Italy - MissionNewswire

ITALY: Salesian volunteer organization celebrates 40 years of service for youth at risk

MissionNewswire — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:52:30 +0000

VIS reaches youth through educational, socio-professional programs

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) celebrated its 40-year anniversary of service on March 3. The organization was founded in Turin, Italy, with the aim of implementing international cooperation projects to support youth at risk. VIS has launched a new video that tells its story.

Over the past four decades, VIS has carried out more than a thousand development and emergency projects and has supported the work of the Salesians across five continents, reaching millions of youth through educational and socio-professional programs. It has also formed generations of individuals committed to international cooperation, the promotion of human rights, and peace.

The new institutional video, produced with IME Communications, recounts this journey through the women and men who work in the field, dedicating themselves to the people and communities served by VIS.

For its anniversary, VIS looks to share meetings, dialogue, experiences, deeper reflection and a renewed vision for the future with those who have participated. This will take place through different languages and in various locations that represent the identity of VIS including in Turin, Rome, the territories where volunteers and supporters are active, and the partner countries where projects are implemented and staff members serve in the field.

This anniversary comes at a moment of significant change for VIS, which has recently become a participatory foundation, with Mission Don Bosco in Turin as its founding body. Together, they are undertaking a path of collaboration to increase the impact and effectiveness of their interventions.

Michela Vallarino, president of VIS, said, “This 40th anniversary year is a time of great change for our organization, and we could not have celebrated it in a better way. With hearts full of esteem and gratitude for those who have helped write this story, we are ready to transform and relaunch it with renewed enthusiasm and motivation at a time when it seems more urgent than ever to speak about and work for integral human development, social justice, respect for the rule of law and human rights and peace.”

Father Luca Barone, president of Mission Don Bosco and vice president of VIS, also noted, “Having just concluded the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the First Salesian Missionary Expedition, I hope that, as VIS, we may know how to celebrate the past in order to live the present and dream of the future with the fidelity and creativity that Don Bosco teaches us.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – VIS: 40 Years beside the Youth Around the World with Don Bosco

Salesian Missions – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian volunteer organization celebrates 40 years of service for youth at risk first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians host Christmas luncheon for people in need

MissionNewswire — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:43:58 +0000

Event provides meal, time for sharing

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians hosted a Christmas luncheon for people in need at the San Domenico Savio Hall in Valdocco, Italy. The December event was the fifth year the luncheon was held. The luncheon is promoted by the Caritas – Maria Ausiliatrice volunteer group of more than 40 volunteers, 20 of whom led the initiative. The luncheon was attended by about 100 people from the city of Turin, many of whom attend the Monday evening canteen that the group organizes in the city center.

One of the volunteers said, “It was a moment of conviviality designed to offer not only a hot meal, but above all an opportunity for meeting, listening and fraternity in view of Christmas.”

As is the case every year, the volunteers and guests sit together and strengthen the relationships built during the year. The meal was served by novices currently in formation at Colle Don Bosco. The 20 young novices were aided by six Salesians to create a festive and family atmosphere in the spirit of Don Bosco.

The lunch was also made possible thanks to the valuable support of various local businesses and various benefactors. The lunch ended with the exchange of greetings among all those present, and all guests were given a small Christmas present.

A Salesian said, “With this festive lunch, the Caritas – Maria Ausiliatrice group renewed its commitment to the poorest, certain that simple gestures of sharing can kindle hope among all and build more solidarity and fraternal communities.”

Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

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

Italy – The fifth ‘Christmas Lunch with the poor’ in Valdocco: a feast of sharing and hope

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians host Christmas luncheon for people in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Christmas concert at Vatican supports education for vulnerable youth in Republic of Congo

MissionNewswire — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:20:38 +0000

Salesians aim to build new primary school

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Mission Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, was once again the recipient of support from the “Christmas Concert in the Vatican”, now in its 33rd year. Salesians provide the support generated to the education of youth in Côte-Matève, near Pointe-Noire in the Republic of the Congo*.

Côte-Mateve has a high population density, but lacks drinking water, electricity, school facilities, health centers and public transport systems. Youth, who represent the largest segment of the population, see their rights systematically denied. For many, attending school is a inaccessible and the current school network is unable to respond to the growing demand. There are too few buildings, insufficient teachers and inadequate environments.

In Côte-Matève, Salesians want to build a new primary school, capable of accommodating at least 350 students, aged 6-12, who come from socio-economically vulnerable backgrounds. The school will provide them with a better learning environment, a safe structure and appropriate teaching materials. The school complex will include 10 classrooms with a capacity of 35 students per classroom, offices, a teachers’ lounge and coordination spaces.

Ngimbi is one of the 350 children who will be housed in the primary school that Don Bosco’s missionaries want to build in Côte-Matève.

Father Daniel Antúnez, president of Mission Don Bosco, said, “Ngimbi is faced with new prospects. He was given promises in the past that were not kept, but now he sees that he can overcome his vulnerable condition. It is up to us to allow him to cross that invisible wall that separates him from hope and to ensure continuity of care. We thank everyone who participated in the Christmas concert and all donors who are showing boys like Ngimbi there is hope for the future.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Christmas Concert at the Vatican 2025: with Missioni Don Bosco support for the children of Côte-Matève, in Congo Brazzaville

Salesian Missions – Italy

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post ITALY: Christmas concert at Vatican supports education for vulnerable youth in Republic of Congo first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian vocational training center launches renewable energy initiative

MissionNewswire — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:43:36 +0000

Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco pilots first in a series of environmental interventions

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco in Rome, one of several Salesian vocational training centers across Italy, is using renewable energy thanks to a large photovoltaic system that was recently installed as a result of collaboration with Banco dell’Energia and Edison. The project, known as “Sustainable Energy for Youth”, was inaugurated with Mayor Roberto Gualtieri, heads of Banco dell’Energia and Edison, and the Salesian community attending.

The Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco sustainability project is a pilot project and the first in a series of environmental interventions for Salesian centers in central Italy. The aim is to transform Salesian centers into hubs of shared sustainability, where the production of clean energy becomes a tool to free up resources that will be reinvested in education and support for the most vulnerable.

The project involved the installation of two separate photovoltaic systems to power the day care center, church, and theater and vocational training center.

Father Emanuele De Maria, rector of Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco, said, “For us, this project is much more than a new state-of-the-art facility. It is a cultural investment in the area. Thanks to the newly established system, we strengthen our commitment as promoters of environmental sustainability and as supporters of social initiatives benefiting the most vulnerable young people.”

For Gualtieri, this project demonstrates how environmental and social objectives can work together, enabling other projects to be launched in the Centocelle and Quarticciolo neighborhoods.

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Green Alliance

Don Bosco Green Alliance – Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco shifts to Renewable Energy

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian vocational training center launches renewable energy initiative first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians for Social supports thousands of youth at-risk

MissionNewswire — Mon, 29 Dec 2025 08:30:24 +0000

Programs available in more than 600 territories across country

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social network in Italy is working to ensure that youth at-risk have the possibility to live healthy lives and have access to the education they need to thrive. The Salesian organization supports thousands of youth every year in more than 600 territories across the country. Programs include 97 socio-educational programs, 45 day centers and 33 foster family homes.

In the 33 foster homes, close to 300 youth, aged 12-18, are taken in at the request of the social services and with the provisions of the juvenile court. Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social, explained, “Many of these children and adolescents have experiences of abandonment, violence or loneliness behind them. Each carries within them a wound, but also a possibility for a better future. We are inspired by Don Bosco’s Preventive System, which focuses on relationships and the integral growth of the person, also in its spiritual dimension.”

In Italy, there are about 33,000 youth living far from their families of origin, as well as more than 16,000 unaccompanied foreign minors.

Fr. Preite continued, “Our family homes are not merely welfare places, but homes where one can grow and learn to believe in oneself and in others. Our objective is not just to protect, but to give back a future.”

Inside the family homes, youth find a safe and inclusive environment that provides them opportunities for growth including school, sports, professional training, healthy relationships and an educational community that supports them every day. Even after the age of 18, Salesians for Social continues to support youth in finding a home or a job or continuing their studies.

Multidisciplinary teams, made up of educators and psychologists, guarantee a continuous presence, 24 hours a day, offering listening, stability and ongoing support.

Fr. Preite added, “Poverty is not a statistic. It is an open wound in the heart of our country. Every child excluded from opportunities is a collective defeat. In Italy, according to ISTAT, more than 1.3 million children live in poverty. Isolated projects or emergency responses are no longer enough. We need structural policies, stable resources and political courage to guarantee all minors protection, health, safety, well-being, participation and equality. We need a new social pact that restores dignity to the most fragile children and adolescents. They are not ‘problems to be managed’, but lives to be enhanced, citizens of today and tomorrow.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Appeal by ‘Salesians for Social’: it is a priority to permanently invest in childhood and adolescence and build a new educational pact

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians for Social supports thousands of youth at-risk first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Collaborative project provides technical education for 15 forklift operators

MissionNewswire — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 08:30:15 +0000

Project creates pathway for career success from Ghana to Italy

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) A group of 15 forklift truck operators arrived in Pordenone, Italy, ready to complete the training course that they started in Ghana. After successfully undergoing advanced technical and language training in the Salesian vocational training centers in Accra and Sunyani, the young professionals went to Italy to strengthen their skills in their chosen field and build a professional future in the logistics sector. This training is part of what’s known as the “Ghana Project 2.”

Michelangelo Agrusti, president of Confindustria Alto Adriatico, an association that helps entrepreneurs, emphasized the effectiveness of a course that combines training, employment and integration. Two companies in Italy are also involved in the project.

Support for the project comes from International Volunteering for Development (VIS), which has taken care of language training certified by the University for Foreigners of Siena and made available psychological support services, cultural mediation, and civic education. These activities have supported the young Ghanaians during their professional and personal growth.

A Salesian said, “This collaborative project, launched in 2024, represents a concrete example of how international cooperation and technical education can open up real opportunities for growth, offering answers to the shortage of skilled labor in Italy and professional prospects for young Ghanaians.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – With the ‘Ghana Project 2’ young people arriving in Italy to be hired by companies in the North East

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Collaborative project provides technical education for 15 forklift operators first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians for Social carries out projects that help youth remain in school

MissionNewswire — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:30:11 +0000

ITALY

Network offers experiential workshops, after-school courses and educational supports for families

(MissionNewswire) September marked the return to school in Italy. With the arrival of the new term, Salesians for Social, a network in the country committed to welcoming, educating and protecting vulnerable youth, launched a survey to investigate Italian students’ opinions of the value of their education. The organization reports that while a healthy percentage of respondents consider school important, a significant percentage do not.

Specifically, 84% of Italian students consider school important for their future and more than half say they would like to go. Conversely, almost 1 in 4 disagree. Nearly 14% think it would be better to interrupt their studies, while a further 15% are not fully convinced they should continue.

The survey also found that 1 in 4 students feel very or fairly strongly that they are excluded from the activities offered at school.

Salesians for Social works to ensure that youth have the supports to remain in school. The organization researches the well-being of youth in school environments in order to be better able to provide support to those who live in difficult situations. Salesians for Social does this through projects specifically designed to improve students’ lives.

The need for such projects is high as Italy and Europe continue to wrestle with significant drop-out rates. While the rate in Italy is decreasing, it is at 10.5% as of 2023 and well above the EU average of 9.5%. Both Italy and the EU have work to do to reach the target of less than 9% set by the EU for 2030.

“At a time marked by growing inequalities and educational poverty, schools must be much more than a place of learning. They must become a garrison of inclusion and social justice,” said Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social.

“We strive every day not to leave any child behind, rekindling motivation to study, offering authentic listening, concrete experiences and the constant presence of educators. In synergy with families and schools, we build educational contexts based on trust, acceptance and support. Following Don Bosco’s preventive system, we support the most fragile so that they can develop their potential and build, through education, a dignified future.”

To date, there are about 2,000 youth participating in Salesian projects across the country. These projects involve 160 educators and are distributed in nearly all the diverse regions of Italy. The common thread is the aim to respond effectively and innovatively to the educational needs of youth and their families. One project involves 550 students from 14 at-risk schools in five Italian cities: Rome, Cisternino, Palermo, Turin and Macerata. The project focuses on after-school and leisure activities.

Among the most important projects of Salesians for Social is the “Counter neighbors” project, financed by the Intesa San Paolo Charity Fund to combat educational poverty. This project has involved over 500 youth between the ages of 9 and 14 in five areas of high educational challenges. These areas include La Spezia, Casale Monferrato, Piedimonte Matese, Soverato and Modica. Through experiential workshops, after-school courses, educational supports for families and Community Educational Pacts, the project has forged solid educational alliances between schools, the territory and families.

During this project, 200 youth have improved cognitive, relational and motivational skills and 40 have returned to school after dropping out. In addition, dozens of families have become actively involved in their children’s education.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – One student in four feels excluded at school. Salesians for Social re-launches projects to foster inclusion and combat school dropout

European Commission – Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET)

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians for Social carries out projects that help youth remain in school first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: New jobs created for refugees as part of Salesian project

MissionNewswire — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:03:52 +0000

Don Bosco 2000 Association develops opportunities across Italy

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Don Bosco 2000 Association in Italy are working to develop jobs for refugees through projects across the country. Recently, 15 jobs were made possible through the “My integrity” project that is supported by the AVSI Foundation, run by the Association of Volunteers for International Service, and financed with funds managed by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

The project includes a new social enterprise in Piazza Armerina, a commune in Sicily, which is being run at a confiscated property once owned by the mafia. Other projects where refugees are employed include the Museum of Legality and an aquaponics greenhouse in Villarosa, which are both assets confiscated from the mafia. In addition, the association runs Colonia Don Bosco to provide support for refugees.

Don Bosco 2000 Association staff welcomed a visit from the AVSI Foundation, during which the foundation’s representatives were able to see how refugees are being given work opportunities. They also met the diverse staff of the association, many of whom were once refugees themselves. In a statement, they said, “Those who have been welcomed, today are offering welcome.”

Dr. Roberta La Cara, director of the research and development department of Don Bosco 2000 Association, led the visit. He said, “We hope to be able to give continuity to this path even beyond the conclusion of the project, strengthening the collaboration with AVSI and promoting together new initiatives to support the most vulnerable. The ‘My integrity’ project is a concrete step toward a more inclusive future, in which work becomes a tool for dignity and integration.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – 15 refugees find work thanks to AVSI’s ‘Mi integro’ project, in collaboration with the Don Bosco 2000 association

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: New jobs created for refugees as part of Salesian project first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Wells provide clean water access for 2 communities in Africa

MissionNewswire — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 08:10:07 +0000

Mission Don Bosco supports projects in Kenya, Democratic Republic of the Congo

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Mission Don Bosco, the Salesian Mission Office in Turin, Italy, has built two new wells for people lacking clean water access in two communities thanks to the help of donor funding. The wells are in Korr, a desert territory in Kenya marked by poverty and water shortages, and Mbuji-Mayi, a poor and overcrowded area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo*.

In Korr, the project included the installation of the equipment necessary for the well to function properly including solar pumps, piping and a 20,000-liter cistern. The water is flowing into the reservoirs, treated and drinkable for the local community. The availability of water has already begun to affect the quality of life and health of more than 800 families.

Located approximately 600 kilometers from the capital Nairobi, the Salesian mission provides education, health care and food support to communities in one of Kenya’s most isolated and needy regions. In 2018, a well had been dug in one of the villages, but the water proved too salty to be used. Despite this, Salesians were determined to provide better quality water.

A representative from Mission Don Bosco said, “Imagine a child who can finally attend school regularly because she no longer has to spend hours searching for water. Thanks to our benefactors, we have made a difference, turning a daily struggle for water into a story of change and hope. Let us continue to build together a future in which access to water is no longer a privilege, but a guaranteed right for all.”

In Mbuji-Mayi, a well was built at the Muetu Don Bosco Center. The mission there was founded by the Salesians in 1995 in Makala, and quickly became a point of reference for those living in poverty in the district. When Mission Don Bosco presented the water project, there were 4,900 youth using the services offered by the mission, in addition to the employees and their families, the patients of the attached medical dispensary, parishioners, and vulnerable families in the neighborhood. At that time, there were almost 10,000 women and young girls who faced harrowing journeys to find water.

A Salesian noted, “Now, the center has a water supply system that provides 10,000 liters of drinking water daily. In recent years, water expenses had become unsustainable, as well as the well not guaranteeing the minimum daily needs of the users. By drilling a deep well and installing all the necessary components, Salesians were able to fully cover not only the internal needs and those of the neighborhood, but also to ensure water supply to additional families in the community.”

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Missioni Don Bosco

ANS – Italy – Two wells, a thousand faces: water that saves

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Wells provide clean water access for 2 communities in Africa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: New Salesian initiative aims to engage young adults in green jobs training

MissionNewswire — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 08:59:17 +0000

Project focuses on areas marked by high unemployment

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social in Italy launched the first stages of the SEEDS project over the summer to engage young adults, aged 15-29, through education and inclusion to develop new green employment opportunities. The project takes place in Sicily and Apulia, which are areas marked by high unemployment and impacted by climate change. The project is financed by the Villum Fonden European Vocational Education and Training Initiative 2024.

Salesians will partner with other organization to carry out project activities. These partnerships include the Puglia and Sicily regional offices of CNOS-FAP (National Center for Salesian Works-Formation and Professional Updating), the University of Palermo and the University of Foggia, Centro Orizzonte Lavoro, A Braccia Aperte, and Don Bosco 2000.

In Palermo, together with CNOS-FAP Sicily and the University of Palermo, Salesians for Social has begun designing the first short courses in the fields of sustainable agriculture and ethical catering. With the support of the A Braccia Aperte, it met with local companies ready to host apprenticeships and internships for participants.

In Catania, the Salesian team strengthened the network with the Orizzonte Lavoro Center and the local Salesian Vocational Formation Center, working on educational co-planning.

A project leader said, “Our commitment is to transform the focus on environmental sustainability into real employable skills, following the European ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, which involves every stage of the food chain, from production to conscious consumption.”

Through workshops, internships, support, and educational alliances, Salesians aim to build a path that can respond to the social, environmental, and economic challenges of the territories of Southern Italy.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – ‘SEEDS’ takes root in the South: formation, inclusion and the future between Sicily and Apulia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: New Salesian initiative aims to engage young adults in green jobs training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: More than 8,300 youth take part in summer activities

MissionNewswire — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 08:23:02 +0000

Salesian missionaries in 23 oratories host programs in Southern Italy

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in 23 oratories in the Salesian Province of Southern Italy, in Campania, Basilicata, Puglia and Calabria, are ensuring that youth have access to safe and fun summer programs. A recent survey conducted by Father Giuseppe Russo, provincial delegate for Youth Ministry, found that there were more than 7,000 participants at the Salesian summer camps held in June and July. These youth range from second to eighth grades. Another 1,350 youth, aged 14-25, took part in educational courses.

