(172) Our schools must promote and guarantee environments free from any form of abuse. All Jesuit schools should have:
- Guidelines that describe proper ethical and professional conduct for all who serve in our schools, whether they be Jesuits, employees or volunteers;
- Systematic training and ongoing formation programs for all members of the school community that inculcate respectful ways of relating to others, identify inappropriate behaviors, and explain how to confront abusive people and situations;
- Protocols that respond vigorously to every allegation of abuse.
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From Compliance To Commitment
In response to the mandate of General Congregation 36 as presented in the “Promotion of a Consistent Culture of Protection” (PCCP) project recently promulgated by Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J., and in collaboration with the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States (JCCU), JSN is introducing a Network-wide safeguarding initiative called, “From Compliance to Commitment.” Guided by the PCCP document, the goal of the JSN initiative is to ensure Jesuit schools are not only compliant with best practices and legal requirements of safeguarding, but also are developing cultures of safeguarding through student, faculty, staff, and family formation, and the sharing of best practices among peer schools.
Compliance: Schools have in place policies, formation programs, and practices that promote “safe and sacred environments.” These are "compliant" with professional standards, best practices, environmental safety, and the requirements of the law and the local diocese.
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JSN will launch its compliance effort by working with schools to compile a baseline of compliance within each. We will also identify School Safeguarding Coordinators and then maintain a database of Coordinator contact information for future engagement and support. In March 2024, JSN Presidents will receive a “compliance survey,” requesting information on school efforts at preventing and reporting sexual abuse and misconduct. The goal of the survey is to gather information from which JSN may then support and facilitate responsible compliance efforts within Network schools. This survey is not intended to be evaluative or punitive.
Commitment: Schools build cultures of safeguarding through ongoing engagement in programs and resources, as well as in the sharing of best practices among peer schools. Committed school cultures expand their focus to include student and parent formation - and other constituent group formation - in co-creating safe and sacred cultures.
Once a baseline of compliance is established, and compliance efforts confirmed, JSN will work with Safeguarding Coordinators to engage resources provided by the Secretariat for Justice and Ecology as well as partner child service agencies and other professionals to deepen a school’s commitment to building “cultures” of safeguarding within their communities. JSN will sponsor initiatives that help integrate the science, spirituality, best practices, etc., of building “safe and sacred” environments. In April 2025, JSN will host a gathering* of those who are committed to developing cultures of safeguarding among students, parents, and other constituents in their schools.
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*Save the Date! From April 1-4, 2025, JSN will host an Ignatian Colleagues Gathering on Global Identifier #2 in Malvern, PA. More details to come!
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New Global Safeguarding Training Initiative
In 2016, Father General Arturo Sosa, S.J., established the Promotion of a Consistent Culture of Prevention (PCCP) project to enhance safeguarding efforts throughout the entire Society of Jesus, with a goal of shifting from a culture of compliance to that of commitment. Due to the work cultivated by the PCCP over the last several years, the launch of a new global safeguarding initiative was announced in December. A PDF of that announcement can be accessed here.
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Mandated from Fr. General himself, this new program will be implemented in every Jesuit province and apostolate in the world. Secondary and pre-secondary education are one of the first apostolic areas in which the program will be initiated.
We have done so much and made incredible strides in safeguarding over the last 20+ years. This new initiative will bring us deeper into the protection of all – in our schools, communities, and beyond. We look forward to sharing more information about the program as it is developed. To learn more about the Global Formation Training Program, please click here.
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Promoting a Consistent Culture of Protection in JECSE Schools
The safety and protection of minors is a top priority for JECSE, the European network of Jesuit and Companion schools. In recent years, we have intensified our efforts to support other schools in this area.
To prepare for the event, we collected significant articles and materials on the conference site on Educate Magis' platform that address various aspects of juvenile protection. Additionally, we created a special video that presents the most important issues discussed during the conference. It can be a useful resource for staff training. The post-conference book will soon be available to a wide audience in our Jesuit Global Network of Schools.
