Young leaders to be communicators in schools, parishes and youth centers

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Communication School PLUS, located in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic, held its fourth graduation ceremony for 73 youth. The event reaffirmed the Salesian commitment to providing a holistic education for future leaders in the communication field.

With this fourth graduation, the Salesian Communication School PLUS has trained a total of 299 youth, establishing itself as a key training initiative for young leaders serving as communicators in schools, parishes and youth centers. Youth study subjects like storytelling, strategic communication, branding, ethics, audiovisual narrative and digital ecosystems. They also strengthen their skills to communicate with depth, responsibility and creativity.

In his address, Father Juan Pablo Abreu, provincial delegate for social communication, highlighted the mission now undertaken by the graduates. He told them, “You have what our communities need.”

Rosaura Daniela Guzmán, representing the 73 graduates, called for communication to be lived as a service. She said, “Let us continue to communicate with purpose, ethics and passion. Let us continue to be voices that build, unite and transform.”

The graduation ceremony included a Mass presided over by Father José Pastor Ramírez, provincial, who urged youth to deepen their vocation to communication. He said, “Have the courage to move from the superficial to the essential.”

Salesian Communication School PLUS has been established as a space that promotes communication with a clear identity, capable of educating, evangelizing and transforming in harmony with Don Bosco’s charism. The graduates represent a generation of communicators called not only to inform, but to build meaning, community and hope.

Through this program, the Salesian Province of the Antilles reaffirms its commitment to training communicators who, through their talent, respond to the current needs of the church and society, interpreting communication as a true vocation of service.

Nearly half of youth under the age of 18 live in poverty in the Dominican Republic, according to UNICEF. Although the country’s economy has been steadily improving, people who are poor still struggle to get enough food to eat and to access safe drinking water and adequate housing. Only 30% of youth finish primary school and only 18% finish secondary school on time. Schools are in poor shape with nearly half having no access to safe drinking water and more than 60% lacking adequate bathroom facilities.

###

Sources:

ANS Photo (usage permissions and guidelines must be requested from ANS)

ANS – Dominican Republic – Salesians award diplomas to 73 new communicators at the end of the fourth cycle of the “Salesian Communication School PLUS”

Salesian Missions

UNICEF – Dominican Republic