Speaking about DBGA, Fr Savio Silveira, the convener of the alliance, said, “Don Bosco Green Alliance is an important part of our Salesian Youth Ministry today. Young people feel very strongly about the environmental crisis, since they understand well the impact it has on their lives and their future. Accompanying young people as they seek solutions to environmental issues has to be an aspect of our youth ministry. Care for God’s creation is very definitely an integral element of our Salesian Youth Spirituality.”
The first year of DBGA has been very eventful, with members of the green alliance being involved in various programmes collectively. World Clean-up Day, celebrated on 15 September, saw several Salesian institutions that are part of the alliance, involving young people in clean-up activities, both, in their own campuses as well as in their neighbourhoods.
‘Salesian Youth for Climate Action’ was another global campaign by DBGA, from 15 November till 14 December, to raise awareness about COP24 and also to give young people the opportunity to express their views on the climate crisis. As part of this campaign, social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram were used to carry video messages from young people in Salesian institutions to world leaders meeting in Katowice, Poland.
A key moment of the past year was the presence of DBGA representatives at the conference ‘Saving Our Common Home and the Future of Life on Earth’, organized by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, to celebrate the third anniversary of the publication of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’. This conference, held over two days on 5-6 July at the Vatican, opened with a panel of five young people presenting their views on the environmental crisis and their personal reflections on the impact of Laudato Si’. Macson Almedia from DBGA was one of the five young persons on this opening panel.
Another important event was the launching of the Laudato Si’ Generation on 25 January during the celebration of the World Youth Day in Panama. DBGA was one of the founding members of Laudato Si’ Generation. Laudato Si’ Generation, which is the youth branch of the Global Catholic Climate Movement, aims at becoming a global youth movement that works for environmental issues, especially climate justice.
https://www.infoans.org/en/component/k2/item/7721-rmg-don-bosco-green-alliance-has-100-members-in-one-year#sigProIdd7c5ddfaf6