9 In the view of social communication built up and developed by the Congregation especially over the past decade, 'our communities, works and activities...become part of a much wider system of communication within which they are compared and interact' (Fr Vecchi, AGC 370). The Salesian Social Communication System, as it is now termed, is a unified and integrated project very much at the service of the shared vision and values identified as the Salesian charism, and seen in practice in a Province, its sectors of activity, its communities.
10 Social Communication is a distinct sector of Salesian activity; this sector is represented at Congregational level by a Councillor with a team known as the Social Communication Department, and assisted by an advisory body drawn from experts around the world. At Province level, this sector is also represented by a Delegate acting in the name of the provincial and with a team, usually known as the Social Communication Commission. There may also be an advisory body. The social communication sector is placed at the service of the entire Salesian project as represented by the Province in all its activity.
11 The Province Social Communication Plan (PSCP) is at the heart of our social communication action at provincial and local level. This plan forms part of the province educative and pastoral project. The Salesian community applies a pedagogical method in its educative and pastoral work: a model which is both gradual and circular.
Gradual: appropriate for the overall development of the young person and adult. It does not offer everything all at once or indiscriminately; nor does it delay with what is needed when it is needed. It pays attention to the path of growth, accompanying it, supporting and encouraging it. It avoids repetition and is not afraid of confronting new situations.
Circular: as opposed to linear, or to a model that sees things in terms of chronological order and which is not interactive. The circular model gathers up the richness of particular moments and experiences, instead of dealing with things according to a rigid time-line. Our concern is that what has been acquired is able to influence steps yet to be accomplished, that it enhances research and response. The process never finishes, but is something constantly in process.
12 A plan is the formulation of a detailed method or design by which a thing is to be done. It is something to be accomplished in a particular reality and which begins from that reality. The Communication Plan responds to needs and to questions arising from a broad frame of reference and as part of the province project.
At this point reference can be made to the appendices to the Salesian Social Communication System, the second of which is an outline and 'check-list' of aspects and situations to be included in the PSCP of a province.
In the letter of Fr Chávez referred to above, a reference to these appendices makes it clear that they are in themselves an urgent programme to be read and to be put into action: 'by following the points listed...and accepting the suggested guidelines we are led to diagnose, plan, implement and systematically verify the state of social communications in the provinces'.
The plan is the concrete and final result of a planning process which is 'drawn up and implemented with the greatest and best possible participation at different levels; it should be constantly animated and periodically verified by the animation and government bodies of the province'.
In integrating The Province Social Communication Plan into the Overall Province Plan or OPP, the following elements are central:
The community.
The following persons and groups should be in agreement concerning a formation plan for social communication (not listed in a specific order): the Province Delegate /Social Communication Commission / those responsible in the communities for being in touch with the province centre / those responsible for publishing in the province (Salesian Bulletin editor, one in charge of Province Newsletter, editors of magazines and books from the Salesian centre etc), experts in communication in the province / educative communities in the province / the Delegate for Youth Pastoral Ministry and his YPM Commission / the PFC / the Provincial Council / and the Provincial. This list is not exhaustive.
The charism.
Social communication in its various forms and aspects requires a policy outline that ensures its fidelity to the Salesian charism. This outline is broadly stated in SSCS.
An example of contents of an SC Plan could be: Purpose of such a plan, relationship of SC sector with other sectors of province activity, organisational structure at Congregation level, province organisation, the SC Delegate, the SC Commission, the Advisory group, Information or Press office, local organisation and coordination, local delegates or coordinators, areas of activity, formation and information, business ventures.
At least one Province (Mumbai, South Asia) has produced a Social Communication Policy which is worth having a look at. The policy forms part of an overall SC plan. This policy considers a coordinated means of presenting information (Bosco Information Services or BIS),media public relations (PR) processes and media advocacy, who is able to put out a press release and on what kinds of issues, crisis communication – what it is and who it will be handled by.
13 The Province Delegate for social communication, who is a key player in the development, coordination and verification of the PSCP, and in its integration within the Overall Province Plan, forms part of a broader project involving all of Salesian life in the Province. It is important for him to promote contacts, dialogue and understandings with the other sectors in a Province’s life. These sectors include:
14 Formation and its organisation.
People are the focus and criteria for choices when it comes to Salesian life and activity. Each Salesian Province has a PFC (Provincial Formation Commission).
This organising group is not only for provinces which have formation stages organised within their province. It is something for every province since we need to think primarily of ongoing formation, not only of initial formation. An understanding with the PFC is essential for the formation of young Salesians and confreres working in the communities, for scheduling formation interventions, and organising their content. The Formation to SC - Guidelines document (2005-6) produced jointly by the SC and Formation Departments, offers help in this regard.
15 Youth Ministry and its organisation.
We can never forget that we are always working in a shared and unified way within the broader areas of Salesian and Church pastoral ministry.
Coming to an understanding with Youth Ministry implies:
being part of the Provincial Youth Ministry Commission, to give weight to youth ministry projects drawn up at province and local level;
having the delegate for Youth Ministry or at least a representative, on the Social Communication Commission;
frequently dealing with interventions and criteria utilised in carrying out projects in the different works and activities: school, technical centre, parish, oratory, publishing, youth-at-risk works etc.
16 Economer’s department and its organisation.
We all know how much quality communication costs these days, along with the financial resources needed to produce messages and information.
The Province Delegate plans by taking into account, amongst other things, the financial implications of what he intends to do.
Therefore some discussion with the Provincial Economer must occur before finalising a communications activity and presenting it to the Provincial and his Council.
This discussion considers also the possibility of carrying out communications activities which are 'financially autonomous’ in the sense of not having implications for the province accounts. For its part, the Economer’s office will regard communication work as a pastoral service which occasionally will also need some financial support.
17 Salesian Family and its organisation.
The experience of Don Bosco and his Family underlines the importance of working with lay people in the different sectors of our activities.
GC24 has drawn attention to the possible and desired contribution of lay people to Don Bosco’s spirit and mission.
In Christifideles Laici, the Church indicated the new fields for lay involvement for a new evangelisation, and did not overlook the communications field. Subsequent documents have developed this understanding.
Keeping in touch with the Salesian Family means having a large reservoir of possibilities, either of experts or of co-workers.
Lay groups in the Salesian Family often include in their statutes a call to work within Social Communication.
18 Missionary dimension and its organisation.
It is enough to remind the Province Delegate of what the Encyclical Redemptoris Missio has to say in n. 37 to motivate him to link closely with the Province Delegate for Missionary animation.
The missions, especially mission ad gentes, are a powerful communications message for our young people and it would not be advantageous for Don Bosco’s charism to overlook this area.
19 Along with internal Salesian contacts, other contacts with communication workers in the local area are to be seen to and nurtured.
Journalists, those working in radio and TV, advertising experts, directors of news agencies, managers, song artists, music, theatre etc. are important for us. Contact with them has two purposes:
to establish good relations for mutual assistance, to learn about communication as an art from those who are living it from within,
to involve them in animation and formation, requesting their help at key moments and in ways that are appropriate to the objectives being pursued.
20 A practical consequence of the above could be an annual meeting with all those mentioned in the previous paragraph, to understand directions and new developments in the sector.
It used to be part of the Salesian tradition to celebrate the Feast of St Francis de Sales with those who worked in the communications field. Pope John Paul II of happy memory chose to make the announcement of the theme for the World Day for Social Communications on the Feast of St Francis de Sales, 24th January. Celebration of this amongst us could be an appropriate tradition, then, to maintain.