Christoph Sachs began his presentation by highlighting the situation in Europe, which is drastically changing in terms of faith and tradition. A recent finding from 2022 revealed that half of the population of Germany does not belong to any church. A similar situation is found in other parts of Europe. While many reasons could be pointed out for this drastic change, the existence of the Salesian Bulletin also faces a huge challenge. The laity is no longer passionate about working for the Catholic magazine.

He  explained how the Editors of the Salesian Bulletin in these regions are constantly emerging with certain strategies to stay relevant. They have defined their target groups without any ambiguity. The parents of the young and our past pupils are their specific target group, and the articles pertaining to them and their needs are published. He also added, saying “We do not directly write about Don Bosco, but we translate his charism into various current trends and themes. For example, we write about the mental challenges of the young and other tips for parenting”. He moreover added that they  have multiple distribution channels that help them to disseminate this content into various other forms. They use digital formats, social media, and they constantly analyze their reach through data analytics.

Br. Clarence Watts began his presentation on the theme “Salesian Bulletin in the Service of Solidarity and Peace” with a song on peace. He explained how peace becomes an important necessity as we are living in times of war where thousands of people are dying and losing their livelihood. In this context, we all need to become messengers of peace and solidarity. Br. Clarence Watts stated, “We are present in more than 134 countries, which is higher than the presence of McDonald's. The Salesian Bulletin can equally make more impact and we can follow the methodology of Jesus Christ to narrate stories for creating change in the world”. He underlined the need for conducting events that can help people to understand the significance of peace and solidarity. He concluded stating, that it is the call of every creative professional, especially the directors of the Salesian Bulletin, to become agents of peace and solidarity.

Fr. Bobby Kannazhath in his presentation highlighted the situation of the Salesian Bulletin in the Asian Region. The South Asian region has a vast population but with only 2.6% population of Christians. It has a mixture of many languages and cultures. Fr. Bobby spoke about how the Salesian Congregation is actively involved in empowering the youngsters through more than 500 institutions established in the region. There is one Salesian Bulletin in English that is common for everyone, while many individual provinces have the Salesian Bulletin in their local languages. He stated: “In India there are so many Christian and secular magazines, and each has a specific objective. The Salesian Bulletin in our non-Christian context has the specific objective to empower the young and to instil in them moral values”. He specified that SB as a tool offers space for value clarification and discussion, stating that the issues treated are always that of the minorities, the young, the poor, ecology and peace. He also spoke on some of the challenges facing Salesian Bulletin namely, poor reading habits, lack of finance and poor circulation strategies etc.

The three presentations opened the minds and hearts of the participants on the geographic and cultural ambience in which the Salesian Bulletin functions today.  It was an opportunity to know, understand and learn some strategies from others and offered insights as to what needs to be done to  strengthen the Salesian Bulletin in each of the provinces. 

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