2017 HNGR Symposium

This year’s Symposium, entitled A Child Shall Lead Them: Youth and Transformation, profiled the remarkable work that children and youth are leading to bring social, economic, physical and spiritual transformation to Latin America, Asia and Africa. The HNGR program hosted remarkable leaders from Latin America and Africa who inspired the Wheaton community with lectures and workshops that highlighted work with young people around the world. Joining us for the Symposium were Dr. David Kasali, President and co-founder of the Congo Initiative and Rector of the Christian Bilingual University of Congo and Dr. Alicia Casas, a clinical psychiatrist and co-founder of the Claves Program Uruguay.

This year’s gathering kicked off with pre-Symposium event with John Stott Visiting Artist-in-Residence, Dr. David Dargie, a renowned ethnomusicologist and hymnologist whose work has contributed greatly to the preservation of the musical heritage of diverse Southern African peoples. On Wednesday, March 15, Dr. Dargie directed a group of Wheaton students in performing traditional and local church music from the Xhosa and Zulu peoples of South Africa. Approximately seventy-five guests from across the campus joined the event to learn about the students’ participation in a bow-making workshop with Dr. Dargie and to listen (and join in!) to the students perform song and dance on traditional bow instruments.

The Symposium officially began with Dr. David Kasali’s timely plenary address, Being Transformed to Transform: Radical Community and Power of Youth in Congo, on Thursday evening. Over two hundred guests listened to Dr. Kasali describe how young people in the Democratic Republic of Congo are confronting legacies of violence, poverty and injustice to build a “radically inclusive, Christ-centered community”.  Dr. Kasali’s words and wisdom not only compelled us to envision how we might build such a community at Wheaton College. He also challenged us to accompany and learn from our Congolese sisters and brothers in the transformational work they are carrying out. Dr. Kalsali closed his lecture accordingly: “Walk with us. Let us together become the “New We” and be women and men who begin to realize God’s intentions for a world in which, as Colossians 1 envisions as the reconciliatory work of Jesus, ‘all things in heaven and on earth are reconciled’ – humans as individuals and communities, the systems and institutions in which and under which we live, the earth itself.” 

On Friday, the Symposium continued with additional lectures, breakout sessions and workshops.  We started the morning by celebrating and worshiping with the return HNGR interns during the annual HNGR chapel. Later on Friday, Dr. Alicia Casas, co-founder of Claves Program Uruguay, offered a second plenary lecture entitled From Object to Subject: Care, Respect and Participation for Child Development. Dr. Casas’ address described how youth across Latin America are being equipped to confront sexual violence and secure the health and well-being of all.  That afternoon three workshops were offered to Wheaton College staff, faculty and graduate students for professional enrichment and development. 

To end this year’s Symposium, we hosted approximately one hundred individuals, including Wheaton faculty, staff, students and HNGR alum for a Saturday morning brunch and a closing address by former HNGR Director and Professor Emeritus, Dr. Paul Robinson.

Dr. David Kasali
March 16, 2017

Rev. David Kasali, Ph.D. earned a Master’s degree in geography and education in Congo in 1980, and a Master’s in Divinity from Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST) in 1987. David served as Coordinator of the department on Ethics, Society and Development of the Association of Evangelicals in Africa (AEA). During that time, he traveled extensively in the continent of Africa holding seminars with African pastors and theological educators to deal with issues that churches and societies face in Africa. In September 1989, David and his family joined Trinity International University (TIU) in Chicago, Illinois, where he graduated with a PhD in New Testament. Upon returning to Africa, David served for two years as a faculty member and eight years as President of Nairobi Evangelical Graduate School of Theology (NEGST), equipping pastors and Bible teachers for churches in Africa. While serving at NEGST, the Kasalis felt called to help rebuild lives, families and communities through holistic transformation. Together with local leaders in Beni, North Kivu, DRC, they created Congo Initiative (CI).  After three years of building partnerships with churches, institutions, and individuals who would come together to support the growing vision and goals of Congo Initiative, the Kasalis relocated permanently to Beni in 2007 to formally inaugurate CI’s Université Chrétienne Bilingue du Congo (UCBC – The Bilingual Christian University of Congo), which now has close to 500 students enrolled, over 400 alumni, as it enters its 10^th year. David now leads the UCBC as Rector as well as fulfilling his role as President of Congo Initiative. 

Alicia Casas Gorgal, MD, is a clinical psychiatrist and sexologist, and is the co-founder of the Claves Program (claves.org.uy), a HNGR partner.  Claves began in 1995 within Youth for Christ Uruguay, for abuse prevention and the promotion of children’s well-being. At Claves she serves as the Coordinator of Pedagogy, Training and Consulting, and regularly teaches courses across Latin America and Europe based on the work that she oversees at Claves. She is the author and co-author of several publications and teaching tools related to abuse and well-being of children and adolescents. She has frequently been invited to speak at various Latin American universities, as well as national and international events such as the Movement for Children and Adolescents, CLADE IV and CLADE V, World Council of Churches Assemblies, Micah Network, Harvest Foundation, and the International Festival of the Church of Sweden. In her consulting work she has participated in the production of child protection materials for international organizations and networks related to children’s rights, such as Tearfund UK, Viva Together for Children, World Vision, Inter American Children’s Institute, BICE (International Catholic Child Bureau), Movement for Children and Adolescents, CLAI (Council of Latin American Churches), UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund). She has a private practice in Clinical Psychiatry since 1995.