Aurora, a leader at the oratory in Lecce, said, “Our Summer for the Kids program is not just a way to occupy the summer time, it is a space for play, authentic encounters, values and education. During this experience, youth learn to collaborate, follow common rules, contribute to the group and very often discover new things about themselves, overcoming their small and large limitations. In short, by getting involved, everyone learns something and discovers new potential and abilities that characterize them.”

These activities would not be possible without the 1,733 teen and young adults who help plan and facilitate the activities. More than 500 adults also help to support this network of summer experiences, ensuring and safeguarding the smooth running of each day.

Aurora added, “The leader understands more and more how their educational role is not simply limited to imposing rules, but to being there. They discover a vocation to service, where the beauty of relationships and the shared educational goal stand out. Christian values come to life and take shape in everyday life, not through sermons, but through daily prayer and true witness.”

Fr. Russo noted, “The survey we conducted paints a picture of lively and dynamic oratories and programs that offer spaces where education and evangelization intertwine naturally with the joy and vitality typical of Salesian courtyards.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Summer programmes offered by the Oratories of the Salesian Province of Southern Italy

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: More than 8,300 youth take part in summer activities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: 40 youth ready for voluntary missionary experience this summer

MissionNewswire — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 08:03:55 +0000

Young people give signs of hope and commitment

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) This summer, 40 youth will engage in a volunteer missionary experience in different parts of the world, thanks to the “Missionary Way 2024-2025 – Bearers of Hope” project, promoted by the Salesian Youth Ministry Center in Milan, Italy, and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. The Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan is also collaborating.

A Salesian noted, “At a time marked by humanitarian crises, wars, poverty and growing inequalities, it is young people who are giving a concrete sign of hope and commitment.”

Youth will be headed to various missions including Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in El Salvador and Salesian centers in Ethiopia* and Sri Lanka. Some youth will remain in Italy at a reception center for unaccompanied foreign minors in Cammarata, Sicily.

Barbara, one of the participants, explained, “I made the choice to leave this summer for a missionary service experience in Sri Lanka. I choose to give my time to this experience to become aware of others, and to recognize that love is a selfless, necessary and human act.”

This year’s program brought together youth from different backgrounds all united by a common desire to get involved and live an experience that will leave a mark on them and in the communities that will welcome them. Before leaving, they engaged in months of meetings, moments of reflection, workshops and sharing that have enabled them to be prepared for the volunteer experience ahead.

Looking to the future, the Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation intends to continue and strengthen this path in the next pastoral year, involving an increasing number of youth and a growing number of Salesian missions where they can volunteer.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – ‘A different summer’: 40 young people on a mission to respond to today’s humanitarian crises

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: 40 youth ready for voluntary missionary experience this summer first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Unaccompanied foreign minors access network of support

MissionNewswire — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 08:29:56 +0000

Salesians for Social offers path to integration for youth

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have been providing ongoing support services, including educational opportunities, for unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy. In 2024, more than 18,000 unaccompanied foreign minors were received in the country from Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. The regions with the highest number of admissions were Sicily, Lombardy and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

The Salesian San Luigi Community in Gorizia, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, has welcomed more than 1,000 youth in 10 years as part of the Salesians for Social network. It offers social support and vocational education aimed at reducing the risks linked to marginalization and school drop-out. The community offers a reception service from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. for youth identified by the authorities. Community placement provides Salesian residential educational services, dedicated to a path of integration and growth.

“The greatest need of youth arriving in our community is an authentic, concrete and customized welcome,” said Father Vincenzo Salerno, rector of the San Luigi Community. “We want to offer specific paths that guarantee an effective integration into school, work and social community, favoring autonomy and inclusion. Our goal is to support youth toward a growth that makes them autonomous and integrated in Italian society, with a focus on education, vocational training, and job placement by the age of 18.”

Every year, Salesians for Social reaches over 100,000 beneficiaries, offering protection and support through its network in more than 600 territories throughout Italy. There are 97 socio-educational services, including 33 family homes and 45 day centers, which represent a safe and familiar location for youth where they can access services.

The reception network has expanded with facilities dedicated to unaccompanied minors who have arrived in Italy, where they can receive food, clothes, assistance in contacting their families and attend Italian courses. These facilities also take in minors through the juvenile justice system, guaranteeing them a safe environment and educational support that is fundamental for their reintegration and personal development.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesians for Social: in 10 years more than 1,000 unaccompanied minors received from the Balkan route in the San Luigi community in Gorizia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Unaccompanied foreign minors access network of support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Training collaboration provides education for former unaccompanied minors

MissionNewswire — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 08:09:42 +0000

Project aims to turn apprenticeships into contracts

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP), a network of technical and vocational institutions in Italy, has launched a professional skills training project. The project is in collaboration with Renner Co. from Bologna, which is a wood, metal and plastic coatings company that faces the shortage of a skilled workforce.

The project for 12 students provides a 32-week training course and a housing placement program for former unaccompanied minors already trained by the Salesians. The training covers all areas of the company, from logistics to production, with a focus on safety and citizenship. The aim is to turn the apprenticeship into a contract.

Lindo Aldrovandi, founder and CEO of Renner, said, “We have renovated a building we own, investing about 300,000 euro to obtain eight lodgings. They are reserved exclusively for young people selected by the Salesians, who sign a housing transition pact lasting three years.”

The first two tenants are Suleyman, from Gambia, and Bassirou, from Guinea. They will soon be joined by a third young man from Nigeria. The monthly rent is paid entirely to the Salesian institute and used to finance scholarships.

At Renner, foreign workers make up about seven percent of the workforce and the housing project is still in its initial phase. “But the impact has been positive,” said Aldrovandi. “The enthusiasm of these young people has brought energy into the departments. And thanks to the experience of the Salesians, we can count on well-structured placements, without improvisation.”

“The educational part is fundamentals,” explained Carlo Caleffi, director of the Salesian Center in Castel de’ Britti. “We are not a temporary agency, and we do not take money for this. Our goal is to give these young people a happy life. That’s why we select them carefully, support them even after they are hired and take care of the living situation.”

The model has already attracted the interest of other companies. A company in Ozzano has rented a flat to be used as guest quarters, and two dioceses, including that of Piacenza, have contacted the Salesian center to set up similar collaborations.

Caleffi concluded, “Our hope is that the project will become part of a system, with collaboration between the private sector and professional training. Companies have a potential that the public does not have, they can make a difference.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Renner and the Salesian project, home and work for young migrants

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Training collaboration provides education for former unaccompanied minors first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian organizations promote sustainable practices in Africa

MissionNewswire — Fri, 16 May 2025 08:35:04 +0000

African and European institutional partners launch ‘CircuWasteVETAfrica’ project

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Professional Development in collaboration with Salesian International Volunteering for Development in Angola* have joined the “CircuWasteVETAfrica” project. The focus will be vocational training and capacity-building programs for students in Namibia, Ghana, Angola, and São Tomé and Príncipe.

Launched at the end of March, this project promotes sustainable waste management and the circular economy, which is designed to minimize waste and pollution by keeping products and materials in use for as long as possible. The two-year project is part of the ERASMUS+ program, co-funded by the European Commission. The project aligns with the Green and Digital Transition goals outlined in the European Green Deal and the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership.

The initiative supports African cities and regions in leveraging digital tools for a sustainable and zero-impact future. CircuWasteVETAfrica will first assess the skills gap in sustainable waste management and the circular economy before launching a program to equip vocational training instructors with essential competencies in digital innovation, micro-entrepreneurship, and circular business models. The acquired knowledge, tools, and best practices will then be shared with youth through a dedicated training program.

To ensure relevance and replicability, the project will collaborate with public and private sector organizations, aligning training courses with industry needs and enabling their adoption in other vocational training centers. Led by AREA, an Italian small-to-medium enterprise, the project brings together key partners from Europe and Africa. This diverse collaboration is crucial for EU-Africa cooperation.

A Salesian noted, “Ultimately, the project will promote sustainable environmental practices, enhance the quality and responsiveness of vocational training centers, and create new socioeconomic opportunities in Africa’s labor market.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “CircuWasteVETAfrica”: Promoting Green Skills and Circular Economy Education in Africa

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian organizations promote sustainable practices in Africa first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: One young migrant’s story of hope and education

MissionNewswire — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 08:36:32 +0000

Salesians provide education, job support to help build a future

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries are working to help improve the lives of young migrants like Alex, a young man from Ghana who arrived in Italy by boat. Initially struggling on the margins of society, Alex found a path to fulfillment thanks to the support of the Salesian community.

Alex left Ghana at age 15 and made his way to Libya, where he endured harsh conditions of refugee camps to save money for the boat journey to Italy. At age 17, he finally reached Italian shores but was unjustly accused of being one of the traffickers. Confused and unaware of what was happening, Alex was sentenced to four years in a juvenile prison in Bari, Italy, where he struggled emotionally and received mental health support.

Through the help of a prison superintendent who recognized his situation, Alex was transferred to the family community at the Salesian Redentore Institute in Bari. Alex gradually realized that the people around him genuinely wanted to help. Through good behavior, he earned a sentence reduction and began reintegrating into society.

Salesians helped Alex complete training for boat restoration at the Bari port that he had begun in prison and supported his education, enabling him to earn a degree in accounting. They also helped him secure employment, first within the Salesian Institute and later at a construction company collaborating with the Salesians. Offered a permanent job at both, Alex chose to become the caretaker and maintenance manager of the Salesian Institute.

Alex successfully completed his mental health support program, and thanks to the efforts of the prison director, his conviction was annulled. Additionally, an administrative error in his documentation was corrected, allowing him the freedom to travel outside of Italy.

Alex has endured the hardships of forced migration, labor exploitation in Libya, judicial and bureaucratic injustices, and the loneliness of being a foreigner wrongly accused. Yet today, he has a clean record, a stable job and a strong support network. Most importantly, he can now consider reuniting with his family.

Father Pasquale Martino, with the Salesian Redentore Institute, said, “I hope that this story helps people understand the importance of seeing beyond appearances and recognizing the dreams and potential of the young people who arrive in our communities.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Alex: A Story of Hope and Redemption that comes from afar

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: One young migrant’s story of hope and education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Young migrants rebuild lives with support, education

MissionNewswire — Fri, 28 Feb 2025 08:54:08 +0000

Programs assist youth with integration into their new community

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The San Luigi Community in Gorizia, Italy offers hope for young migrants through a holistic model that combines care, education and vocational training. Since 2015, the community, located in the migratory crossroads of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, has been offering a welcoming environment for youth who have faced difficult journeys from places like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Albania and Kosovo.

A Salesian explained, “Each young person is seen as an individual with unique needs, talents and aspirations. The programs are carefully designed to provide personalized relationships and developmental pathways. These relationships are based on trust, respect and the goal of promoting independence, creating a bridge between these young people’s past difficulties and the future they wish to achieve.”

One of the main objectives in the San Luigi Community is to help the youth with integration into their new community. Language education helps students progress from basic literacy to advanced communication skills. Vocational training is also offered in areas such as mechanics, welding and cooking. Salesians form partnerships with local institutions and companies that allow youth to apply their skills, laying the foundation for self-sufficiency and future employment.

The community embraces diversity, creating opportunities for intercultural dialogue that promote mutual respect and understanding. Youth are guided to maintain pride in their heritage while learning to navigate Italian social norms. This dual focus helps them build a cross-cultural identity, preparing them for a life of meaningful contribution in their new environment.

The Salesian noted, “Operating in a region with complex socio-political dynamics, the community faces numerous challenges. These include navigating bureaucratic hurdles, managing cultural differences and supporting young people who have experienced trauma. Despite these difficulties, the community remains steadfast in its mission, continually refining its approach to provide better opportunities for growth and integration. The resilience of educators and students is a testimony to the transformative power of this educational model.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – RMG – Social works that bring Don Bosco to life today: the ‘San Luigi’ Community for Unaccompanied Foreign Minors in Gorizia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young migrants rebuild lives with support, education first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians combat school dropout rates with new projects

MissionNewswire — Fri, 21 Feb 2025 08:38:33 +0000

2,000 youth and 160 educators are involved in educational projects

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesians for Social Association network in Italy has launched a series of educational projects throughout the country, particularly in areas where there are many youth at-risk. The aim is to ensure that youth stay in school and gain the education they need. Italy is among the European countries where educational poverty is strongest, particularly in the south, where the school dropout rate exceeds 14%.

To date, Salesian projects are impacting 2,000 youth and involve 160 educators distributed in the regions of Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.

“Educational poverty is no longer an emergency, but a serious and structural phenomenon in Italian society, which involves over a million children and compromises the growth of the young generations,” said Father Francesco Preite, national president of Salesians for Social Association. “Faced with this reality, it is essential to refinance the national fund to combat educational poverty and adopt systematic policies that strengthen educational and social services to support minors and young people in difficulty.”

Fr. Preite added, “Every day, an army of educators, social workers and psychologists, together with families and schools, works to create an educational environment based on trust, hospitality and personal accompaniment. Following the Don Bosco Preventive System, we promote knowledge and skills, helping children and young people to pursue their aspirations and build a better future through study, creativity and the development of their skills.”

Salesian commitment to education involves concrete actions such as the program “School neighbors: territories and schools together to combat school dropout”, which offers activities developed with a flexible teaching model that is adaptable to the various school contexts and based on the co-design and co-programming of teachers and educators.

There are also numerous projects at the local level. In the Giostra district of Messina, Salesians for Social Association has launched the “An educating Giostra” project aimed at 600 youth between the ages of 6-17. The initiative is aimed at minors, families and the community.

The “Scuola Libera Tutti!” project in Venaria Reale (Turin), Macerata, Rome, Cisternino (Brindisi) and Palermo, prevents school dropout and improves the well-being of students. This project offers study support activities and recreation for children during their free time.

In Pedara and Viagrande, in the province of Catania, the “Scuola Casa Commune” project promotes socio-educational services and recreational and cultural activities. Nearly 300 children between the ages of 5-10 have been impacted. The project helps families through the support of a network of parents, teachers and educational figures.

Salesians in Italy will continue to work toward ensuring that youth have access to the educational supports need to keep them in school to gain the education they need to gain self-sufficiency.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – From the Salesians, a hand extended to two thousand children and young people and an appeal to restore the fund against educational poverty

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians combat school dropout rates with new projects first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians launch new home to help youth reach potential

MissionNewswire — Thu, 13 Feb 2025 08:16:08 +0000

Project benefits youth who are poor, marginalized

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Colle di Val d’Elsa, Italy are committed giving youth an opportunity for a better life through social and educational programs. Salesians launched a new semi-residential care project at a conference held Jan. 23 focusing on youth in need.

The new facility will be a safe place aimed at supporting the well-being of youth and development of their potential. It will be operated in collaboration with families and the local Salesian network.

The conference announcing the facility was hosted by Father Luigi Ciotti, president of Libera Association, an organization that works against organized crime. The event was promoted by the Salesians Don Bosco in Colle and the archdiocese in collaboration with the Alta Valdelsa Social Territories Foundation and with the patronage of the Municipality of Colle and Italy’s Catholic Scouting and Guiding Association.

A Salesian noted, “The conference was a valuable opportunity to reflect on issues related to the protection, reception and future of minors, through an open dialogue with Don Ciotti, a leading figure in the commitment to social justice and the rights of the most vulnerable.”

The Salesian added, “The project is supported by many lay people and religious who want to once again provide an extra opportunity for the younger generations. It is the very dream of Don Bosco in his educational humanism to make today’s young people the upright citizens of tomorrow. The conference, where the project was launched, was an opportunity for discussion on fundamental issues for the future, to build new synergies and paths of shared responsibility on behalf of the new generations.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A conference and new special facilities for young people in Colle Val D’Elsa

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians launch new home to help youth reach potential first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Young man turns his life around with Salesian support

MissionNewswire — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 08:37:29 +0000

New path leads to helping youth in Salesian programs

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Naples, Italy support at-risk youth through education and social programs. Services are provided through a parish, oratory, residential services, a community for foreign minors, a reception center, educational services and vocational training.

Luca, age 23, is one young man who found a refuge with the Salesians. His youth in Campania was marked by episodes of violence before he dropped out of school and ended up in a family home. When he returned to Naples, an incident with law enforcement set him on a new path at age 17.

Luca explained, “The police came in the evening and arrested me. They took me at first to one reception center, but the Don Bosco center was also equipped to care for me and I went there.”

He experienced the Don Bosco Center as his home. Many relationships were developed over those months. Luca said, “I visited three communities, but the Salesians had something different. One of the staff members, Cristina, is like a second mother to me.”

Luca had a chance at real connection and to get an education. He noted, “I took a cooking/dining room course. They also offered mechanics and logistics. Thanks to their help with my studies, I gained a certificate as a chemical expert.”

His time at the center ended during the COVID-19 when he returned home. However, he faced depression and had trouble relating to others. While feeling the need to return to Don Bosco, he instead engaged in the Italian civil service, which led him back at to the Salesians to help other youth.

Luca passed the tests and was working with children in the same situation he had been years before. He added, “We helped during the games and after school with the afternoon activities in the oratory. I also coached a soccer team.”

After his civil service time, Luca took what he learned with the Salesians and enrolled in a university in Naples where he studied political science. Luca said, “I’m trying to fit into some student groups to find a new dimension. I want a quiet life, a good salary and a family. When I think back on my time with the Salesians I only have beautiful memories. They gave me joy and hope. In other centers, they stole my time, but Salesians gave me back my life.”

## #

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Luca’s story: “At ‘Don Bosco’ they gave me back my life”

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young man turns his life around with Salesian support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians launch film project for primary school students

MissionNewswire — Fri, 20 Dec 2024 08:13:52 +0000

Project promoted by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Education and Merit

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Salesian Cultural Center in Rome have started the first phase of the education project, “Alice Through the Screen”. The project was started as part of Italy‘s National Plan for Cinema and Images for Schools and is promoted by the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Merit. The initiative is aimed at primary school students to guide them in the use of media while promoting principles of inclusion, solidarity and participation.

Fabio Zenadocchio, director of the Salesian Cultural Center, noted, “We are happy to be able to strengthen our relationship with the schools, which have welcomed our project with enthusiasm.”

The first phase offers classroom training introducing young students to the art of cinema using an educational notebook created with the guidance of psychologists and child specialists. The meetings involve nine schools in Lazio, Tuscany and Liguria, and will impact more than 800 students and 90 teachers.