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JECSE was also honored to organize Global Webinar on Global Identifier #2 Jesuit Schools are committed to creating a Safe and Healthy Environment for all in November of 2022. The webinar is part of a series titled, “An Integrated (Holistic) Perspective” that promotes knowledge and reflection on contemporary Jesuit education among collaborators of the “Jesuit Global Network of Schools” (JGNS).
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JECSE with ZIP is currently preparing the next phase of this safeguarding project, which includes online training to prevent online abuse and provide support for expert teams. Details will be announced soon on www.jecse.org.
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Safeguarding at Mother Teresa Middle School
Safeguarding at Mother Teresa Middle School (MTMS) is rooted in kinship and culture. Our way of proceeding confronts the issue directly and charges head on, like a buffalo into a storm, and intentionally acknowledges the Truth and Reconciliation Reports: Calls to Action and the tragic history of Residential Schools in Canada. A new narrative is being created at MTMS, where students walk through the doors of the school every day, knowing they are safe and loved. MTMS is a place where students can let their guard down, be themselves, and breath easy.
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Safeguarding at MTMS is more than policies and procedures. Promoting and cultivating a culture of protection, care, and respect for one another is a lived experience. It is deeply rooted in trust, great love for each other, Mother Earth, and a willingness to engage in traditional ceremony and cultural ways with Indigenous people.
Click here to read a CBC Story on how MTMS has created a First Nations drum group - called the Buffalo Boys – to give young people a safe space to express themselves and find their voice, while gaining self-esteem and learning more about themselves and their culture.
Click here to read the article, "Protection with Indigenous Cultures: Safeguarding Rooted in Kinship and Culture at Mother Teresa Middle School, Canada" in Promotio Iustitiae (page 45).
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Creating a Safe Environment at McQuaid Jesuit
A prerequisite for the culture of cura personalis to which each of our schools aspire is a safe and healthy environment for all its members. It comes as no surprise that A Living Tradition lists such an environment as one of ten key identifiers of Jesuit schools worldwide. Each school is charged with ensuring its staff is trained in best practices around professional boundaries, mandatory reporting, and awareness of the dark reality of abuse.
Yet it is critical not to let the legal and technical overcome the moral and aspirational when it comes to creating a safe environment for all. At McQuaid Jesuit, we begin with a comprehensive education for our students on healthy relationships, beginning in middle school and partnering with a number of local organizations, such as Bivona Child Advocacy, that bring expertise and sensitivity to the topic. We offer parent education as well, recognizing that they are their children’s first and most important teachers. And next month we will partner with I Have The Right To, a national organization focused on fostering a culture of respect and safety in school settings, to welcome high school students and educators from around the area to the first ever McQuaid Jesuit Summit on Healthy Relationships and Consent, a next step in ensuring our students’ future environments are safe and healthy, too.
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Promoting a Consistent Culture of Care
One of the most rewarding aspects of my time working at Magis Americas has been my discovery of Jesuit networks.
What makes these spaces so special is their ability to foster a commitment to our shared values as Jesuit institutions and their implications in our daily work. This is especially important for us at Magis Americas as we work to accompany and support marginalized and vulnerable communities in places such as Malawi, India, and Venezuela.
One of the networks I have spent the most time with is the Xavier Network. As detailed by Emer Kerrigan, the Xavier Network has spent the past 15 years working to promote safeguarding amongst our partner organizations spread across 87 countries. No easy task!
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While undoubtedly daunting, what has encouraged us to continue forward is our shared Jesuit values and in particular the value of transparency. At Magis Americas, we view safeguarding and transparency as inextricably linked. Transparency is fundamental to fostering trust and, more importantly, justice. Safeguarding cannot thrive without trust and justice.
I would encourage you to read Emer’s piece in Promotio Iustitiae (Page 60) to learn more about how Jesuit development organizations and mission offices are playing a role in promoting safe educational spaces.
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Society of Jesus Launches Comprehensive Safeguarding Training Program
As described in Kristin Austin's article above, there has been a significant development towards fostering a secure environment within the global Jesuit community. Recently, the Society of Jesus has announced the launch of a comprehensive formation and training program aimed at safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons. Read more about this important initiative here.
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