The Political Movement For Unity in Argentina: youth and culture

Two courses on universal brotherhood have taken place for young people, promoted by Political Movement For Unity in Argentina.

The courses took place in two locations on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, at the Jose C. Paz Popular School and at the Villa Albertina Popular School. It utilized a popular educational approach so that each school could focus on the social, economic and cultural settings of the local environments. The project was sponsored by the Argentina Development Ministry in collaboration with the Society, Politics and Brotherhood Chair at Universidad de la Plata.

It was precisely by trying to adapt to the educational needs of those attending the course, as well as the needs of the local environment that a project specifically for teenagers, “Reconociendosi,” was initiated at the Jose C. Paz Popular School. The new electoral law in Argentina extends voting rights to sixteen year olds who will be allowed to vote in the upcoming elections, and feel in need of some specific educational training with opportunities to exchange opinions on some basic topics. While sharing his experience, 18 year old Political Science student, Ivan, stated: “What we live here is a fine example of social involvement: it shows how universal brotherhood can bear good fruit.” One of the course instructors, Adrian, summed up the opinion of the all the teenagers: “the Popular School is a space in which they feel that what they think is important. Moreover, they go away from this experience feeling that they have begun to listen more and become interested in the opinions of others.”

At the Villa Albertina School, a project was begun for sharing experiences and views on universal brotherhood by teenagers and young people who work in several social organisations. Here the Popular School was a moving one. Every Monday the young participants met at the headquarters of a different organization, but each locale became a space for reflection and encounter, promoting universal brotherhood.

Almost at the same time, towards the end of May, Veronica Lopez, co-president of the Political Movement For Unity in Argentina together with other young people from the PMFU, was invited to take part in the Konrad Adenauer Chair that was held in Salta. During three days of intense discussion, politicians and experts in the Social Science field dealt with several topics from the viewpoint of Christian Humanism and the Social Doctrine of the Church. Veronica Lopez defined the three-day experience as “an inter-institutional encounter where you learned how to build bridges of brotherhood.” Moreover, it showed how the presence of PMFU in the Konrad Adenauer Chair has contributed to “highlighting research from diverse political arenas and how it is changing the reality: an objective that can be claimed by political callings that are nourished by a feeling of political love.”