In the second phase of the project, students will participate in film screenings designed for a primary school audience. After watching, the students will be engaged in discussion to explore the issues within the films.

The final phase of the project will allow children to explore the professional dynamics of a real film environment. It is anticipated that teachers will be able to remotely facilitate communication with the involved cinemas to promote screenings and training activities.

The Salesian Cultural Center is a nonprofit association focused on social communication through study, experimentation, promotion, training, organization, and the implementation of projects and initiatives relating to culture and art from many perspectives.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Alice through the screen”: an educational project of the Salesian Cultural Centre

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians launch film project for primary school students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students awarded for AI robot

MissionNewswire — Tue, 23 Jul 2024 08:38:25 +0000

Salesian Rainerum Institute encourages students in field of robotics

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students from Salesian Rainerum Institute, located in Bolzano, Italy, recently attended the Genius Olympiad, an international competition of excellence, held in the United States at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, N.Y. The students, part of the Rainerum Robotics Group, created the R.E.I. Robot, which they defined as artificial intelligence with a heart. The students won a bronze medal for their invention.

R.E.I. stands for Robotic Emphatic Intelligence and is a humanoid robot capable of perceiving and communicating emotions through the integration of facial recognition technologies, neural networks and Artificial Intelligence. Students Augusto Martino, Arianna Marrone, Elia Vismara, Elisa Aricó, Maximilian Ilias and Noah Perli were excited to receive an award in the prestigious international competition.

Professor Stefano Monfalcon, dean of Salesian Rainerum Institute, said, “Artificial Intelligence and its use are now the new frontier in the field of innovation and the new real challenge. R.E.I. is an example of artificial intelligence used and mastered by students for a robotics project at the service of man.”

Salesian Rainerum Institute has focused on technologies like artificial intelligence and encouraged students in the field of robotics.

Monfalcon and Father Ivan Ghidina, director of the school, issued a joint statement: “We are really very proud of the fact that our dear students receive awards and confirm the potential and creativity of the South Tyrolean territory in the world. We are also grateful to the students who, with their passion and creativity, show us the way forward to always remain innovative and offer new answers to the needs of the time. Our youngsters, in a sense, are also our teachers.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – United States – “Genius Olympiad” in New York: bronze for the Salesian students of Bolzano thanks to “R.E.I.”, Artificial Intelligence with a heart

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Students awarded for AI robot first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Student art focuses on peace

MissionNewswire — Tue, 18 Jun 2024 08:28:35 +0000

Exhibition of work held in Italy and Turkey

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students from the Salesian Evrim School, located in Istanbul, Turkey, took part in the Marco Polo project, which was focused on “Dialogue with the East. Peace and Sustainability.” The art developed by the children for this project was exhibited at Palazzo Mocenigo in Venice, Italy, and at the end of May at the Elgiz Museum in Istanbul.

The Marco Polo project honored the 700th anniversary of the death of the great Venetian explorer and was coordinated by Peace Fish Association’s founder, Nadia De Lazzari. Students from three schools in Istanbul promoted Italian culture.

“Our students explored the theme of the project through art, drawings and stories written about the life of Marco Polo, ambassador of peace and a great traveler,” explained Father Doyen, who has been at the Salesian Evrim School for 15 years. “Students used imagination and creativity and were able to express their understanding and their vision of a more just, more peaceful and open world to dialogue.”

During the first stage of the exhibition, held at the great San Teodoro School in Venice, two professors and historians, Pieralvise Zorzi, from Venice, and İlber Ortaylı, from Istanbul, tried to interpret the artistic works produced by the students, contributing their point of view to highlight the importance of dialogue for peace and sustainability.

In the second stage, held at Palazzo Mocenigo, several local civil and religious authorities honored the exhibition with their message about the importance of education for dialogue, which begins at school with the acceptance of cultural, social and religious differences with respect for others.

Fr. Doyen concluded, “This was an opportunity for our city to discover the contribution of young Salesian students and their education for dialogue and peace.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Marco Polo” Project. Salesian students in Istanbul illustrate dialogue, peace and sustainability

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Student art focuses on peace first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Pope Francis commends training

MissionNewswire — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:04:10 +0000

Salesians take part in celebration of National Confederation for Upskilling in Technical Skills

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) On May 3, Pope Francis welcomed members of the National Confederation for Upskilling in Technical Skills to the Vatican, marking the commemoration of its 50th anniversary. Among the attendees were representatives from the Salesian community, including delegations from the National Salesian Center for Upskilling in Technical Skills and the Salesian Italian Center for Training Women in Technical Skills. Hundreds of students, educators, trainers, administrative staff and management personnel from various centers came together in celebration.

Pope Francis commended the exceptional quality of methodologies, laboratory experiences and educational opportunities provided. He also underscored other support offered to youth in these programs.

Pope Francis said, “Above all, your training proposal is comprehensive, as it not only focuses on the quality of tools and teaching methods but also extends special care and attention to young people who find themselves on the fringes of social and ecclesial life. Thank you for your tireless dedication; thank you to the trainers who wholeheartedly devote themselves to the well-being of young people.”

In describing youth, Pope Francis said they were “full of talents and potential,” yet also “particularly vulnerable.” He acknowledged the myriad of challenges they encounter, including the necessity of emigration, the struggle to secure stable and adequately compensated employment, and the experience of professional dissatisfaction.

In response to these challenges, the Pope urged a generational shift where the skills of those exiting the workforce are utilized to benefit those entering the job market. He emphasized the importance of adults supporting the dreams and aspirations of youth without judgment.

The Pope also delved into the topic of vocational training within a world characterized by continuous transformations, where the dual risks of “technocracy” and “technophobia” loom large. He advocated for investing resources and energy into training that is continuous, creative, and always evolving. He also stressed the importance of giving recognition and dignity to manual labor, which is often overlooked or undervalued.

In addressing school dropout as an issue, Pope Francis focused on families and businesses as two pillars to support youth. He emphasized the vital role of families in nurturing and supporting the educational journey of youth. He also highlighted the responsibility of businesses to provide opportunities for practical training and apprenticeships, bridging the gap between education and employment.

The Salesians of Don Bosco are considered the largest private provider of vocational and technical training in the world. Programs focus on helping vulnerable youth by providing access to educational opportunities that match the local employment needs. Around the globe, there are nearly 1,000 Salesian vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools — with a focus on serving poor and needy youth.

###

Sources:

ANS – Vatican – “Thank you for what you do”: Pope Francis acknowledges the valuable educational service provided through Industrial Technical Training

Salesian Missions

The post ITALY: Pope Francis commends training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Migrants gain mechanic skills

MissionNewswire — Tue, 14 May 2024 08:35:52 +0000

Salesian Vocational Training Center Genoa launches new course for 18 migrants

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Vocational Training Center in Genoa, Italy, has launched a new mechanics’ motor vehicle repair course. The 500-hour training course, divided equally between classroom education and internships in companies, will help young migrants gain access to the skills for employment.

Thanks to funding from the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the training program will educate 18 migrants who are under age 25 and from Sub-Saharan Africa. They are currently housed in facilities managed by the Genoese White Cross. The goal is for them to learn how to repair motor vehicle thermal engines.

Walter Carrubba, president of the Genoese White Cross, said, “I think it is an excellent experience for these young people, both in terms of training and for their future work. I am sure we will be able to repeat the training course several times. We thank the National Salesian Works Center – Professional Refresher Training, the Genoa Solidale Committee and all those who have committed themselves to getting this project off the ground.”

“Since the time of Don Bosco, the priority and objective of Salesians is to train our young people from an intellectual, professional and human point of view,” said Father Maurizio Lollobrigida, head of the course. “With young people from other countries who must be integrated into the social fabric, the best form is work, which restores dignity and gives them the opportunity to emancipate themselves.”

While addressing the students at a launch event, the prefect of Genoa stressed, “You have to be very careful and committed because what you are given at the end of this course is a great opportunity that can also lead to a job opportunity. I recommend maximum commitment, I wish you my best wishes for a good course and I hope you can put it to good use.”

Luca Bonfiglio, from Genova Solidale, also expressed satisfaction with the project at the launch event. He said, “Today the first mechatronics course starts. It is the first step to try to help young people gain an education. Other courses will follow to ensure that the youth, almost all guests of the Genoese Extraordinary Reception Centers, can take a further step towards training and integration. We are also working directly with OpenJob, to ensure youth are able to work after graduation, provided they are in compliance with the documents.”

This is one project among many in Italy helping to train and integrate young migrants into their new country. In addition, Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

ANS – Italy – 18 young migrants in the Salesians course to become mechanics: “A great opportunity”

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Migrants gain mechanic skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Training focuses on trauma

MissionNewswire — Tue, 07 May 2024 08:18:52 +0000

Course trains educators, others who are working in armed conflict countries

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Italy have launched an “Accompanying when trauma hits” training course at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome. The course was organized in collaboration with Don Bosco Mondo and the Don Bosco Network. It aims to provide tools for the management and prevention of trauma for educators, teachers, and members of the Salesian family who are working in armed conflict countries.

Participants include representatives from three Salesian provinces including the Middle East Province, Greek Catholic Vice-province of Ukraine*, and the Poland-Krakow Province, as well as from the diocese of Donetsk, Ukraine.

One of those participating is Father Oleh Ladnyuk, a Ukrainian priest, who is a military chaplain on the front lines working among soldiers and the civilians who have been facing the impacts of war for the past two years. Fr. Ladnyuk delivers humanitarian aid and has helped with the evacuation of more than 500 people.

In talking about the training, Fr. Ladnyuk said, “The course is very interesting because it deals with topics relating to the traumas that war produces including psychological wounds, including grief, that can impact people even a few years after the war. It is a very useful topic because we often deal with people who have lost a child, a husband or a parent in war. They explained to us what we can ask, what to talk about and what not to talk about.”

When talking with people about their trauma, Fr. Ladnyuk has some firsthand insight. He explained, “First of all, you have to let people get used to the new situation. Don’t try to talk right away, but ask how things are. There’s no need to ask too many questions. Better to wait for the person to get used to it and then slowly start talking. Because those who survived the war are feeling so many emotions. And, believe me, the majority, 90% of those who lived through the war, will gradually end up talking about a lot of things.”

The course is particularly relevant for the Salesians who are working in high-conflict areas around the globe. The Peace Research Institute Oslo has shown that in 2022, about 468 million children lived in conflict zones. These children, who are often directly involved in combat, are exposed to violence and a drastic reduction in their security and well-being. Providing support to them through this difficult time and after they have left conflict zones is critical to their well-being.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A Salesian on the front line of the war in Ukraine: “Being close counts, words come later”

ANS – Italy – “Accompanying when trauma hits 2024”: offering a structured model of education and psychological support in war contexts

Salesian Missions

*Any goods, services or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in this country were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post ITALY: Training focuses on trauma first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Young migrants receive support

MissionNewswire — Tue, 16 Apr 2024 08:05:56 +0000

Don Bosco Center in Naples provides safety, help to access services

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Center in Naples, Italy, is working to support young migrants who come to Italy looking for safety and better opportunities. Youth come to the country, most without parents, and land in the south before they make their way north in Italy and to the rest of Europe.

The Don Bosco Center is part of the Salesians for Social APS network and is the main point of contact for unaccompanied foreign minors who transit from Campania. The center has a reception community and a project aimed at promoting social and employment inclusion for those who are of age.

In six years, Father Giovanni Vanni, director, has seen nearly 800 youth arrive from as many as 37 different countries. “Many come from Tunisia, but in the last two years, the majority have come from Egypt. They follow a detailed itinerary from the start. They depart from Tobruk, which is the closest Libyan port to the border. While waiting for the boat, they are crammed into a shed. They do not suffer violence, but they are not free to leave. The average age has dropped too. A few days ago, we received a 14-year-old.”

Fr. Vanni continued, “Naples is the first big city coming from the south. Those who disembark only know that they have to go north, otherwise they rely on word of mouth. Naples has become even more famous after the city’s soccer team became champions. These young people immediately try to raise money for the trip. They work for cash, usually in the fields, then get on a train or bus. The problem is that no one seems to see them. They travel at night, rarely does anyone bother to ask them who they are or where they are going.”

Minors arrive at the docks and first look for food. The Caritas canteen feeds them and entrusts them to Fr. Vanni, who hosts them in the La Zattera community. Fr. Vanni explained, “Before coming to us, they loiter for a few days at the point of arrival, no one noticing or carrying about them. That is until maybe some policeman notices them and calls us. Sometimes it is other young people who are already in our community who report them to us.”

Many settle into the center and once they come of age, they enter the integration project. The Don Bosco Center provides a home and supports them at the beginning of their journey as adults. Salesians help with their documentation, connecting with rental apartments and finding a doctor and medical care. Salesians also help them access Italian language lessons, which helps their integration. In addition, Salesians work to find what the youth are good at and encourage them to enter school to build on those skills.

Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS, said, “The migrants we welcome are young people who have struggled in life. Precisely for this reason, they are at the center of our social and educational action that requires the involvement of a community made up of people, associations, institutions and companies. This community collectively is capable of giving dignity to young people and of enhancing the potential present in each of them.”

In addition to helping migrants and refugees, Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – The odyssey of “invisible” minors and Salesian attention to young migrants with a view to really saving lives

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young migrants receive support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Project increases student retention

MissionNewswire — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 08:53:25 +0000

‘Labs to Learn’ project helps at-risk youth access education

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians held the final event of the “Labs to Learn” project in Italy on March 5. The goal was to combat school dropout and prevent educational poverty by increasing the number of at-risk youth who continue on in school and access higher education and/or job placement. The project was selected by the With the Children social enterprise within the framework of the Foundation for the Fight against Child Educational Poverty.

The event, which took place in the neighborhood of Valdocco in Turin, brought together 30 speakers and more than 300 youth from the schools who participated in the project. Father Leonardo Mancini, superior of the Piedmont, Valle d ‘Aosta and Lithuania Circumscription, started the event with an address in which he quoted Don Bosco. “More will be achieved with a word of encouragement that gives confidence to the hearts of the youngsters than with many reproaches which only disturb them. Work is a powerful weapon against the enemies of the soul.”

Father Stefano Mondin, director of the Michael Rua Salesian Oratory, spoke about the origins of the “Labs To Learn” project, noting the four fundamental areas in which it was developed. These include the Maker Lab workshops which focused on a learn by doing; the Didactic workshop study method to reinforce cognitive, behavioral and affective-motivational skills for study; the Work Lab to encourage youth on a pre-professional and flexible path; and finally the Community Lab, which involved localized community activity, educational agreements, and building networks.

“The project connects school and extracurricular activities, aimed more at doing and understanding, so that the youngsters discover their dignity, something which is able to generate something beautiful,” Fr. Mondin explained.

After a visit to the Maker Lab stands where students presented their activities, guests were able to take part in the in-depth roundtable discussion focused on “The educating community: learning and inclusion. What is needed, what is missing.” During this time youth participated in a civic education game.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Labs To Future”: the final event of the “Labs To Learn” project in Valdocco

Labs to Learn

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Project increases student retention first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Center celebrates 15 years

MissionNewswire — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 08:33:31 +0000

Salesian Il Traghetto Day Center educates, supports youth at risk

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Il Traghetto (the ferry) Day Center in La Spezia, Italy, has been working with youth ages 6-18 for the past 15 years. The center was founded in 2009 by Father Antonio Integlia, who is now a missionary in Patagonia. In 2010, full activities began at the center with the support of Dr. Stefania Branchini, director of the Sociosanitary District, and funding from the Carispezia Foundation. The Municipality of La Spezia has been supporting the center for the last four years and has praised its work with youth.

Luca Vergassola, coordinator at the center, said, “We are in the fourth year of funding because the municipal administration has positively evaluated our activity. There was never such a day center in the city.”

The center has a capacity for 25 youth. It also offers the Safe Harbor project for youth who have spent time at the center, left to be on their own, but need support again down the road.

Like many organizations, the center had to reinvent itself during the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic period. Vergassola explained, “We tried to ensure that all youth had a chance to continue their education. We opened in the morning and served breakfast and then those students who could take courses remotely did so. The others we supported in still accessing their lessons at the center.”

The 15th anniversary was celebrated close to the feast of Don Bosco on Jan. 28. Father Giorgio Mocci, director of the center, said, “The extraordinary daily educational work that takes place in the day center is the result of shared effort of the La Spezia Educative, the Salesian pastoral community and the educational passion of the educators, to whom go the best wishes and thanks of all of us.”

The event was attended by Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS. He noted, “The day center is a way of combating educational poverty and fundamental educational prevention in a country like Italy which, unfortunately, has about 1.4 million minors in absolute poverty. Promoting organizations like the center is a guarantee of future growth of a community and the entire country.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – 15 years of service to young people in difficulty: the experience of the Il Traghetto Day Centre at La Spezia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Center celebrates 15 years first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Afghan refugees building new life

MissionNewswire — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 08:57:22 +0000

Salesian project provides support for Afghan families in Italy

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Prato, a city in Tuscany, Italy, are supporting Afghan refugees with the “We are with you” project, thanks to the financial support of Don Bosco Mondo. The project provides reception, integration, education and social support for Afghan families who arrive in Italy seeking safety and a new life.

Mahdi and Tayeba Moshtaq, two married Afghan refugees, received support from the project. After the Taliban took over Kabul in August 2021, the entire Moshtaq family fled their country. The couple has two children, Narges and Amir, who were young when the family left. They arrived in Italy in January 2022 and were welcomed by the Saint Anna Oratory in Prato.

After completing procedures to obtain a residence permit, health cards and refugee status, along with the A2 level Italian certification and the eighth grade diploma, Mahdi began working at a cooperative. Tayeba takes care of the children. In March 2023, Mahdi began an internship at a spinning company, which recently turned to an open-ended contract for him.

The family, now more settled, lives in one of the residences of Prato’s Reception and Integration System. Despite the distance from the Don Bosco Center, they continue to attend the oratory. Tayeba has said it is a real home where the family found much comfort and emotional support. Mahdi is grateful for the closeness and kindness of the people they have met.

A Salesian said, “It is not easy to start a new chapter in life when you are forced to run away from your country, taking with you the bare minimum, and having to take care of safeguarding two young children. Salesians do as much as they can to ensure refugees have safe shelter first and foremost. We help with the paperwork, teaching language lessons and helping refugees integrate into their new communities.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – The story of Mahdi and Tayeba, from Kabul to Prato for the dream of a happy life

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Afghan refugees building new life first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Teachers empowered for safer schools

MissionNewswire — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 08:46:31 +0000

Salesian Pontifical University course helps educators address challenges

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Pontifical University’s Institute of Psychology in Rome has organized a course for teachers focusing on strategies to address classroom management challenges and to support students. The goal is to empower teachers to make the learning environment an even safer and more inclusive place.

