Centre For Transformational Leadership

Siloam is the centre of the outreach programmes of St. Anthony's College. It is a centre which focuses on psychological, spiritual and developmental issues of students, youths, couples, families as well as professionals involved in various leadership roles towards renewal and reorientation. Besides, the centre envisages intervention in educational testing and evaluation, aptitude tests, promotion of self-confidence and self-esteem, personal and interpersonal communication skills, education to peace and cultural integration. Situated on an idyllic hillside on the shores of the Umiam lake, Siloam is an ideal situation for the outreach programmes which aim at the holistic development of the human being - which, in the final analysis, is education.

The North Eastern Region has been blessed with diverse cultures and different ethnic groups. One of the most significant factor that is commonly shared by these different cultures and groups is the overwhelming influence that young people play in the socio - political arenas of their respective ethnic groups. In the past two decades, the region has seen several cultural clashes as well as greater awareness of several communities to establish autonomy and self identity. Consequently, young people, in their idealism, have taken up armed resistance and violence.

Educational authorities are at a loss as to how to help some young persons who harbour these views of armed resistance and violence. Because of the lack of trained counsellors in schools and colleges, teachers find themselves unable to address these issues that students raise. Preparing students to face life and its overall challenges effectively and confidently needs to go beyond academic qualifications and move towards harnessing at the human potential within them. Lack of realistic and holistic approach could lead a lot of well talented youngsters to fall victims to depression, disorientation, isolation and consequent loss of self and self-identity.

Since its inception in 1934, St. Anthony's College has been continuing to spearhead quality education in the North Eastern Region. The College has been constantly reviewing its methodologies of imparting knowledge and academic competence with the result that there is the need to look beyond academic excellence. The College keenly feels the need to complement academic performance with human excellence as an answer to the worrying problems of human isolation, competition and alienation, which seem to characterize every form of life, whether personal or professional. This outlook puts every person - teachers, students, parents, those in position of leadership - responsible for personal transformation and then institutional and societal transformation.

The commitment of St. Anthony's College to an education for transformation is its brainchild, SILOAM - the centre for transformational leadership. The formation of Siloam is the result of decades of educational experiences and reflection on the task of uniting head and heart, of uniting facts and feelings, of theory and practice, teaching and learning in the task of education.

• Training of school teachers in Basic Counseling Skills
• Enhancing the person of the Educator - a programme for the faculty of schools and colleges in helping to understand themselves, the students and their problems, and in the process also enhance the person of the educator
• Career guidance counseling and group training for competitive exams
• Establishing college counseling centres for providing individual and group counseling and awareness counseling in aids, drugs and alcoholism
• Training of teachers of schools for the physically, visually and mentally challenged students
• Parenting skills workshops for parents to deal with age appropriate behavioural and emotional problems of their children
• Education and training of social workers, youth workers and development workers in the fields of family counseling and parenting skills
• Educational assessment and conducting attitude surveys among the youth of the city of Shillong
• Continuing training and capacity building series for teachers and professors
• Life-skills training and Orientation for college students
• Enhancing the self concept and identity of youth through weekend meets
• Developing Assertiveness and Communication skills programmes for college youth

a. Assistance to individuals

• counseling and Guidance
• Supervision
• Placement
• Referrals

b. Student Development

• Development of Life skills
• Communication Skills Development
• Assertiveness Training
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Spiritual Renewal
• Personal counseling

c. Professional Development

• Career counseling and Placement
• Entrepreneurship Development Workshops
• Self - Employment Skills
• Development of IT Skills
• Professional Peer Consultation

d. Faculty Development

• Enhancing the Person of the Educator
• Counseling Skills Training

e. Societal and Environmental

• School and College outreach
• Rural Computer Literacy
• Educational Scholarship
• Remedial Classes
• Rural Computer Literacycounseling in conflict management skills for social development workers

• Capacity building workshops for students and staff
• Conducting career guidance and counseling for rural students
• Establishing an Entrepreneurship Resource Cell
• Residential life skills training camps
• Establishing linkages with Professional Institutions and industry for studies and placement

The efforts of St. Anthony's College to promote and strengthen holistic education have received recognition and support from different agencies, which have come forward to collaborate and participate in different programmes. The Foundation for Academic Excellence and Access (FAEA), a Ford Foundation sponsored body, is in collaboration with the College in many programmes for students in Siloam. The Rector Major and his Council (Don Bosco Society, Rome) has supported Siloam especially at the initial stages of its existence in terms of infrastructure. The mission office of the Don Bosco Society at New York, USA is supporting some of the programmes being held at Siloam for youths groups and rural out reach. Apart from financial support and collaboration, Siloam receives support in terms of personnel resources from Bosco Reachout, from the Don Bosco Headquarters in Guwahati, from Don Bosco Institute, Guwahati, from Nazareth Hospital, from the Government of Meghalaya. In the past year we have had collaborative counseling training programs with the faculty of Psychology, University of San Francisco, USA. The said faculty has committed themselves to collaborate with Siloam in organizing national and international level workshops on psychological issues relating to youth, adults and family. We are also on a collaborative venture with the Portia Bell Hume Centre in California, USA on Conducting Annual Peer Consultation and Staff Support/Evaluation Programmes for Professionals in the fields of education, psychological and social services. One of the faculty from the Department of Psychotraumatogy, University of Kragenfort, Austria, has initiated an annual workshop related to training professionals working in traumatic situations. Other faculties who are eager to collaborate with us are the Department of Psychology, University of Guam USA, Institute of Spirituality Berkeley, California as well as Educational Resources Centre, New Delhi.