Safeguarding: Beyond Protocol, the Mission. 

With this horizon in mind, the Safeguarding Referents from the schools of the Jesuit Education Network of the Euro-Mediterranean Province participated in a two-day reflection on the protection of minors, held in Milan on February 5th and 6th and organized by the Fondazione Gesuiti Educazione.

Led by Prof. Giuseppe Mannino, Professor of Dynamic Psychology at LUMSA in Palermo and Safeguarding Referent for the FGE, the twenty-four participants — including referents from schools in Messina, Milan, Palermo, Rome, Shkodër, Turin, and Malta; the entire education area of the FGE with its Director; the Safeguarding Referent of the Euro-Mediterranean Province; and the Safeguarding coordinator of the “Jesuit Conference of European Provinces” — engaged in listening and reflection, sharing best practices, case studies, and common responsibilities.

The deep discussion intertwined educational, legal, psychological, and spiritual perspectives. The initial spiritual impulse was particularly inspiring, outlining a path of gentle attention, care, and “sweet firmness” for the creation of healthy educational relationships in safe environments.

Of great interest was the comparison of best practices, such as the Malta model — a concrete example of an alliance between school, diocese, and institutions — the training model of Liceo Massimo in Rome, and the practices of the “Atë Pjetër Meshkalla” college in Albania. Central to the event were the contributions of Father Paul Pace SJ, Delegate of the Provincial for Safeguarding, who called for a culture of protection lived as a mission and an essential part of the educational journey of the Society of Jesus, and Mr. Brian Cranmer, who conducted training on the use of the self-audit tool, a precise, useful, and indispensable instrument for “taking further” a watchful and kind gaze on the protection of minors and all vulnerable people.

The case studies provided by the “Sociale” high school in Turin and the “Gonzaga Campus” in Palermo were very stimulating, allowing the referents to define common lines of intervention. Participants returned from Milan with a stronger awareness and a vibrant network of relationships, created to support one another and safeguard together.

Upon their return, a slogan and a bookmark were created. The slogan reads: “Because educating means, first of all, taking care”.