A Salesian said, “Teaching represents a stimulating and rewarding challenge, but, in the face of difficult class groups and students, it can turn into an experience full of complications if methods and tools aimed at particularly effective management are not adopted.”

Aimed at teachers at all levels, school leaders and school psychologists, the course is directed by Prof. Alessandro Ricci. It will consist of three different modules, including addressing group dynamics in the classroom, dealing with difficult students and conflict management, and rules for students and families.

With both theoretical and practical skills, participants will learn strategies for effective involvement with other teachers, students and parents in the school environment. In addition, strategies for prevention and promotion of socio-relational well-being in school will be addressed.

The Salesian added, “These skills will cover a range of school grades and situations that come up in the classroom. We want teachers to be able to prevent conflicts, but if they can’t, then they need to learn how to effectively put in place rules, handle conflict and improve the school-family collaboration.”

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of the country. With subsequent inflation, 1 in 12 Italians lived in absolute poverty in 2022, causing 5.67 million individuals and 2.18 million families to have an income level that did not support them to meet basic needs of life including food, shelter, education and healthcare. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A formation course at the UPS to help teachers in “managing the classroom and difficult pupils”

Salesian Pontifical University

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Teachers empowered for safer schools first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: 15 young refugees finish technical training

MissionNewswire — Tue, 06 Feb 2024 08:47:23 +0000

Program partner ensures job placement and housing

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Vocational Training Center Rebaudengo, located in Turin, Italy, launched a program to provide skills training for 15 young refugees who are living at Camp Fenoglio in Settimo Torinese, a commune in Turin. Run by the Red Cross, the camp houses young refugees and migrants ages 20 to 40.

The center, part of CNOS-FAP – Salesian National Center for Training and Job Placement Network, leads the training for the program. Partners Biella Industrial Union and the Italian Red Cross support the program and the participants. Biella Industrial Union reviews companies for hiring refugees after the training is finished. The Red Cross provides ongoing support for candidates, including monitoring the progress of the students’ activities and attendance as well as ensuring trainees have access to public transport passes to facilitate their travel to and from the course.

The course, which began in December 2023, provided 120 hours of vocational training in the mechanical-textile field. After training finished in January 2024, a supervisor with Biella Industrial Union ensured job placement in the city of Biella along with proper housing.

Agostino Albo, from the Salesian Vocational Training Center, said, “We did not record any absentees on the part of the students. There was a strong level of motivation and the will to complete the course.”

A Salesian added, “This is an important training program beyond how we are helping the young refugees. The training is focused on the mechanical-textile sector, which in recent years has been experiencing a production crisis due to the lack of manpower. This shortage is primarily linked to the excessive choosiness of companies, which require a specific skill-set. This training program aims to meet the needs of this sector while uplifting those who need training and employment.”

Last year, another course for a different employment sector was held for immigrants. All 14 students found employment when the course ended.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A Job Placement Course for Young Refugees at ITI – “Rebaudengo”

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: 15 young refugees finish technical training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Foundation celebrates 10-year anniversary

MissionNewswire — Mon, 15 Jan 2024 08:10:27 +0000

Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation highlights global projects

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation in Milan, Italy, is celebrating 10 years in operation bringing education and basic necessities to the most vulnerable. On its anniversary, the foundation has highlighted projects that have been made possible by its donors. A Salesian noted, “One of the driving forces of the foundation is that we are not content to deal with a problem piecemeal. We focus our attention on how to repair the problem itself.”

Since the start of the war in Ukraine*, the foundation has focused efforts on the plight of the people there. The foundation has provided support in Lviv, where Mariapolis was built to host nearly 1,000 displaced people from the eastern areas of the country. Thanks to the generosity of donors, the necessary funds were collected and sent throughout the year to support the services of the Mariapolis camp.

Facing the earthquake emergency in Syria, the Salesians of Aleppo and Damascus immediately provided assistance and aid to the population affected. After the initial relief operation, donors supported reconstruction and psycho-social support. This project was carried out in collaboration with the Opera Don Bosco Lugano.

Another donor project provided a new oven for the Salesian Bakery in Bethlehem. This historic institution has been in operation for 130 years and plays a crucial role in the life of the local community, providing free bread to those most in need. In addition, students come to learn the bakery trade. The old oven, which was more than 20 years old, required constant maintenance, was inefficient and did not meet occupational safety standards.

Michele Rigamonti, president of the foundation, said, “Thanks to the generosity of those who support our mission, we have been able to address emergencies and promote social development in many communities in need. In the last period, the foundation has responded to humanitarian emergencies in several regions, including Syria*, Ukraine, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar*, Democratic Republic of the Congo* and Venezuela*. We have contributed to growth and education through education and vocational training projects in Brazil, Burundi*, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, India, Myanmar, Peru and Rwanda. In addition, we have promoted agricultural and food projects to contribute to the livelihood of many children and their families, in Brazil, Ethiopia*, Ghana, Senegal andEast Timor.”

Rigamonti added, “Our mission doesn’t stop there. We continue to move the heart of many people, encouraging them to make themselves present in a concrete way to those who need it most, especially children and young people, offering them opportunities for the future.”

Numerous projects are already underway for the coming year. These include the “Let’s all go to school” project in Gambella in Ethiopia and the “Health and well-being for the most needy families in Tegucigalpa” initiative in Honduras, as well as the opportunity to remotely support an entire community of youth for a year in different areas of the world.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Fondazione Opera Don Bosco: a 2023 full of exciting projects

Opera Don Bosco Onlus Foundation

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Foundation celebrates 10-year anniversary first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Free sports programming funded in Bari, Italy

MissionNewswire — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 08:09:05 +0000

Salesian programming to reach nearly 500 people

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with Salesian Redentore Amateur Sports Association, located in Bari, Italy, have won the “Sport of All Neighborhoods” competition under the “Sport and Health” category in a plan from the Ministry of the Economy. The “Redentore. The sport that regenerates smiles for life” project was approved and will provide two years of sporting, recreational, educational and free activities for close to 500 children, older youth and the elderly.

The project will take place at the Salesian Redentore Center in the Libertà district of Bari, on the eastern outskirts of the city. The district has a population of 60,000 inhabitants, the largest multi-ethnic population and the highest percentage of minors undergoing criminal proceedings in the region of Apulia.

“Don Bosco said that Salesians must turn wolves into lambs and lambs into shepherds — this educational path often begins with sport,” explained Father Giuseppe Ieva, president of Redentore Amateur Sports Association and leader of the project. “The Salesians have been in the Libertà district for more than 100 years. If you go past the Redentore you see the kids with a ball, then sport becomes an educational tool to produce good Christians and upright citizens.”

The project includes sports courses for youth and specific activities for those over age 65, including people with disabilities. Other activities that aid study, outdoor multi-sport summer centers, food availability, education and film groups will be supported by volunteers of the Universal Civil Service.

Pietro Petruzzelli, councilor for sport for the Municipality of Bari, said, “‘Sport and Health’ encourages sports practice, from basic motor activity to competition. Everyone who goes through the oratory learns to practice a sport, but not only that, they do it through building up a community.”

“We work better together,” said Ruggiero Russo, a planner at PGS Italia, who wrote up the project. “I want to talk about the dream, because we started from here, from the heart that regenerates smiles and life. The Libertà neighborhood is an important neighborhood in the city with a difficult social scene, so it was necessary to play sports there. Through our project, we propose to use sport as a tool to build educational bridges with a very important network of collaborations. Bari is the only city that has won two ‘Sport and Health’ projects because there has been a strong awareness of networking: together we work better.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Redentore. Sport that re-generates smiles and life”: two years of free sports activities for over 500 young people

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Free sports programming funded in Bari, Italy first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Young migrants learn new language

MissionNewswire — Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:29:35 +0000

Salesian Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish offers courses for migrants

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish in Rome has been working with migrants and refugees, and it recently started language classes to help these youth acclimate into their new communities in Italy. The class holds 130 people in each quarterly cycle. The demand far exceeds the capacity.

The course is free of charge and is run by volunteers, including youth from the Universal Civil Service and university students from the nearby faculty of educational sciences at Roma Tre University. Salesians, members of the Salesian family and members of other spiritual families also support the efforts.

“There are different levels for the course, based on need,” explained Father Enrico Lupano, a coordinator of the project. “We also have to address that learning a new language may be difficult because some youth are not literate in their home language.”

The youth who attend represent a cross-section of nationalities. In the current course cycle, Tenin is the top student and only girl in the class. Mamadou, age 23 and from Guinea Conakry, learned about these courses by playing soccer with a volunteer. Bernard, age 25 and from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been attending the course for a month. He hopes that in a short time he will be able to find a job to support himself.

Suleyman arrived from Gambia three months ago and has a story like many others. When asked how he arrived in Italy, he quickly mentions his crossing in North Africa, the many who remained in Tunisia and the boat trip. He said, “It’s a long story and if I tell it to you, then I’ll end up crying.”

The course is a springboard to help youth gain an education and prepare for the workforce. They receive help in writing a resume, the search for work and a home. They are able to take driving lessons so they have greater mobility. Beyond that, Salesians offer help with navigating bureaucracy, such as challenges with residence permits.

“These young people have a great desire to learn,” explained Cristina, a young woman who grew up at the Salesian oratory in Macerata and is now a volunteer for the project. “They know that it could be their only opportunity and for this reason they all show great attention and kindness.”

Cristina hopes that her volunteer position will lead to employment helping migrants and refugees. She loves the work and learning about their experience. She added, “It is giving me many tools to learn more about their lives, their stories and how we can really make a home for them. It’s not just Italian or the service you do for them. Every day gives you an extra chance to understand their lives and their situation here in Rome and in Italy, amid daily difficulties and challenges.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – School of Italian for migrants at Sacred Heart in Rome: a hand extended to help many “invisible” young people

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Young migrants learn new language first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Youth in need find new opportunity

MissionNewswire — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 08:15:46 +0000

Salesian program for marginalized youth supported more than 54,000 youth in 2022

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The “You x the children” program run by Salesians for Social APS in Italy reached 54,190 youth in 2022, thanks to an investment of 2.5 million euro. The program is run through 46 Don Bosco Houses, where poor and marginalized youth study, play, grow and have new opportunities through the commitment of educators, volunteers and donors.

Operating through a network of more than 100 local organizations, Salesians for Social APS has been working for more than 30 years to take care of youth who need help. Don Bosco Houses are real homes where vulnerable children can live with foster parents who provide food, protection and love.

This support is important given the status of youth in the country. According to data released by the National Institute of Statistics in 2022, 13.4% of minors in Italy were in absolute poverty, equal to more than 1.2 million children and adolescents under 18. This is an increase of almost one point compared to the previous year of 12.6%. In addition, 23.5% of children are in a condition of relative poverty, which is more than 2.1 million children and adolescents.

The statistics also show regional differences, with disadvantaged children living to a greater extent in the south (15.9%) of the country, while lower numbers of disadvantaged children are living in the north (12.3%) and in the middle of the country (11.5%).

“A third of our children grow up with heavy negative conditioning,” explained Marco Rossi Doria, president of the social enterprise Con i Bambini. “Italy’s sustainable future is at stake. It is time to integrate public and private action in a strategic way, constant over time in support of the educating communities already at work. Child educational poverty is fueled by and fuels economic and social exclusion. It is an intolerable short circuit that harms people’s rights and opportunities at the beginning of life and threatens the future sustainability of Italy’s development.”

Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS, agreed. “We share the concern about the data, which gives us an alarming picture. The economic and social conditions of many families do not allow children and young people to have access to the services, activities and goods necessary for their development. We continue to be committed to supporting minors and young people with their families who live in situations of social vulnerability, material and educational poverty.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Almost 3.5 million children live in poverty: the Salesians, with “You X the children”, support them in growing up to give them a better future

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Youth in need find new opportunity first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Migrants gain business skills

MissionNewswire — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 08:37:04 +0000

Don Bosco 2000 helping more than 1,000 migrants in 15 assistance centers in Sicily

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco 2000 in Italy has 15 migrant assistance centers in Sicily and is currently caring for close to 1,000 migrants in those facilities, according to a recent article in Hankyoreh, a newspaper in South Korea. The migrants hail from various countries but most are from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

The centers provide shelter, assistance with document preparation, language study and skills training to help migrants adapt to their new surroundings. Salesians also assist with asylum application procedures, which can take up to two years, according to the article.

Don Bosco 2000 also has a program designed to allow immigrants to acquire various skills at the centers. These skills are later used to start their own businesses whether they remain in Italy or return to their home countries.

As journalist Noh Ji-won, Berlin correspondent for Hankyoreh and author of the article, noted, “It’s a mutually beneficial model that treats immigrants as more than just beneficiaries of charity: it puts their labor capabilities to work toward operating a social enterprise and ultimately assisting with economic development in Africa. Indeed, around a dozen immigrants have returned home and started businesses with skills that they learned here.”

According to the article, Don Bosco 2000 is working with close to 40 migrants in agriculture, clothing production and sales. Its programs include sales of crops harvested on land confiscated from the Mafia by the Italian government. In the clothing production program, migrants design and then create garments on their own sewing machines to sell them at the program’s clothing store. Ten percent of the profits go toward a chicken coop installation project in Africa. Salesians are also helping with job placement. This year, around 40 labor contracts have been signed by migrants in Sicily alone, according to the article.

“Our activities go above and beyond simply ‘welcoming’ people,” said Roberta La Cara in the article. She has worked for the last decade as a project coordinator for Don Bosco 2000. “Since these immigrants have come here to work for money to send to their families, our job is about helping them achieve self-sufficiency.”

Aly Traoré, age 32 and from Mali, was helped by Don Bosco 2000. Leaving Mali after civil war broke out, he traveled through Algeria and Libya before reaching Catania, Sicily in 2014. In addition to his native languages Bambara and Soninke, he spoke English, Arabic and French, so he was able to start working as an interpreter for Don Bosco 2000 after he arrived. Later, he went back to school and now works as the Beteyà Hostel reception manager. According to the article, 10 of the 14 employees working at the hostel are immigrants like Traoré. The hostel’s building served as the primary reception center for immigrants between 2015 to 2018.

In addition to helping migrants, Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

Hankyoreh – African migrants cultivate self-sufficiency on land once used by Sicilian Mafia

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Migrants gain business skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Youth to gain skills in fashion sector

MissionNewswire — Tue, 24 Oct 2023 08:14:19 +0000

Salesians sign agreement for vocational training in fashion and accessories industry

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP) in Italy, which is a network of technical and vocational institutions, and Confindustria Moda, a federation that brings together companies and associations in the textile, fashion and accessories sector, have signed a three-year partnership to promote vocational training in the fashion and accessories industry in Italy and worldwide.

Salesians noted that according to estimates by the CENSIS Research Institute, 1.9 million workers will retire in Italy by 2030, 6% of whom are in the fashion and accessories industry. It is also estimated that at the same time there will be 1.3 million fewer students.

To address employer challenges in finding qualified staff, this new project will promote youth employment in the sector by providing high-quality vocational training. The goal is to attract youth to the field and develop pathways directly to employment.

The project will also focus on international exchange. The Salesian Don Bosco Tech network will facilitate the employment of youth in the fashion and accessories sector who are trained in Salesian schools in their countries.

“This agreement represents the opening of a new front for our Salesian mission,” said Father Giuliano Giacomazzi, director general of the CNOS-FAP. “With it, a strategic collaboration begins with the world of fashion and accessories, which is part of the process of enhancing the value of made in Italy. The hope is to offer girls and boys training and educational support that promises job opportunities and innovation.”

Ercole Botto Poala, president of Confindustria Moda, echoed these sentiments. “The challenge of training is particularly felt today in the fashion and accessories industry, a key driver of the Italian economy, due to the ever-increasing difficulty in finding professionals with the necessary skills in the market. With this collaboration, we are taking an important step forward to help companies in their daily challenges, while also contributing to the noble mission of the Salesians to promote fair integration.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Collaboration signed between Confindustria Moda and the Salesian CNOS-FAP Federation

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID supports migrant youth

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Youth to gain skills in fashion sector first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Funding supports 4 Salesian projects

MissionNewswire — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 08:07:35 +0000

Humanitarian projects located in India, Angola, Ethiopia and Ukraine

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Lombard Educational Center in Sesto San Giovanni, Italy, has been raising funds for Salesian projects around the globe. Students, families, teachers and Salesians have raised 38,000 euro, which is supporting several humanitarian projects.

The funding was enough for Salesians to purchase a bus to transport 400 students from 30 villages in rural Sayalkudi, a village in Ramanathapuram district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The bus ensures even children from the poorest families are able to access education.

The funds are also contributing to the construction and preparation of a mechanics workshop at the Casa Muxima Center in Luanda, Angola. Youth who attend this school have a safe place to live and are able to access basic education. They then attend three years of vocational training so they can learn the skills for employment.

In Ethiopia*, funding provided support for the Meskelle Yesus Salesian Elementary School in Dilla, which offers poor youth a quality education. Students also receive a meal each day and necessary health and hygiene education. The funding will replace current bathrooms which are insufficient for the 1,000 students who attend the school.

The funding also helped support projects in Ukraine*. A Salesian explained, “The funding contributed to the creation of a multifunctional space to be used as a shelter and to the various activities organized by the Salesians in Kiev in support of people who are internally displaced. When the war is over, Salesians already have plans to convert the shelter into a small underground theater.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Aid to schools and displaced persons with funds raised by the Salesians

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

*Any goods, services, or funds provided by Salesian Missions to programs located in these countries were administered in compliance with applicable laws and regulations, including sanctions administered by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control.

The post ITALY: Funding supports 4 Salesian projects first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: New program to boost job skills for youth

MissionNewswire — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 08:51:24 +0000

Partnership agreement focuses on construction-related employment

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for the Social APS in Italy has signed an agreement with Formedil, a national construction organization focused on training, safety and labor services. The organization has a network of 121 territorial bodies called building schools.

Salesians for the Social coordinates 88 associations nationwide focused on activities to counter youth marginalization and hardship. It has signed the agreement to design and manage initiatives that will provide education for vulnerable individuals, particularly migrants and refugees, to gain skills for construction-related employment. The goal is to ensure sustainable social and labor inclusion.

Salesians will provide socio-cultural, family and educational support, including teaching language courses and skill development. Formedil will help bridge the gap to ensure easier classroom to work access.

Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for the Social, said, “This is a protocol that will help us give hope to many young people, especially migrants and refugees, with training and the possibility of employment. Salesians for the Social is committed to welcoming migrants and refugees, but our system, just as Don Bosco did in the Turin of the 1800s, is not limited to offering a safe place to live, but thinks about the future, work, and dignity of these young people.”

