(ANS - Caen) - On Thursday, May 25 and Friday, May 26, the third meeting of the "Don Bosco Action Social" (DBAS) network was held in Caen, following those in Bordeaux in 2018 and Lyon in 2021. Around 100 directors, managers and administrators of the 24 member associations (representing a hundred different structures and services) in the "St. Francis de Sales" Province of France, Belgium and Morocco (FRB) were present. On the occasion, Charlotte Caubel, Secretary of State with responsibility for Children, went to the heart of Salesian charitable institutions in the Department of Calvados: in the morning to Troarn, to meet with the teams of the "Notre-Dame" Center; then, in the afternoon, she spoke at the "Lemonnier" Institute in Caen, where she was welcomed by the Salesian Provincial, Fr. Daniel Federspiel.
(ANS - Madrid) - On May 9 and 10, families attending Salesian presences in the Spain-Saint James the Greater (SSM) Province had the opportunity to participate in two webinars where they worked on how to create a "Safe Environment," both in families and in Salesian homes.
(ANS - La Coruña) - On Saturday, May 6, in honor of St. Domenico Savio, the groups of children and youth of the "Itinerary of Faith Education" of the Spain-Saint James the Greater (SSM) Province - Saltimbanquis, Andaina, and ADS -, which are part of the Federation of Salesian Youth Centers of Galicia, celebrated their "Xuntanza," that is, their festive gathering. The event took place at the "Abeiro" youth center in La Coruña, marking the 30th anniversary of its founding. Similar events were also held on the same day and the following day in León and Deusto.
(ANS - Soyapango) - As evidence of its determined action to support children and youth in El Salvador, the Salesian program "Fundación Salvador del Mundo" (FUSALMO) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Association "Museo de los Niños - Tin Marín" (Children's Museum - Tin Marín). The objective of the agreement is to promote training and education programs that help the moral development of young people to build their identity through social coexistence, harmony and respect.
Slavina, Slovenia - December 2022 - Since last spring, due to the war, 20 children from the orphanage in Severodonetsk, Ukraine, together with the staff of the same institution, have found shelter in Slavina, a village near the town of Postojna, Slovenia, where they have been warmly welcomed by the locals. In November, the "Fundacija Don Bosko," of the Salesian Province of Slovenia (SLO), organized a campaign to help the little orphans called "Let's Give Joy to the Children"; and on December 6 in the orphanage in Slavina the feast of St. Nicholas was organized, St. Nicholas being in Slovenia and other Central European nations the patron saint of goodness, the bishop who, accompanied by angels, distributes gifts to the children. The feast was also attended by some young people from the Salesian school in Želimlje, whose animation made the children even happier. Their smiles, faces surprised by the gifts, and enthusiasm for the music and other events were the best rewards for all those who joined the campaign.
(ANS – Bruxelles) – On the 4th of March 2022, the Ministers in charge of Family and Children Affairs of the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) gathered in Paris, hosted by the French Presidency of the Council of the EU. The aim of this conference was to monitor the national implementation of the European Child Guarantee, a brand new social policy launched in 2021 by the EU to prevent and fight child poverty and social exclusion in Europe. Don Bosco International (DBI), together with SOS Children's Villages International (SOS-CVI) and other civil society organizations, was entrusted with the task of ensuring high-quality child participation within the framework of this conference. Thanks to the coordination of DBI, children, and educators from Salesiani per il Sociale (Italy), Plataformas Sociales Salesianas (Spain), and the Salesian Province of Malta were actively involved in this participatory process.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: "Being close counts, words come later"(ANS - Rome) - As he tells with a gentleness that does not seem to come from horror, he is "resting a little bit" in Rome these days. Fr Oleh Ladnyuk is a Ukrainian Salesian priest who is a military chaplain at the front, among the soldiers who fight in defence of their country and among the civilians who for over two years have seen their lives wiped out. He brings humanitarian aid where the missiles fall and from those places he helps with the evacuation of young people and adults - so far at least 500 people, but there are probably many more. These days the Salesian – who carries out his ministry in Dnipro and teaches History in a state school in the city – is in Rome to take part with two other priests and a dozen lay people from his country in the "Accompanying when Trauma Hits" course hosted by the Pontifical Salesian University in collaboration with the Faculty of Educational Sciences, with the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation and the Don Bosco Network. A project that aims to provide theoretical and methodological tools to deal with the traumas caused by war.
EDITORIAL
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Myanmar – Tragedy of Innocent Children in the midst of Armed Conflicts(ANS – Naypyidaw) - Myanmar finds itself immersed in profound grief and anguish as innocent lives, particularly those of children, continue to be mercilessly lost in the enduring armed conflicts. Families are left devastated by the tragic loss of their loved ones while the relentless violence shows no signs of abating. This week, a heartfelt plea from Myanmar reached our community, shedding light on the heart-wrenching death of a young girl Juliet in a military airstrike, prompting a unified call for prayers and action.
EVENTS
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Italy – "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of protection and prevention models": PGS conference with UPS(ANS – Rome) – The synergy between the Salesian Youth Sports Centres (PGS) and the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome gave rise to the conference on "Education and culture of safeguarding in sport. Towards the establishment of models of protection and prevention", which will take place on 13 April, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., at the UPS facilities in Rome.
SPECIAL REPORTS
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United States – INT’L DAY FOR STREET CHILDREN: Salesian Missions highlights programs that provide shelter and support(ANS – New Rochelle) – Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, joins humanitarian and international organizations around the globe in highlighting the plight of homeless children on the International Day for Street Children. The day provides organizations and the millions of street children in countries worldwide with an opportunity to have their voices heard while ensuring that their rights are not ignored.
MESSAGES OF THE RECTOR MAJOR
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I’M A SALESIAN AND I’M A BOROROTHE MESSAGE OF THE RECTOR MAJOR, Fr Ángel Fernández Artime, SDB
Diary of a Happy and Blessed Missionary Day
Dear friends , I’m writing to you from Meruri in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. I write this greeting almost as if it were a journalistic report, because it has been only 24 hours since I arrived in the middle of this Brazilian state.