of religiously unaffiliated or spiritually “nones” call for renewed creativity in forming young people capable of ethical discernment, empathy, and service. Yet these very challenges are also sources of hope. The Ignatian tradition, with its focus on forming the whole person—head, heart, and soul—offers a framework for nurturing intellectual competence, moral courage, and spiritual depth, even in a pluralistic context. Jesuit schools foster communities of encounter, where students and staff learn to listen deeply, act with conscience, and engage in dialogue. The strength of our international network encourages solidarity, exchange of good practices, and shared reflection, helping schools remain connected to a broader mission and inspired by common values. In this light, the coming decade, while demanding careful discernment, strategic formation, and creative responses to new realities, is also full of possibilities: for deepening faith, strengthening identity, cultivating hope, and equipping young people to bring justice, care, and hope to their communities and the wider world. 8 - How do you bring together such an intensive and demanding mission as yours with your own spiritual life? Give us some hints on how you try to be contemplative in action in your circumstances. Bringing together an intensive and demanding mission with one’s own spiritual life requires intentional choices and constant discernment. In roles like mine, caring for a healthy work–life balance is not a luxury, but a real necessity. Without it, even the most meaningful mission risks becoming disconnected from its source. For me, being “contemplative in action” first means accepting that I cannot live this mission alone. I intentionally look for people who accompany me—spiritually and humanly—because we need others to act as mirrors, helping us remain truthful, grounded, and attentive to what is happening within us. In this context, I think with gratitude of my colleagues with whom I completed the Ignatian Leadership Programme in JECSE a few years ago; they continue to be an invaluable source of support, reflection, and encouragement on this shared journey in mission. One of the challenges of this work is that when you are constantly engaged in supporting others’ formation and mission, it is easy to neglect your own formation and growth. I therefore try to protect spaces of silence and reflection, allowing myself to be not only a coordinator or facilitator, but also a recipient of formation and grace. Very concretely, being part of a faith-sharing and formation group where I can speak openly and listen deeply is one of the most important experiences for me. At the same time, I see participation in retreats, the Spiritual Exercises, and spiritual accompaniment as essential elements of Ignatian practice—not only for me personally, but as vital supports for anyone engaged in mission and leadership. In this way, contemplation and action are not opposed, but are gradually woven together into a way of living and serving the mission with freedom, depth, and hope. 9 - Finally, if you could convey one message to the educators and pupils of the JECSE network, what would it be?  To educators: Never underestimate the impact of your daily presence and care: through your work, you shape not only minds but also hearts, build character, share hope, and have a real impact on the world.  To pupils: Be curious, courageous, and attentive to others; make the most of everything Jesuit education offers, draw on the richness of our global network, and trust that your talents, nurtured in our community, can help make the world more just and humane.

Débora Duarte, the current office assistant of JECSE, recently published an insightful article synthesizing the core principles of Safeguarding and the protection of minors within the Society of Jesus today, specifically in the educational sector. Given its value as a comprehensive overview of the Jesuit schools' position on this vital issue, we would like to share it here. The theme of safeguarding and the protection of minors stands today at the very heart of the Jesuit educational mission. More than a set of procedures, it represents a culture of care that draws deeply from Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy. At the centre of the Ignatian Educational Ethos lies the person and, more profoundly, the heart of each person: a heart that must be protected, accompanied, and formed. The cura personalis, or care for the whole person, cannot truly be realised without safe and trusting environments where every child and young person feels welcomed and respected. In recent years, the Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) has engaged in a shared journey to strengthen the culture of protection across Jesuit and companion schools throughout Europe and the Near East. Through dialogue, formation, and collaboration, Provinces have exchanged experiences, shared resources, and developed practical tools to embed safeguarding in the daily life of their communities. The article “A Living Tradition Calls for Beating Hearts” explores these themes in depth, tracing the common path undertaken by the JECSE and its partners to promote aculture of protection inspired by the Gospel and Ignatian anthropology. Prepared by JECSE, it invites all educational communities to see safeguarding not as an external obligation but as shared grace to be lived. It is a concrete sign of a living tradition that continues to educate for life, trust, and hope. You can read the article here.