Elena Lovera, Formedil’s president, added, “The protocol signed with Salesians for the Social is an important tool that will allow our institutions to give an answer to the sector’s demands for figures with high professionalism.”

This is one among many projects Salesians for Social has facilitated to help vulnerable populations gain an education and find long-term, stable employment. Salesians for the Social operates throughout the country as a network made up of foster homes, welcome communities, daycare centers, and other services. The network is diversified into ecclesiastical bodies, voluntary organizations, associations and social cooperatives.

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of the country. Close to 5.6 million people or 9.4% of the population are living in absolute poverty unable to buy goods or services to achieve a minimally acceptable standard of living, according to the World Bank. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Formedil and Salesians for Social APS: protocol signed to counter marginalization of most vulnerable and give them a future

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: New program to boost job skills for youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Volunteer efforts support youth in need

MissionNewswire — Fri, 19 May 2023 08:49:20 +0000

Donations to continue through work of Salesian community

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians and volunteers in Andria, Italy, have been supporting youth in need. On March 11-12, they held a solidarity event to accept donations of various goods. The items were then distributed to associations, organizations, and communities that provide services for children and families in poverty.

On April 11, a group of fourth-grade children from the Salesian oratory visited the Lorenzo Bonomo Hospital pediatrics ward to donate toys, along with a written note emphasizing that with every gift received, one must make oneself a gift for another. One adult volunteer, who was with the children, said, “We don’t hide our excitement at seeing the smiles on the faces of the little boys and girls who appreciated this great little altruistic gesture.”

The volunteer work will continue. The volunteer added, “The next step will be the distribution of food at the Santa Maria Goretti Reception House in the coming days so we can again support children in need.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Put more heart in those hands”: Salesian community of Andria in favor of most needy

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Volunteer efforts support youth in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Eco-program aims to train West African youth

MissionNewswire — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 08:52:10 +0000

Salesian center taking part in new initiative GreenVET Africa

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education in Italy (CNOS-FAP), a network of technical and vocational institutions, has announced that the organization is participating in the first transcontinental program for Vocational Training and Innovation in Eco-sustainable Waste Management in Africa, known as GreenVETAfrica.

GreenVETAfrica is a two-year project of Erasmus+ and co-funded by the European Commission. Its aim is to foster technical vocational pathways for jobless youth and will train 100 youth from Nigeria and Ghana.

The program was developed by a consortium of three European partners including AREA and CNOS-FAP in Italy and the Mundus Association in Spain in collaboration with four partners in Africa, Whizzy Academy and Presbyterian Relief Services and Development in Ghana and Pan Atlantic University Foundation and Lagos Waste Management Authority in Nigeria.

The training will contribute to what’s known as the Green and Digital Transition (Twin Transition) with the aim of meeting ambitious environmental goals of the European Green Deal and the Europe-Africa Strategic Partnership. The twin transition is key to adopting a circular development model, transforming linear industrial value chains to minimize waste and pollution, make better use of waste generated, and ensure environmental standards. This transition requires skilled professionals at all levels.

The program will further address the gap in environmental studies and technology training, which until now were offered exclusively at the university level. There were no programs available in technical training to respond to job vacancies in the environmental sector, particularly in waste management.

GreenVETAfrica training will focus on innovative program for green waste management and micro-entrepreneurship, which will be pilot-tested with 100 students. At the end of the training activity, the goal is to help graduates enter into the employment sector. Educational materials will then be made available online to promote the replicability of the program in other schools and countries.

“We are very proud of this project, which was born thanks to a solid knowledge of the reality and needs of the labor market in West Africa and a network of international partners of the highest level,” said Adriano Mauro, AREA founder and project coordinator. “Our team is already at work coordinating the project activities and we will also have the opportunity to test an immersive digital solution for distance learning that we are developing.”

To learn more about this project, visit GreenVETAfrica.eu.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – CNOS-FAP participating in GreenVETAfrica project, first transcontinental program of Vocational Training and innovation in eco-sustainable waste management in Africa

CNOS-FAP

Salesian Missions

The post ITALY: Eco-program aims to train West African youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Youth in Italy, Senegal benefit from activities

MissionNewswire — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 08:51:03 +0000

Don Bosco 2000 improves the lives of youth through oratory activities

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco 2000 in Italy is focused on welcoming migrants, helping in prisons and providing safe space in oratories, among other activities. One of the oratories supported is the Piazza Armerina Oratory, run by the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The oratory operates year-round with youth able to access support with homework and recreational activities.

The oratory recently became involved in a Caritas project that put on a theatrical performance in the Enna Luigi Bodenza prison house. The play included 26 youth and inmates and was performed at the Enna’s Garibaldi Theater.

“Don Bosco’s example represents the guide for how we support and address the needs of the youngest and the neediest among our population,” said Cinzia Vella, director general of Don Bosco 2000. “It’s not just here in Italy we are helping youth but abroad too. For example, we have one special project in Veligara Pont, a village in the Tambacounda region of Senegal. We have created a new oratory there that is successful. The village chief told us that since we arrived the children are happier and they are playing the summer games and dances we taught them.”

Amara, a volunteer with Don Bosco 2000 in Senegal, said, “The oratory is a beautiful thing for us. We do so many things with the children including meetings, gatherings, training. We even hold French and Italian language courses. Every Saturday and Sunday, we have more than 50 children attending the oratory and are able to distribute snacks. Thanks to the availability of two local volunteer doctors, we also provide a dispensary for medical care that is open every day.”

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of the country. Close to 5.6 million people or 9.4 percent of the population are living in absolute poverty unable to buy goods or services to achieve a minimally acceptable standard of living, according to the World Bank. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – From Sicily to Senegal, a bridge of education and solidarity in the name of Don Bosco

Don Bosco 2000

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Youth in Italy, Senegal benefit from activities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Afghan refugee starts her new life

MissionNewswire — Wed, 01 Feb 2023 08:57:13 +0000

Salesians for Social APS in Rome is providing support for refugees

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social APS in Rome has been taking in refugees to provide them support in their new community. One of these refugees is Negin, a young Afghan woman who fled with her family in 2021. She now lives in Italy and has been welcomed by a supportive network including the Salesians. Negin was able to continue her studies on a refugee scholarship and has started a new life.

Negin remembers the morning in Kabul when her family knew they had to leave Afghanistan. She explained, “It was a day like any other. For weeks, we had all been asking ourselves if they were coming or not. But no one wanted to assume the worst, even though we cried after the conquest of Herat. Then, at 11 that morning in mid-August 2021, we saw the Taliban at home, at the university, in offices, on the streets. Everywhere.”

From that day, the then 19-year-old computer science student began a journey into the unknown. “The journey was long, first by bus to Herat, then by car to the border with Iran, and finally in the Iranian city of Qom, where we waited for the visa for Italy,” she said.

Her mother, Razia, had been expelled from her post as a journalist on Tanandon TV, while her father, Reza, an architect, had been fired by the Ministry of Infrastructure. She also has a brother, Moahmmad Eshan, and little sister, Mathab. They are all rebuilding their lives in Italy.

The family’s escape from Kabul was made possible thanks to their savings and an incredible, yet discreet, network of solidarity coordinated by Italian journalist Maria Grazia Mazzola and by Salesians for Social. Salesians for Social has successfully supported 70 Afghan citizens persecuted by the Taliban.

Negin has continued her studies, which she would not have been able to do in Afghanistan. She said, “Before leaving Kabul, I begged an employee of my university to give me the file with the exams I had done. And now, with that precious piece of paper, I am able to apply for scholarships that LUISS University reserves for refugees.”

This month she has an appointment for her first exam at the Faculty of Economics. Looking to her future, Negin added, “A university degree is the most important goal. But I also hope that my parents will find a job soon because one cannot live with dignity without it.”

When she thinks back to her last few months in Kabul, Negin’s smile cracks. “Of course, that wasn’t a normal life. But it was still my country, our home was there, our friends were there. Then almost everyone left, leaving a whole life behind them. Like us.”

Salesians for Social fights against educational poverty and inequality for poor youth and their families through educational and social programs in Italy. These programs are possible with the support of donors and volunteers and with the collaboration of local businesses and institutions.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – From Kabul to Rome, a one-way journey: Negin’s future is a university degree

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Afghan refugee starts her new life first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Women gain skills to earn living

MissionNewswire — Fri, 27 Jan 2023 08:02:32 +0000

Salesian Santa Chiara Oratory launches new tailoring workshop

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Santa Chiara Oratory in the Ballarò neighborhood of Palermo, Italy, has launched a new tailoring and dressmaking workshop for young women and mothers. The training initiative, known locally as “LABMAG,” meets three times a week. The participants have the opportunity to socialize with one another and learn a skill to help them earn a living.

For decades, the Santa Chiara Oratory has been a place for meeting, sharing and hope for the many diverse cultures of people who live in the neighborhood. The women in the training are determined to create their own products that will support their families.

Marina Profeta, coordinator of the group, described her approach, “This tailoring workshop represents a time for women in the neighborhood to connect with each other while working and creating. We socialize and talk about issues that are close to our hearts — family, work and children. They do not feel judged and like to share their fears, expectations and desire to learn something for the future.”

Profeta wants to grow the workshop to include others. “We would like to approach migrant women who have different life experiences and are rich in values. They can give us an intercultural exchange that could make our reality a dressmaker’s workshop of the world.”

Father Domenico Luvarà, rector of the Salesians of St. Clare, said, “We consider it one of our priorities to pay attention to these women through our pastoral educational projects. Their presence here is vitally important. We have a goal to work more with young women and provide the support and encouragement they need to prepare for the future.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesian oratory “Santa Chiara” in Palermo hosting tailoring workshop aimed at women and mothers

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Women gain skills to earn living first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Afghan refugee tells his story

MissionNewswire — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 08:04:48 +0000

Salesians in Macerata provide support for refugee families

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Macerata, Italy, have been helping refugees become acclimated in their new homes and have hope for a better life. Mustafa Alizada, age 24, has a wife and two children, including a 4-month-old baby. He was forced to flee Kabul, Afghanistan, when the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Because of his Hazara (Shiite) ethnicity, Alizada and his family, including his in-laws, were persecuted by the regime.

His family made the decision to leave quickly and left by car at night. They were able to make it safely to Pakistan and then to Italy.

“When the Taliban took power, we knew we were in danger and had to leave the country as soon as possible,” explained Alizada. “Through my sister-in-law and a journalist, both activists with Afghanistan Women’s Political Participation Network, a tweet was sent to Maria Grazia Mazzola, a RAI journalist, who helped us instantly. Our second child was due, and my wife gave birth in Kabul and then we fled to Pakistan. We traveled at night. Women had only their eyes uncovered and we were afraid. After 21 days we left for Italy, thanks to that tweet.”

Alizada and his family were granted refugee status a few weeks ago. He said, “I like Italy very much. In Macerata, I feel fine. I don’t want our children’s future to be like mine. Everything I had was wiped out. Destroyed in an instant. For them, I wish a peaceful life full of joy.”

An engineer specializing in construction, Alizada is doing his Italian civil service requirement with the Salesians and has started work as a laborer. He aspires to a higher qualification like the one he had in his country. He hopes for the equalization of qualifications and is already trying through an online university. He is also studying the Italian language.

“I thank the Salesians who have held our hands in the most difficult moments of our lives, for giving us a place to live and helping us with work. For us they are brothers and our friends and family,” added Alizada.

The Salesians supporting him feel the same way. Father Francesco Galante, rector of the Salesian center in Macerata, said, “When they arrived last year, just before Christmas, it was a sign of providence for us. Imagine being faced with a family with a baby just over a month old. This obliged us to provide concrete measures to the welcome them. There was a lot to be done with going to the doctor, the police station, then fingerprinting, and accompanying them to the supermarket that had halal meat, and so on.”

Fr. Galante noted it was a lesson for the Salesians as well. “Their arrival taught us not to suffocate the guests by pouring a thousand cares on them. You can see that they are not economic migrants. They were ripped from their land. One day they were living normally and the next day they were on the run and then welcomed in a country with a different culture. We realized that welcoming asks us to listen to those who arrive.”

Fr. Galante also noted that Alizada is hard-working and always willing to lend a hand. “If Mustafa saw us working and by chance, we didn’t ask him to help, he’d be offended. He has such a desire to do things, to make himself helpful. He has made friends with everyone here. And, in fact, in addition to the volunteers, Mustafa and family socialize with the university students living in the apartment next to theirs.”

In addition to helping refugees, Salesian programs across Italy help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesians open doors to Afghan refugees. Mustafa’s story

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Afghan refugee tells his story first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Project helps youth obtain jobs

MissionNewswire — Wed, 11 Jan 2023 08:33:27 +0000

Salesian Past Pupils National Federations across 5 countries launch project to address youth unemployment

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Past Pupils National Federations from Malta, Italy, Slovakia, Hungary and Spain met in Rome in December to launch the “Digital Divide and Supporting Unemployed Young People” project. This project is financed by Erasmus+, the European Union’s program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe. Past pupils will create a training program for unemployed youth with the goal to support them in accessing jobs.

The project will include online training for youth workers and Salesian staff in the five countries, an in-person training course for Salesian staff in Malta, the development and pilot testing of five courses for youth in each participating country, a transnational meeting in Budapest, and an evaluation of the project led by Spain.

Bryan Magro, president of the World Confederation of Past Pupils of Don Bosco, is coordinating the project. He stated, “This is another initiative that is helping the past pupils’ movement to fulfill its Salesian mission to work with the youth, especially those who are unemployed and require support to access jobs.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Past Pupils start new Erasmus+ Project on Digital Divide and Supporting Unemployed Young People

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Project helps youth obtain jobs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian student honored at training school

MissionNewswire — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 08:13:57 +0000

Student from Salesian Giostra Oratory chosen as 1 of best 3 students at new Samsung Customer Service School

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Giostra Oratory in Messina, Italy, has announced that one of its students, Giovanni Napolitano, has been named one of the three best students in the first edition of the Samsung Customer Service School. This free advanced training school, promoted by Samsung Electronics Italy, Randstad Italy and Salesians for Social, was created to train service specialists. Salesians for Social developed this partnership with Samsung and other companies to create employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth.

In Italy, there is a current shortage of prospective employees with the right technical skills to fill service specialties. As a result, companies are having a difficult time filling positions. In July 2022, this impacted more than 40 percent of planned hires, about 10 percent higher than in July 2021.

The first class of the Samsung Customer Service School had 13 students, ages 18-22, from all over Italy. The students studied topics like thermodynamics of refrigeration, air conditioning, electrical engineering, fault diagnostics, data analysis, service marketing, behavioral techniques, entrepreneurship and customer service, among other topics.

“The first edition of the Customer Service School has come to an end. I appreciated the lively curiosity of the students and the healthy spirit of competition to achieve the result,” said Vito Fortunato, head of customer service at Samsung Electronics Italy. “I believe I can say that we have set up the school with rigor, leaving nothing to chance.”

Ettore Jovane, head of the air conditioning business at Samsung Electronics Italy, added, “The development of our products, designed by leveraging the most innovative technologies, must necessarily go hand-in-hand with the training and enhancement of human capital. Thanks to this joint project with Randstad and Salesians for Social we can offer advanced skills and train complete and up-to-date professional figures on new trends thanks to a unique path on the market.”

Osteljano Doka and Luigi D’Angelo are the other two award winners, both final-year students at the Luxembourg Institute in Milan. Each of the chosen students will be awarded a scholarship worth approximately 2,000 euros, which includes free enrollment in a course to obtain the F-GAS license, which is essential to work as service technicians on air conditioning systems. The students will also receive a tool kit for refrigeration/air conditioning technical interventions and additional in-depth training focused on management and entrepreneurship topics.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Young man from Messina’s Giostra Salesian oratory among best in first edition of “Customer Service School”

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian student honored at training school first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: School gains new soccer field

MissionNewswire — Tue, 15 Nov 2022 08:23:06 +0000

Salesian missionaries inaugurate new soccer field at the Don Bosco Institute in Schio

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have inaugurated a new soccer field at the Don Bosco Institute in Schio, Italy. The event was organized by the Salesian Youth Sports Club Concordia Football (soccer). The institute is celebrating its 120th anniversary. The new field boasts a synthetic turf made of recyclable plastic and LED lighting. It was made possible through private funders with the city administration.

A huge crowd gathered to celebrate the new field and included Roberto Baggio, a legendary Italian soccer player and winner of numerous national and international titles. He was joined by the city’s mayor, Valter Orsi, as well as Father Juan Carlos Pérez Godoy, councilor for the Mediterranean region, and Father Enrico Gaetan, rector of the Don Bosco Institute Schio.

Fr. Gaetan said, “Our goal is to offer young people a space that is increasingly within their reach for their formation and growth. The football field is the first step in a larger project. The school is now completed and the oratory will be finished next spring.”

The Salesian youth club has 90 players who attended the event and were able to ask Baggio about his career and what soccer meant to him.

“The true beauty is to feel joy for what you do. To feel the pleasure of playing because football is something wonderful. It is important to feel privileged, when you play sports, because many people cannot do it,” said Baggio at the event. “You cannot think that you can achieve your objectives if you do not also go through failures. Passion, perseverance, and determination make all the difference. You have to learn from sacrifices and failures.”

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, a memorial plaque was unveiled. The celebration continued with the inaugural game, the presentation of the teams in the arena, a toast and an informal moment for greetings with the guest of honor.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Ballon d’Or Roberto Baggio inaugurates football field at Salesian oratory in Schio

Don Bosco Institute Schio

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: School gains new soccer field first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Shop raises funds for youth in need

MissionNewswire — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 08:55:14 +0000

Salesians for Social APS launches new Solidarity Shop

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social APS, a nonprofit organization, has been supporting youth in difficult circumstances for 25 years through foster homes and day care centers throughout Italy. It recently launched a new “Solidarity Shop” to generate financial support for projects that reduce forms of educational poverty, social exclusion, and marginalization of youth.

The shop has a selection of products designed to celebrate important milestones in life, such as birth, baptism, first communion, confirmation, graduation, marriage, birthdays and wedding anniversaries. New products, including parchments of different formats accompanied by decorated boxes for confetti, will arrive in the coming months.

The Solidarity Workshop was launched with a campaign dedicated to education. Salesians for Social APS also created its own “School Kit,” a gift designed for preschool children or those attending the first years of elementary school. The box has a bag and pencil case, crayons and markers, a package of glue, a notebook, and a specially designed coloring book.

