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Nélli Bócca
Lourenço Machado
(photo) was born
in Birigui, in
the state of São
Paulo, and lives
now in the city
of Bauru. She is
a professional
nutritionist. As
a spiritist and
coordinator of
the youth
movement, she
has been
travelling the
state of São
Paulo to
encourage the
study of the
doctrine
codified by
Allan Kardec.
O Consolador:
How did you find
out about
Spiritism?
I was born in a
spiritist
family.
O Consolador:
What’s your
formal role in
the Spiritist
Federation?
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I’m a member of
the Doctrine
Committee of the
USE in São
Paulo. And I was
for many years
monitor at a
spiritist centre
(CEAC) in the
city of Bauru. |
O Consolador:
For a number of
years you’ve
been one of the
coordinators of
MEAC (the Young
Spiritists Love
and Charity
movement). How
many young
people are part
of the group and
how does it
work?
I’ve been with
MEAC since the
year 200. We
meet every
Saturday, at
5pm, to study
the Doctrine at
our spiritist
centre in Bauru
(CEAC). The
group is very
heterogeneous
and divided by
age group. We
are split in
three rooms: 12
to 14 year-olds,
15 to 17 and 18
and over.
There’s no age
limit. The group
for the younger
people (12 to
14) is designed
to receive those
who leave the
evangelisation
groups, so that
they carry on
with their
studies.
Youngster, or
rather, spirits
in that age will
find our doors
open for studies
whatever their
age is in the
material world.
All you need is
to will to meet
and make new
friends. More
than a study
group, we are a
group of friends
who study
together.
O Consolador:
You were born in
a spiritist
family. How has
your work with
the young been
helped by the
fact that you
knew the
Doctrine from
such an early
age?
That has helped
me a lot. Not
only I had a
substantial
theoretical
base, but I had
been brought up
according to
Christian and
spiritist
principles. In
other words, I
just continued
to be myself and
took the
opportunities
that came to me
to grow at a
personal level.
There was a time
when I used to
teach the
Doctrine to
young people who
came to us
looking for
answers on
issues such as
death, mediunity,
healing and
divine justice.
I noticed I had
no problems at a
theoretical
level to answer
these questions,
but I realised
that I had not
expanded on my
knowledge by the
very fact that I
had been born in
a spiritist
family. I
learned a great
deal with those
young people and
I added their
drive to learn
to my previous
knowledge,
building a new
level of mutual
knowledge and
understanding.
O Consolador:
What are you
planning for
youth movement
in the next
months?
It seems like
harvest time
like never
before for us,
and I explain
why. Young
people study,
work, go to
university, move
away, they meet
their boyfriends
and girlfriends.
That’s why it’s
so difficult to
find young
people who
persevere and
carry on working
with Spiritism.
We have been a
few, hard
working and
resilient group.
But I can see
clearly there’s
a new group of
young people out
there, spirits
that are coming
to us to help,
to add to the
group. I can see
it very clearly
because they’re
so many. We have
decided then to
concentrate our
efforts in
organising
meetings and
study events
focusing on
themes such as
self-knowledge,
education,
leadership and
responsibility.
In sum, all that
will give them
theoretical and
spiritual
support to those
workers of the
youth of the
future. We wil
have a meeting
on July 17th
and 18th
to chose the
issues to be
discussed during
next year’s
state wide
meeting of young
spiritists.
We’ll have
another meeting
on September 11th
and 12th
to discuss
leadership and
self-knowledge.
And youngsters
have been
studying those
themes every
week at their
own groups.
However, there
are very few
youth groups
here in Bauru –
only three. Most
of the spiritist
centres
prioritises
evangelical
studies for
children, but
don’t follow up
with youth
groups. There’s
no criticism
here, we’re just
trying to
understand why.
We know the
young are the
future of our
spiritist
centres. Whoever
has taken part
in youth groups
at spiritist
centres carries
out a feeling of
gratitude for
life, as the
spirits goes
through so much
confusion at
that particular
time. This is
the time when
you meet
yourself, with
all your
baggage, when
you’re assaulted
by doubts,
anger, anguish,
fear and
aspirations.
There’s nothing
better to help
us face all that
than the
Doctrine. And
what better than
meeting other
young people
looking for the
same answers:
how to grow up
understanding
why we are here,
incarnated? The
Youth movement
is a balsam of
light and love
in the middle of
a sea of
information and
demands the
spirit has to go
through in its
youth. In my
opinion, to
encourage the
work of youth
groups in a
spiritist centre
is as important
as ensuring the
very existence
of that
spiritist
centre.
O Consolador:
You’ve travelled
extensively
through the
state of São
Paulo, for
meetings of the
youth movement.
What is your
assessment of
young spiritists?
Are they
motivated, how
much do they
study the
Doctrine? How
committed are
they?