The Council of International Schools (CIS) is a very important collaborative global membership community of schools and higher education institutions that supports a concrete international accreditation for primary and secondary schools. The Council of International Schools (CIS) Global Forum 2025 took place on November 13-14 and transformed Seville into a major international meeting point for educational leadership, drawing nearly 900 admissions and guidance professionals from around the globe. The Society of Jesus participated with a coordinated delegation led by Fr José Alberto Mesa, SJ, Secretary of Father General for Secondary and Pre-Secondary Education. Universidad Loyola Andalucía, the only university member of CIS in southern Spain, served as the strategic host. Loyola organized the pre-forum workshop “Bridging the Gap Between Schools and Universities”, which convened over 100 international participants to address issues such as the school-to-university transition, mental health, personalized guidance, and international mobility. The Future Students Office, led by Shane Martin McLoughlin and Borja Martín Garrido, coordinated institutional representation, academic programming, and event logistics, with additional support from the Regional Government of Andalusia and the City of Seville. Student engagement played a significant role: about 30 Loyola students served as ambassadors, supporting operations and strengthening the visibility of Jesuit identity. The event also brought together a strong group of Jesuit universities from Spain (UNIJES), Latin America (AUSJAL), and the United States (AJCU), demonstrating the cohesion of the global Jesuit higher education network under the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU). Jesuit schools and networks were represented in a unified way through leaders such as Adriana Cárdenas, Executive Secretary of FLACSI; Mercedes Pastor, representative of EDUCSI; and Luis Blanco of Colegio San José (Fundación Loyola). Their coordinated presence highlighted the Jesuit Global Network of Schools as a global educational ecosystem. During the high-level plenary sessions, Fr Mesa joined a major panel on the future of international education together with Jane Larsson (Executive Director, CIS), Marvin Bakker (Director General, EAIE), Jenny Richard (CEO, Common Application), Ángel Pérez (CEO, NACAC - USA), and Paul Tilling (CEO, International Baccalaureate - IB). Fr Mesa emphasized both the global reach of the Society of Jesus and the urgent need for stronger coordination between schools and universities in responding to the evolving challenges of international education. In conclusion, the integrated participation of Jesuit leaders, schools, and universities reaffirmed the Society of Jesus as one of the world’s most influential educational actors. As strategic host, Universidad Loyola Andalucía strengthened its role as a bridge between secondary, higher, and global education, consolidating its leadership in internationalization, collaboration, and academic excellence in southern Spain.

On 18 November 2025, Jesuit European Committee for Primary and Secondary Education (JECSE) and the Jesuit European Social Centre (JESC) hosted an online webinar titled “Advancing Sustainability in Jesuit Schools: The Experience of a Three-School Pilot Project”. The event brought together members of the Jesuit Global Network of Schools (JGNS) and other religious education networks to explore the experiences of three Jesuit schools located in Malta and France which have participated in the pilot phase of the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI), a project by JESC aimed at supporting faith organisations in their ecological transition. Learning from Practice: how schools assess their experience with JCI During the webinar, representatives from St Aloysius Primary School (Malta), Lycée Sainte-Geneviève in Versailles (France), and Ensemble Scolaire Fénelon-La Trinité in Lyon (France) shared their experiences of carrying out the JCI environmental assessment. Across the three cases, several key learnings emerged. Schools emphasised the importance of adapting the assessment process to their specific context and, while data collection was often demanding, this challenge also became an essential moment of capacity-building, prompting internal cooperation, clarification of roles, and increased awareness among staff about the environmental impact of daily operations. Another central insight concerned the value of community engagement. All schools noted that involving teachers, staff, students, and families was crucial not only for gathering data but also for fostering a shared sense of ownership over efforts to make the school more sustainable. In Malta, even young pupils contributed to shaping the action plan; in France, the assessment became a catalyst for training days, assemblies, and presentations aimed at building a common understanding of the school’s environmental footprint. The findings themselves proved transformative, offering each school a clear picture of its environmental impacts and the key areas requiring early attention to begin shaping an effective ecological transition. Insights from the project helped schools identify their priorities for change and translate them into concrete actions. At St Aloysius Primary School, the results informed a new strategic plan designed to implement the recommendations emerging from the assessment. At Sainte-Geneviève, the footprint analysis supported the development of a transition roadmap and quickly became a key tool for raising ecological awareness among newly arrived students.In sum, the JCI assessment became far more than a diagnostic exercise: it served as a catalyst for genuine institutional transformation, strengthening community participation and embedding sustainability more deeply across the life of the school. The pilot experience thus confirmed the value of a structured, measurable, and community-based approach to sustainability in schools. Participating schools reported strengthened governance structures, improved systems for monitoring key environmental