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INTRODUCTION: Asian Secretaries Formation

In the immediate past, World Student Christian Federation in Asia sponsored two leadership development programs, namely, the Asia Study Fellowship (ASF) and the Asian Leadership Development Centre (ALDEC).

These programs have gone a long way in enabling national movements to be attuned with the times in both the fields of theology and politics. Moreover, the leaders produced in these programs have influenced to some significant extent the leadership not only of the Federation but also the ecumenical circles in the region.

Today, there is a need to launch a new program for leadership development with an aim in view of aiding national movements directly in their efforts at self-development and for greater involvement in society. Owing to the radical turn which many of the movements have taken during the past ten years or so, some have felt that the day-to-day task of maintaining the movement's life has been neglected. The Student Christian movements in the region need to recover a sense of "movement" precisely in the whole area of chapter building and in keeping a network of communications nationally.

To answer this expressed need among the movements, the Asia office of the World Student Christian Federation has evolved the Asian Secretaries Formation (ASFOR) as a program aimed at assisting national movements (SCM’s) in the development and formation of SCM secretaries and other SCM leaders.

The program is geared towards enriching the participants' knowledge and training in politics, theology, formation and administration.

WSCF Asia maintains that familiarity with global, regional and national politics should go into the formation of a leader of the movement. But, it is a politics which springs from the very resources of faith.

Conversely, secretaries need to reflect on the meaning and relevance of the Christian faith in the Asian struggle. But, this theology must be one which is sensitive to the socio-political climate of the societies in which SCM’s move. What is needed then is a "political theology" which prepares leaders / workers to confront both issues of faith and the word.

Furthermore, WSCF Asia holds that formation, meaning a worker's relation to God, self and others, is necessary in the total development of a person. We are in search of leaders who are aware of, and can handle the contradictions in themselves, their own secularity as well as their spirituality.

Finally, the program will further the leader's preparation in the field of administration — the management of office, organizing local chapters/branches and other aspects of movement life —all aimed at making the leaders more effective in their work. This last area will also cover a conversant awareness and familiarity with the regional and international scope of the work of the Federation.

The main methodology which shall be adopted for the training program is praxis — the pedagogy of action — reflection-action. Thus, each ASFOR shall have a rhythm of exposure and "plunge-in" — a situation where the participants shall live and observe the living conditions of the people in the venue of the program. A period of reflection on their experiences and insights shall be provided when they should also be able to check their new knowledge and exposure by their own national contexts and realities.

Inputs in theology, Biblical studies, politics and a specific area for that particular ASFOR shall be given with the purpose of further enriching the participants’ theoretical concepts to check on their experiences. A workshop on

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mechanics of working in the movement shall be held to enable the participants to share their own expertise in this matter.

The program lasts from five to six weeks and the venue will change from year to year.

Although ASFOR is meant primarily for WSCF constituents in Asia, the participation is open to related ecumenical organizations in the region.

ASFOR commences in 1977 and shall be reviewed after four years.