A Salesian said, “Don Bosco repeatedly told us that ‘education is a thing of the heart,’ and it is not by chance that we thought of calling this new space ‘workshop,’ after those craft workshops in which our saint initiated his boys into a trade.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Laboratorio Solidale” of Salesians for Social APS is born, one more concrete gesture for young people in need

Salesians for Social Solidarity Workshop

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Shop raises funds for youth in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians focus on sustainable agriculture

MissionNewswire — Thu, 22 Sep 2022 08:36:34 +0000

Event helps develop network of young farmers to contribute to the sustainable future of agriculture

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco, located in Turin, Italy, will host the “Hortus: Agriculture for Life” expo Sept. 29 to Oct. 2. This is the second edition of an expo that brings together students from Salesian agricultural schools in the region to discuss topics of interest. It also develops an international network of young farmers who will contribute to the sustainable future of agriculture.

The expo will focus on innovation and sustainability in the sectors of floriculture, horticulture, arboriculture, ornamental plants, and mechanization following the themes from Pope Francis in his Laudato Si’ to raise awareness and increase action on the values of integral ecology. One Salesian said, “The 2022 event will allow us to discuss and share highly relevant and topical issues such as innovation and sustainability concerning climate change and social agriculture.”

Dr. Daniel Ormeno, director of Net4Grow and collaborator of the Salesian Agrarian School of Lombriasco, will organize the event. There will be opportunities for cultural exchange, local development, and professional training in the agrarian, agro-industrial, and agribusiness fields.

Alumni of the Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco will add value as exhibitors, professionals and practitioners. All events and projects will be disseminated online by the Net4Grow network. The goals of Net4Grow are to preserve and develop agricultural vocational training and generate projects for shared local development. Net4Grow is also providing on-the-job training for students so they can take what they have learned in the classroom and put it into practice in the world.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Expo AgriCultura Lombriasco – “Hortus: Agriculture for Life”: International Fair among Salesian Agricultural Schools in the world returns

Net4Grow

Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians focus on sustainable agriculture first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Afghan refugee families see signs of hope

MissionNewswire — Thu, 15 Sep 2022 08:16:07 +0000

Salesian missionaries provide shelter, safety and other support

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Afghanistan refugee families have been staying at the rectory of the Sacred Heart of Mary in Turin, Italy, since fleeing their country in search of shelter and safety. Despite the challenges and difficulty of fleeing, the families are already seeing signs of hope.

Children have been enjoying their time at the Don Bosco San Salvario oratory, engaging in games and outings while also learning the Italian language so they can start school. Parents and other adults have been included in volunteer activities to help with food distribution. They are also working to learn the language and achieve independence.

All of the older adults have good educational backgrounds and left jobs in Afghanistan. The procedures for equivalency of qualifications and obtaining permits and documentation are long and can sometimes be discouraging. Don Bosco San Salvario has been trying to help refugees sort through the process while offering emotional support during this time.

All of the oratory activities are facilitated by volunteers, who make an effort to support the refugees, spend time with them and help to meet their needs while working to make them feel at home.

Two of the families welcomed healthy babies, with Ali born in June and Maria Grazia born in July. On July 13, members of one of the families was reunited with their father, who had been stranded in Afghanistan for months due to paperwork problems.

“Around the globe, Salesian missionaries are assisting close to 400,000 refugees and internally displaced persons whose lives have been affected by war, persecution, famine, and natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and earthquakes,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian programs, like those in Italy, provide refugees much-needed shelter, support, education and technical skills training, workforce development, health care, and nutrition.”

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 in Italy to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of the country. Close to 5.6 million people or 9.4 percent of the population are living in absolute poverty unable to buy goods or services to achieve a minimally acceptable standard of living, according to the World Bank. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

Salesian programs across the country provide support for families and help youth who are unable to attend school and others who drop out to work at the few jobs available to them. A growing number of children work as laborers on farms and others have turned to the sex trade to help support their families. Those in poverty often live without adequate shelter, hot water, regular meals and health care.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – In San Salvario, open doors 24/7

Don Bosco San Salvario

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Afghan refugee families see signs of hope first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Projects fight educational poverty

MissionNewswire — Tue, 16 Aug 2022 08:47:04 +0000

Salesians for Social APS facilitates projects across the country in support of poor and marginalized youth and refugees

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social APS fights against educational poverty and inequality for poor youth and their families through educational and social programs in Italy. These programs are possible with the support of donors and volunteers and with the collaboration of local businesses and institutions.

In a statement to supporters, Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social APS, said, “Without your help, we could not do anything. Yet, together, what has been done is really a lot, especially for the lives of those who have been welcomed, accompanied, transformed by the Salesian presence in the country.”

Salesian centers in Macerata, Prato, Frascati and Turin have taken in Afghan refugees who fled war and prosecution. Salesians have provided support for those in Ukraine while also providing homes and support in Italy for Ukrainians who have fled. This is particularly true in Gorizia, on Italy’s northeastern border, where the Salesian community has seen an increase in the flow of minors crossing the border seeking safety and shelter. They have found support through Salesian missionaries and educators who are able and willing to support them.

Salesians for Social APS has also engaged in projects across the country. In Livorno, Salesians renovated rooms at a daycare center to improve the educational setting. In Santa Severa, on the Lazio coast, and Sassari in Sardegna, Salesians launched important maintenance and redevelopment projects that are still underway.

In Turin, initiatives have been launched to support working-class people in the district of San Salvario. In Foggia, in the Candelaro neighborhood, the Sacro Cuore oratory continues to offer educational support to youth who have been oppressed by organized crime.

In Corigliano d’Otranto, in the province of Lecce, the “Aloe for future” project was started by a local company. Youth from the Salesian community are involved in the organic cultivation of aloe, which is the first step of the project. They will also be involved in the extraction and processing phase. The goal is to create a 100 percent natural product from the community. Youth will work as a team to create an exclusive brand to sell the aloe to raise funding.

Fr. Preite concluded his statement by quoting the words Don Bosco used to address his benefactors, “Without your charity, I could have done little or nothing; with your charity, we have instead cooperated with the grace of God to dry many tears and save many souls.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – The thousand and more activities carried out by Salesians for Social APS

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Projects fight educational poverty first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students raise money for poor youth in Madagascar

MissionNewswire — Mon, 04 Jul 2022 17:54:49 +0000

Students raise 13,250 euros to help support Salesian center in Madagascar

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians and students with the Vocational Training Center, located in Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy, have raised 13,250 euros by auctioning a restored Fiat Panda 4×4 passenger car. The money raised will help support the Salesian-run school Notre Dame de Clairvaux in Ivato, Madagascar.

Notre Dame de Clairvaux provides support to children and youth living in extreme poverty, many of whom lack one or both parents. Some are being raised by aunts and grandmothers. Salesian missionaries have been operating Notre Dame de Clairvaux since 1984, and today, provide free elementary and vocational training for 400 students. The organization relies on donations and other financial support to operate.

The car was fully restored and painted red by students from the auto mechanics and bodywork courses at the Vocational Training Center. The project was made possible with the support of Torino Heritage, an association that promotes automotive culture through the care of classic cars. The students were able to take what they learned in their courses and put it to work restoring the vintage Fiat Panda. The car’s interior was developed based on sketches created by the first-year students and viewed by Cavalier Giorgetto Giugiaro, the designer who invented the Panda in 1980.

A Salesian missionary involved in the project said, “This experience was an extraordinary opportunity for the sectors involved, and for the young people and formators who participated, who were able to put in a wide variety of skills and multiple hours of work.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Panda 4 Mission” project concludes: an extraordinary educational experience and show of support

Notre Dame de Clairvaux Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Students raise money for poor youth in Madagascar first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: More than 3,000 youth served as project completed

MissionNewswire — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 08:53:30 +0000

Salesian project provided education support for more than 3,000 youth over 4 years

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for the Social has completed a four-year project that helped youth who were at risk of social inequalities and educational struggles. The “Giving more to those who had less” project covered 14 territories in seven Italian regions including Calabria, Campania, Puglia, Sicily, Lazio, Liguria and Marche. The project focused on youth who were at risk of leaving school early and suffered from poverty.

The goal of the project was to educate youth to increase their knowledge of their rights and duties, and improve their use of services and educational opportunities. Teachers also provided workshops for families. During the course of the project, more than 3,000 boys attended programs with the support of 1,200 teachers and 1,300 parents. Close to 460 organizations were also involved in the project.

“Social and educational support makes sense given that we do not all start with the same abilities, and the goal is to give everyone an opportunity to do something good in life,” said Dr. Andrea Sebastiani, director of Salesians for the Social.

Roberto Maurizio, scientific head of the project, stressed the importance of collaboration with schools and the importance of creating individual paths for youth so that they could focus on what they wanted for the future. He said, “Alone you cannot reduce educational poverty, but it is work that must be done in synergy. You cannot work for people, but with people, because addressing the poverty of children means addressing the poverty of families.”

The project had challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Salesian educators still worked with youth remotely during this time, engaging them in school activities. While work with youth continued, there was also a focus on social policies and family support measures that made it possible for youth to dream about the future.

“The process led to building the educational community, made up of oratories, associations, and schools, around the adolescent, which was the only viable road capable of breaking down inequalities,” said Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for the Social. “Strengthening daytime educational centers for minors and activating innovative processes to help youth are two objectives to be pursued in the immediate future.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Giving more to those who had less” project concluded; but Salesian commitment to counter educational poverty continues

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: More than 3,000 youth served as project completed first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students restore car to help poor youth

MissionNewswire — Tue, 07 Jun 2022 08:55:12 +0000

Vocational training students restore vintage car to help poor youth in Madagascar

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Vocational Training Center, located in Rebaudengo, Turin, Italy, are auctioning a Fiat Panda 4×4 passenger car to raise money for the Salesian-run school Notre Dame de Clairvaux in Ivato, Madagascar, which provides free elementary and vocational training for 400 students. The car was fully restored and painted red by students from the auto mechanics and bodywork courses at the Vocational Training Center.

The car was presented during an event for the people involved in the project including artisans, entrepreneurs, and representatives of local institutions, as well as Father Leonardo Mancini, superior of the Piedmont and Aosta Valley Province, and Father Daniel Antúnez, president of the Salesian Mission Office in Turin.

“It is a beautiful expression of an economy of communion,” said Fr. Antúnez. “When vocational training comes into direct contact with initiatives promoted to care for the most disadvantaged, the result can only be astounding and at the same time extremely formative.”

The project was made possible with the support of Torino Heritage, an association that promotes automotive culture through the care of classic cars. The students were able to take what they learned in their courses and put it to work restoring the vintage Fiat Panda. The car’s interior was developed based on sketches created by the first-year students and viewed by Cavalier Giorgetto Giugiaro, the designer who invented the Panda in 1980.

The money raised will help a center that means so much to its community. Notre Dame de Clairvaux provides support to children and youth living in extreme poverty, many of whom lack one or both parents. Some are being raised by aunts and grandmothers.

Salesian missionaries have been operating Notre Dame de Clairvaux since 1984. They started with 90 youth in 1984 and their efforts grew to help more than 400. They receive support from donors and associations, including Belgium’s Via Don Bosco.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Economy of communion between Italy and Madagascar: “Panda 4 Mission” project

Notre Dame de Clairvaux Facebook

The post ITALY: Students restore car to help poor youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Families receive support for school costs

MissionNewswire — Thu, 17 Mar 2022 08:17:08 +0000

Salesians and banking institution Intesa Sanpaolo sign agreement to help families with school-related costs

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Circumscription of Central Italy and the banking institution Intesa Sanpaolo have signed an agreement in support of families with school-age children who attend Salesian schools and vocational training centers in Abruzzo, Lazio, Liguria, Marche, Sardinia, Tuscany and Umbria.

As part of an initiative of the environmental social governance sector of Intesa Sanpaolo, impact loans will provide families with a line of credit of 2,000 or 3,000 euros per year for a period ranging from one to five years.

The goal is to help families with financial sustainability while their children are in school. The loans will provide families with money to purchase products and services related to education (school fees, books, etc.), coverage of special educational needs (psychomotor skills, speech therapy), and other activities fostering personal growth (sports, summer camps, training experiences abroad).

Marco Morganti, head of the Intesa Sanpaolo Impact Department, said, “It is a source of great pride, but also an opportunity to invest in the first part of the school career when the potential for growth and learning is at its highest.”

The project is part of impact finance initiatives that provide credit to people who would be unlikely to receive traditional finance loans. The bank has been offering these impact loans for university students and working mothers, as well as for the purchase of computer devices for distance learning. As confirmed by recent research supported by Intesa Sanpaolo, most Italian families are convinced that spending on their children’s education is the best investment for the future.

“There are many families who choose the Don Bosco school as a place of formation and growth for their children. Many more would like to be part of this educational proposal but are discouraged by the payment of fees,” said Father Marco Aspettati, provincial delegate for Salesian schools. “That is why, as Salesian parish schools, we are very pleased to present this opportunity to the families of our children.”

Fr. Aspettati added, “Concrete support enables families to have the freedom of educational choice, which unfortunately in Italy represents a cost, unlike many other European countries. I’m convinced that many families, including those on low and medium incomes, can see in this financial product a valid help in investing in the education of their children, guaranteeing them quality education.”

Poverty rose sharply in 2020 to its highest level in 15 years as the COVID-19 crisis brought economic challenges for much of Italy. Close to 5.6 million people or 9.4 percent of the population are living in absolute poverty unable to buy goods or services to achieve a minimally acceptable standard of living, according to the World Bank. This number includes 1.3 million minors.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – ICC Salesians and Intesa San Paolo Bank, supporting families for formation of young people

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Families receive support for school costs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Oratory marks 100 years of serving at-risk youth

MissionNewswire — Thu, 03 Mar 2022 08:00:31 +0000

Michele Rua Salesian Oratory in Turin celebrates its 100-year anniversary in service to local at-risk youth

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Michele Rua Salesian Oratory in Turin, Italy, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in service to local at-risk youth. Like the first oratory Salesians started in Italy, it began as a canopy and a courtyard, but grew with the neighborhood and the city, educating generations of youth.

The oratory began with the Mamma Margherita Bosco Recreation Center, which was built during World War I near the current site of the oratory. As need increased, a building was added in 1921 and dedicated to St. John Bosco’s successor Father Michele Rua.

Father Stefano Mondin, rector of the Salesian house that oversees the oratory, said, “One hundred years of history is a great achievement, especially if we think that we are in a culture of the provisional and of individualism. One hundred years of history means many people, many sacrifices, much dedication. There have been 100 years of Salesian history of dedication to poor young people, families, immigrants, and for all those whom Salesian spirituality has managed to intercept and also 100 years where the Lord did not fail to bless.”

The initiatives planned to celebrate the anniversary include a collection of 100 stories by students and graduates on their experiences, a photographic exhibition covering the oratory’s 100 years, and celebratory feasts in the community.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – The first 100 years of the “Michele Rua” oratory in Turin

Michele Rua Salesian Oratory

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Oratory marks 100 years of serving at-risk youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Digital learning made possible with support from USAID

MissionNewswire — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 08:23:10 +0000

‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19’ project provides digital education resources during pandemic

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, facilitated the “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19” project from July 31, 2020, to Oct. 30, 2021. The project was made possible with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government’s main development agency operating in more than 100 countries worldwide.

This project was one element of USAID’s $50 million commitment to Italy to help save lives and build resilience for the future. USAID’s work in Italy is one part of the U.S. Government’s response to the pandemic in Italy.

To implement the project, Salesian Missions worked with Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) and two Salesian partners: CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, which is a network of technical and vocational institutions; and SCS-CNOS Federation, Salesians for Social Welfare

This project impacted 16 regions of Italy, mitigating the adverse social, health and educational consequences of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. It reached 4,508 direct beneficiaries, 249 school classes and 30 youth centers. The project also had a particular emphasis on the needs of young women, who represented 49.6 percent of the total beneficiaries.

With a heavy focus on digital educational resources, the project provided 5,000 digital kits to schools that applied to a national drawing contest. An additional 1,450 digital kits were distributed to VIS partners. Furthermore, an online form is currently available on the VIS website where 65 digital kits have been downloaded since October 2021. The digital kits provided educational activities, stories, cartoons, and interactive and creative games to raise students’ awareness about global citizenship topics such as discrimination and inclusion, school dropouts and sustainable development.

In addition, due to distance learning during the pandemic, many students experienced performance declines, and some had to drop out due to a lack of steady internet connection and device issues. Responding to this need, 550 ICT kits (laptop, tablet and Wi-Fi kits) were distributed to 450 selected students attending technical courses in subjects like electricity, mechanics, and graphics at CNOS-FAP colleges and schools that are a part of SCS-CNOS Federation.

The project also disseminated 183 licenses to Salesian schools for technical software including software for graphics and communication, a multi-asset repository, e-simulators, and e-platform software. This software enabled the schools to enhance online coursework.

During the project period, 971 people also attended a variety of online learning including 10 web talks, four online courses and two video classes. Web talks explored challenges and opportunities related to digital relations, geopolitics, and cooperative working environment during the time of COVID-19. Some of the topics included “COVID-19, the unexpected guest. Vulnerability at the time of the coronavirus,” “Digital relations: new perspectives after the emergency,” “COVID-19 and sustainable development” and “Human rights after COVID.”

In addition to educational activities, the project focused on much needed food, shelter, and mental health and social support for poverty-stricken families and migrants in Catania, Sicily, through local partner Don Bosco 2000. A temporary reception center for migrants and refugees was also set up to provide shelter to 10 vulnerable migrants coming from Algeria, Niger, Egypt, Gambia and Senegal.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Government for supporting this critical project in Italy, which was hard hit by the virus and has a struggling economy made worse by the pandemic,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesians joined together across the country with the support of partners to help address the ongoing needs brought about by the pandemic. This is an example of yet another collaborative project to assist those most in need through education, psycho-social support and delivering direct relief materials.”

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID supports migrant youth

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

This project is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents are the responsibility of Salesian Missions and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

The post ITALY: Digital learning made possible with support from USAID first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: At-risk youth meet with state representative

MissionNewswire — Mon, 17 Jan 2022 08:39:58 +0000

Salesian oratory Casa Valdocco holds annual educational soccer match

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian oratory Casa Valdocco in Torre Annunziata, Italy, held its annual soccer match on Dec. 21. The event brought together children from local communities and a representative of the National Association of Magistrates from the courthouse in Torre Annunziata. The event enabled youth to ask questions of their state representative and participate in a debate. It was an open dialogue for learning and sharing.

The event was coordinated by Father Antonio Carbone, president of the Small Steps, Big Dreams Association with support from Salesian educators. Small Steps, Big Dreams Association provides a range of educational programs and social development services for at-risk youth.

The organization manages homes for youth including two in Torre Annunziata, one in Caserta, one in Naples and three in Puglia. Father Luigi Cella, a Salesian in the region noted, “We take care of youth who are in situations that require greater educational attention.”

