TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HUMAN ECOLOGY

(By Robert NKONTCHOU, Africa Family Life Federation)

INTRODUCTION

Early enough in our commitment to fight HIV/AIDS through education, it was established that after the Behaviour Change seminars, youths need follow up activities, but more so, they balanced, holistic and growth promoting activities. Activities which will continue to meet their physical, intellectual, social, emotional and spiritual needs. The educational content of these activities need not be utilitarian or based on fear but need to be rooted in a clear vision of the person.

Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI provided the framework within which this vision can be shaped. The first in Centesimus annus and his Wednesdays meditations between 1979 and 1984 and the second in Love in Truth, the Messages for the celebration of World Day of Peace 2007 and 2008, the two Pontiffs brought about the notion of “Human environment, Human Ecology” in relation to Natural Environment and Ecology, then “Grammar of life” in relation to the grammar that guides the practice of a language.

Human Ecology is understood as the human ecosystem (the person, life, love, marriage, family, …) within which a person is born, lives, grows, develops and dies while grammar of life is the law governing the smooth functioning of the human ecosystem. An authentic vision of the person can only emerge from a sound understanding and integration of this Ecology and its grammar. An integral and holistic education requires that the subject of this education be introduced thoroughly into this new ecology and its grammar. 

In the book “Called to Love” by Carl ANDERSON and Jose GRANADOS and the work of Marguerite A. PEETERS, “The new world ethic: a challenge to the Church”, we found the material we needed for the building of our “Human Ecology programme”.

The venture of building this programme started in DRC in 2009 with the training session organize to reinforce the capacity of Education for life (EFL) experts in that country.  Since then, many other training sessions have being organized in Kenya with different groups of EFL experts from many African countries.

The rest of this paper will present the process of developing and facilitating the Human Ecology programme.

CONTENT OF THE HUMAN ECOLOGY TRAINING MODULE

Carl Anderson and Jose Granados following the teaching of John Paul II on the Theology of the Body, give us the content of human ecology programme as follows:

Masculinity, femininity, marriage, love, friendship, family, covenant, filiation, gift, wonder, acceptance of the gift, rift, redemption, forgiveness, gift, wonder, acceptance …

PEDAGOGIC APPROACH

The approach used to facilitate the understanding and integration in faith, hope and love of the above concepts is participative. It is developed in two phases.

In the first phase, participants are led through facilitative questions to generate the concepts themselves.

Example: Which is the best and natural environment within which a baby is welcomed and nurtured? (The group normally will identity the family as this environment); What makes up this natural family? (a man and a woman); How is this environment normally constituted? (Through Marriage between a man and a woman hence the idea of masculinity and femininity); what is the foundation of this marriage? (Love); Where are the man and woman coming into a new marriage from? (From other families: hence the idea of filiation and genealogy); Still bearing in mind the idea of “best and natural environment to welcome and nurture a baby” what then is marriage? (Only a Marriage understood as covenant can provide such an environment); If we see the family as a community of persons with different backgrounds, can this community live without problems? Why? (They cannot live without problem because of the corrupt nature of human being. They are marked by sin. This brings in the notion of RIFT); Should we then loose hope on community/family life? Why? (No we cannot lose hope because Jesus has redeemed us: REDEMPTION); What then can keep this community/family going despite the difficulties? (Forgiveness in the path of Jesus). 

Can anybody produce any of the above reality? (No. They are GIFT). What then should be the attitude of the person who receives such a gift? (Wonder; Acceptance)

Through such facilitative questions, the participants are guided to generate all the concepts of human ecology which can then be summarized in the genealogy tree.

This diagram brings out the following truths or realities:

1- The best environment to welcome and educate a human being is the FAMILY;

2- This family is founded on a COVENANT between a man and a woman hence the concepts of MASCULINITY and FEMININITY;

3- The covenant is the sacrament of Matrimony or MARRIAGE;

4- The covenant is based on LOVE;

5- This covenant is opened to the transmission of life hence the concept of FILIATION.

6- Etc.

All the above are Gifts from God which need to be ACCEPTED. We can also MARVEL at them.

In the second phase, participants are divided into small groups of six to eight people.

Each small group is then invited to work on one or two of the concepts generated in the genealogy tree. Materials on the said concepts are given to members of the group to assist them in their reflection and sharing. Each small group is invited to use the material in their possession to prepare both their understanding of the concept under their scrutiny and the way it relates to their life experience. The work of each small group is presented to the whole group either in the form of a sketch or an input. The facilitators of the training will then intervene either to clarify, or add or correct the presentation as need be. In this way, the various concepts of the Theology of the Body and of Human Ecology are discussed by the group in a way that is best understood and integrated by each member.

THE GRAMMAR OF LIFE

The Social Doctrine of the Church and the writings of Marguerite PEETERS provide the keys for understanding, judging and acting in the Postmodern era. Hence, in the programme, we have identify Values as keys for reflection, Virtues as keys for individual acting and Principles as keys for acting in the community.

Values to think	Virtues to be and to act
Principles for life in society	Image of the Tree

CONCLUSION

At the end of the process, the groups must have had a good understanding of the teaching of John Paul II on the Theology of the Body and how it relates to their daily life. It helps them have a sound understanding of Christian anthropology. Their decision to change now stands on a solid foundation, not on fear or utilitarian motives. Youths are also equipped to face the challenges of relativism and social-constructionism. The new behavior they adopt is based on a better understanding of who they are and the dignity attached to their status of children of God.

In this way, they are better prepared to enter into whichever vocation they feel called into, whether religious, married live or celibacy.  

So far, this program which we have called “Human Ecology and Grammar of life” is being used to develop the capacity of the facilitators of EFL/BCP programs. But by the end of this year we are hoping to come up with a training guide with which the program will be used to train youths of whatever background, whether they have gone through the EFL programs before or not.