After a long pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the formation process, involving games, began last October once more for this age group as part of this pastoral year. It is a fully missionary initiative.
They have been months of intense and joyful activities, conducted non-stop until May just ended. Every Thursday from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm, different mothers/leaders welcomed about 30 children. The idea that has been the backbone of the entire process this year has been to take a journey on an imaginary train through 5 of the continents, while the customs, languages, traditions, monuments and interesting aspects are explained. Through careful choice of introductory dances, educational videos, scenes, puppet theatre and various themed practical activities, the entertainers provided the children with simple information about the continent that was being dealt with during that month.
The last half-hour of the meeting gave way to games and snacks in the oratory and concluded with prayer led by young Salesians, the Director, Fr Calderoni, and practical trainee Marco Piana.
The year was marked by two great moments of celebration and coming together: the “Peoples' Cribs” at Christmas and the “Peoples' Festival” in May.
“It was beautiful to create a living nativity scene where instead of the three Magi, the children, dressed as peoples of the world, brought to Jesus what they held most dear” one of the educators shared. Asians, for example, brought rice that symbolises the hard work of every family; Africans brought water, so precious and difficult to find, and the kalimba, an ancient musical instrument to sing the joy of living despite hardships and daily difficulties. The peoples gathered to thank Jesus who, for the occasion, had been lying inside an Indian hut.
In May, however, when this year's ideal journey had come to an end, the children took their parents and grandparents for a ride in a train made of "live" wagons and wearing typical clothes, so they could briefly go back over their journey with the "Peoples' Festival".
“Songs, dances and little scenes to tell everyone how wonderful it was to be brothers and sisters, precious to each other hand in hand, thanking God for giving human beings a wonderful world" the leader said. "Simple messages, small efforts and short scenes of course, but we believe that the message went straight to the hearts of our little ones: ‘the world has a thousand colours’ The diversity of colour or race becomes something to wonder at. Every human being is a brother or sister, and we are all children of one Father who always loves us!
