By Bryan W. Sokol, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Community Engagement Fellow for the Herrmann Center, Saint Louis University
“The MOU is a key priority that emerged from the working groups that had been meeting for many weeks leading up to the summit,” said Bryan Sokol, a professor working with SLU’s Herrmann Center for Innovative Catholic Education and a key organizer of the Summit@SLU2.0. “Everyone is very excited to take this important step, recognizing that a formal partnership with the School of Education goes a long way toward ensuring Belize2020’s continued success in supporting the Jesuit mission in Belize.”
Many of the founding members of Belize2020 attended the summit, including Tom Nolan who commended the School of Education partnership.
“We bring out the better side of one another. Relationships are the heart of Belize2020. Now there will inevitably be more structure, and that's fine. That means it will continue.” Nolan said. “There's a nice character to Belize2020. It's good people who are friends trying to do good things with one another.”
Belize2020 took an important step in their partnership with SLU’s School of Education on Monday, November 10. Leaders from both organizations signed a formal Memo of Understanding (MOU) that outlines expectations for future collaborations and ongoing support for each other. The signing celebration was a direct outcome of Belize2020’s Summit@SLU 2.0 gathering in June 2025 at SLU.
“Belize2020 is good friendships that have developed over the years.” said Roxy Encalada at the summit. Encalada is the new principal at St. Martin de Porres school in Belize City “It feels special and it feels beautiful, and I also feel that that is something that God wants us to do, to be able to share love with the world, especially with the people that want to work with our children in Belize, and also with everyone that is part of the Jesuit schools.”
The new MOU indicates that SLU School of Education will provide organizational resources to develop and sustain Belize2020’s strategic priorities and programs like professional development for teachers and support for students, and they will assist Belize2020’s internal processes to evaluate ongoing projects and initiatives.
Moreover, through the Herrmann Center for Innovative Catholic Education, the MOU indicates that SLU will coordinate the annual retreat for Belize2020 network members, as well as other events to promote the spiritual formation and enrichment of the network.
Speaking to the centrality of faith in Belize2020’s mission, Marie Kenyon, who directs the Archdiocese of St. Louis’ Office of Peace and Justice, remarked that participating in past Belize2020 retreats has been a remarkable spiritual gift.
“This is the gift that I give myself, because this really is faith in action. This is the real deal. This is the work of the church. This is what the church should be doing. These are the people the church should be taking care of,” said Kenyon.
Dale Auffenberg, the current co-chair of Belize2020, sees the MOU signing with the School of Education as just the beginning of even better things to come.
“My hope is that we can, like a pebble that you drop in the water and the ripples come out, keep widening our circles, both here and in Belize. Because together, we can accomplish so much,” said Auffenberg.
