EDUCATION ORIENTATION CAMPS OF MGOCSM

MGOCSM EDUCATION ORIENTATION CAMP, MAR THEOPHILOS STUDY CENTRE, STUDENT CENTRE, KOTTAYAM





INTRODUCTION

The onslaught of Science and the views of Darwin, Freud and Marx have conditioned the intellectual base of modern man. So it is not news that religion, which warrants implicit and complete faith in God, the creator, lacks rapport in reasoning, in the not-so-discerning minds in this Post-Christian Era. The emergence of ever-newer human wants and the plentitude of modern gadgets and pursuits that make life on this planet more pleasant, has made modern man a victim of a nexus of want-satisfying hectic pursuit for money and privileges on the one hand and happiness on the other- a vicious circle. The shortcomings of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the impossibility of a colossus-like leadership in the Church in these days of universal education and Church divisions, differences, and civil cases, have also contributed their might in weaning away the ordinary man from the Church and religion. The increase in the membership of Churches has also contributed to the number and magnitude of the problems within Parishes and Churches. All these factors have inculcated a cultivated formal indifference on the part of laymen--at least in the Malankara Orthodox Church--towards the Church and its leaders, and vice versa. The Education Orientation Camps organized by the MGOCSM is an attempt to dissipate this situation and to remind the Church and its members the necessity for mutual concern.

OBJECTIVES.

When faced with difficult situations in the Church in the 1970’s, some of us like this author had to experience this indifference of the intellectuals of the Church. So the problem is to create a concern among them for the Church and vice versa.
Mar Gregorios Orthodox Christian Student Movement (MGOCSM) was originally devised as a Movement for the youth of the Malankara Church. It became later a Movement of the Youth and College Students. In recent years its activities have been extended to the School level. Habits ingrained into one during young days continue till the end. So with the active co-operation of the then (1979-’80) President H G Dr Philipos Mar Theophilos, Senior Vice-President Prof. Joseph K. Alexander Rev. Fr. P.C. Cherian, General Secretary and other leaders decided to start a High School Wing for the MGOCSM.

In the career of an educated man an im­portant junction in life is the days he go through his Xth standard in school and Pre-Degree course in college. His future depends to a great extent on his efforts, achievements and decisions of this period. It is this thought that prompted us and H. G. Philipos Mar Theophilos, to devise a special project for the students entering this important phase of their life.

This project prepared by the Senior Vice-President Prof. Joseph K. Alexander was approved by the President H G Philipos Mar Theophilos and H H Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I, Malankara Metropolitan and Catholicos, the supreme head of the Church. His Grace, then the 70 years young President of the Student Movement was ever willing not only to imbibe new ideas, but also, implement it immediately.

Human Society, at all times in history, have been directed and controlled by the inte­llectually superior. In our Church and society, also, it is such of them who decide the modes and destinies of others. So the MGOCSM decided to bring together the intellectually superior students within the Church, who are to provide the leadership for tomorrow. The best pre-SSLC students - boys and girls – of just about 14+ years in age are to be identified and brought to the camp for an educat­ion orientation, to be conducted during the annual vacation of April-May. The scheme envisages the following short-term perspectives.

1. The proved ability of students with higher IQ. in memorizing, convergent thinking and in scoring higher marks in the school is to be augmented by suitable modalities and training so as to equip them for higher intellectual pursuits.
2. To enable these students to develop into polished rounded personalities with fewer idiosyncrasies in behavioral patterns, citizenship, church life, etc. In other words they are to be guided into inte­grated persons harmoniously blending their family, social, church, vocational and citizen facets of life into a single whole.
3. To encourage and help the development of cultural and artistic talents in them.
4. To help them in identifying their vocation in life and to goad them to strive hard to achieve the same.

SCHEME:
In order to achieve these objectives of the Education Orientation camp, the project has been devised as follows.

(a) Venue;
The venue of this camp in the beginning 1980’s was the Sophia Centre in the Old Seminary at Kottayam, the whole atmosphere of which stands charged with a spiritual aura. The Theological Seminary and the star-studded faculty continuously charge and keep the intensity of the spiritual force of the Seminary atmosphere. Moreover the very sands of the Old Seminary have to remind the campers of the hoary history of the church and the tribulations our church leadership had to pass through. H.G Paulos Mar Gregorios, Metropolitan of Delhi and the Secretary in charge of the Sophia Centre was kind enough to permit us into this ideal abode for our camp.

(b) Campers:
Identification and selection of students of the church with the highest IQ was the problem. MGOCSM secretary-in-charge visited schools and consulted teachers and Head Masters in identi­fying such students and in persuading them to apply for the camp and course. The applications thus received were sieved and the best available, selected on the basis of academic excellence were invited to attend the camp. We preferred students getting more than 80 % marks-

(c) Resource persons:
An equally taxing task was the identification and recruitment of suitable resource persons for the classes. The Secretary in consultation with the Corporate Management of our schools, Head Masters and staff of the Theological Seminary selected persons of proved ability and allot them time, with instructions on the course and campers they have to address. Getting the best of them is an on-going and continuous process.

(d) Course content:
Classes held on Xth Std. (SSLC) curricula papers were intensive and were devised to ensure 100% marks for the campers in each of their exam paper. The content of each subject, the nature of its question paper and how to study each lesson from the beginning of the year so as to answer all the questions completely were all taught. It was the methodology of learning that was taught in the camp- A student who is prepared to persevere as instructed in the camp was assured of scoring 100 % marks, thereby instilling into him complete confidence to face the examination. It was the experience of each participant that he goes out of the camp with a good deal of enthusiasm and confidence to face the future and particularly the SSLC exam.

