(ANS - New York) - During the 59th Session of the Commission for Social Development, taking place from 8 to 17 February at the United Nations headquarters in New York, the pioneering work that the Salesians carry out, in India, to track down the escaped and missing children was presented. The data were illustrated by Ms. Maheswari Balan, researcher and analyst of the Salesian network YaR (Young at Risk), during a webinar held on 9 February and focused on digital technologies used to track down homeless children.

(ANS - Vienna) - The meeting entitled: "Human rights work in challenging times - ways forward" took place on Monday 1 February in digital mode. The event, promoted by the Platform of Fundamental Rights - a body of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), based in Vienna, saw the involvement of "Don Bosco International" (DBI), the body representing the Salesians of Don Bosco at the European institutions, which led a thematic session entitled: “Promoting the rights of young citizens of third countries in alternative assistance services”.

(ANS - Soyapango) - With the aim of strengthening the links between Salvadoran society and its Scholarship Program (Probecas), the Don Bosco University of El Salvador, through its Department of Social Planning,  organized the traditional event “It's Good to Give Education” for the fourth consecutive year. It was held in mid-January, and which, due to the pandemic, took place in virtual mode.

(ANS - Brussels) - In view of the annual celebrations for the feast day of Don Bosco, the body that represents the Salesians in European institutions, "Don Bosco International" (DBI), wishes to promote reflection on the role of education. For this reason it has organized for next Friday, January 29, 2021, an online conference entitled: “Next Generation Edu - Education for the Future of Europe”. Opening the meeting will be the President of the European Parliament, David Maria Sassoli, with a speech entitled "The role of education in the present and future of Europe" and the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel.

(ANS - Sesto San Giovanni) - As usual, in view of the Feast Day of Don Bosco, the “Don Bosco” Social Works of Sesto San Giovanni are promoting a high-level educational conference. This year the organizers have chosen a theme that combines education, at the center of the Salesian charism, with the theme of hope, delivered by the Rector Major to the Salesian Family through the Strenna for 2021. Title of this seventh edition of the conference - which this year will not be in attendance, but in live streaming - is in fact: “Educating… A choice that is a sign and bearer of hope”. Leading the work sessions, on January 20, from 14:30 to 17:00 (UTC + 1), will be Fr Fabio Attard.

(ANS - Rome) - The Spirituality Days of the Salesian Family take place online from Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January. To date, more than 5,000 registrations have already been made among the 12 regional-linguistic coordination centers.

(ANS - Rome) – On Wednesday 9 December, the Pedagogical Institute of the Faculty of Educational Sciences and the Don Bosco Study Center of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) of Rome organized an online round table on the theme: “Called to relaunch the Global Educational Pact. To guard our common home”. This is a challenge that the academic community, Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians together, want to accept in order to offer a specific contribution and reflect on how to relaunch the “Global Compact on Education” in several typical areas of the Salesian mission.

(ANS – Rome) – The Department of Social Communication of the Salesians of Don Bosco hosted its virtual meeting on December 5th, 2020, to dialogue about how to use new technologies for the purpose of education, formation, animation, information, and engagement in the present digital age.

(ANS - Seville) - The IV Meeting of the Salesian Social Platforms of the "Spain-Mary Help of Christians" (SMX) Province took place at the end of last month in digital mode on the theme: "United for others". The meeting brought together about 50 participants, including Rectors, Heads of social platforms and of individual areas of action. In the first part of the meeting there was a reflection on the Rector Major's Strenna, as a message of stimulus in the face of the challenges that await the Social Platforms. Specifically, in his opening speech to the meeting, Fr ​​Joan Valls, Coordinator of Social Platforms, referred to the challenges that social platforms must take on deriving from two situations. On the one hand, the pandemic: discerning what it implies and what it calls for; on the other hand, the definitive start-up of the new Salesian foundation of the SMX Province.