Critical Thinking,
Compassion,
Civic Engagement
University of the Incarnate Word
Embedded Files
Almost a hundred educators from many different San Antonio universities and colleges registered for "Critical Thinking , Compassion, Paths to Civic Engagement in August, 2020. An all day workshop was held August 11 and that was followed by a gathering in September 25 focusing on compassion and empathetic accountability. In January, people came together for a Midyear Workshop which was led by both Theology and Religious Studies faculty and leaders of civic engagement centers from Northwest Vista College, Oblate School of Theology, Our Lady of the Lake University, St. Mary's University, Texas A & M San Antonio University, Texas Lutheran University, the University of the Texas San Antonio, the University of the Incarnate Word, and the City of San Antonio Faith Based Office leader in the "City of Compassion" movement.
Below see an overview of the August 11 Workshop and be sure to click on the tabs above for Resources, Exhibits, and to know more of the Presenters and Contributors. A cohort of Religious Studies and Theology teachers have been focusing on pedagogy, what methods are helping our students, and how could wisdom from this help teachers in the future. One successful example of creative pedagogy can be seen in "SA to the UN" when students could not gather in the pandemic, virtually they joined 25,000 people from around the world for the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
UIW thanks the Wabash Center for a "Pedagogues for Social Justice and Civic Engagement" grant during the 2020-2021 academic year, in support of these gatherings for all educators and the year long cohort of theology and religious studies faculty possible.
This program is being carried into the future in "Stories of Truth and Transformation: Compassion, Solidarity in Civic Engagement" Teaching Social Justice. Starting with a Three-Day Institute for educators, tentatively Aug. 4-6, and on-going support for teaching, service learning, engaged scholarship all year. If you are interested in participating and/or leading, please write kirk@uiwtx.edu. More information on that below.
This program stands with the city-wide effort to be a “City of Compassion” as affirmed by a City Council Resolution in 2017. This grant program developed as a group of educators and others involved with the city worked to implement education in compassion with the inaugural San Antonio Compassion Institute. Currently registration is open for the San Antonio 2021 Compassionate Institute sacompassion.net/2021-compassion-institute/ June to August, 2021. Please join us!
"Stories of Truth and Transformation: Compassion, Solidarity in Civic Engagement" Teaching Social Justice Starting with a Three-Day Institute for educators, tentatively Aug. 4-6, on-going support for teaching, service learning, engaged scholarship all yea. At this time you are invited to gather in a circle planning and growing.
How do we educators recognize our individual stories, engage in educational practices that will help our students realize their own human dignity, their “sacred stories,” help them listen to the stories of others, stories of earth, and compassionately embrace civic engagement for equity and justice, creating new stories? Let’s gather across campuses, across cultures, across the city.
Am I a victim, a survivor, a hero transforming the challenges into wisdom and compassion?
Our city has the dubious distinction of the highest percentage of people living in poverty among the 25 largest U.S. cities and of being one of the most economically segregated cities with huge gaps in neighborhoods, education, job opportunities, housing and medical care availability. The pandemic magnified this reality and news sources around the world showed 10,000 families lined up waiting for food when people had not been able to work for a few weeks. Emphasis on independence, in contrast to interdependence, can hold us back from sustainable development.
This project seeks to transform us---the educators, the learners, the staff, and the administrators that we may recognize the structures of inequity, segregation and co-create a just “City of Compassion” through sharing stories and listening to stories.
Would you like to share? Would you like to lead in sharing and listening to stories?
Listen to Earth, to Black people, to Girls, to Latinx people, Differently Abled people, to LGBTQ people . . . stories of truth, stories of transformation
Stories can reveal, stories can heal. Stories can be windows, mirrors, or sliding glass doors. “We cannot be indifferent to suffering; we cannot allow anyone to go through life as an outcast. Instead, we should feel indignant, challenged to emerge from our comfortable isolation and to be changed by our contact with human suffering. That is the meaning of dignity” (No. 68)” writes Pope Francis in “Fratelli Tutti.” Considering the story of the Good Samaritan, Pope Francis continues, “The decision to include or exclude those lying wounded along the roadside can serve as a criterion for judging every economic, political, social and religious project.” (No. 69).
----First parts of the proposal developed by Arturo Chavez, Sandy Guzman-Foster, Ann Helmke (City of San Antonio Faith Based Office), Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, Dhawn Martin (City Compassion movement, SoL Center), Kevin Vichcales). Support from Trevor Alexander, Doshie Piper, Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz----and educators at St. Philip’s College, Our Lady of the Lake University, Oblate School of Theology, St. Mary’s University.
Join us now in planning and in gathering more people. Contact: kirk@uiwtx.edu phone 210-883-5934.