Small Steps, Big Dreams Association also launched the successful pizza maker educational course in 2020. The course is provided through Casa Valdocco, and students who attended the course received a pizza chef certificate, recognized by the Campania Region.

The first class was such a success that the program continued with other training sessions. The course for pizza makers is training youth ages 16-18 who are at risk of social marginalization. The goal is to help them gain a skill to find employment.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A match to give “a kick to illegality”

Casa Valdocco Facebook

Small Steps, Big Dreams Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: At-risk youth meet with state representative first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesians open doors to share meal with community

MissionNewswire — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:52:01 +0000

Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco provides Boxing Day lunch for those in poverty

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) On Boxing Day, celebrated on Dec. 26, the Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco in Rome becomes a canteen for those living in conditions of poverty. Salesians open their doors and share lunch with people who are poor and live in the area. This initiative is strengthened by past experiences that the La Goccia Association, which operates at the parish Caritas center of Don Bosco, has been offering for more than two decades.

Most recently, the parish welcomed more than 120 people including volunteers and others from nine local parishes. Father Roberto Colameo, parish priest, said, “The initiative becomes the sign of a collaboration that has spread throughout the territory to meet the needs related to the pandemic and that is played out in a larger portion of the territory, which goes beyond the borders of individual parishes in unity and strength.”

Maurizio Pisano, head of the parish Caritas and a member of La Goccia Association, explained,
“They are people we follow all year round. Either they have no fixed abode or they experience severe economic hardship. Everyone offers something of themselves. There are those who tell jokes, those who sing, and those who play. We are together and have a family day.”

All this would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of those who volunteer their time, according to Fr. Colameo. He added, “Thanks go to the volunteers, who did not hesitate to leave their family and their comforts to provide service and support in organizing this meal.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – At Christmas, the Don Bosco Basilica in Rome becomes a soup kitchen for the poor

Basilica of San Giovanni Bosco

Salesian Missions – Italy

World Bank – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesians open doors to share meal with community first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Youth volunteering provides life-changing experiences

MissionNewswire — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 08:37:34 +0000

Salesians for Social opens 1,172 youth volunteer positions for Universal Civil Service

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians per il Sociale (Salesians for Social) has opened 1,172 positions for youth to give back through civil service volunteering. Salesians for Social coordinates the Universal Civil Service in Italy and other countries, which enables youth to have life-changing volunteer experiences. The deadline to fill these positions is Jan. 26.

Salesians have 1,081 open positions in Salesian oratories, schools and day care centers. There are additional openings in the digital education lab, which is through Salesians for Social and the Zenit Consortium in Tuscany. There are also 63 places available for community service abroad in Brazil, Angola, Namibia, Ghana, Senegal, Albania and Spain. These opportunities are open to young people between the ages of 18-28 and who are Italians, from European Union countries or are non-EU citizens legally residing in Italy.

“We are excited that more than 1,000 young people will gain experience through universal community service. They will be able to promote the culture of volunteering and help vulnerable members of our community,” said Father Francesco Preite, president of Salesians for Social.

In Italy, young people who are unemployed and not in school or training programs represent 20 percent of the population. Vocational training is an educational path that serves as a highly effective bridge between school and work.

According to UNICEF, a growing number of youth are living away from their families in temporary shelters and within government and charity programs because of inadequate support from or neglect by their families. Salesian programs work to combat these challenges by providing shelter, nutrition, education and workforce development services for youth in need.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Community Service with the Salesians for 2021: 1,172 places available for Italy and abroad

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy

The post ITALY: Youth volunteering provides life-changing experiences first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID supports migrant youth

MissionNewswire — Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:21:54 +0000

Project aimed to impact more than 24,000 people including students, youth, teachers, families, and migrants and refugees

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, facilitates the “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19” project. The project is made possible with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the U.S. Government’s main development agency operating in more than 100 countries worldwide.

This project is one element of USAID’s $50 million commitment to Italy to help save lives and build resilience for the future. USAID’s work in Italy is one part of the U.S. Government’s response to the pandemic in Italy.

The project aimed to impact more than 24,000 people including students and other young people, teachers, families, and migrants and refugees. Salesian Missions is working with Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) and local Salesian partners CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, and SCS-CNOS Federation, Salesians for Social Welfare to implement project activities.

In addition to educational activities aimed to strengthen remote learning, the project is focusing on much needed food, shelter, and mental health and social support for poverty-stricken families and migrants in Catania, Sicily, through local partner Don Bosco 2000. A temporary reception center for migrants and refugees was set up to provide shelter to 10 vulnerable migrants coming from Algeria, Niger, Egypt, Gambia and Senegal.

These vulnerable migrants have been involved in several orientation activities including participation in Italian classes, coaching, legal tutoring, and more. At the end of the orientation time, thanks to the collaboration with local authorities, the legal custody of five migrants passed to SIPROIMI (Italian Protection System for Holders of International Protection and for Foreign UASC). Through the integrated reception provided by SIPROIMI, these youth will have long-lasting access to legal protection with an application for international protection, access to the health system and psychological support, education, and integration activities.

During a recent site visit by Salesian Missions staff to Colonia Don Bosco, a beachside hostel and center of Don Bosco 2000, Omar, a migrant in the program, shared his story. He arrived in Italy in February 2018 and worked as a bartender before being laid off after COVID-19 shut down the local hospitality industry. Since being at Colonia Don Bosco, Omar has been able to continue his education. He is in his second year of high school and has worked as a bartender during the summer months.

“The project gave me so many chances,” said Omar. “I would like to thank these people for the project, helping us to apply for our future. One day I would like to study tourism. One day I’d like to go back to Gambia. This project gave me a second chance to restart. It gave me a second chance to achieve my dreams.”

The project has also set up a mobile help desk that has provided case management and referral services to impoverished people in Catania and Aidone. Some of the individuals were referred for nutritional services while others were sent to the reception center for migrants and refugees managed by Don Bosco 2000. Some were also referred to job placement services.

In addition, the project has provided food assistance via electronic payment cards to 380 families, representing at least 1,317 people, so that they could buy groceries in supermarkets and small shops. The distribution of a prepaid card aimed to strengthen responsible consumption and boost a home-grown production and distribution food chain. In collaboration with this initiative, Green VIS developed guidance documents and assisted local partners to ensure the optimal distribution, storage and waste management procedures.

Salesian Missions continues to facilitate this project with its implementation partners and works to mitigate the harmful secondary effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on vulnerable populations across Italy.

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID supports migrant youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: University launches energy efficiency plan

MissionNewswire — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 08:33:16 +0000

Salesian Pontifical University in Rome launches an energy efficiency plan for the entire university campus

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Pontifical University in Rome recently launched an energy efficiency plan for the entire university campus. A presentation was held to inform members of the academic community on Nov. 22. During the presentation, the university officially joined the “Laudato Si’ Initiative Platform” promoted by Pope Francis to raise awareness and action on the values of integral ecology.

Thanks to Global Power Service, the university will install a system of photovoltaic panels for the production of clean energy. It will also replace the current six thermal power plants with new generation energy-efficient equipment.

“With this new project, the Salesian Pontifical University will save the environment 230 tons of CO2 emissions per year, which corresponds to the planting of 580 new trees every year,” explained Father Renzo Barduca, campus administrator. “Alongside this project, the academic community is committed to reducing the use of plastic, dematerializing paper documentation and installing electric vehicle charging stations. All these projects need a fundamental step: the conversion of behavior. Each of us is called upon to realize the ecology of everyday life and to ‘infect’ the environment in which we live with a new mentality.”

Enrico Zoccatelli, engineer on the project and president of the Global Power Service, said, “The photovoltaic systems that will be installed are already designed in compatibility with the grid and will therefore allow the energy produced to be shared, avoiding waste or costly accumulations of energy. The project also provides for the adoption of an energy policy by the university aimed at Certification 50001 that will allow for the creation of a virtuous balance between man and nature through innovation and technology.”

Father Andrea Bozzolo, Salesian Pontifical University rector magnificus, explained that the Salesian Pontifical University, which is already part of the Network of Sustainable Universities, will make its own contribution to the care of creation with newer structural projects and educational proposals. By becoming a Laudato Si’ University, the goal is to inspire new lifestyles and foster a vision of creation as a gift from God.

At the presentation, Father Joshtrom Isaac Kureethadam, coordinator of the Ecology and Creation Sector of the Vatican Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development and professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at the university, spoke about the Laudato Si’ Platform of Initiatives and the objectives for the next seven years. He also just returned from Glasgow, Scotland, where he participated in the COP26 event.

Fr. Kureethadam said, “The climate crisis is closely linked to poverty, famine and disease, which are the main cause of migration. We should not forget that change is possible, as demonstrated by the grassroots mobilizations of young people, minorities and communities around the world who are courageously committed to defending our planet.”

Italy, Europe’s third-largest economy, has close to 2 million children living in poverty, according to UNICEF. The poverty rate has risen in the wake of Europe’s economic crisis. Unemployment is at its highest level since the late 1970s with the overall jobless rate at 12.5 percent and youth unemployment as high as 41 percent.

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Institutions of Higher Education

Salesian Institutions of Higher Education – UPS Becomes “Laudato Si University”, Energy Efficiency Project for the Entire University Campus Presented

Salesian Pontifical University

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy

The post ITALY: University launches energy efficiency plan first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian students win at film festival

MissionNewswire — Mon, 06 Dec 2021 08:29:40 +0000

Salesian students win first and third place in Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian students won first and third place in the Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival. The awards ceremony was held in Turin, Italy on Nov. 19. A total of 1,686 films were submitted from 116 countries and in many different languages. Two youth won awards with one in the short films category and one in the animated short films category. Each winner received a cash prize and worldwide recognition.

Daniel Flamenco, a 2017 graduate of Santa Cecilia School in Santa Tecla, El Salvador, won first place in the short films category for his one-minute film titled “Corazón Azul.” He is currently an animation specialist.

Flamenco said, “I have had expertise in creating ceramic art works, and working in this mode, it occurred to me to model a heart and show people how a piece is made. Many think it’s simple but it takes a lot of work. I wanted to make an analogy with my region as well. I wanted to show the process that a region or a town has, very similar to an artisan who works with clay, begins by extracting the earth, processes it, handles it delicately. Clay is baked at more than a thousand degrees in an oven, if you see my short film, you can understand better.”

When he heard about the festival from some friends, Flamenco decided to enter. He asked for help from artists Blanca Quiñones, who provided for poetry in the film, and José Luís Aguilar, who composed the music. Flamenco added, “I’m very happy. I didn’t expect it! I like to participate in festivals. I always participate without expecting something, but it took me by surprise.”

María Nazareth Castillo, an eleventh-grade student of CEDES Don Bosco in San José, Costa Rica, won third place for her one-minute animated short film “El Sol.” She was inspired by the Rector Major’s strenna.

Castillo said, “I didn’t know how to start! But talking to my team, we thought of creating something original. My Spanish teacher, Laura Zúñiga, wrote a poem exclusively for this video. I feel super happy, grateful to God, He has never forsaken me, all this is for His glory! Representing Costa Rica through my film in this way and representing CEDES makes me very happy. I thank God and Don Bosco that without him none of this would be possible.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – El Salvador – Two Young People from Central America win awards at the “Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival” (DBGYFF)

CEDES Don Bosco

Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival

Santa Cecilia School

The post ITALY: Salesian students win at film festival first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Renovation to increase support for youth

MissionNewswire — Mon, 08 Nov 2021 08:45:37 +0000

Don Bosco Oratory in Schio celebrates 120 years of providing support and education

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Oratory in Schio, Italy, is celebrating 120 years of providing support and education for youth. The oratory brings together marginalized youth in the community for education, connection with peers and an opportunity to connect with supportive adults.

In 2022, the oratory is planning a major renovation to improve support to the city’s youth. The project will start with the soccer field and school and be followed by the theater and cinema.

“One hundred and twenty years is a long time,” said Father Enrico Gaetan, rector of Don Bosco Oratory. “I have been here for two years now, and the nice thing that happens to me when I go around town is hearing all the people who remember, for one thing or another, that they passed through the oratory.”

The multi-faceted Don Bosco Oratory offers sports and cultural activities, training and education, and fun social activities. Today, more than 800 young people are enrolled in sports associations such as basketball, volleyball and soccer, 350 children attend the school, and 80 participate in after-school activities. The oratory also offers volunteer opportunities, a cafe, a cinema, missionary groups and choirs.

Fr. Gaetan added, “The oratory was created to educate young people. Ever since the Salesians were called here there has always been educational and formative work. Now this action is done with two divisions in the oratory including associations and sport and with school and vocational training activity.”

The fundamental mission of Salesians and the oratory is to welcome children and older youth who are in need of support. Many are living on the sidelines of the community. Fr. Gaetan explained, “The oratory welcomes many young people who live on the street, in gangs or groups, but who know that here, with some rules, they can find a place. There are still many cases of deviance, where adult supervision is lacking or single parents who cannot do everything. The oratory is a home for them too, and the courtyard is the meeting point.”

Italy has close to 1.2 million children living in poverty, according to UNICEF. The poverty rate has risen in the wake of Europe’s economic crisis. Unemployment is at its highest level since the late 1970s with the overall jobless rate at 12.5 percent and youth unemployment as high as 41 percent.

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesian oratory in Schio – 120 years: From a bright past towards a future full of dreams & Projects

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Renovation to increase support for youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Training promotes care for unaccompanied minors

MissionNewswire — Thu, 07 Oct 2021 12:49:57 +0000

Salesians for Social launches new digital platform to train frontline staff working with unaccompanied minors

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social officially launched “The accompaniment of unaccompanied minors in Europe: the experiences of social professionals” digital platform to provide information for frontline staff working with unaccompanied minors in Europe. The platform launched in English and French in October 2020, and now thanks to Salesians for Social, the Italian version is available. Other partners are working to create Greek and German versions.

The platform is the result of the work carried out within the project “Building knowledge from local practices: a solution for better care and support of unaccompanied minors in Europe” and is a collaborative effort of the seven European partners of Salesians for Social in Italy, Apprentices of Auteuil in France, Christian Youth Village Association in Germany, The Smile of a Child in Greece, the research partners the University of Ghent in Belgium, the University of Bedfordshire in England and the Observatory on Child Migration at the University of Poitiers in France.

The digital platform offers ongoing training and interaction with a digital community of experts in the field and with other partners operating in different countries. During the online course, training is focused on the reception for unaccompanied minors upon first arrival, the care of minors during their stay and providing support when they depart.

The training is flexible and participants can take the full training at once or through modules one at time. The examples presented in the training are provided in the form of interactive videos, audio and testimonials and are taken from real experiences in the field by professionals who work with youth. During the training, there is also the chance for self evaluation. On completion of the course, participants receive a certificate.

Elma Placido, a frontline worker from Salesians for Social who participated in creating the digital platform, noted that the creation of the platform provided an opportunity for discussion and debate between various educators of different countries who are all working in the same sector.

“This digital platform provides an opportunity for those first working with unaccompanied minors or those who need a refresher course to access education on the subject,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “These youth need assistance navigating their new country from where to access housing to finding employment or gaining an education. Frontline workers have many things to learn and understand to do this work and this tool presents an opportunity to learn from experts.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Unaccompanied foreign minors: “Salesians for Social APS” launches digital platform for formation and updating of operators

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Training promotes care for unaccompanied minors first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: First beekeeping students graduate

MissionNewswire — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 08:47:05 +0000

Salesian Agricultural School in Lombriasco graduates first class from beekeeping program

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The ApiCultura project in Lombriasco, Italy, was established in October 2020 from a collaboration between Net4Grow, a network of Salesian agricultural schools, and the Salesian Agricultural School in Lombriasco. The aim of the project was to bring beekeeping back to the Salesian Agricultural School while safeguarding the species and educating on the importance of care for the environment.

After 10 months, the first training course finished and the first yield of honey was extracted. Students had the opportunity to complete their training by actively participating in a course for beekeeping operators, which was organized and implemented by the Agripiemonte Miele Producers Association in Turin. Students were able to put their classroom learning into practice when they were involved in the first honey extraction.

“It’s our duty to thank Hobby Farm in Biella and Riccardo Rubato who made 10 hives and a honey extraction laboratory available to us. This allowed students to put practical skills learned in the classroom into practice,” said Daniel Orminus, project manager of the Youth in Agriculture project, which is part of the Salesian Agricultural School beekeeping course.

Orminus added, “We also need to thank former student Marco Trinchero, who donated the bees, and Alessandro Appendino with Apicoltura Aperin who provided the technical step-by-step assistance for the care of bees.”

The project is now exploring the collection of data with the use of the ground air sensors supplied by X-Farm. The environmental data outside and inside the hives will be evaluated and compared with other biodiversity data. This data will help to drive different pollination and production phases. The information from this project will also be shared with Net4Grow so that other Salesian agricultural schools can learn from the experience and create training programs locally based on best practices.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco and “Net4Grow”: first cycle of “ApiCultura” project completed

Net4Grow

Salesian Agricultural School in Lombriasco

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: First beekeeping students graduate first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID

MissionNewswire — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 08:03:07 +0000

Salesian Missions, with support from the U.S. Government through USAID, helps to mitigate challenges in education and accessing basic needs

ITALY

The project aims to impact more than 24,000 people including students and other young people, teachers, families, and migrants and refugees. Salesian Missions is working with Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) and local Salesian partners CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, and SCS-CNOS Federation, Salesians for Social Welfare to implement project activities.

Due to early shifts in education and the adoption of distance learning methodologies in response to pandemic guidelines, many students experienced performance declines with some dropping out due to lack of steady internet connection and devices. To mitigate these challenges, the project provided digital education kits to 64 schools, four project partners and two VIS network partners.

The project also allowed for the purchase and dissemination of more than 170 licenses for technical software that were made accessible to technical and vocational training students through the CNOS-FAP network. This included software for graphics and communication, CAD-CAM, e-platforms and more. Online courses and web talks have also been provided. As of April 30, 248 people have participated in the online courses and 363 in web talks. Courses are offered both live and on-demand, which have allowed young people to obtain and continue their technical education during the pandemic.

Through the stay@ctive campaign, VIS is working with local Salesian centers to provide free online educational resources for families with children to help parents and children with coping strategies during periods of self-isolation and quarantine. More than 6,200 students have participated in the stay@ctive campaign. Most of the materials have been provided, with some social media campaigns, web talks and videos still underway.

