A project that for twenty years has promoted a French religious congregation for adolescents and young people who have already had problems with the law. The testimony of those who through this path had the opportunity to reintegrate into society: “Now we are also agents of change.”
Manila () – Offering a “second chance” to thousands of young people who have already had problems with the law in the poorest neighborhoods of Manila. This is the objective of the Second Chance Program (SCP), a project promoted in the Philippines by the French religious congregation of the Missionaries of Mary, which a few days ago celebrated its 20th anniversary together with many boys and girls who – having been released from prison or difficult situations- found in this work an opportunity for redemption.
The idea arose within the Association of Compassion Asian Youth (Association of Compassion Asian Youth, ACAY), born in 1997 from an idea of Sr. Sophie de Jésus and three other sisters (Sr. Laetitia Gorczyca, Sr. Rachel Myriam Luxford and Sr. Edith Fabian). Within this framework, two important programs were born: the School of Life (School of Life), aimed at girls, and -precisely- the Second Chance Program (Second Chance Program), which opened in 2002 for boys who had just left school. the jail.
“When we arrived in the Philippines in 1997,” said Sister Edith Fabian, “we saw that many projects focused on children, but few offered answers to adolescents and young people in difficulties. The idea was then to open a ‘Youth House’, where the most problematic youngsters could grow up to be responsible and respectful citizens, willing to help others”.
The name of the program arose from the missionaries’ conviction that there are “second chances” and that hope must always be promoted: the young people trained at ACAY are a living testimony of this. The 20th anniversary of ACAY was a significant moment in which the importance of the project was recognized, contributing to its involvement in community life. “This year we renew our belief in second chances, both for those who benefit from project activities and for those who work on it,” said Marlou Simangon-Dumao, head of the SCP.
“We are happy to have worked, throughout these years, with the mission of fostering a metamorphosis in the lives of young people,” said Sister Sophie. Among the strategies used as a stimulus is continuous contact with reality, which allows young people to change their perspectives.
The first students of the SCP now became role models for the younger generations by sharing their stories. “We are proud to be the result of ACAY’s work. Now we are also agents of change”, explained Rainer, one of them. “In some ways, everything we’ve been through has made up for us,” admits another former student, Kim. The SCP group became a family for many, because it brought great hope for the future of the young people and changed their lives.
