The participants in the meeting followed a path that began with interventions to explore youth situations from the sociopolitical perspective of the Church and Salesian Youth Ministry at the international level.
The first day began with a Eucharistic celebration at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida. Then, in the “Father Vítor Coelho de Almeida” Event Centre, the more than 400 participants in the meeting attended the video message sent by the Mother General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Chiara Cazzuola, who congratulated the Salesian Network Brazil for the initiative. And Fr Miguel Angel García Morcuende, General Councillor for Salesian Youth Ministry, brought the greetings of the Rector Major.
After greetings from the various other authorities present, Prof. Dr. Maurício Perondi, of the Faculty of Education Sciences at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, gave the first address on "Where do young people go? Trends and opportunities".
Then, in the report "By his side" Bishop Nelson Francelino Ferreira, former President of the Episcopal Commission for Youth Ministry of the Brazilian Episcopal Conference, reflected together with the participants on the Church's Youth Ministry Plan for the Country.
The Salesian perspective on Youth Ministry was explored through the two subsequent speakers. Sister Ivone Goulart Lopes, of the international FMA YM team, spoke of “Daughters of Mary Help of Christians: a synodal youth ministry for the lives of all”; while Fr. García Morcuende spoke of "A youth ministry that educates to love".
The second day of the meeting was opened by the President of the RSB, Sister Teresinha Ambrosim, and by the Vice-President, Fr Ricardo Carlos, who spoke on the theme “The meaning of online mission”.
A round table followed, led by the national coordinators of Salesian Youth Ministry – Fr. José Ricardo Mole and Sister Nádia Caetano – on the importance of pastoral educational action to achieve the results expected by the Salesian Network Brazil.
At the end of the morning, the “Identity Project” and the “Educommunication Project in Social Action” were presented as best work practices with young people in the presence of the RSB.
In the afternoon, each participant could choose to attend two of the four workshops offered on urgent issues for young people in Brazil. "Gender identity, diversity and inclusion: a current agenda" was the theme of the workshop held by Prof. Clarice Souza Pinto, a dynamic, participatory and brilliant workshop to convey very concrete and practical content on the subject.
Prof. Moisés Sbardelotto, of the Faculty of Communication of the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, was the curator of the workshop: "Inhabiting social networks: towards a full presence".
The theme “The upright citizen: social and political participation for the common good” was dealt with by Igor Bastos, coordinator of the Laudato Si 'Movement for the Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries.
Finally, the topic of integral ecology was addressed by Sister Laura Vicuña Pereira, a Franciscan catechist of Kariri indigenous ethnicity, in the workshop: "Everything is interconnected: taking care of our common home".
The celebration of the Eucharist marked both the end of the second and the beginning of the third day. On 30 August the work also included specific work times for the Province, so that the participating groups could give suggestions and recommendations to the Salesian Network Brazil. These proposals were then presented to the plenary assembly and the highlights were the organisation of a Youth Observatory at the national level, investment in the formation of Salesian educators (in schools, social works, parishes, etc.) and the intensification of the Salesian presence and active listening in the environments in which young people live.
The RSB National Meeting ended with the reading and approval of the Manifesto to Young People, a document prepared jointly by the participants, who sent in their reflections, ideas and proposals throughout the event.
The document presents 12 commitments that include, among other things, listening carefully to young people, promoting youth involvement, building bridges and strengthening action in defence of life and overcoming violence imposed on young people. In the text, the RSB also reaffirms its commitment to remaining open "to all types of young people, understanding the contexts of change" and to support Salesian presences "in their process of being institutions that welcome the cry for humanisation that comes from young people".
The Manifesto concludes by directly telling young people: "We are here for you and with you. We want to help you discover your best self, grow in every dimension of your life, and build a world where everyone can live with dignity and love. ‘For you I study, for you I work, for you I live, for you I am also willing to give my life until my last breath’."
