(ANS - Brussels) - In view of the annual celebrations for the feast day of Don Bosco, the body that represents the Salesians in European institutions, "Don Bosco International" (DBI), wishes to promote reflection on the role of education. For this reason it has organized for next Friday, January 29, 2021, an online conference entitled: “Next Generation Edu - Education for the Future of Europe”. Opening the meeting will be the President of the European Parliament, David Maria Sassoli, with a speech entitled "The role of education in the present and future of Europe" and the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel.

(ANS - Sesto San Giovanni) - As usual, in view of the Feast Day of Don Bosco, the “Don Bosco” Social Works of Sesto San Giovanni are promoting a high-level educational conference. This year the organizers have chosen a theme that combines education, at the center of the Salesian charism, with the theme of hope, delivered by the Rector Major to the Salesian Family through the Strenna for 2021. Title of this seventh edition of the conference - which this year will not be in attendance, but in live streaming - is in fact: “Educating… A choice that is a sign and bearer of hope”. Leading the work sessions, on January 20, from 14:30 to 17:00 (UTC + 1), will be Fr Fabio Attard.

(ANS - Rome) - The Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family take place online from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January. To date, more than 5,000 registrations have already been made among the 12 regional-linguistic coordination centers.

(ANS - Rome) – On Wednesday 9 December, the Pedagogical Institute of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and the Don Bosco Study Center of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) of Rome organized an online round table on the theme: “Called to relaunch the Global Educational Pact. To guard our common home”. This is a challenge that the academic community, Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians together, want to accept in order to offer a specific contribution and reflect on how to relaunch the “Global Compact on Education” in several typical areas of the Salesian mission.

(ANS – Rome) – The Department of Social Communication of the Salesians of Don Bosco hosted its virtual meeting on December 5th, 2020, to dialogue about how to use new technologies for the purpose of education, formation, animation, information, and engagement in the present digital age.

(ANS - Seville) - The IV Meeting of the Salesian Social Platforms of the "Spain-Mary Help of Christians" (SMX) Province took place at the end of last month in digital mode on the theme: "United for others". The meeting brought together about 50 participants, including Rectors, Heads of social platforms and of individual areas of action. In the first part of the meeting there was a reflection on the Rector Major's Strenna, as a message of stimulus in the face of the challenges that await the Social Platforms. Specifically, in his opening speech to the meeting, Fr ​​Joan Valls, Coordinator of Social Platforms, referred to the challenges that social platforms must take on deriving from two situations. On the one hand, the pandemic: discerning what it implies and what it calls for; on the other hand, the definitive start-up of the new Salesian foundation of the SMX Province.

(ANS - Sliema) - The Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) of Europe and the Middle East held its traditional General Assembly on November 20-21. Although it was planned to be hosted by Malta, the current situation required it to be done online. More than 60 young people, representatives of the various countries, accompanied by Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, participated in the meeting, which was always accompanied by the virtual presence of the General Councilors for Youth Ministry Sister Runita Borja, for the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and Fr Miguel Ángel García Morcuende, for the Salesians. The theme of the Assembly revolved around the so-called 4 Cs": Crisis, Connectivity, Communion and “coinvolgimento”, i.e., Involvement.

(ANS – Nairobi) – The 5th Annual Stakeholders Assembly (ASA) of Don Bosco Tech Africa (DBTA) kicked off on Monday 16th November at DBYES in Nairobi, Kenya and ended on 20th November 2020.

(ANS – Assisi) – The Economy of Francesco (EoF), a global online event that engaged young people, entrepreneurs and economists was held from 19 to 21 November, from Assisi in Italy. It was called for by Pope Francis in 2019 through a public letter of invitation, in which he hoped to promote: “a process of global change. One in which not only believers but all men and women of good will, beyond differences of creed and nationality, can participate, inspired by an ideal of fraternity attentive above all to the poor and excluded.” Don Bosco Green Alliance participated in the “EoF Marathon”, which was held as part of the overall Economy of Francesco event.