At present the community of the Augustinian Recollects has six members who share the mission of education with male and female formators affectionately called by the boys as “don” and “doña”, sir and miss, respectively. These are stay in and have their own quarters within the students’ residences. In the secondary school there are 37 teachers who are stay out (externs). On the occasion of the opening of the new term (Feb. 21), the official web of the Order takes the opportunity to interview its director, Fr. Víctor González.
P.- Who can be admitted to the center Ciudad de los Niños?
R.- The profile of the youth coming into the CDN is varied and we are talking here of kids from 12 years of age to young men of 18 years of age, socially weak, extremely poor, living far away from school, better if coming from rural or suburban areas aiming at improving themselves, with certain uneasiness, ready to learn technical skills, who are after lasting and true values and appreciative of living and working together with others, valuing God as creator of all things and protecting nature as God’s creation.
P.- What is the vision behind the human formation and how is it pursued?
R.- The guiding vision is to provide the youth in the CDN with an integral formation: academic, religious, psychosocial, technical and spiritual. And this is pursued through the Augustinian pedagogy employing the “learning by doing” approach where they discover their own values, aptitudes, attitudes and skills.
We do not limit ourselves to religion and ethics classes in the classrooms. We also try to develop the students, the teachers, and the staff through activities done outside of the classroom. P.- Is there any religious attention given to them?
R.- Yes, it is one of our principal objectives. We do not limit ourselves to religion and ethics classes in the classrooms. We also try to develop the students, the teachers, and the staff through activities done outside of the classroom. How do we concretize it? One of them is through catechism for those who have not yet been initiated. We also engage them into a day of spiritual recollection outside the center, six batches of vocation discernment gatherings for those of the CDN and of Cartago wishing to know the life of the Augustinian Recollects, retreats and youth encounters. This year we have two new things: one is the incorporation of two religious in the classroom to impart values and the other is the appointment of a religious as coordinator and incharge of the pastoral concerns of the institution.
P.-What is the work of the Augustinian Recollects?
R.- The Recollect religious in the CDN has a huge task of accompaniment and of listening to the youth in the center. We are six religious and we meet weekly in order to dialogue, synchronizing our administration, projection and execution of plans to ensure the utmost benefit for our students in the areas of academics, pastoral, psychosocial, cultural and sports. In the spiritual aspect we also attend to the needs of the neighbors of the institution. We extend pastoral attention too to our Secular Augustinian Recollect Fraternity members, to a group of couples and we administer sacraments such as baptisms, confessions, weddings and anointing of the sick to the people in need around the area. Certainly in many tasks we coordinate with the volunteers and with the professional people assigned in their fields of expertise like farming, instruction and counselling.
P.- Can you please give us an idea of the academic and technical offering you provide in the Ciudad de los Niños?
R.- There are six years of secondary studies offered in the “Colegio Técnico San Agustín–Ciudad de los Niños”. During the first three years the boy starts to develop skills through the technical training in the shops, namely, electrical, welding, masonry and agriculture. During the second half, the student does certain specialization that will certify him as technician in agri-business, electrical, automotive and precision machines. In the academic side, being a Catholic institution, we can point out its distinctive mark in the value and religious formation with the integration of the Augustinian Recollect life and charism. The exposure in the secondary school is a new experience and has not been easy to assume. It began in 2007 in response to the needs of the youth coming and going then.
P.-How is their academic performance assessed?
R.- Until last year we did not have yet graduates from the secondary and certified middle technician in automotive. The performance has been very good taking into account that 18 boys came in at the last minute, 15 made it in the academics and 14 in the technical.
P.- What are the objectives and the obligations of the families of the interns?
R.- Many of the formators in human development, the so-called “doñas” have the responsibility in accompanyng the boy, supervising his activities, the compliance of the schedule, prayer, etc., with the goal of instilling in the person the study habit, shared values, team work, etc. What I have noticed is the fact that as the years go by, these people start to enjoy a familial, cordial atmosphere that leads them to stronger relationships and openness between them and the doña.
P.- What are the projects of the volunteers?
R.- The volunteer group is made up of concerned persons who want to share their time with the youth here. They come here already aware of the nature of the center. Their assignment varies according to their human aptitudes, professional preparation and the length of time they can dispose to make sure that everything will truly benefit our young people here.
P.- Can you please describe the work done by the volunteers?
R.- If we measure the outcome by the joy seen in the faces of our young people, the bonds of friendship established, the lasting effect of what the volunteers have planted in each of them, we can say that the CDN is an ideal field for the deployment of volunteers and we are very satisfied with them.
P.- How is the Center financed?
R.- The CDN is financed in three ways. One is through the donation in kind or in cash. The other is through the revenues gathered from its own labor and production. The farm, with its poultry of 40,000 heads, the livestock for meat and milk, the piggery, the egg-laying hens, etc., brings in income too. The major financial help comes from the State through its taxes, agreements with some ministries, laws allowing financial assistance to social welfare institutions of Costa Rica, etc.
P.- Is the Order helping the Center financially?
R.- Very much. Thanks to the help of the Order the extension to the four existing residences were constructed providing flats for the “dons” and “doñas” and health clinic and laundry that can accommodate 50 boys each. Besides we were able to renovate equip and modernize the central kitchen and we just acquired too two minibuses. We also furnished the recreation hall with 3 billiard tables, table tennis and 4 “futbolines”… Every dorm and residence is now provided with balls and many other sports materials have been bought. The Order helped too in acquiring for us the kitchen utensils for all the dorms including bowls, plates, glasses, percolators, irons… The photocopier, the video, two sound systems for the secondary school, 250 chairs and 50 study tables for the residences, materials for formation and technical training… So much has been the help that I must have missed some.
P.- What are your future projects?
R.- We need furnishing for two computer laboratories, 40 desktop computers and servers, video, air conditioning units, lap tops. We also need 11 television units for the residences and dormitories, new tools for the electrical shop. We also see the need to provide industrial laundry machines and dryers in each dorm and residence and the construction of the administration building that can house 16 offices.