By BIS Correspondent for BIS Mumbai

Don Bosco College (DBC), Kurla conducted a two-day residential Faculty Development Programme (FDP) titled “Many Colours, One Canvas: Communicating, Resolving and Respecting, the Don Bosco Way” at Don Bosco, Lonavla on November 4 and 5, 2026. Br Bryce Fernandes, Counsellor and Expressive Arts Practitioner at Don Bosco Prafulta, facilitated the programme for the 24 faculty members. The FDP aimed to build unity, respectful communication and healthy conflict resolution across the four departments. It moved step by step from the self to relationships, to teams and finally to the college as one community, with each session combining play, expressive arts, reflection, sharing and a short self-assessment.

 The first day began with “Who Am I When I Am Stretched?”, in which balloon games, expressive art and a burnout self-check helped faculty notice how stress affects their bodies, emotions and reactions at work. In the session “The Words I Leave Behind”, participants used tone games, a picture whisper chain, a group body map and freeze-frame scenes to examine how gossip, sarcasm and public correction affect colleagues and students. In the session titled “Only Two Colours”, a self-check, comparing identification with one’s department and with the college, made the separate departments’ dynamic visible and open to discussion.

 In the evening, most participants walked to Tungarli Dam and brought back something they found meaningful along the way. The day closed with a screening of the movie A Mosquito in the Ear, which led participants to reflect on communication, introspection and empathy. Reflecting on the first day, Ms Anoushka Mirgnani, faculty member, BMS Department, said, “The session reinforced required traits that made me feel positive, rejuvenated, motivated to fix things, empowered with clarity about a few issues; but most importantly happy.”

 The second day turned to practical skills. In “When We Clash”, participants identified their conflict styles and practiced assertive “I” messages, the CALM conversation tool, repair after hurt and a colour-coded ladder for deciding when to resolve matters directly and when to seek help, using case cards drawn from real inter-department situations. “Respect That Reaches Everyone” addressed fairness, status and dignity through a game, the PAUSE correction tool and student case studies. In the final session, “One Canvas”, mixed teams prepared a single mural, signed a shared Respect Charter and made personal commitments rooted in Don Bosco’s Preventive System of reason, religion and loving-kindness.

 At the close of the programme, Ms Elenka Rebello, faculty member, Hospitality Studies Department, said, “The session was insightful, interactive and practically oriented towards building bridges, fostering connections and working together as a perfect team at DBC, Kurla.” Br Bryce said the two days had been “a fun and learning experience” for him as well.

 The FDP gave the four departments a common language and practical tools for communicating and resolving differences, in keeping with the Salesian mission of the college. The shared mural and the signed Respect Charter now stand as reminders of the faculty’s commitment to work as one community for the good of their students.