I’ve met many
young people
committed to
studying,
learning,
researching,
getting
involved. Their
motivation runs
parallel to the
happiness they
feel once they
get involved
with Spiritism.
And that
manifests in
many ways,
through the
studies, the
work, new
friends – things
that can’t
always be
expressed in
words. In that
context, getting
involved and
being committed
is the logical
consequence of
all that. And
when they
realise, they
are already
involved and
working hard.
I’ve seen in
meetings at all
levels that
young people are
more motivated
than in any
other time. In
May, we had a
meeting
gathering more
than 100
monitors in the
city of
Americana, with
more than 100
youth leaders,
and they were
all studying the
principles of
teaching. Any
young person who
travels to a
distant city as
part of an
attempt to
improve, study
and interact, so
he can encourage
other young
friends back
home, certainly
doesn’t lack
motivation.
O Consolador:
How much room
have the
directors of
spiritist
centres left for
the leaders of
youth movements
to organise
their own work?
There’s been
more freedom for
them to be in
charge of their
own work, but
there’s still
some insecurity
from the
directors in
spiritist
centres. They’re
still reluctant
to allow us to
do more. We’re
sometimes
labelled
inexperienced.
We’re often not
trusted with
more difficult
jobs. But we’ve
been working
hard in the last
few years to
take on higher
posts and making
it happen,
organising
events. Our
achievements
made them change
their views,
giving us a more
positive
assessment.
There’s a long
way to go and
our challenge is
not so much to
get them to
trust us, but to
be able to trust
ourselves. If we
overcome those
hurdles and live
the Doctrine by
working hard, we
will be growing
and will become
an example for
other young
people to carry
on with their
work and
encourage the
growth of the
youth movement
in Spiritism.
O Consolador:
What do you
think the
spiritist
movement can do
in order to get
the young more
involved?
We have always
worked alongside
each other, for
the same cause.
But to work
really together,
with fraternity,
we would need to
break the
barriers of
preconceived
ideas from both
sides. We should
make an effort
to see
ourselves, all
of us, as
spirits in the
middle of a
learning
process. Young
men and women
are not only
driven by
impulse,
enthusiasm,
irresponsibility,
inexperience.
Adults, on the
other hand,
don’t act only
based on
inflexibility,
grumpiness,
authoritarian
and patronising
behaviour.
Everything would
be easier if we
could see that.
Both young
people and
adults have
their positive
and negative
sides and we’re
all here to grow
up. In respect
to the Law of
Society, I think
each one of us
would have a
better
understanding of
ourselves if we
abandoned these
preconceived
ideas and worked
together for the
good of
ourselves and
the Doctrine,
which gives us
our support.
Without
prejudice, it’s
easier to trust,
to tolerate, to
understand and
to work
together.
O Consolador:
What have been
your greatest
joys in all
these years?
Difficult to
say, as I’ve had
so many. I think
meeting so many
dear friends,
learning so much
in the studies
I’ve been
involved in.
Last year I was
part of the
organising
committee of a
meeting here in
Bauru. We faced
huge
difficulties to
get it all
together, but
when I saw all
the young people
in the room in
the first day of
the meeting
attending a
lecture by Edgar
Miguel, I
realised it had
really been
worth the while.
And when I saw
their shining
eyes, I cried of
joy and
gratitude, for
having been able
to provide them
with that
opportunity, for
overcoming each
and every hurdle
which was put
along the way.
In another
occasion, in
2001, I felt
really happy.
That was the
first meeting of
youth movements
I was attending.
I saw before me
all the
possibilities to
learn and be
consoled. It’s
difficult to
describe how
happy you feel
when you see
that things can
and will be
better, despite
all the
obstacles. I
felt real joy in
another
occasion, last
year, when a
group of parents
took part in a
meeting of
Parents and
Children and,
leaving all
embarrassment
behind, played
the part of
their children
in a play. That
helped them
understand how
their own
children felt
and certainly
helped them
achieving
harmony and
understanding at
home. I felt
great joy when I
was invited to
join the
organising
committee of
Feiramor (a fund
raising event
held in Bauru
every year), in
a sign that they
trusted us. I
felt so happy
also when I
realised I had
more and better
friends than
anyone else I
knew, when I
realised that
each person I’ve
met on the way
has helped me be
what I am today.
I felt real joy
by realising
that some
youngsters had
me as a role
model. I was
happy by being
requested to do
this interview,
knowing that my
words can give
hope to someone
who’s facing
difficult times
with themselves
or their
children. I’m
happy everyday
for being part
of all this. For
working for
myself and for
so many other
people, facing
the consequences
of the process
of growing up.
There’s not only
joy, it’s just
like any other
job. But the joy
is certainly
bigger than the
downside. And I
can assure you
that I would do
everything
again, from the
beginning if I
had the choice
-- even without
the knowledge
that I would
eventually
benefit so much
from the
process.