Currently registration is open for the San Antonio 2021 Compassionate Institute sacompassion.net/2021-compassion-institute/ June to August, 2021. Dr. Sandy Guzman Foster, Sr. Martha Ann Kirk, and Dr. Trinidad Macias of UIW will be among the facilitators.
The program which started in August 2020 recognizes: “San Antonio, Texas, has the dubious distinction of the highest percentage of people living in poverty among the 25 largest U.S. cities and of being one of the most economically segregated cities with huge gaps in neighborhoods, education, job opportunities, housing and medical care availability.
Since 1718, students have learned about the divine, but they have not always been guided to recognize their neighbors as created in the image of the divine and have not been guided to unite for equity for others. This leads to the question of what teaching strategies might foster learning that connects systems of meaning with critical thinking, social justice awareness, and civic engagement.
Educators have been learning methods to teach critical thinking, to guide students in strategies of sight, strategies of “empathetic accountability,” and effective compassionate agency. Grant leaders have been guiding reflection and evaluation and are carrying what has been successful the pilot project.
An Overview of the Workshop on August 11, 2020. (The numbers refer to the location in the recording.)
00:00 Melanie DeMore, Incarnate Word Music graduate (1976), opens the day with song. Read about her and others in the Presenters and Contributors tab. Introduced by Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Th.D. (You may contact Melanie DeMore at melaniedemore@earthlink.net)
Greetings from the honorable Mayor Ron Nuremberg and Rev. Ann Helmke, City of San Antonio Faith Based Office, Department of Human Services.
15:15 Welcome to the University of the Incarnate Word shared by the Associate Provost for Undergraduate and Graduate Education and the Dean of the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, Dr. Kevin Vichcales.
Goals for the workshop and introduction of the presenters and contributors: Dr. Sandy Guzman Foster, Dr. Dhawn Martin, Sister Martha Ann Kirk, Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, Dr. Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz, Ms. Deborah Quinones. Read more of them under the Presenters and Contributors tab.
36:41 Keynote presentation: Dr. Arturo Chavez, President of the Mexican American Catholic College.
1:48:29 Discussion Moderator: Dr. Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz
1:45:28 Civic Engagement Information: Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, Director of the UIW Ettling Center for Civic Leadership and Sustainability
1:59:50 Melanie DeMore shares a song. (You may contact her at melaniedemore@earthlink.net)
2:30:15 Dr. Saxton-Ruiz leads questions and discussion
2:12:50 Dr. Sandy Guzman Foster assisted by Deborah Quinones – Developing Critical Thinking, social justice awareness, civic engagement
The afternoon sessions
2:57:00 Melanie DeMore bringing more of her wonderful music. She sings a song she wrote in the style of a lullaby, "Somebody's baby killed somebody else's baby leaving somebody's baby crying. Rockaby baby child . . ." (You may contact her at melaniedemore@earthlink.net)
3:06:50 Civic Engagement Information: Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez
3:11:57 Respondents to the morning presentations: Dr. Gabriel Saxton Ruiz, Ms. Deborah Quinones, and Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez (Read about them under the Presenters and Contributors tab.)
3:22:50 Group discussion
3:33:11 Melanie DeMore – Music as way of creating more compassionate and just communities (Learn more about her under the Presenter tab. You may contact her at melaniedemore@earthlink.net)
3:55:35 Dr. Sandra Guzman Foster and Ms. Deborah Quinones - Teaching strategies
5:05:51 Sister Martha Ann Kirk and Rev. Ann Helmke, City of San Antonio Faith Based Office, Department of Human Services – Living compassion, teaching compassion, spreading compassion in our city
The content continued on Friday, September 25 with Dr. Dhawn Martin focusing on compassion and emphatic accountability. Dr. Sandy Guzman Foster and Sr. Martha Ann Kirk integrated content.
January 25, 2021, a mid-year workshop was held ”Critical Thinking, Compassion, Civic Engagement” Considering what had been learned this past semester with contributions from Bonnie Abadie (OST), Maria Alejandro (UTSA), Trevor Alexander (UIW), Edwin Blanton (A&M-SA), Amy Erickson (TLU), Migdalia Garcia (Northwest Vista), Ricardo Gonzalez (UIW), Sandy Guzman Foster (UIW), Jane Grovijahn (OLLU), Ann Helmke (City of SA), Martha Ann Kirk (UIW), Dhawn Martin (SoL Center), Deborah Quinones (SACHS), Sara Ronis (St. Mary's), Gabriel Saxton-Ruiz (UIW). How do we continue and become better educators?
"Tears Are Washing Our Eyes That We May See: Teaching in San Antonio, A City of Compassion" may be read in the UNESCO Mahatma Gandhi Social Emotional Learning series.
Ideas from this program are being carried forward into the 2021-2022 academic year in "Stories of Truth and Transformation." Join us in shaping this.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse