The signing ceremony was attended by the archbishop of Antofagasta, Archbishop Ignacio Ducasse, representing the Fundación Educacional Región de la Minería, the principals of both Chilean schools and the directors of the Industrial Association of Antofagasta (AIA). Archbishop Ducasse, for his part, stressed that the signing is "an agreement of willingness to work with greater prospects for integration and the seal of the Salesian charism".
This agreement has crossed borders, as it is a pioneering alliance for the South American country which unites the various institutions involved around the objective of "designing a collaborative future in terms of formation, knowledge and culture", said the Director of Sarrià's work, Fr Francisco Álamo.
The Salesian schools in Antofagasta and Calama are part of the Fundación Educacional Región de la Minería, made up of the Archdiocese of Antofagasta and the aforementioned AIA.
The visit of the Spanish delegation to Chile consolidated the alliance between the technical and vocational training centres and became the starting point for future collaboration projects with schools, institutions and companies in the area, which stands out for its mining, industrial and technological wealth and for the development of renewable energies.
This is evidenced by the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Salesians, the Fundación Educacional Región de la Minería and AIA. “This visit makes practical a sustained work of AIA to transform this region into a window on the world; in this way, you can see all that the Antofagasta region has to offer in terms of innovation, science or education” said Julio Cerna, First Vice-President of AIA.
For their part, the Salesians in Sarrià were grateful for the careful organisation of the visit, the treatment and the accompaniment received from the organisers as part of an agreement that establishes fraternal ties between three Salesian schools united by a charism capable of bridging distance across the ocean.
