Lisbon, Portugal - November 2024 - The Juventude Atlântico Clube - football section received the ‘Quinas de Ouro 2024’ Award for its many years of work in football training. The prize, which was awarded to some of the best players, clubs and coaches, including the captain of the Portuguese football team, Cristiano Ronaldo, was presented by the Portuguese Football Federation. The Juventude Atlântico Clube - Football Department of the Salesians in Funchal received the award for their work in training athletes. The award ceremony took place on 11 November at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon, and included a video tribute to the various award-winning clubs, from the north to the south of mainland Portugal and the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira. The ceremony was broadcast on RTP1, the public television channel. “The Juventude Atlântico Clube has been a 3 Star Training Entity for five consecutive years and, as such, received this award as part of the ‘Quinas de Ouro’, for its remarkable contribution to the development and promotion of football training,” explained the JAC management. The club received the trophy and corresponding certificate sent by the Portuguese Football Association. The certification as a training body is the result of the evaluation of the quality of the facilities (pitch, swimming pool, auditorium, among others), training methods, coaches, organisation, encouragement of fair play and the training of parents and athletes.

Barcelona, Spain - November 2024 - Some 40 Bosco Global volunteers from different parts of the country met in Barcelona over the weekend of 9 and 10 November to share hopes, experiences and challenges for the future. Saturday began with a presentation of each person, to learn about their places of origin and how they work with Bosco Global. Then it was the turn of the international cooperation team, coordinated by Begoña Simal, who presented the projects being implemented in different parts of the world. Javier Medina, education coordinator, explained the projects and actions that are being implemented and Eva Caballero, volunteer coordinator, explained the next call for international volunteers. In the afternoon, the delegations’ forum took place, where, through group work, they discussed and shared how each person, starting from their local and Salesian reality, can contribute to strengthening a more inclusive and committed NGO. After sharing this work, Fr Jordi Lleixà, Vice-President of Bosco Global and Provincial Delegate for Youth Ministry in the Salesian Mary Help of Christians Province, Spain (SMX), presided over the Eucharist. On Sunday morning, several volunteers shared their experiences and initiatives, and the website https://boscoglobal.org/somosfuturo/ Joaquín Rodríguez, director of Bosco Global, explained in detail the origin and distribution of the organisation's funds, and thanked each delegation for their work in raising awareness and collecting resources.

Amatitán, Mexico - November 2024 - Ongoing formation weeks were held for the Salesians of the Mexico-Guadalajara Province (MEG) from 4 to 22 November. Three weeks of formation were held at Casa Betsaida in Amatitán, Jalisco, where each Salesian, depending on the week chosen, received formation on various topics. During each week in an atmosphere of fraternity, it was possible to explore how the Salesian mission is being carried out in each of the works. They began with a retreat and presentation on accompaniment. Afterwards, each participant was able to reflect on personal health care, the economy, youth realities, mission and vocation, social communication and the code of ethics.