Portugal – December 2024 - Students from the Salesian Artisan Schools of Łódź, belonging to the Province of Warsaw, Poland (PLE), participated in the Erasmus "Setúbal Project", co-funded by the European Union. As part of the project, two groups of 15 students carried out two-week professional internships for computer technicians and mechatronic technicians. During the organisation and carrying out of the internship, the school collaborated with "EDUGEP" and the Vocational School in Setúbal. The stay in Portugal was an intense time for students to acquire new professional skills and develop competences in an international environment. The internships took place at local companies, which allowed participants to improve their qualifications and learn about the realities of working abroad. An important element of the trip was also the opportunity to form their spirituality with the pilgrimage to Fatima. Each group was accompanied by a Salesian priest and a Salesian collaborator working in the Salesian Artisan Schools, who supported the young people during their stay and internships.

Wisła, Poland – January 2025 – From 3 to 5 January 2025, 40 young people from different regions of Poland chose to spend the first days of the new year in a retreat organised by the Salesians. The reflections focused on love, especially seen with the eyes of John the Evangelist, and the young people also had the opportunity to explore the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis "Christus Vivit". In the magnificent scenery of the Polish mountain town of Wisła, the participants enjoyed spiritual and physical strengthening, sharing a sense of gratitude and mutual support.

Text and photo: Aleksandra Drabik

Mezzano di Primiero, Italy – January 2025 - From 2 to 4 January, the evocative setting of Mezzano di Primiero was the location for a meeting full of experiences, emotions and formation for ninety participants, including young people and guides, from different Salesian places in the Triveneto. The initiative, organised in the style of Don Bosco and the Salesian charism, was led by the groups of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) from the Triennium, the Research Group, "Face to Face" and "SYM Play", accompanied by Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. In addition, from 4 to 6 January about fifty young university students and workers from the largest group of SYM Uni-Lav young people, gathered in Mezzano di Primiero to experience three days of formation, prayer and sharing. Led by the walking team, the participants explored the theme of being children of the Father, linked to the sacrament of Baptism.

Pasadena, United States – January 2025 – Three Salesian high schools in Southern California gathered on New Year's Day to participate in an international event called the "2025 Tournament of Roses Parade". Comprised of young people from the Bishop Mora Salesian High School, the Don Bosco Technical Institute and the St John Bosco High School, the Salesians of Don Bosco Southern California High School Marching Band worked together during the past year. The talented young musicians have formed a united and harmonious group to march proudly in the internationally televised parade. "We had the opportunity to share through television networks that these schools are affiliated with the Salesians of Don Bosco, an international Catholic religious order that uses ‘Reason, religion and kindness’ as keys to educate young people," said Karen Krynen Director of Communication at the Don Bosco Technical Institute. The President of the "2025 Tournament of Roses Parade" was Ed Morales, a Salesian past pupil who graduated from Bosco Tech, born in 1981. He met with the Salesian band and the directors to encourage them and congratulate them.

Photo by Ed Morales: www.tournamentofroses.com

Italy – January 2025 - From 3 to 5 January, about thirty young leaders from Calabria, Campania, Basilicata and Santeramo in Colle gathered in Grumento Nova, and about sixty from Puglia gathered in Santeramo in Colle, all united to work at the "Stage Animators". The common thread was social communication, but not the cold kind of social networks, but of messages that reach the heart, of glances that create bonds and of words that can change the world. As Don Bosco taught, true communication is born from listening and love for others, and the youngsters experienced all this firsthand. The mornings were dedicated to formation on Don Bosco and Mother Mary Mazzarello, recognised as great communicators and among the first to adopt innovative communication strategies. This approach laid the foundations for the practical workshops held in the afternoons that were the beating heart of the Stage: from creative writing, where the youngxsters worked together to create a song that will be released on 31 January – a hymn to dreams and hope – to the creation of creative and engaging video reels that tell stories. There were also writing workshops dedicated to the creation of articles; podcasts, focusing on spiritual themes intertwined with music, culture and attention to the local area; and theatre. The words "Those who live in hope, die in love" accompanied many moments of reflection, testifying that hope is not only a passive expectation, but the courageous choice of those who believe in the future.

Source: donboscoalsud.it

Yaoundé, Cameroon – January 2025 - As part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the first Salesian missionary expedition, the Equatorial Tropical Africa Vice-Province (ATE) welcomed Fr Simplice Tchoungang, the first African missionary integrated into the Europe project. After his visit to the Prenovitiate at Ebolowa (Southern Cameroon), Fr Tchoungang arrived at the community of the St Augustine  theologate at Nkol-Afeme where he spoke to Salesian theology students about his missionary experience in Austria, carried out for over ten years with joy and zeal, which are renewed day after day. The Salesian community at the Saint Augustine theologate this year has 61 Salesians from 20 nationalities: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, DRC Congo, Spain, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Chad and Togo, three continents (Africa, Europe and Asia) and 11 Provinces and Vice-Provinces of Africa and Madagascar (ANG, ACC, AFC, AFE, AGL, ANN, AON, AOS, ATE, MDG, TZA). At the end of the Eucharist presided over by Fr Tchoungang, words of thanks were addressed by Fr Privat Ignace Fouda, formator of the theologate and Delegate for Missionary Animation of the ATE Vice-Province.