Besides the three hour classes for each paper of the SSLC examination, classes of shorter durations were also held by experts on objectives of education, reading habit, faith, churchmanship, Christian fathers, Bible, personality development, social behaviour, leadership qualities, emotional tensions in student life, health and first aid, etc.

The course also included two hours of cultural activities every day and competitions in them. Winners were awarded prizes and certificates. It is heart-warming that society is coming forward to institute more and more prizes to the campers.

The retreat, confession and holy communion- part of the course content-- by all the participants including the elders was a real thrill in the life of many of the campers. Lay leaders, Bishops of our church and seminary professors and senior friends of the Movement visited the campers and met them as often as possible. H.H.Baselios Mar Thoma Mathews I The Catholicos and Malankara Metropolitan give the campers every year audience at his Palace at Devalokam and give Apostolic Blessings to each one of them personally. This ritual is being continued by the present Catholicos H.H.Marthoma Mathews II.

(e) Finance:
The project is expected to be financially self-supporting. The nominal fee for the course, in 1981 was only Rs.40. Inspite of the price situation, the 2005 camp charged only Rs.700-per camper. Scholarships have also been instituted to accommodate poor, but deserving students, provided they produce the necessary certificates. It was the munificence of some good hearts that enabled us to give excellent food for the campers. Now the deficit is met from the General funds of MGOCSM.

LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVES:
The real long-term perspective of this project is the creation of a fraternity or lay-order of the intellectuals of our Church, who in later years of their life will be occupying important positions in the different sectors of our society. Since our Church membership in these days is scattered over the whole of India, nay of the whole world, a conscious, and intentional creation of such a fraternity is imperative to make each one of the camper a success in his future individual, vocational and social life. If he is to be a successful doer of things, whatever his field & wherever he is, he requires help and support of many others. A camper should get it in his future life and vocations from at least this fraternity of Education Orientation Camp.

A camper should feel that the orientation campers of different years- 25 years campers should be around 1300 - ? are a special fraternity and are intimately related to him and that he can and should be of help to all other members in their vocational, social and spiritual life. They may be engaged in different occupations in different parts of the world. This fraternity should also act as a bulwark against the problem of "alienation feelings" and "identity crisis problems" of its members. The fraternity should make every member feel a sense of "belonging". In times of his needs--individual, vocational, social or spiritual--he should feel free to "demand and get help from other members placed in important positions in different walks of life. In order to inculcate this intimacy among the fraternity they are encouraged to be in regular communication with each other throughout their life.

To facilitate this communication process the following measures are being implemented:
I. At each camp, camper is given a group photo and a book containing the address of his colleagues.
2. Every three years regional one-day get-together of ex-campers are held in different places'
3. Quiniquinnial one-day get-together of all the ex-campers were organized at Kottayam and we hope to continue it every five years. In 2003 MGOCSM called all the available in the fraternity from 1981 onwards for a one day conference. A good number attended and refreshed their contacts.

An annual newsletter OSMEON-Orthodox Student Movement Education Orientation News - containing the latest address of the ex-campers, their vocations, positions and achievements in life etc, is being organized. We hope the OSMEON will develop into a useful organ of the Movement.

POST-SSLC ORIENTATION CAMP
In 1989 our one-day refresher conference of the Orientation fraternity, was converted into a week long camp with more definite aims. The objectives of this post-SSLC camp is to equip and prepare them for a College Career, selection of a suitable course of study and shouldering responsibility not only of molding one’s own life, but also of the society through training in community leadership. Under the able guidance and help from Prof. P.C.Alias, Mr. Jacob Zachariah and a galaxy of experts in the faculty, the participants have made good use of the course. This year we are having the 16th post-SSLC camp at the MTSC of the Kottayam Students center.

OFFICE:
The Secretary in-charge of the camp maintains regular office and files at the MGOCSM Office at Kottayam. For each camper a file was opened to keep all records about him and even communications from him. Our aim is to keep in contact with each camper till God calls him back. The camp’s secretary at the MGOCSM office is the fulcrum. He is also liaison between campers if they loose contact by mistake. He is again a counselor to the campers. He tries to keep in touch with each camper by circular letters, greetings of the seasons, birthday felicitations and even personal messages. All these demand organizational ability and manpower. The MGOCSM is trying to rise to the occasion.

SILVER JUBILEE
Twenty three Orientation Camps have so far been conducted and nearly 1300 members have been inducted to the Fraternity. We are moving to our Silver Jubilee in 2005 and the Centenary of the MGOCSM in 2008. We propose to celebrate the jubilee of the Orientation Fraternity by publishing a Directory of the Fraternity and a two Days Conference in April 2005.Let us all pray for its success.

CONCLUSION:
Through mistakes and omissions we are gradually moving towards our ideals. In spite of a number of shortfalls, our camps have been successes. Some of our campers have come out with flying colours in the various exams, snatching their coveted educational courses. Many of the earlier members of the Fraternity are occupying important positions in life and are doing very great service to our Church and Society. We are striving to make our campers greater success and our fraternity a living one, useful to the campers and the society. May God give us strength and insight to make our movement a success?

By Prof. Joseph, K. Alexander, Addl. DCE (Retd.) Trivandrum.
Director, Education Orientation Camps of MGOCSM