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ZOTUNG REFUGEE CATHOLIC LEARNING CENTRE
catholic social teaching of the church
At ZRCLC we root our mission, vision and philosophy on the Catholic Social Teaching (CST) when dealing with our children, parents and community at large. CST states that each and every person has value, are worthy of great respect and must be free from slavery, manipulation and exploitation.
The Church's social teaching is a rich treasure of wisdom about building a just society and living lives of holiness amidst the challenges of modern society. We highlight several of the key themes that are at the heart of our Catholic social tradition *
1. LIFE & DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
The Catholic Church proclaims that human life is sacred and that the dignity of the human person is the foundation of a moral vision for society. This belief is the foundation of all the principles of our social teaching.
The intentional targeting of civilians in war or terrorist attacks is always wrong. Catholic teaching also calls on us to work to avoid war. Nations must protect the right to life by finding increasingly effective ways to prevent conflicts and resolve them by peaceful means. We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
AT ZRCLC : We demonstrate that every person is precious by reaching out to other as much as we can. We organize fund raising activitiesfor orphanages and the sick
2. CALL TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY & PARTICIPATION
The person is not only sacred but also social. How we organize our society, in economics and politics, in law and policy -- directly affects human dignity and the capacity of individuals to grow in community. Marriage and the family are the central social institutions that must be supported and strengthened, not undermined. We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
AT ZRCLC : We ensure the involvement and integration the different communities (parents, refugee community & volunteers) in the running of the school. They range from renovating and maintaining the school to forming the school's curriculum.
3. RIGHTS & RESPONSIBILITY
The Catholic tradition teaches that human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met. Therefore, every person has a fundamental right to life and a right to those things required for human decency. Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities--to one another, to our families, and to the larger society
AT ZRCLC : It is the right of every child to receive education. Hence we ensure the barriers to education for our poor children is kept low by only charging RM15 (USD 3.33) a month. On top of a 5 day school week, our children also get lunch and as much extra curricular activity exposure as possible (eg field trips, music and art electives, meals at different restaurants). We belief that education is not confined to the classroom and every child has theright to explore & discover.
In keeping school fees low, we depend heavily on fund raising to run our school.
4. OPTION FOR THE POOR AND VULNERABLE
A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring. In a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor, our tradition recalls the story of the Last Judgment (Mt 25:31-46) and instructs us to put the needs of the poor and vulnerable first.
AT ZRCLC : Our call is to reach out to poor children who are part of our vulnerable society. We focus on providing them basic education and valuable life skills with the vision of inspiring them to build a better and wholesome life.
5. THE DIGNITY OF WORK AND RIGHTS OF WORKERS
The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in Gods creation. If the dignity of work is to be protected, then the basic rights of workers must be respected--the right to productive work, to decent and fair wages, to the organization and joining of unions, to private property, and to economic initiative.
AT ZRCLC : We preach this teaching by ensuring fair and just wages for our Educators as well as run an Educator Development Program which looks into the individual growth of our Educators. We belief that Educators cannot give what they don't have and their well being has a direct impact on their ability to transform the lives of our children
6. SOLIDARITY
We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. We are our brothers and sisters keepers, wherever they may be. Loving our neighbor has global dimensions in a shrinking world.
AT ZRCLC : At the core of all our activities is the importance of making it INCLUSIVE. It never about us vs them or what we need for ourselves. So where possible we ensure there is room in all our activities to involve other communities and learning centre. We adopted "WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR" as our school song so that our children and trained at an early age that "YOU are my neighbour" We also involve other refugee learning centers in our programs (eg Sports and Extra Curricular Activites) as our way to build bridges especially among our young.
7. CARE FOR GOD'S CREATION
We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. Care for the earth is not just an Earth Day slogan, it is a requirement of our faith. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of Gods creation. This environmental challenge has fundamental moral and ethical dimensions that cannot be ignored.
AT ZRCLC : Our small little way of showing care for the earth is keeping it clean. Our curriculum includes taking to the street (within 3km of the school and cleaning it)
* Source: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops