| Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute | |
| Motto: | Veritas Liberabit Vos |
| Established: | 1964 |
| President: | Fr. Mars P. Tan, S.J., Ph.D. (as university president) |
| Dean: | Maria Rosario P. Mosqueda, Ph.D. (as Dean of Agriculture) |
| Director: | Roel R. Ravanera, M.A., M.S.Ag. |
| City: | Cagayan de Oro, Philippines |
| Type: | Research and Social Outreach unit |
| Research Field: | Poverty alleviation, Social leadership, and Human development |
| Campus: | 50 hectares |
| Nickname: | SEARSOLIN, Manresa Farm |
| Affiliations: | Society of Jesus, MISEREOR |
| Operating Agency: | Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan College of Agriculture |
The Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute (SEARSOLIN) is one of the research and social outreach units of Xavier University – Ateneo de Cagayan, located in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.
It is an international training center dedicated to the formation of socially committed and competent leaders in the struggle for poverty alleviation and holistic human development within the context of diverse cultural and religious traditions in the Asia-Pacific and Africa. It aspires for no less than a just social order where respect for human dignity, deference of various religious beliefs, equitable distribution of wealth and care of the bounty of the earth shall prevail.
The training programs are geared towards the understanding of poverty, the process that lead or perpetuate it and adoption of the skills necessary to alleviate it such that in the final analysis, the poor will be primary beneficiaries of the SEARSOLIN programs.
It is part of the 50-hectare campus of the university located in the Upper Carmen area, known affectionately by students, staff, and alumni alike as the "Manresa Farm" (named after the town in Spain where St. Ignatius of Loyola, one of the three co-founders of the Society of Jesus, prayed in solitude in a nearby cave from 1522–23).
| Executive Directors of the Southeast Asia Rural Social Leadership Institute | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tenure |
| Fr. William F. Masterson, S.J. | 1964–1984 |
| Fr. Antonio J. Ledesma S.J., D.D. | 1984–1993 |
| Anselmo B. Mercado, Ph.D. | 1993–2007 |
| Fr. Josenilo G. Labra, S.J. | 2007–2012 |
| Fr. Rene C. Tacastacas, S.J. | 2012–2016 |
| Roel R. Ravanera, M.A., M.S.Ag. | 2016–present |
Since then, it has trained thousands of rural, social development leaders from different parts of the Asia–Pacific and Africa.
The Social Leadership Course is offered annually from June to December and is packaged in a monthly modular form in a series of ten modules that allows the participants more flexibility to select and stay for a shorter or longer period.
The modules are:
The SEARSOLIN program has always been deliberately integrated and generalist, believing in training the whole person to enable her/him to be at the service of all, through the blending of value courses and social sciences as well as management and practical skills. SEARSOLIN focuses on the 'head' (theory/thinking), the 'heart' (values/loving), and the 'hands' (practical/doing). The pedagogy is more "hands-on" than strictly academic. The community live-in training of several months provides a unique experience and rich socio-cultural dynamics during which the international participants develop fellowship, camaraderie and leadership values and skills.