The work of the day focused on summarising the situation of communication projects such as Salesian Bulletins, radio stations, publishing houses, printing and distribution centres, and on evaluating the progress of the plan established for the continent.
Fr Ricardo Campoli, reference person for the Americas within the Congregation's Sector for Social Communication, said that such appointments invite us to think like a family, like a network, and to promote mutual enrichment. "Charismatically we are responding to the essence of our Salesian spirit, because we are a family that shares. This makes it very important to think of ourselves as a network, because it gives us the opportunity to share our products for the good, for the proclamation of the Gospel and for the growth of Salesianity. We enrich each other!”
The team also held an online meeting with all the Delegates for Social Communication on the continent to discuss issues related to the World Congress of Social Communication to be held in 2024. In addition, some best communication practices in the different Provinces and the most important needs of the moment were shared.
The team also coordinated a meeting of the "Voices" program in America, an initiative promoted by Fr Gildasio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communication, which recognises, discovers and enhances communication projects that have arisen among indigenous populations and young people in vulnerable conditions and migrants.
For Zaida Navarrete, Coordinator of the Social Communication Delegates Team in the Americas, having spaces for dialogue and reflection on communication is a necessity: "In the Salesian environment we are a large family with many sectors, therefore, looking for mechanisms to work in an orderly manner is not a luxury, but a necessity. We need a body that points the compass in the same direction. In addition, it is useful and appropriate to cultivate the wealth of sharing our experiences, to see the urgent needs and how we can support each other as a team" she said.
Vicente Fritz, Provincial Delegate for Social Communication in the Province of Chile, commented that ECSA is unique in the Salesian world, and said: "We worked on synodal, evangelical, open and inclusive communication, choosing some priorities from the Rector Major's guidelines then taking up Pope Francis' global educational pact."
In addition to the people already mentioned, the meeting was also attended by Juan José Chiappetti, new coordinator of the publishing houses sector; Marcelo Mejía, outgoing coordinator of the publishing houses; Jocasta Pimentel, of the radio sector; Fr Juan Pablo Abreu, for the Arts and Culture sector; Fr João Carlos Ribeiro, reference person for the America South Cone region and Portuguese speaker; and Cristóbal Cáceres, reference person for the Andean Region and Spanish speaker.
