(ANS – Rome) – In many countries in the northern hemisphere, young people are in vacation in July and August. This creates also a great opportunity for missionary volunteering. The Congregation has a very rich and varied experience in this area. Many young people spend a few weeks, even a month, in various forms of apostolate, animation, volunteering or summer experiences in different parts of the world.
Pictures of the summer activities of the Salesian oratories and youth centers from around the globe
Aleppo, Syria - July 7, 2017 - Offering children and teenagers a trip or a walk outside the traditional courtyards of a Salesian house is always a source of joy, but it is especially so in Aleppo. On Wednesday, July 5, about 900 people from the city's Salesian oratory visited the "Citadel of Aleppo", the most famous urban monument, located on a hill in the historic center.
(ANS - Madrid) - Summer camps and tours are among the many activities planned for approximately 18,000 children who take part in the Salesian summer activities organized by 2,500 leaders and 350 Salesians. When school finishes thousands of young people enjoy a well-deserved holiday and the Salesians, particularly through the youth centres, offer educational and recreational activities that respond to one of their specific pedagogical objectives - the educational use of leisure time.
(ANS - Rijeka) - The Salesians have been in Croatia since 1914. The country has experienced great changes in this period, with the dictatorship, the war of independence, and so on. The testimony of Fr Goran Antunovic, 32 year-old Salesian working in Rijeka (Fiume), provides an overview of the current situation.
(ANS - Dakar) – International volunteering enriches the lives of those who experience it. But what is it, in fact? "In Africa I discovered the stimulating world of Development Cooperation and I acquired skills in planning.” So says Leonard, an economics student, who spent two months working with the young people who attend the Salesian Centre in Dakar, Senegal. This is his testimony.
PHOTO GALLERY
INTERVIEWS
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RMG – “Do Elderly Salesians have a role in the Digital Culture?”The answer in the letter “Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture” from the General Councillor for Social Communication
(ANS – Rome) – In view of the current digital reality, and due to the presence, especially in some regions of the Salesian world, of a large number of elderly Salesians, the General Councillor for Social Communication, Fr Gildasio Mendes, has decided to dedicate a special letter to them, entitled: "Sharing wisdom and hope in digital culture". Here is how he explains to ANS readers today the origins, significance and perspectives of this document.
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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Latin America – Strengthening Vocational and Educational Commitment Today: 30 Years of the Salesian School in Latin America(ANS) – Since the first meeting in Cumbayá (Ecuador), 30 years ago, educational processes on the continent have found a collaborative epicentre which has given rise to the Salesian School in (Latin) America – ESA, in Spanish – as a forum for reflection and a common path. Many Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB), Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (FMA) and other groups of the Salesian Family (SF) have enriched this synodal journey, focusing on young people and their integral development. What are today's demands of us in the educational field? How are we building the Salesian School of the future? Can we further strengthen this great Salesian educational network in America? Some FMAs and Salesians who were at the first meeting in 1994, share their experience and their vision of how this journey has allowed a growth in the understanding of the youth reality, in the strategic decisions within the Provinces themselves and in the challenges that emerge for Salesian education.
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.