Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) hosted the meeting of the international team of the EDUCAR Network from April 27 to 30, 2026. This gathering brought together regional leaders and coordinators from various working teams to evaluate progress, plan new initiatives, and strengthen the common identity of the Order’s educational centers.
During these days, the team structured its approach to the main areas of the Network’s life, beginning with a comprehensive evaluation of the development of the Institutional Educational Project (PEI), as well as the implementation of the Life and Mission Project (PVM) in the different regions. Progress made by the pastoral, training, communication, and projects teams was also reviewed, along with the certification process through the MEGCAR and MELIOR systems, which are key to ensuring the quality and charismatic identity of the educational centers.
The meeting confirmed the growth and consolidation of the EDUCAR Network at an international level. In the words of its president, Fray Antonio Carrón, “it is wonderful to see how, year after year, this networking project is consolidated, adding, supporting, helping each other, and creating a family.” In this regard, he emphasized that these sessions have been an opportunity to “continue evaluating, continue dreaming together” and advance in the preparation of the next EDUCAR Meeting, which will reach its eighth edition.
Significant progress was also shared from the different work areas. In the field of training, Lívia del Porto presented a model for a local training plan for centers, aligned with the PEI and the competency dictionary (DICAR), which will allow training itineraries to be adapted to each educational reality. This proposal includes new courses and training resources in the three languages of the network, with the aim that all centers can actively participate in this growth process.
In the field of evangelization, the pastoral team delved into the need to reinforce the evangelizing identity of educational centers. Its coordinator, Fray José Manuel Cambero, explained that work is underway to define the profile of the pastoral leader and to develop a framework document to guide this mission, reminding that “our schools are evangelizing centers” and that the entire educational structure must serve this task.
For its part, the communication team highlighted the importance of strengthening the identity and visibility of the EDUCAR Network. Jimena Vargas noted that there is a shared commitment to “strengthen our identity, our charism, making it visible, with a real commitment to a more human identity,” promoting proposals that help transmit this spirit in all areas of the educational community.
In the area of pedagogy projects, Hannia Cortés encouraged all centers to actively participate in the initiatives that will be launched soon, highlighting the richness of experiences present in the network and the importance of sharing them: an opportunity to pool creativity, pedagogical innovation, and good practices.
Likewise, the evaluation and certification process continues to consolidate as a key tool for the Network’s growth. Josefa Guzmán and Sergio Almenzar highlighted that the MELIOR certification process already has more than fifteen certified centers and more than twenty in progress, reflecting the growing commitment to continuous improvement and Augustinian identity.
From the regions, the coordinators positively valued the development of the meeting and the importance of continuing to strengthen networking, highlighting the need to support management and educational teams in the implementation of the PEI and in living the charism. Along these lines, Fray Nicolás Caballero emphasized that these days have served to “continue dreaming and living this
Augustinian, Recoletos love,” looking to the future and the comprehensive care of young people from an evangelizing mission.
Beyond the work content, the meeting has also been an experience of fraternity and communion. Participants agreed in highlighting the atmosphere of closeness and joy experienced in Santo Domingo, which has fostered the exchange of experiences and the strengthening of ties between regions.
The meeting concludes with an eye on the future, especially the VIII EDUCAR Meeting 2027, which will be held in Spain and will bring together representatives from all the network’s educational centers to delve into accompaniment, leadership, and shared spirituality.
In this way, the EDUCAR Network continues to advance as a common project that, from the diversity of contexts, is committed to comprehensive formation, evangelization, and networking, strengthening its identity as an educational family at the service of the mission of the Order of Augustinian Recollects.
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