Scholas Ocurrentes turns 9 years old

Since its inception, Pope Francis dreamed of Scholas as the possibility of giving a concrete response to the call of this time, conferring on it the task of educating in openness to the other, in listening that, by putting together the pieces of an atomized world devoid of meaning, begin to create a new culture: the Culture of Encounter.

Today, this dream of Pope Francis turns 9 years old, which may be easy to say, but which, without a doubt, have been times of hard work, teaching, learning, challenges, of connecting with young people and children and of uniting them in one voice. And it is that if his Holiness believes in something, it is that: “the only way that exists to get ahead is through education and the education that leads to encounter.”

Currently, Scholas has offices in: Argentina, Vatican City, Colombia, Spain, Haiti, Japan, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal and Romania, present with its network in more than 190 countries, integrating more than 400,000 educational centers and reaching more than a million children and young people around the world.

The work of Scholas during these 9 years has been a light on the path of thousands of young people who have described this initiative as: “A platform that gave us wings, made us understand that young people are not only the future but also the present.”

The WBC has been proudly part of this history through the BOXVAL (Boxing with Values) program that has carried the message of His Holiness Pope Francis, with the task of serving children in search of a better future for themselves, regardless of religion, race or color and that show us that despite our beliefs or how different we may be from each other, we are finally one fighting for peace and equality.

The World Boxing Council, at the initiative of its President Mauricio Sulaimán, has also organized major events called “Fights for Peace, which seek to bring Scholas’ message to the top boxing  around the world; In addition, in all the world championship fights of our organization, a flag exchange protocol is carried out (including the Scholas flag), an emblem that also appears, proudly, on the world champion’s shirt.

For Héctor Sulaimán, initiator of the Scholas chapter in Mexico, this program is a miracle, as it allows us to see the great impact that this program has on each young person. Lonely people who have found friends, unity and love in Scholas.

Congratulations on these first 9 years!