Spain - 20th State Congress of Salesian Youth Centres: the young protagonists of the future
El Campello, Spain – November 2024 - This weekend, the Confederation of Don Bosco Youth Centres in Spain, together with the Salesian National Centre for Youth Ministry and in collaboration with the Don Bosco Federation of the Valencian Community, held its 20th Congress in El Campello (Alicante). This event, funded by the Youth Institute, dependent on the Ministry of Youth and Children, and the Ministry of Social Rights and the 2030 Agenda, brought together 150 young leaders, volunteers from all over Salesian Spain, to share, learn and define new strategies to strengthen the participation of young people in Salesian youth centres. With a focus on the voices of young people, the congress was a space for dialogue and reflection where they themselves were protagonists, expressing their concerns and desires to build more welcoming and engaged spaces. The event was attended by numerous personalities and experts including Fr Fernando Miranda, Provincial of Spain's Mary Help of Christians Province (SMX); Vicente Ripoll, General Director of the Valencian Youth Institute (IVAJ in Spanish); Fr Francisco Cervantes, Head of Oratories and Youth Centres for the Youth Ministry Sector at Salesian Headquarters. The latter stressed the fundamental importance of the Salesian oratory as a space for meeting, formation and continuous renewal for young people. María José Silva, Provincial Pastoral Coordinator of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, and Fr José Miguel Núñez, Director of the Salesian National Centre for Youth Ministry, thanked the efforts and commitment of the leaders from all the youth centres who continue to commit themselves to a solid and real education in their free time, entrusting themselves to the Gospel, accompanied by the charism of Don Bosco and Mother Mazzarello.