For starters, Fr K.A. Thomas, SDB, founder and director of I-CARD, presented the participants a series of photos taken in the villages of the region which depicted the miserable conditions wherein so many people live. He asked participants to elaborate an action plan to improve the situation. Also on the first day, two Salesian past pupils, who now occupy positions of prominence in society, animated a session on vocational training.
The first hour of every morning was dedicated to a reflection on the situation of society, starting from some ideas shared by Fr K. A. Thomas and the life experiences and projects of the participants – especially interesting as all the students of the "Jeevan" Institute, besides attending the center's courses, are engaged in income-generating activities and in voluntary work.
The meeting's participants were also involved in motivational games, which entertained them and made them think about their aspirations and skills. Another session was dedicated to reflecting on one's limits and looking for a plan to overcome them.
In this educational process, the Salesian illustrated to the participants three valid inspirational models: Mother Teresa, Don Bosco and Gandhi, all of whom spent their entire lives at the service of others. Specifically, Fr K.A. Thomas went on to illustrate Gandhi's teachings on the 7 social sins: wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, business without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice and politics without principles.
Other input for personal growth were offered to the young participants via a session dedicated to caring for their selves and body, and through the invitation to focus more on identifying the founding values of and for their lives rather than on looking for external activities and commitments.
In the final planning session, everyone promised to commit themselves to work to improve the elementary schools of their villages in order to trigger and bring about a positive process of emulation.
