COMMUNICATION COURSE FOR JESUIT JUNIORS

Under the inspiration and guidance of the Conference JESCOM, a weeklong communication course was organized for the Jesuit Juniors in Kolkata from 18- 24 August 2024. JCSA Communications Coordinator Fr. Vernard Antony SJ (DUM) and film expert Fr Vijay Surthani SJ (AND) conducted the first three days of the training program at Dhyan Ashram, the Jesuit Juniorate where we 15 Juniors from seven provinces are pursuing our studies. The next four days were spent at Chitrabani, the famous Jesuit communication centre of Satyajit Ray fame in Kolkata, where Fr Vivekananda James SJ and his team of experts led us in our digital journey. The purpose of this workshop was simply to give the basic knowledge and idea of the modern-day communication skills and techniques, especially social media, so that we youngsters may learn to use it for the growth of our mission in the church and the world.

The comprehensive training program included sessions on digital film making, script writing, video making, photo shoots and introduction to AI. Under the expert guidance Fr Vijay, the Juniors explored the fundamentals of short filmmaking, including camera operations and video editing. “His classes on script writing provided us the basic skills in crafting interesting narratives and stories with simple but valuable ideas. We learned about story structure, dialogue and character development,” said Francis Back from Jamshedpur province.

Overall, this communication course has equipped us with valuable skills and knowledge, improving our ability to effectively communicate our Jesuit/religious themes and spirituality through social media. In the session on ‘Church and Media’ we learned how media can be greatly useful and effective in our church services and in ministries. However, the thrill of digital media has not, for sure, blinded the Juniors about the dangers lurking behind, as it was explicit in the words of Francis Beck from Jamshedpur province: “The social media is exciting, but it also places both life and death before us- it is up to us to choose what and for what purpose.”

By Pingal Baxla SJ (Ranchi Province)