HomeArticlesEditorialPope Francis’ Scholas: A New Educational Paradigm Based on Dialogue

Pope Francis’ Scholas: A New Educational Paradigm Based on Dialogue

In 2015, Pope Francis launched a pedagogical initiative based on dialogue, the ‘Scholas’. It seeks the commitment of society to implement a culture of encounter by peace and education, able to bring about change in the world.

Scholas is an educational initiative that acts as a “rescue operation” at the service of the young generation of the world affected by the never-ending danger that hinders peace. Its main goal is to help build communities, especially those with limited resources. It applies technology to design a global classroom integrating arts and sports, and recover the educational pact of restoring an integral and peaceful society.

As early as 2013, the newly elected Pope had already invited educational experts and collaborators to look into the state of education in the world. For him, education should take a new direction, it should bring about change! He sees a march towards creating “one virtual classroom, with no walls, in which all children and young people of all cultures and backgrounds will merge.”

To date, this vision of the Pope has been launched, since it was first conceived when he was still a Cardinal in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2001. It has already created a ‘worldwide virtual village’ and some 400,000 schools and education networks with various social, cultural and religious backgrounds which adhere to it. Through this, a new educational paradigm has come about that seeks to attune the mind with the heart and the hands. It fully integrates technology, sports and arts. Scholas proposes thus: “May the young people think about what they feel and do; and feel what they think and do; and do what they feel and think.”

Scholas’ goals are articulated as follows: making the culture of encounter a reality; achieving unity through diversity; resetting the educational pact in a paradigm shift so that the system can signify again educational commitment from all stakeholders; ensuring that all students learn the values of coexistence and citizen participation to achieve an integrated and peaceful world; and articulating technology with sports and art to achieve real and inclusive education.

Among the main collaborators of Scholas are educational experts from the Focolare Movement. The charism of unity that animates the Focolare Movement, which aims to promote dialogue at all levels, including dialogue with contemporary cultures and all human endeavors, is very much in tune with the mission of ‘Scholas’, that is, to build bridges. Indeed, its spirit will surely enliven the undertakings initiated by Scholas and will stimulate it to move forward in order to introduce change in the world through education.

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