The 2020 graduates make up a very special group. Many did not have the year they dreamed of, but found examples of improvement, unity and attention.
When the lessons were suspended, in March, the 5th-year manager, Victoria Cantero, suggested to a student to create an Instagram profile to support communication between students and the educational center. The proposal was sent by WhatsApp and was accepted by eight young people who took responsibility for animating it.
"The main objective was to strengthen the bond between the students and the Institute," explained Leticia, the first to accept the challenge. "The proposals can be of various types: entertainment, information, interviews, games, lotteries and which have to do with the people of the Salesian Educational Community." Many of the young people took on these tasks and even thought of "giving this initiative a solidarity purpose," she explained.
With their minds and hearts ready to help, the youths presented the idea to Fr José Lara (Fuyi) and Fr Adrián Botta, the Director, who supported them and committed themselves to providing the physical space and necessary elements.
Leticia says that at the beginning they were not very confident, "but as days went by it was a success, we managed to collect a lot of warm clothes, shoes and blankets."
The work was divided into phases: first the collection and storage, then the cleaning and rearrangement of the most neglected items, also thanks to the collaboration of their families. "This experience left us so happy and gratified that we decided to face the next, the most difficult challenge, in which we would need the help of an adult: the food basket of solidarity."
In fact, Letizia stresses that greater collaboration was needed to achieve this new challenge. Seventeen young people joined the new proposal. They began to collect food, and found the collaboration of many people. So many kilos of rice arrived that the youths now intend to carry out the initiative both in July and in August.
"This initiative is very important and will leave its mark on our lives. To the measure that we help, we enrich ourselves and put into practice values such as solidarity, generosity, humility and friendship, thus alleviating this sad situation in times of pandemic," concludes Leticia.
