3rd July, 10th July and 17th July
Every Wednesday in July saw the AVEC visit St. Sebastian Goan High School, Grant Road to cater to the students of Std X. Fr. Leon Rodrigues sdb helped the students realise their potentialities. They were called to focus their attention on looking at reality from a different angle. Once you change your perspective – your problems do not remain problems – solutions automatically come to the fore. One can look at the X Std board exams as a problem or it could be an opportunity to become something better and could lead to an improvement in one’s career prospective. This was the main aim of the session.
5th July-30th August
Today the AVEC started a series of sessions, on every Friday, for the students of St. Antonio High School, Dadar. Fr. Leon conducted sessions over a period of a month on accepting ‘oneself and one’s talents’. The Xth Std were prepared to face their anxieties over appearing for their first board exams while the rest of the school were helped to discovering their talents.
We also started every-Friday-sessions at Sacred Heart High School, Worli. Every Friday Fr. Leon would go to the school to conduct a half hour session for the students of the school on self-discipline and nurturing one’s talents. The students were helped to understand that no matter the problem there is always a solution to life.
6th July
Today we had two parents sessions – one in Holy Cross Thane and another in Carmel Convent High School, Kalamboli. Fr. Mylin very willingly accepted to go to Holy Cross while Fr. Leon went to Carmel Convent. Both spoke on the topic ‘Positive Parenting’ which asked the parents to be “assertive Parents” who nurture their children through positive corrections and who use love languages to help better their children.
8th July -12th December
Today the AVEC started a series of 16 sessions for the Secondary Section of St. Joseph’s High School, Vile Parle. This year the topic for these sessions would be ‘Lessons learnt from the Bamboo Tree’. These sessions helped the children understand that their schooling system was helping them nurture and develop into adults who would be able to take care of themselves. It helped them to take a look at their ‘roots’ which have helped them become better and smarter. It also helped them realise that obstacles are part of life and yet when we learn to navigate these obstacles life becomes better.
9th July
The AVEC had the privilege of conducting sessions for the 65 teachers of the prestigious St. Joseph’s Girls Convent High School, Khadki, Pune. It was an interesting session in which the teachers through fun and games understood the nuances of high living. Basing themselves on the ‘7 Habits of Highly effective people’ Fr. Leon helped the teachers get back to the basics of life. From time to time a fine tuning of life is always necessary and this is what was offered to the teachers.
13th July
The AVEC went to Holy Cross High School, Juhu for a 2 hour parents session in Hindi. Fr. Leon helped the parents realise the gift that they possess – a gift given by God to nurture the young and hence parenting is a great responsibility. We, as parents, are called to fulfil this God-given duty.
16th July
The AVEC started a series of 5 sessions for Don Bosco High School, Borivli at the behest of their principal, Rev. Fr. Flovi D’Souza. Involving also the Asst. Director of TEJ Prasarini, Fr. Mylin Noronha; Fr. Leon conducted sessions to help the students realise their inner potentialities. The students through the sessions were helped to focus on all that is good in themselves. They were made to realise that obstacles are part of life but the way we perceive these troubles, problems helps us get through them with ease and finesse.
20th July
The AVEC went to Canossa High School, Dhule to conduct a seminar for the 110 teachers of the school. The teachers were helped to understand the difference between education and curriculum and helped to realise that basically to educate the other one has to first take care of themselves. Thus the teachers were asked to look at their lifestyles, their personalities and the environment in which they place themselves so that they can be better educators.
24th July
WE, at the AVEC, conducted a 2-hour session for the leaders of St. Stanislaus High School, Bandra. We helped the leaders realise that they are the ‘now’ of the school and that they are called to lead the students and the school to greatness. We focused our attention on problem solving and we realised with them that once we change our perspectives, problems do no remain problems!
29th July
We, the AVEC, were invited once again to visit St. Joseph’s Girls Convent, Khadki, Pune to conduct sessions for Std IX students. Firstly, through meditation we asked them to calm down and focus their attention on all the graces that God had bestowed on them. We made them realise that they are filled with talents and we need nurture these talents. Later through fun, games and interaction we asked the students to focus their attention on developing themselves.
