An example was the meeting of the young people of Achuar which took place from 14 to 16 February 2020, with the presence of 50 young people from five communities: Wichimi, Saapap-Entsa, Karakam, Setuch and Mamantsa.
The event was held for the first time in 2016, on the initiative of Fr Agustín Togo.
"This appointment was born as a result of pastoral visits to the communities, targeting primarily young people as Salesians," explained the priest, who belongs to the Wasakentsa community.
To reach Wichimi, many young people had to walk up to three hours, accompanied by their respective Etserin, that is, their catechists; it is an effort that demonstrates the motivation that the educational-pastoral proposal proposed by the Salesians generates in them.
On the inaugural day, several videos were presented on the reality of the Salesian presence in the world, in Ecuador and in the Amazon. The participants saw the work that the Salesians and lay people do for young people in different sectors: education, parishes, Andean missions, Amazonian missions ...
On Saturday morning, the young people present worked on the Rector Major's Strenna for 2020, which was the main theme of the meeting. Personal and group activities were developed that motivated the reflection and the pledging of concrete commitments on how to be a better Christian and an upright citizen at home, at school and in the community.
Sunday was the day chosen to carry out the "Garbage Challenge" project, a "challenge" that has become viral all over the world and that obliges the participants to clean up the natural spaces. Young people and the whole community went to collect the garbage in the main spaces of the community: the didactic unit, the dining room, the football field, the landing strip for small aircraft and the gym.
This activity ended with a message from Fr Tien Nguyenhuu, a Vietnamese Salesian missionary, who spoke about the importance of taking care of the "Common Home".
Subsequently, the Salesian Communication Office (CSO) held a report on communication and Salesianity, addressing the figure of Don Bosco as an apostle of the good press; the need to be communicators of Jesus' message to other people; and the responsible use of new information technologies and social networks, given that some of the participants have a profile on Facebook.
Every day there were also moments of prayer and the Eucharist was celebrated in the early morning with the traditional songs of the Achuar culture.