indicators, and the explicit integration of ecological objectives into staff development, student initiatives, and parental engagement. From Vision to Action: integrating frameworks for ecological transition The second half of the webinar featured a presentation from the EOF province, which introduced the AILE (Loyola Education) pathway, a comprehensive framework designed to accompany Jesuit schools in France on their ecological transition journey. Centred on three interconnected pillars - student education, adult formation and change management, and the practical transformation of school operations - the AILE pathway ensures that ecological commitment is woven into every dimension of school life. Rooted in the spirit of Laudato Si’ and fully aligned with Ignatian pedagogy, it integrates spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and social competencies to help students grasp the ecological crisis and develop the capacity to respond meaningfully. The presentation also underscored the importance of adult leadership, strong governance, and coordinated strategies, offering concrete tools such as training modules, steering committee models, and action-planning guides. Through this contribution, the EOF Province illustrated how a holistic, mission-driven approach can help schools move from intention to sustained, systemic ecological change. For attendees, the webinar offered a valuable illustration of how the EOF Province’s AILE pathway and the JCI assessment work together to support schools in their ecological transition. The AILE framework provided a broader horizon: a mission-driven, holistic approach showing how ecological commitment can be embedded into formation, leadership, and school governance. Complementing this, the JCI assessment was presented as a concrete tool capable of operationalising vision-providing schools with a clear environmental baseline, a structured methodology for designing change, and an inclusive process that brings the entire community together.  In all, the webinar showcased how Jesuit education is mobilising around the integration of ecology and sustainability at both the network and school levels. Participants saw how a strong, mission-aligned framework such as the EOF Province’s AILE pathway can orient schools toward a holistic ecological vision, while assessment-based tools like JCI provide the practical means to move from fragmented initiatives to coherent, science-based sustainability strategies. These tools help transform schools into spaces of environmental management and shared learning, an experience that is profoundly educational in itself. Together, these approaches highlighted the potential of Jesuit educational institutions to serve as living laboratories of ecological transition, forming young people and adults who are equipped to respond to today’s environmental crisis with competence, hope, and a renewed sense of responsibility. In doing so, they embody the Jesuit mission to promote reconciliation with creation and reflect the deepest aims of Ignatian education: to form persons of discernment, committed to the common good, and capable of shaping a more just and sustainable world. * To learn more about the JESC Carbon Initiative (JCI) please click here to download the project brochure. Telmo Olascoaga Michel JESC Ecology Officer

From November 24-28, thirty delegates, network coordinators, JECSE friends, and mission partners gathered to discuss the future of Jesuit education in Europe, our network, and our schools across different Provinces and contexts. Settling in, warming bodies, hearts and minds, the first afternoon offered us the time to stop and realize where we are now. What have we been doing this past year, locally and as a network? How aligned is our work with the Society of Jesus's priorities for education? Reflecting on this, do we sense consolation or desolation? Discerning Foresight Workshop The next morning, Ms. Marine Irvine from the Ateneo Research Institute for the Futures of Education (RIFE) led us through a two-day Discerning Foresight workshop – a pioneering approach integrating Strategic Foresight with Ignatian Discernment. Presented with the main forces of change in education, we reflected on their meaning and effects, even identifying other forces within our educational contexts. For each force, we imagined how they would impact our schools if their development followed positive, negative, or business-as-usual trajectories. We agreed on five main forces of change: the ubiquity of AI; social media's erosion of truth, trust, and tact; socio-environmental crisis; rise of religious and spiritual exploration; and persistent teacher shortage. As night and snow fell, we left the future on hold to hear from Fr. Dalibor Renić SJ (President of the Conference of European Provincials), Fr. José Mesa SJ (Secretary for Education), and Fr. Filipe Martins SJ (Jesuit European Social Centre) who offered valuable insight into deepening mission and identity across different networks and contexts. Imagining Future Scenarios The second workshop day began with a scenario building exercise. What would happen to Jesuit education if the identified forces of change impacted our contexts in predictable, disruptive, painful, or restrictive ways? Twenty years from now, how would we live, teach, and learn? How would we lead our schools? Driven by Ignatian imagination, and between laughter and concerns, we explored our darkest pessimisms and most naive optimisms – even using AI to develop them further. We prayed upon these scenarios and shared our feelings of consolation and desolation. Surprisingly, we were envisioning futures filled with hope, even when facing the darkest scenarios. "Jesuit schools will be a strength in that weird world," someone shared, "because in a society longing for humanity, we can offer identity and community, a place to seek and find God. We strive to offer it now, and we can develop those efforts further". Students Leading the Way The next morning showed us the future is already here. Students at the Jesuit school in Vilnius, the Vilniaus Jėzuitų Gimnazija, welcomed us with