The aim of day centres is to create a positive family atmosphere, a truly therapeutic environment in which each person is welcomed in, valued for what they are and lovingly chosen.
By directly sharing the life of those who are welcomed in by the people working there and in that very special way demonstrated by the members of the Pope John XXIII Community in leadership roles, a relationship and a bond is created that enables the people welcomed in to recover from the marginalisation, loneliness and sense of uselessness that lead to their seeking help.
In Italy and overseas, the Pope John XXIII Community runs day centres for children and young people, for people with disabilities and elderly people, all coming together in the spirit of direct sharing, leading to:
- Providing professional assistance to each person welcomed in with personalised, targeted action aimed at helping them acquire and/or maintain behavioural, cognitive, relational and emotional abilities.
- Considering each person welcomed in, in their entirety, in the sense of the their value to be understood and appreciated. This is not an issue of residual abilities to be recovered but rather specific abilities to be valued, with the intention of directing these within their rehabilitation programme, creating new forms of communication and language.
- Providing a response to the basic need to build a relationship with the Absolute, with God, something that every person carries engraved on their heart, favouring a meeting with He who has created us and who loves us, by giving people the experience of a community whose life is based on the values of fraternity, mutual welcoming, forgiveness, celebration and festivity.
- Sustaining and supporting families, to help the people welcomed in to stay with their family, particularly those with disabilities, the elderly and the mentally ill.
- Working on the social integration of the people welcomed in, enabling them to get involved in external sporting or social organisations, both formal and informal, making use of our network of services and local organisations.
