austraLasia 1433
A frog story to add to your collection - with a happy ending?
CHENG CHAU HK: 6th February 2006 -- How many frog stories do you know? Most of the Aesop's kind have unhappy endings: the frog and the crocodile, the frogs who wanted a king, the ox and the frog, but there are happy endings like the frog in the milk-pail, remember?
So! Thirteen youth ministry delegates from most of the provinces in our region (AUL and VIE couldn't come), with only three of them ever having attended a YM meeting before - most have come into the job since Lysterfield 2003 - met today, and will meet on the morrow too. They chose a frog story to 'kick off' with. Three of the group have only just been appointed, so with change management high on the list of practical priorities, here is the story they began with.
They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out straight away to escape the danger.
But if you put a frog into a kettle with water that is cool and pleasant - it stays.
And if you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling, the frog will not detect the threat until it is too late.
Frogs are geared towards detecting sudden changes, not gradual change.
The story is open-ended! So, what was the reaction of our delegates (who also include 1 provincial, 1 vice provincial and 4 Rectors, suggesting that YM has the high priority it deserves).
"Who put it inside the pot?" (ITM - lateral thinking!). "We didn't plan our YM and we are happy what we do. It's more reactive that way" (KOR). "Our changes are very sudden, we are always reacting "(CIN). "We'd like to make it happen immediately - you know flashy work, instant style" (THA - can frogs get tongue in cheek?). That's just a sample of reactions from around the table. The general consensus, however was that most people, most provinces find themselves in a rapidly changing world. Planning is important, very important, but if the plan takes too long then... goodbye frog!
The delegates are dealing with a 'new pastoral model'. In some respects it is not new, and if you don't know what it is check it out anyway on Bosconet (go to the YM page). It is a model that needs to be enculturated, probably needs to move from being simply tolerated to being respected, as the FIS delegate put it so well. The RMG delegate, one of a team whose task is to keep in touch with all the others and support them in every way possible, talks about the 'Seven Habits of High Effective Frogs'! Now that certainly has possibilities. Any takers?
The meeting continues and so will our reports on it, and it moves into some serious material as it considers the core issue of the Salesian Community, the Educative and Pastoral Community.....there, we said the model wasn't new after all, but fully understanding it and getting everyone to understand it remains a challenge. This frog story is heading for a happy ending, methinks.
________________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
A frog story to add to your collection - with a happy ending?
CHENG CHAU HK: 6th February 2006 -- How many frog stories do you know? Most of the Aesop's kind have unhappy endings: the frog and the crocodile, the frogs who wanted a king, the ox and the frog, but there are happy endings like the frog in the milk-pail, remember?
So! Thirteen youth ministry delegates from most of the provinces in our region (AUL and VIE couldn't come), with only three of them ever having attended a YM meeting before - most have come into the job since Lysterfield 2003 - met today, and will meet on the morrow too. They chose a frog story to 'kick off' with. Three of the group have only just been appointed, so with change management high on the list of practical priorities, here is the story they began with.
They say that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out straight away to escape the danger.
But if you put a frog into a kettle with water that is cool and pleasant - it stays.
And if you gradually heat the kettle until it starts boiling, the frog will not detect the threat until it is too late.
Frogs are geared towards detecting sudden changes, not gradual change.
The story is open-ended! So, what was the reaction of our delegates (who also include 1 provincial, 1 vice provincial and 4 Rectors, suggesting that YM has the high priority it deserves).
"Who put it inside the pot?" (ITM - lateral thinking!). "We didn't plan our YM and we are happy what we do. It's more reactive that way" (KOR). "Our changes are very sudden, we are always reacting "(CIN). "We'd like to make it happen immediately - you know flashy work, instant style" (THA - can frogs get tongue in cheek?). That's just a sample of reactions from around the table. The general consensus, however was that most people, most provinces find themselves in a rapidly changing world. Planning is important, very important, but if the plan takes too long then... goodbye frog!
The delegates are dealing with a 'new pastoral model'. In some respects it is not new, and if you don't know what it is check it out anyway on Bosconet (go to the YM page). It is a model that needs to be enculturated, probably needs to move from being simply tolerated to being respected, as the FIS delegate put it so well. The RMG delegate, one of a team whose task is to keep in touch with all the others and support them in every way possible, talks about the 'Seven Habits of High Effective Frogs'! Now that certainly has possibilities. Any takers?
The meeting continues and so will our reports on it, and it moves into some serious material as it considers the core issue of the Salesian Community, the Educative and Pastoral Community.....there, we said the model wasn't new after all, but fully understanding it and getting everyone to understand it remains a challenge. This frog story is heading for a happy ending, methinks.
________________________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For RSS feeds, subscribe to www.bosconet.aust.com/rssala.xml
