For Santi "young people are simply young. They are children of theirs and of our time. The new socio-educational situations and the phenomena that affect the current condition of youth (new conception of free time, new forms of participation, lack of points of reference, fragmentation, secularization ...) require constant updating in the new juvenile areopagus, as our centers may, indeed, be."
"The two Provinces," he says, "have developed formation plans. A verifiable fact are the generations of young people who, after having spent a period of their lives in a Salesian school or youth center, have learned, together with their own worth, those social tools, that sense of commitment ... that make them yeast or leaven in the masses, in public entities, as in ecclesial ones."
"The Confederation of Don Bosco Youth Centers," he continues, describing the state of Spanish affairs, "was established on May 12, 1991, to offer more legal channels, through the Federations of Youth Centers, and greater participation, more technical, economic, training, support …". In Spain today there are 9 regional federations: "Don Bosco de Galicia", "Bosko Taldea", "Don Bosco Castilla y León", "Valdoco", "El Patio", "Don Bosco de Cataluña", "Don Bosco de Murcia", "Don Bosco Valencia" and "Main Aragon".
He talks about volunteering and emphasizes that: "I think it's one of the possible forms of collaboration. Without doubt, doing voluntary work is worthwhile ... The animation, the commitment, are based on motivations of great impact – of human, social and faith (if one is a believer). Let's not forget that volunteering is the engine of social transformation, and that as Christian volunteers we are building the Kingdom of God, a kingdom of humanity and happiness."
"Don Bosco," he concludes, "asks us to continue encouraging young people with creativity, to go to the inner-cities, to give the young the best we have, which is a very simple message: 'God loves you' and it is worthwhile to live following the path of the Gospel. And Don Bosco would conclude by saying, "Go forward, always forward."
