From Thursday, January 12th, until Sunday, January 15th, the social sector meeting 2023, entitled "Sintonizando", was held in Loyola after more than 12 years since the last meeting in Los Negrales in 2009. The main objective of the conference was for all people and entities that form part of it to recognise themselves as a united apostolic body, dreaming of horizons to look to the future together and to promote and update the mission of the social sector based on a profound look at reality.

More than 200 people from 31 Jesuit social works and institutions from six countries participated in the four-day meeting. Various spaces for dialogue, workshops, presentations and other activities will be available. Two facilitators were anchor persons throughout the conference to give the sessions a radiophonic feel.

The meeting began on Thursday, January 12th, with a welcome to the participants and an activity to get to know each other better. Then, Friday, January 13th, started with a theatre session led by Cruz Noguera entitled "Historias de la valla" (Stories from the fence). Luis Arancibia, delegate of the social sector, then gave the words of welcome and explained the objectives of the meeting, as well as the title "Sintonizando", which refers to the idea of finding the syntonies between works and people that allow us to strengthen the union and the shared mission.

After the welcome, there was a space for dialogue on looking at the social reality with the participation of sociologist Imanol Zubero from the University of the Basque Country and Sabrina Burgos, Director of New Frontiers and Public Action of Fe y Alegría Colombia, moderated by Raquel Martín, Director of Communication and Institutional Development of Entreculturas. Zubero stressed that in today's global reality, there is a relationship between hope and fear. Fear is a fundamental emotion in our lives and is created in the face of an uncertain and threatening future. Faced with this situation, we can either work to reduce fear, which must necessarily be lived and shared, or to increase the hope that can reduce that fear. As Christians, we are called to share hope and to work to combat the structures of social injustice that threaten our existence and generate fear and insecurity. Sabrina Burgos stressed the importance of "dialogue so as not to silence each other. To feel and listen to each other, to break the silence and not to remain silent in the face of injustice. Hope means taking action, not waiting. Collective power allows us to move from imagination to transformation".

The second part of the morning was structured in five workshop spaces around the five just causes of the sector: development of ecology in the framework of socio-environmental justice; accompaniment and defence of migrants; promotion of global citizenship; defence of gender equality; and socio-educational inclusion, especially of children, youth and families.

In the afternoon, Patxi Álvarez SJ, head of Discernment and Apostolic Planning for the Province of Spain, and Marta Silvano, director of the Loiolaetxea Association, reflected on the current Mission process in the sector. After this space, thematic workshops were held on the five phases of the mission: accompanying, serving, researching-reflecting, raising awareness and influencing, led by people from the different works and areas of the sector.

Lastly, a session was held to collect the day's story by José Ignacio García SJ, director of Cristianisme i Justícia; and Mª Carmen de la Fuente, Coordinator of SJM and director of the Fundació Migra Studium. In this space, both have deepened the meaning of the faith-justice mission today, providing ten keys that give us light to continue working for a mission of reconciliation and social justice. "One of the priorities is to work with the excluded. The figure of Arrupe is essential in the importance of being close to people despised by society, being close to the place, moving around and being close". The day ended with a short celebratory prayer entitled "An open window."