smiles and chocolates, leading us through their school like a friend welcome another at his home. The library and music studio were impressive, but we commented most on their sense of ownership: decorations, traditions, and even school renovations were possible through student willingness and hard work. Teachers appeared seldom in corridors – never as rulers or controllers, but as maestros. Which may also help to explain why the school choir sings so beautifully. Gratitude and Goodbyes Approaching the week's end, we gave thanks at the Eucharist, followed by a joyful dinner set at a different kind of table. We bid farewell to Fr. José Mesa SJ and thanked him for fifteen years as the Secretary for Education, and his dedication to the Jesuit Global Network of Schools, and education as whole. Finally, in the last morning we gathered to discuss JECSE's apostolic plan and strategy: the network's role in supporting Education Delegates, future events, and better collaboration. Mr David Smith, Educate Magis Director, joined us in presenting new online tools available to all delegates. A Future Not Our Own At the Discerning Foresight workshop's end, we prayed "Romero's Prayer," written by Cardinal Dearden in 1979. It begins: "Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the Kingdom always lies beyond us". This echoes the futures we have imagined – honestly, at first it seems a bit disappointing. However, as the future requires God’s grace, the prayer needs follow up too. It continues: "We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that (…). We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own". This week, we reached the same realization as Ignatius and his first companions: we don't know what the future holds, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn't prepare for the mission ahead. For Ignatius, accepting God's will meant acknowledging that "the whole world will be my Jerusalem". For us today, answering our calling as Jesuit educators means rejoicing in a future not our own. Débora Duarte

On 28 September - 3 October, the first edition of JECSE's IPP Formators Training programme took place, with 40 participants from Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Italy, Spain, Malta, Ireland, Poland and Portugal taking part in it. This training is included in JECSE's Ignatian Pedagogical Programme, which seeks to promote the use of IPP in the classroom as a tool for developing our educational apostolate. The programme has a horizon: our mission; is based on our foundations: Ignatian spirituality and spiritual exercises; and counts on a means: Ignatian pedagogy. “We have a treasure: the Ignatian style of education. IPP is the way we can better convey our teaching & learning process to provide students with quality education; it aligns with pedagogical theories, our current laws and our needs as XXI century society.” (Nadezhna Castellano and Javier Orellana, Spain A Formation in Two Phases: Online and Face-to-Face The formation included online activities as well as a face-to-face training week. During the online phase, from June to September 2025, participants worked with some of the key documents for our educational work: The Characteristics of Jesuit Education, Jesuit Education aims to Human Excellence: Men and Women of Conscience, Competence, Compassion and Commitment and Ignatian Pedagogy, A Practical Approach; they analysed the relationship between Ignatian spirituality and pedagogy and attended a workshop entitled: IPP as a tool for mission, in which they visualised spaces for developing Ignatian mission and spirituality within the curriculum/teaching practices. On 28 September, we all gathered at Seminário de S. Paulo de Almada, near Lisbon, to begin the face-to-face training led by Father Johnny Go and Miss Ritta Atienza, authors of the book: Learning by Refraction: A Practitioner's Guide to 21st-Century Ignatian Pedagogy.  "I am particularly grateful for the opportunity to learn from the best experts in the field and the opportunity to undertake this training journey with other Ignatian school teachers with whom, despite being at different stages, we share common goals.” (Luís Esteves, Portugal) Objectives and Hands-On Learning During this week, participants were able to: Deepen their knowledge of Ignatian pedagogy. Practise strategies, dynamics and resources to promote reflection in the classroom. Know service learning methodology as a way of promoting Ignatian action. Practise some tools to train other colleagues and adults. The goal was for them to acquire expertise in designing training on Ignatian pedagogy so that they can be formators in their own schools, foundations and provinces, thus expanding the scope of the programme and the number of students and schools that can regularly use Ignatian pedagogy in the classroom.  Putting Learning Into Practice The highlight of the training came when participants were able to put into practice the workshops designed during the week. To this end, we had the precious collaboration of Colégio São João de Brito, in Lisbon.  After visiting the beautiful city of Lisbon, we arrived at the school, where we witnessed inspiring projects that teachers carry out with their students. After that, nearly 100 teachers participated in our workshops on promoting students' reflection and action. We would like to thank the school staff for all their support during the training week and the teaching staff for their enthusiastic attitude during the workshops.  The fruits of this training process are very rich: a strong feeling of gratitude, personal growth, deep learning experience, sharing and working as a team…and a sense of community that will surely endure over time... “This training has made me feel part of a single community with a shared educational mission.”  (Mª Luisa Rosety, Spain) “I saw for the first time how large our Jesuit network is and how many interesting things are happening in other schools.” (Paweł, Poland) Many thanks to all those who participated in and promoted this formation experience.   Yolanda Baquero López  JECSE's Ignatian Pedagogical Programme Coordinator