9. To put culture within the reach of the most disadvantaged groups and those who are excluded.

This is exactly what the first Brothers did, in company with John Baptist de La Salle in Rheims, Rouen, Paris and elsewhere. Our schools are certainly fulfilling this mission in part today, by admitting young people of all sociological-professional categories and offering them formation in general, technological and professional teaching. In these schools, though, we must make these young people more welcome, improve the ways of helping their education when they have a great deal to catch up, or are excluded from the educational system or are having difficulty in integrating socially. In certain cases a good quality boarding school can be a good substitute for a deficient family life. It is true that more and more social educators prefer to leave young people in the family. However, it has to be admitted that sometimes the youngster needs to rebuild his life in a more peaceful and structured environment. The lasallians of the Balearics and Australia have pondered this question. Equally, a welcome can be arranged for young members of social minorities who are often victims of discriminatory practices: travellers, youngsters in the suburbs, young who are handicapped, children who are in hospital for long periods, youngsters in prison… For each of these groups there can be one proposal or another adapted for teaching or accompaniment. The lasallians of New Zealand have adapted for the numerous minority groups they receive in their three establishments: as also the lasallians of Papua-New Guinea, of Cameroun. Examples could be multiplied from Bolivia, Guatemala, Colombia, India, the Philippines, the Ivory Coast, Italy, Palencia in Spain… There are some prophetic actions seen occasionally, such as the uprooting of an establishment in the town centre towards a suburb or the opening of small primary schools as the lasallians of Turkey have done voluntarily with their eight recent elementary schools. Some help and school support by associations can certainly be easily started and responsibility accepted and maintained by an establishment (not simply on a financial level, but a human one too: calling on the older students for some teaching, on teachers for organising, etc.) Facilities of this kind exist in France, Belgium, California with the Leo Center, and elsewhere.