On the occasion of the centenary of Fr. Luigi Giussani’s birth, the CL community in the North West of England has organised an online meeting on “The challenge of educating young people: lessons from Fr Luigi Giussani”. The meeting will take place on the 26th November 2022, 6.30pm-7.45pm.

For Fr. Giussani, a true education addresses the human heart the way God made it: with its exigencies of truth, beauty and justice. What can we learn from Fr. Giussani's approach in our own attempts to educate our young people in a way that respects and values their freedom and at the same time enables them to recognise the fulfilment that the encounter with Christ can bring to their life?

Fr. Giussani laid out a path for an authentically Christian, therefore human, education: to bring together into a community young people and adults in a fashion that is open to all the needs of the human heart..

Perhaps this approach seems impossible to follow in our society today?

In Western countries, such as the UK, education is often reduced to instructing learners, completing government curricula, achieve key performance indicators, and pass on behavioural rules. It may seem that schools offer little, if any, space for critical thinking, the appreciation of beauty, and friendships with others. Or that parents are not given the possibility to get involved with the flourishing of their children.

The online meeting will start from three experiences of how it is possible to follow this approach today. The possibilities that will be outlined all entail at least some personal sacrifice and commitment on the part of educators. This was similarly the case for the ways forward that Fr. Giussani found during his own life.

Peter Kahn (Professor of Education at University of Manchester) will share his 15+ year experience of home schooling, a form of education in which relationships both within and beyond the family take centre stage.

Hans Broekman (Principal of Liverpool College) will describe how it is possible for parents and educators to actively collaborate with schools, in ways that help their children become protagonist of a flourishing learning experience.

Gioia Palmieri (journalist and founder of the MammaMia school) will talk of her experience of joining with two friends on an educational initiative aimed at preserving and sharing the beauty of Italian culture for kids (and adults).

The discussion will close with an opportunity for participants to pose questions and comments to the panel.

Click here to register for the event

For more information: clnorthwest.soc@gmail.com