Sandrelena da Silva Monteiro (photo), a university lecturer with a Master degree in Education, lives in the city of Juiz de Fora, where she found Spiritism in 1991. She later became involved with the evangelisation of young people, an activity she is passionate about to this day. She talked to us about her experiences with the Youth Movement

I honestly believe that the young want to live in a better world and are willing to build a better future for them. But many are lost and don’t know what path to follow, as the options, the models society and in particular the media provide are not really to be taken seriously. They reject what is offered, but don’t yet know how to come up with something different and end up incurring in the same mistakes. 

Those who follow the path of higher education in Brazil, are they following their vocations or just trying to find a better position in the workplace?

Unfortunately the vast majority of those who get into university are doing it to meet the expectations of society rather than to realise their dreams. And they know that higher education is not enough to make them better people. I think young people today are more worried about becoming better people than achieving a lot professionally. On the other hand, you have society forcing people as young as 17 to make professional choices for the rest of their lives. 

What is the main source of information and education for young people in Brazil?

It depends, but I would say the Internet is the main tool for young people where I am. It allows them access to information, which can be very shallow but can also be in-depth discussions about the themes of their choice. What I have noticed though is that a good teacher has a lot of power and can have a lot of influence over young people. A good teacher can become a pillar, a reference in their lives. 

How do young people who were not born in Spiritist families generally get to know the teachings?

In our groups, most of those who are non-Spiritists come as guests, invited by Spiritist friends. Some are just curious, and usually don’t stay long. Others want to know a bit more about the Spiritual World. Those tend to come back again and again and stay with us. 

We know that the moral and ethical standards in our society are generally overlooked. What do Brazilian youngsters say about those excessive freedoms they enjoy these days?

I disagree with the idea that the values needed for a healthy life are currently overlooked. I think the current values are being questioned and reassessed, and that the moral and ethical standards that future generations deem necessary will prevail. I can see the young looking for a better life, but going about it in a disorderly manner. However, I don’t think the current “moral crisis” will last forever. 

As someone who leads groups involved in the Spiritist education of young people, you’re in a position to point out the main problems in challenges in Brazilian Spiritist Centres in that area. What are they?

It’s the fact that so many of those in charge of Spiritist Centres are ill prepared for dealing with young people. They don’t understand the current generation of young Spiritists, and that comes across as a patronising and disrespectful attitude. As for the teaching methods, there’s no uniformity, no consistency, and to be honest, that’s how it should be. But you can’t overlook the theoretical basis of Spiritism. Spiritist literature is huge and you need to start by the five core works of Allan Kardec. If you study them properly, young people will develop a much-needed critical approach when they come across other Spiritist books. 

What can be done to provide the young with a strong moral basis, so they can keep the essence of what they’ve learned in the Spiritist Youth Movement at later stage in life, even if they stop attending any groups?

The children and teenagers in Spiritist families who lead by example and live according to the principles of the Gospel will not lose the core of those beliefs even when they come in contact with the professional world and all the new scientific and academic information. But you must educate them in an environment where they feel free to criticise, to question and to make choices, rather than following pre-set formulas. 

How different is the Spiritist Youth Movement now from when you found the teachings, in the 1990s?

I believe we were more active then, we seemed to do more. We didn’t have the Internet and all its tools, such as Facebook, MSN etc. So we used to develop our photos and get together to see them. Now we publish them online and everyone looks at them at home. We also used to meet on Sundays to knock on people’s doors to ask for donations. That doesn’t happen very often now. I think human relations and they people meet have changed, and not necessarily better or worse. 

What do you think should be in the syllabus of courses for young people learning the basis of Spiritism?

I believe is essential to learn the principles of Spiritism (based on Kardec’s five books), the main principles from the Gospel and to keep an open-minded approach to how those principles interact and apply to life in contemporary society. 

Should young Spiritists go to bars and nightclubs like other young people?

Yes. I believe our role as Spiritist educators is to guide them on how to behave in such places, rather than isolate them from the “world outside.” 

How should Spiritist Centres deal with young people who come to their youth groups and drink, smoke and use illegal drugs?

They should be seen simply as young people, just like all the others. We shouldn’t exclude them, but bring them in. One-to-one counselling and group sessions should help them reassess their behaviour. The person in charge of the group should make sure that that individual is not singled out or bullied, and also that he or she doesn’t bully or disrespect others in the group. If necessary, the coordinator of the group should look for advice from people in other Spiritist Centres who may have faced a similar situation. 

Your final thoughts, please…

I would like to thank you for this opportunity to talk about the Youth Movement in Spiritism and about young Spiritists. We often say in our group that you can take us out of the Youth Movement, but you can’t take the Youth Movement out of us.