Unscrupulous exploitation of natural resources and the environment degrade the quality of life; it destroys cultures and sinks the poor in misery. ‘Education of Constructive Dialogue’ is imperative for the Youth formation especially in a rich and multicultural country, like Indonesia yet lack of appreciation of nature and cultures.  The richness of both nature and culture within local and national context challenge the community to build a constructive dialogue. The classic understanding of ‘tolerance’ has been proved to be inadequate or was considered minimal in dealing with the growing social problem. Sanata Dharma University, in a mutual effort with the communities offers an opportunity for the students from every discipline to develop their conscience, commitment and compassion with those in need. It takes the participants to communities and institutions partnered by the academic institution in its pursuit to facilitate the student to construct their ability in promoting dialogue through working out a program or internship in specific social circumstances, villages or rural areas around the Campus. The goal of Education of Constructive Dialogue is to draw the student experiencing to be women and men for and with others.

The general framework of the exposure follows the core of the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm including Context, Experience, Reflection, Action, and Evaluation cycle. The student will be first invited to establish proper perspective through a session that provides the context of the entire journey. It proceeds to the integration of actual community experience where conversation is facilitated and relationship is built. This stirs internal movements that will be the groundwork of the reflection where the individual contemplates and make lucid the disturbances that occur from their own experiences and experiences of others. The upshot of the reflection will then be taken as the initial thrust to create concrete action as a response to the gaps observed from the community experience. The action taken will then be reviewed and evaluated.

The AJCU program 2009 will take place in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. For the first two weeks of the program the participants involve in the daily life of community and people in the slope of Merapi Mountain, the most active volcanic mountain in the world. Living in the continuous treat of the eruption of  ‘Grandma Merapi’ the community enjoy the fertile soils rich in biodiversity. The people in fact have been the living example of those who embrace a continuous constructive dialogue with nature and culture. Should we conquer nature or should we befriend with nature? Should we submit to culture or should we live culture? Should we trust ‘foreign religion’ or should we believe in ‘Ngarit Religion’? In the third week of the program the participant will be invited to explore Yogyakarta, a place for long standing history has been known as student city, cultural city, religious city or bla-bla-bla city. You will privilege to choose your own way to explore this beautiful and challenging city. Bicycling, driving becak, walking, talking with people.

Following the adagium of 34 General Congregation of the Society of Jesus: there won’t be promotion of Faith without the promotion of Justice, there won’t be promotion of Justice, without promotion of Dialogue with culture. Education of Constructive Dialogue invite you to promote faith that seeks justice through dialogue with people, nature and culture.