Reflection notes. Bogotá Provincial Council

To begin, let’s start with the conception of the sense of belonging, what it is, how we understand it from literature:

Feeling of roots and identification
Personal and internal feeling
Likewise, a collective feeling that is based on the memory and symbolism that a community shares.
Result of hobbies, beliefs and ideologies.[1]

Likewise, it is a feeling that adapts to those aspects related to emotional ties, emotions, memory and identification of people with the group or with the environment in which they operate and, consequently, with the construction of identity. , since this implies belonging or inclusion in a social group.

Maslow (1954) considers that the sense of belonging is located in the second line of human needs. (Maslow’s Pyramid)[2]

Satisfying human needs entails a positive tendency in the actions of each person, it is experiencing satisfaction with oneself, with one’s BEING and with others.

The sense of belonging, then, supposes feelings common to the members of a group, in which everyone cares about the other, with the conviction that the needs of the other will be satisfied to the extent that they remain together.

In the group, values, goals and ideals are shared; In the same way, the person feels welcomed, accepted, listened to, valued and included, in other words, an important part of the group’s decisions.

To feel appreciated and therefore with a high sense of belonging, a person must experience that his or her achievements are recognized; that can express itself freely; that his contributions are valued; she feels comfortable being herself; Communication flows transparently, and she feels appreciated as a person and welcomed in the group’s activities.

What values strengthen the sense of belonging?

Values

Demonstrations

Keen

Inclination, affection, emotion, interest, harmony, joy, sympathy, deference.

Support

Help, support, sponsorship, encouragement, assistance, complement, accompany.

Pleasure

Bliss, pleasure, fun, satisfaction, taste, gift, enthusiasm, comfort.

Comprehension

Tolerance, putting yourself in someone else’s shoes, understanding, listening, tuning into the feelings of another, walking with the other

Knowledge

Familiarity, understanding of reality, trust, listening

Recognition

Gratitude, verification, satisfaction, appreciation, esteem

Inspiration

Creativity, opportunity, infuse, suggest, awaken, encourage

This is how the Salesian cooperators, identified under a specific way of living the Gospel in the light of the Salesian charism, propose to live the baptismal commitments according to the Apostolic Life Project. Under this context, belonging needs concrete signs that are expressed both in active participation in the life of the Association and in the presence adapted to the reality of life and in the professional commitment of the Associate (EPVA Art. 28 – 2).

Practices that promote a sense of belonging in the ASSCC

Environments

Activities

Training

In-person and virtual meetings, celebrations, visits.

Responsibilities from training

Accompaniment to the applicants, monitoring of the newly promised, calls: from the Provincial Council, from the SER.

Encounters

Parties, Eucharists, meetings, special celebrations.

Incentives

Represent the ASSCC, center; recognitions.

Opportunities to organize team

Preparation of: parties, prayers, celebrations, SSCC Assembly, economic solidarity.

Collective construction

Consultations, surveys, proposals, documents, projects

Salesian Family Activities

Conferences, congresses, Salesian Festivals.

But what happens when the sense of belonging does not emerge? Let’s go back to the literature:

Lack of belonging has been associated with stress, anxiety, and lack of self-esteem.
The social and psychological functioning in a group has been linked to the various realities of belonging.
Isolation and disconnection favor a decrease in the sense of belonging
Lack of closeness and welcome leads to lack of belonging
Communication is a bond that unites and strengthens.
Participatory consultation and decision-making promotes a sense of belonging.

Whoever does not strengthen the sense of belonging, loses the bond, loosens the bond of union, since this generates security and self-esteem that are undermined if a significant level to reciprocate is reached.

Touch us and let us touch. As we see, the sense of belonging is built in two ways, at a personal level and at a group level, always in combination; it is given and received.

May this new year of preparation for the celebration of the 150th anniversary strengthen us in each of the dimensions of BEING SSSCC, and may we grow in unity.