Kinshasa, DR Congo – December 2024 – Members of the Salesian Family met Our Lady of the Nativity Salesian community in Masina II, headquarters of the Mary Help of Christians Vice-Province of Africa Congo-Congo (ACC), on Sunday 1 December,   concluding the year with a meeting on "The Dream at Nine Years of Age". After welcoming the different groups of the Salesian Family, the day began with a Eucharistic concelebration presided over by Fr Sylvain Woto, Vice-Superior. After Mass, a group photo was taken in front of the new building of the St Thomas Aquinas postnovitiate. The theme of the day was then commented on by Fr Grégoire Marie Kifuayi, SDB, parish priest of St Achille Kiwanuka parish. At the end of the conference, the members of the various groups of the SF – Past Pupils of Don Bosco, Volunteers of Don Bosco, Salesian Cooperators, Salesians and the Association of Mary Help of Christians – met to discuss the dreams of young people, who are at the centre of the mission of the Salesian Family.

Quito, Ecuador – November 2024 – The 37th Assembly of the National Council of Salesian Education (CONESA) took place from 27 to 29 November, a space for dialogue, reflection and planning around the Salesian educational mission in Ecuador. For three days, directors, rectors, vice-rectors, coordinators, teachers and heads of Salesian School Centres (CES) worked together to strengthen the Salesian School Project (PES), based on the richness of the charism of Don Bosco and the current needs of young people. Participants analysed the current state of Salesian institutions and their vision for the future. Fr Michal Vojtás, professor at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome and Director of the Don Bosco Study Centre, shared key ideas on the world's contemporary educational challenges from a Salesian perspective. With his extensive experience in the educational field and his deep knowledge of the Salesian charism, Fr Vojtáš shared reflections on educational challenges in a world characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. He stressed the need for the ESC not only to adapt to this evolving context, but to become a space for transformative leadership, capable of forming resilient, critical young people who are committed to building a more just and fraternal future. His vision inspired the participants to rethink their educational practices, promoting educational-pastoral communities that respond with hope and courage to the needs of a constantly changing global environment. The National Youth Directorate also participated in the meeting, to offer its perspective, which enriched the speeches and reflections and made it possible to align educational strategies with real needs, concerns and aspirations of the recipients of the Salesian mission.

(ANS – Tijuana) – In Tijuana, a metropolis on the border between Mexico and the United States, the Proyecto Salesiano associative network has created an innovative facility that offers migrant women and children not only a safe place, but also the opportunity to replan their future.