Bangalore, India – 27 September 2024 – The Don Bosco Skill Mission Centre (DBSM) Salesian youth skills development centre in Bangalore, equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, was founded to offer high-level train the trainer programmes and advanced skills upgrading for talented youngsters. This term, the vibrant campus welcomes 202 graduates from all over India, specialising in subjects such as Cloud Computing for IT professionals and Distributed Component Object Model’for electrical engineers. Since its foundation, the centre has successfully trained 8,912 young people, boasting an impressive 75% placement rate. The programme is completely free of charge, a testament to DBSM's commitment to providing high-level training, food and accommodation, ensuring a holistic and enriching experience for all participants. The impact of DBSM also extends beyond the training campus. The institute has forged strong, long-term partnerships with international groups, such as a Japanese team tasked with training and supporting the employment of NEET (non-student, non-working) Indian youth living in Japan, particularly with skills in IT and technology. The DBSM has also strengthened its links with other Salesian provinces, hosting programmes across the Salesian network and optimising its resources to benefit more people in need. These collaborations have created very significant opportunities to share resources and exchange expertise, improving support for young people in many Salesian institutions.

Porto, Portugal - September 2024 - The 14th formation event for pastoral workers ‘E-vangelizar’ marked a new chapter in its growth this year in Porto: for the first time, it was held over two days, on 28 and 29 September, under the motto ‘This hope does not deceive’. The event, organised as usual by Salesianos Editora and Fundação Salesianos, saw an impressive number of participants, with more than 780 registered. Hosted, as usual, at the Salesian Institute in Porto, the event began with a moment of prayer, followed by the opening conference led by Fr Rui Alberto, Editorial Director of Salesianos Editora. Afterwards, pastoral workers were able to participate in five of the 25 workshops offered in the programme, at their choice. The topics were diverse and focused on the challenges facing pastoral workers today: ‘Inclusion and Diversity’, ‘Positive Discipline in Catechesis’, ‘Talking about God to those who do not believe’, ‘Psychology of Adolescence’, ‘Assertive Communication’ and also formation on the new Emmaus Catechetical Curriculum, among others.

Santiago, Chile – September 2024 - 30 September saw the start of the Salesian Olympics, the main sporting and cultural milestone in the celebration of 50 years of the Salesian Youth Movement (SYM) in Chile. The start of the Salesian Olympics took place simultaneously in the six venues hosting the event in the Santiago Metropolitan Region: the Liceo Manuel Arriarán Barros in La Cisterna, the Camilo Ortúzar Montt institute in Macul, the Domingo Savio school in San Ramón, the El Patrocinio de San José de Providencia school, the Oratorio Don Bosco and the Salesians Alameda centre. The event was broadcast live on Twitch and the competitions in the various disciplines, which can be viewed on the Olympics website, registered high viewing figures, with over 4,000 unique viewers in the first four hours of broadcast alone. The official launch ceremony took place in La Cisterna, presided over by the Salesian High School Principal, Marcela Yáñez. After the presentation of the delegations from the country's 22 Salesian schools, Fr Nelson Moreno, Provincial of the Salesians in Chile, greeted the approximately 1,140 students who will give life this space of healthy competition until Friday 4 October: “You have come from different places in Chile, from the north to the south, to celebrate joy and being Salesians. These Olympics are part of the activities of the MGS and we celebrate them with our expressions, such as sport, art and culture (...) Young Salesians from the North, the Centre and the South are equal, because they share the joy of being part of history” he said.

To follow transmissions from the Olympics, visit https://salesianos.cl/olimpiadas/