The Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil (JBG), in partnership with Scholas Occurrentes, an international organization of Pontifical Law created by Pope Francis, developed the Scholas Ciudadanía program in Ecuador, an innovative educational experience that brought together more than 300 young people between the ages of 15 and 17 from more than 30 public, private, secular, and Catholic educational institutions.

For one week, students participated in activities that integrated play, art, and thought, with the aim of identifying a common problem in their environment and building collective solutions.

In the first two days, the young people identified the difficulty that unites them: “The absence of parents and caregivers in the lives of their children.” On the third day, they delved deeper into this finding through interviews and surveys of the community, meetings with family experts, and a visit to the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) to learn about government programs in this area. At the same time, a commission went to several educational units to collect testimonies that confirmed the initial diagnosis.

During the fourth and fifth days, the participants worked on building proposals, and at the closing of the program, held on October 6 at the Ágora of the Sports City of the Board, they shared their approaches with authorities, representatives of the academy and the private sector, and the ceremony was attended by Cardinal Luis Cabrera, OFM., who presided over the Eucharist.

Among the solutions presented, the creation of meeting spaces that strengthen trust between caregivers and young people, the production of audiovisual content that contrasts their realities to generate reflection and empathy, as well as recreational days that allow the recovery and strengthening of the family bond, stood out.

The process will continue in the coming months with PostCiudadanía, a monitoring space to implement and give life to these initiatives.

The director of the Junta de Beneficencia, Juan Xavier Cordovéz, highlighted the importance of joining efforts: “From the Junta de Beneficencia, we call on our allies to join this great work, because if we truly want to impact youth, we need to join forces. This space has allowed young people to express their concerns, share experiences, and propose solutions that authorities are now listening to carefully. What we have experienced here is not an end point, it is the beginning of a multiplying project: these children are the seed of new Scholas that will continue to transform our society.”

With this initiative, the Junta de Beneficencia de Guayaquil and Scholas Occurrentes reaffirm their commitment to the education and training in values of youth, contributing to building more supportive, inclusive, and committed communities with the future of Ecuador.