Inaugurating the programme, Fr Savio Silveira, the Provincial of the Mumbai Province, emphasized that the province was constantly looking for relevant ways to serve poor and disadvantaged young people. “Young people have their dreams; we Salesians want to support you in realizing your dreams” said Fr Silveira, addressing the youngsters present for the inauguration. He pointed out that we are today living in a world that is being increasingly driven by technology, particularly computer technology. In this situation, having advanced computer skills is highly necessary to find good employment and to build successful careers. Economically disadvantaged youth often miss out on available job opportunities, since they lack these skills. Fr Silveira explained that DB-ACE hoped to bridge the digital divide between poor youth and their economically fortunate peers, by providing disadvantaged youngsters highly advanced computer training a very low cost.
Fr Barnabe D’Souza, the director of Don Bosco Academy, Nerul, addressing the gathering, said that he was delighted that DB-ACE was being launched at Nerul. “This is the first centre in the Mumbai province to begin the DB-ACE programme” he said, “but we hope that this training programme will soon commence in other institutions of our province.” He then went on to explain that DB-ACE had been designed as a five-phase programme, beginning with basic computer skills, and then progressing to more complex skills, such as coding languages, cloud computing and artificial intelligence. He said that at the end of each training phase the students would receive an official certificate. Fr D’Souza reiterated that in this “dream year” of Don Bosco, the DB-ACE programme was a “dream project” initiated by the Salesians of the Mumbai Province, to offer marginalized youth the opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
With the launching of DB-ACE on the birthday of Don Bosco, the first batch of students have commenced their training at Don Bosco, Nerul. This same programme will be launched at Don Bosco, Chinchwad in October. Over the next few months, DB-ACE will be initiated in various institutions of the province. As we celebrate 200 years of Don Bosco’s dream, DB-ACE stands as a testament to his enduring legacy. It reflects his unwavering belief in the potential of every young person, regardless of their circumstances. By ensuring that the promises of technology are accessible to all, not just the elite, we continue Don Bosco’s mission of uplifting the underprivileged and providing them with the tools to shape their future.
