Where You Belong

It is interesting that the top two TV stations in the country try to win viewers to their side by making the latter feel that they indeed belong—via the words kapamilya and kapuso. Yet this strategy is not unique in them. All the other advertisements have this element of relationship in them. It is what is promoted in a myriad of ways via words of belonging: kaberks, katext, kainuman, kabayan, and so on.

We all desire to belong to a group. We belong to a family, to a school, to a class; we seek to be part of associations and organizations. As early as when I was in grade school, I had wanted to be part of as many groups as possible and so I joined the Knights of the Altar, the Boy Scouts, the Junior Journalists Club, the Junior Aspirants’ Club, the choir.

This is indeed one of the aims of the youth groups and sodalities whose formation we give utmost importance in our school. Membership in a group gives one a sense of belongingness, of sharing with others. In a group, one will not be lost in the crowd because he is seen more as an individual who is capable of sharing time and talent.

Don Bosco himself gave importance to this aspect of life. He encouraged sodalities—meant for the smooth running of the Oratory, but also the venue for camaraderie and formation.
In our school, we continue this wonderful Salesian tradition because we believe that in the group, young people become more aware of their responsibilities. In their own way they can make a difference—among themselves, in the school, and even in the Church and the society.

Finally, the youth group is a wonderful venue where the young person will be able to exercise leadership. In Don Bosco’s time, the leaders of the groups were later on invited to join him in his work. Aye, the youth groups are a great source of vocation. And this I would like to affirm because being part of a group and leading it was a happy memory that made me more open to God’s call for me to become a Salesian.