The Preventive System
“Education is a matter of the heart.” - St. John Bosco
Key to every Salesian place is a particular style of forming relationships and educating that we call the “Preventive System.” Its aim is to promote virtue and goodness and to create an environment in which everyone, but especially young people, freely embrace positive choices and desire to grow in holiness. It places the dignity of the young person at the center and respects their intelligence, uniqueness and innate goodness - while fostering their gifts and vocational development.
Whether we are ministering within a classroom, a parish, at a summer camp, or even at a basketball game at night, the Preventive System’s three core values of reason, religion and loving-kindness form the basis for our style of approaching relationships and ministry.
Reason
We respect each young person’s ability to think and the importance of setting boundaries and rules while also explaining the reasons behind them so that the young person can freely embrace them as being for their greater good. Young people are encouraged to take an active part in shaping the environment and to give feedback that can help improve and enrich the ministry. The power of creativity, curiosity, and imagination are nurtured through age-appropriate activities, which help young people to develop socially and intellectually.
We respect each young person’s ability to think and the importance of setting boundaries and rules while also explaining the reasons behind them so that the young person can freely embrace them as being for their greater good. Young people are encouraged to take an active part in shaping the environment and to give feedback that can help improve and enrich the ministry. The power of creativity, curiosity, and imagination are nurtured through age-appropriate activities, which help young people to develop socially and intellectually.
Religion
Every young person is naturally spiritual and approaches life with a sense of wonder and awe. Young children are the best examples of this, with their fascination with the world and their simple, pure faith that embraces the concept of God with trust. Through faith and moral formation, we strive to support the work done by their parents and guardians and to offer young people the Christian vision of life, created by a loving God, who desires their good and creates moral order for their ultimate happiness.
Every young person is naturally spiritual and approaches life with a sense of wonder and awe. Young children are the best examples of this, with their fascination with the world and their simple, pure faith that embraces the concept of God with trust. Through faith and moral formation, we strive to support the work done by their parents and guardians and to offer young people the Christian vision of life, created by a loving God, who desires their good and creates moral order for their ultimate happiness.
Loving-Kindness
“Without trust, there can be no true education,” according to St. John Bosco. As educators, we strive to always be kind, compassionate, and understanding and to know our young people as individuals. Having a sense of their story and the social and cultural influences in their lives help us to better meet their needs and accompany them through the inevitable struggles of being a young person. Small gestures of kindness, seen as almost “nothing” by others, are important means for reminding our young people that even in the smallest ways they are important and valuable.
“Without trust, there can be no true education,” according to St. John Bosco. As educators, we strive to always be kind, compassionate, and understanding and to know our young people as individuals. Having a sense of their story and the social and cultural influences in their lives help us to better meet their needs and accompany them through the inevitable struggles of being a young person. Small gestures of kindness, seen as almost “nothing” by others, are important means for reminding our young people that even in the smallest ways they are important and valuable.
An in-depth explanation of the Preventive System can be accessed here: http://www.donboscowest.org/pedagogy/preventive-system