Much needed food, shelter, and mental health and social support have been provided to poverty-stricken families and migrants in Catania, Sicily, through local partner Don Bosco 2000. A temporary reception center for migrants and refugees has been set up to provide shelter to 10 vulnerable migrants coming from Algeria, Niger, Egypt, Gambia and Senegal. Migrants have been involved in several orientation activities, including participating in Italian classes, coaching and legal tutoring. Through the integrated reception provided by SIPROIMI (Italian Protection System for Holders of International Protection and for Foreign UASC), migrants supported by this work will have long-lasting access to legal protection with an application for international protection, access to the health system and psychological support, education, and integration activities. Additionally, some have been linked with private sector companies to obtain employment.

The project has also set up a mobile help desk that has provided mental health and social support to 36 impoverished people in Catania and Aidone. Some of the individuals were referred for nutritional services while others were sent to the reception center for migrants and refugees managed by Don Bosco 2000. Some were also referred to job placement services. An additional 29 people are still undergoing a needs assessment and action plan development. In addition, 380 poverty-stricken families in different parts of Italy were provided prepaid cards for purchasing groceries in supermarkets and small shops.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Government for supporting this critical project in Italy, which has been hard hit by the virus and has a struggling economy made worse by the pandemic,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesians have joined together across the country with the support of partners to help address the ongoing needs brought about by the pandemic. This is an example of yet another collaborative project to assist those most in need through education, psycho-social support and delivering direct relief materials.”

Thomas Smitham, chargé d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy Rome, said, “We stand alongside Italy with concrete support through a $60 million assistance package (including $10 million from the U.S. military for medical and personal protection equipment) to help Italian health care institutions, NGOs, and the private sector fight the pandemic and prepare the country for future challenges. In addition, U.S. companies offered over 50 million euros (approximately $60 million) in donations and assistance to Italy. We will continue to work with Italy to address the pandemic and protect global health.”

Salesian Missions continues to facilitate this project with its implementation partners and work to mitigate the harmful secondary effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on vulnerable populations across Italy.

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19′ project made possible through USAID first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: New housing community opens to welcome youth

MissionNewswire — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 16:00:57 +0000

Sacred Heart of Jesus Salesian House in Foggia opens new community house for minors

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Sacred Heart of Jesus Salesian House in Foggia, Italy, inaugurated Casa Gio, a new housing community for minors. The house was blessed during an inauguration ceremony by the Rector Major Father Ángel Fernández Artime. The event was attended by 40 youth and social workers from seven family homes in Puglia and Campania, which are managed by the Italian Salesian association, Piccoli Passi Grandi Sogni (Small Steps, Big Dreams).

Father Antonio Carbone, president of Small Steps, Big Dreams, said, “In each structure about eight minors from different backgrounds are welcomed. From 2007 to today, we have taken care of about 500 minors entrusted by the Territorial Education Services and Juvenile Justice Centers. We are happy to inaugurate a new community, even if as Salesians we would like every child to be able to experience the warmth of his own family in his home of origin.”

Ms. Patrizia, a social worker from the Salesian association who worked with youth through the pandemic, said, “What we’ve received, what we are donating, and what the Salesians in the oratory have taught us has become for us a vocation, a profession.”

Fr. Artime concluded the event speaking directly to youth. “We cannot fail to imagine the Salesian presence in the world without a Pinardi House like in Valdocco, to be close to young people who have no one and are without any possibilities. For each of you, the most difficult situation has passed. It’s time to write a new beautiful page in your life,” he said.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Rector Major in Foggia to inaugurate new Housing Community for minors at risk “Casa Gio”

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: New housing community opens to welcome youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: People with reduced mobility have new transportation source

MissionNewswire — Thu, 27 May 2021 08:30:12 +0000

Don Bosco Social Works in Sesto San Giovanni receives vehicle to help transport those with reduced mobility

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) People at risk of social exclusion because of reduced mobility will have a new source of transportation thanks to Salesian missionaries. The Don Bosco Social Works in Sesto San Giovanni, a commune in Milan, Italy, has received a specially equipped vehicle thanks to PMG Italia and the support of the municipality of Cinisello Balsamo. The project is known as “Guaranteed Mobility” and is made possible by collaboration with local businesses.

“This patronage means sharing an idea that is a virtuous example of collaboration, commitment and willingness to support the frailties that exist in society and that are increasing today due to the concomitance of various factors, also resulting from the pandemic,” said Mayor Giacomo Ghilardi and Riccardo Visentin, councilor for the Third Sector and Centrality of the Person.

Father Elio Cesari, director of Don Bosco Social Works, emphasized the importance of this gift to the organization and how much it will impact the local community. Of the 2,700 youth at the large Salesian complex, many are from the municipality of Cinisello Balsamo.

Don Bosco Social Works also has a vocational training center that is providing youth with a chance at employment. At the end of 2019, the vocational training center created a special program to begin teaching its students repair work on Yamaha two-wheeled vehicles, thanks to a collaboration with the Yamaha Technical School. Yamaha is providing tools and resources, such as laboratories, classrooms and technical equipment, to raise the professional, technological and operational skills of both its teachers and students.

As part of this partnership, during the fourth year of study, the best students are offered training internships at Yamaha and in the Yamaha Assistance Network to create and foster their experience in the workforce.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Launch of “Future Traveling”, dedicated to fragile people and families

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: People with reduced mobility have new transportation source first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Shopping cards help prevent hunger for families

MissionNewswire — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 08:40:44 +0000

70 families in Sampierdarena receive a shopping card to help with nutritional support

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) More than 70 families in Sampierdarena, a major port and industrial area of Genoa in northwest Italy, have received a shopping card from the local Salesian parish for 35 euros a week for the next three months. This is a concrete measure to help many people facing financial hardship and food shortages because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding for this initiative comes from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through Salesians for Social and the Salesian International Volunteer Service for Development (VIS).

Those who received the financial help are originally from Senegal, Tunisia, Ecuador, Eastern Europe and Italy. They have lived in Sampierdarena for years. Many had stable jobs and were able to care for their families before the pandemic.

Wafa arrived in Italy from Tunisia 20 years ago with her husband. She has three children and her husband’s bricklaying job had allowed them to get by until recently. The pandemic has caused the demand for labor to decrease. Wafa said, “Taking care of five people without even one salary is impossible.”

Father Pierdante Giordano, the local Salesian parish priest, committed himself to this initiative with the help of volunteers from the parish Caritas group, the local VIS group and Salesians for Social. Families were evaluated by need and number of children as well as other economic factors.

“For now, we are supporting 180 families, with 72 families the most in need,” said Fr. Giordano. “Many of the families are already relying on the local food banks for their daily food. The shopping card will enable them to have additional support.”

Michela Vallarino, vice president of VIS, noted, “The initiative was born at the request of the Italian Salesians who wanted to support families during the pandemic. This collaborative project with the United States also provided protective devices in Sampierdarena and distributed 470 tablets to students so they could continue their studies with distance learning.”

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Don Bosco Genova

ANS – Italy – US shopping vouchers for poor families in Sampierdarena, thanks to Salesian commitment

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Shopping cards help prevent hunger for families first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Graduate fulfills dream of owning a business

MissionNewswire — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 08:39:18 +0000

Salesian graduate credits his education and internship for helping him start his own pizzeria

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Alin Cazacu is a graduate of the Salesian Vocational Training Center in Serravalle Scrivia, a commune in the province of Alessandria in the Italian region of Piedmont. Thanks to his determination and commitment to his education, he was able to fulfill his dream of starting his own business.

Cazacu, age 27, lives in Sardigliano and runs his own pizzeria with his business partner and best friend. The business has been in operation for three years. During COVID-19 restrictions, they could only provide pizza as take out, but the hope is to reopen the dining room to full capacity. The pizzeria has become a meeting place for people in the neighborhood.

Cazacu credits his education, and in particular, the internship he was provided, in helping him prepare for operating a business. He was able to take the skills he learned in the classroom and apply them in a real working environment. He took sales courses while at the Salesian Vocational Training Center and learned how to operate a business.

“A friend of mine recommended the school and course to me. He told me about a beautiful environment, useful for learning and becoming prepared for the workforce,” said Cazacu. The training course led him to an internship in a clothing store and then working as an employee in a pizzeria.

Cazacu added, “In the store, I put into practice the notions learned above all on how to approach customers, be polite and how to understand the needs of those in front of you. The course was very useful because they also taught me English—essential these days—and I was able to take the HACCP qualification for preparing and serving food and drinks, which came in handy later, saving time and money. Finally, I have perfected the theoretical knowledge through an internship.”

A staff member at the Salesian Vocational Training Center noted, “The course, which is completely free, includes 300 hours of an internship during students’ third year in the program after the classroom work is completed. The students learn sales techniques, cash management, organization of the point of sale, in addition to languages including English, Russian and business Chinese, which are all for dealing with customers who arrive in Serravalle.”

After a few years of working for a pizzeria, Cazacu and his friend decided to go on their own. Now he bakes and serves pizzas and can’t wait to go back to serving his customers in the dining room.

Young people who are unemployed and not in school or training programs represent 20 percent of the population in Italy. Vocational training is an educational path that serves as a highly effective bridge between work and school.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Alin, from pupil to entrepreneur thanks to Salesian Vocational Training

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Graduate fulfills dream of owning a business first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students volunteer to help families in need

MissionNewswire — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 08:25:23 +0000

Students from the Salesian School of Doing Vocational Training Center volunteer time sorting food aid packages for families in need

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students from the Salesian School of Doing Vocational Training Center, part of Don Bosco Napoli located in Naples, Italy, sorted food aid packages that the Italian Farmers’ Association donated to Neapolitan families facing financial difficulty on Easter.

Each package contained more than 50 kilogram of local agricultural products. The initiative is part of the support provided by the Italian agri-food chain in support of those living in the most vulnerable territories.

“Providing nutritional support is important for families in need, particularly as many are still impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This also provided an opportunity for Salesian students to give back to their communities. Volunteering and learning new skills are important as our students progress toward the workforce.”

The Salesian School of Doing started in 2019 with 120 students who left conventional education and were in need of learning skills for employment. The school offers a practical hands-on approach to education. Salesian missionaries have built partnerships with national and international companies to offer students a chance to put their skills to work in a real-world environment.

The school offers more than 1,200 square meters of space where courses in motor vehicle repair and operation of logistics systems and services take place. The three-year training courses offer more than 1,000 hours of learning each year, more than half of which is reserved for workshop activities.

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Don Bosco Napoli distributes food parcels for Neapolitan families in difficulty

Don Bosco Napoli

Don Bosco Napoli Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Students volunteer to help families in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students keep up with online learning through tablets, support from donor funding

MissionNewswire — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 15:23:48 +0000

40 students attending Salesian oratory in Palermo supported by donor funding from Salesian Missions

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Forty students attending the Salesian oratory in the community of Santa Chiarra in Palermo, Italy, had access to school supplies, including tablets for online learning as well as pens, pencils and notebooks thanks to donor funding from Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. The funding also covered the costs for sanitizing gels, a machine to sanitize rooms and food for the families of the children at the oratory.

Most of the children attending the oratory are ages 6-15 and come from families that are low income. Most of their parents are unemployed or illegally employed, and some of the children’s fathers are in jail or under house arrest. Twelve families were supported through this initiative.

Giuseppe, who is 9, was one of the students supported. He lives in a small home with his parents who do odd jobs to make a meager income. When his family tested positive for COVID-19, he had to remain home in quarantine for 20 days and missed school. Salesian missionaries were able to provide him with a tablet so he could continue with his schoolwork during this time. He was able to connect with online lessons and not miss any days of school or fall behind his peers.

“Providing ongoing to support to families in need is especially important during this time,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Through donor funding, students were able to continue with their lessons and have the supplies they needed to fully engage in their school work. The nutritional support also helped ensure that they were well fed and ready for their school lessons.”

###

Sources:

Photo courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Students keep up with online learning through tablets, support from donor funding first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Remote program connects youth volunteers with children who need support

MissionNewswire — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 08:50:05 +0000

Salesian oratory DonBoScuola provides remote activities and online educational support

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Every afternoon children gather at DonBoScuola, a Salesian oratory in Macerata, Italy, to socialize with their peers through workshops and sports, as well as to receive extra educational support. During the COVID-19 pandemic, DonBoScuola continued on as long as it could safely. It dropped its numbers from 50 to 30 and increased social distancing. When restrictions increased, the Salesian oratory had to change how it provided services.

Connecting with older youth, ages 16-19, from the local Scouts group and university, Salesians launched a new remote version of DonBoScuola. Volunteers are taking time to connect digitally with younger children and help them with their homework, keep them company during recess, and organize games and workshops for them. This helped support children and youth who could no longer gather at the oratory and gave older youth a chance to give back to their community.

One volunteer said, “At a distance, the relationship between children is lost, but a very beautiful relationship is created between the volunteer and the child remotely, even more than the relationship that would be created in person.”

Other volunteers explained their experience. One noted, “I was afraid of not being able to help them as I wanted, but the two girls I helped were very good and I was very pleased to help them.” Another said, “DonBoScuola is a way to feel useful and to give myself in my small way, especially in this situation, in which we all feel powerless against something greater than us.”

For some volunteers this was the first time they worked remotely and one-on-one with a child. A volunteer described the experience, “When I was asked to do service at DonBoScuola, I was frankly afraid, because for the first time I would be alone with a child without the support of a group. But in just two days of service, I received the best gift possible when a 10-year-old boy revealed his dreams to me. I found a very intelligent and sensitive child behind a complicated situation.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Service to children first of all and in all circumstances. Digital experience of “DonBoScuola”

DonBoScuola Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Remote program connects youth volunteers with children who need support first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Initiative to provide home for youth in need

MissionNewswire — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 08:40:03 +0000

Salesian missionaries in Foggia launch a new ‘Family Community’ initiative to support youth in need

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Foggia, Italy, have launched a new “Family Community” initiative to provide a home structure where youth in need can live and access education and support. The inauguration of the home is scheduled for the end of May, and project activities will start over the summer. The work will be carried out thanks to the help of the General House of the Salesians, Don Bosco Mondo and donor support from people in the Puglia region of Italy.

The Candelaro district of Foggia has few opportunities for poor youth. Salesians operate a parish, oratory and the Sacred Heart Association, which just unveiled an artistic mural representing Don Bosco as a symbol of hope and redemption for the entire district.

“In a neighborhood lacking in educational opportunities, we will try to give more to those who have had less from life. Our future home will be a small village in solidarity where education, love and sharing will be the pillars that help support youth,” explained Father Antonio Carbone, director of the Salesian community in Torre Annunziata and president of the Salesian organization Small Steps, Big Dreams.

Small Steps, Big Dreams will be in charge of managing the new home. The organization already manages other similar homes including two in Torre Annunziata, one in Caserta, one in Naples and three in Puglia. Father Luigi Cella, another Salesian in the region noted, “We take care of youth who are in situations that require greater educational attention.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Foggia Salesians relaunch mission for young people with “Family Community”

Small Steps, Big Dreams Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Initiative to provide home for youth in need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: New campaign highlights global education, youth served

MissionNewswire — Fri, 05 Feb 2021 08:46:14 +0000

Salesians launch new ‘Limited Edition’ campaign and commercial highlighting global education mission

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) On Jan. 31, Salesian missionaries in Rome, Italy, released a new Salesian commercial on broadcast television with the goal to showcase their educational mission for poor youth in countries around the globe. The commercial is part of the “Limited Edition” campaign to highlight the uniqueness of the youth they serve. The final moments of the commercial reinforces this message with the slogan “young people are not all the same, they’re all unique.”

The commercial lasts 30 seconds and has been translated into the nine languages of Italian, Albanian, Arabic, French, English, Spanish, Portuguese, German and Slovak. The campaign is supported by the rector major, Father Ángel Fernández Artime and coordinated by the General Economer’s Office, led by the general economer, Bro. Jean Paul Muller.

In a recent interview with Famiglia Cristiana, Italy’s leading Catholic weekly magazine, Fr. Artime said, “Certainly our identity brand is young people, their education, the formation of children, adolescents. Everything else, oratory, schools, high schools or vocational training centers, shelters for immigrant children, parishes, youth centers, university institutions, are means aimed at one purpose: to prepare the young generations for life. Our educational method continues to be that of Don Bosco: the preventive system, which is much more than a pedagogy.”

The purpose of this campaign is to build the digital identity of the Salesian Congregation, creating effective and easily recognizable brand awareness on individual platforms. In the coming weeks, the campaign will directly involve youth on the social networks they love and use most, allowing them to be the spokespeople of the campaign, highlight their uniqueness, and open dialogue with social media users.

The commercial and the campaign also provide an opportunity for Salesians to reach out to youth and their families and be recognized as an educational agency that provides hope and support for a brighter future. The commercial is available on YouTube at the ANSChannel.

Working in more than 132 countries around the globe, Salesian missionaries are regarded as the single largest provider of vocational and technical training in the world. They offer more than 1,000 vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools around the globe. This training gives youth the practical skills to prepare for employment while helping them to lead productive lives and become contributing adults in their communities. These programs go beyond educating. They also assist youth with making connections within industries and preparing them for the process of searching, finding and retaining employment.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – RMG – “Young people are not all the same, they’re all unique”: worldwide commercial of the Salesians of Don Bosco “Limited Edition”

The post ITALY: New campaign highlights global education, youth served first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Beekeeping initiative launches

MissionNewswire — Tue, 05 Jan 2021 08:21:35 +0000

Salesian Agricultural School and Net4Grow launch Lombriasco Beekeeping 2020 to provide education about beekeeping

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Lombriasco Beekeeping 2020 is a project launched by Net4Grow, coordinated by Daniel Ormen, and the Salesian Agricultural School in Lombriasco, Turin, Italy, directed by Father Marco Casanova. Net4Grow is a collaborative initiative facilitated by a network of representatives from the Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco, the Plaza Argentina Association, the Salesian agricultural schools worldwide, the Past Pupils of Don Bosco, and businesses and professionals in the agriculture sector.

Lombriasco Beekeeping 2020 offers a vocational training course for students and professionals to learn beekeeping and to safeguard the species and the environment. The course started on Nov. 17 at the Salesian Agricultural School in Lombriasco in collaboration with AgriPiemonte Miele. This course was offered free of charge and is reserved for fifth year students.

After the launch of the course, project collaborators have focused on setting up an experimental area called the “flowered meadow.” This, together with the positioning of the hives, will create a natural cultivation system that respects the earth and ecosystem, protection of species, and human health.

The final step will be to create a network between professionals in the sector, technicians and students of the Salesian agricultural schools across the globe. The network will facilitate technical training experiences on bees and the environment, as well as encourage school and work experience practice in several countries.

A project representative noted, “The launch of the Lombriasco Beekeeping 2020 project would not have been possible without the support of Hobby Farm of Biella, which supplied 10 hives and the materials for the workshop, and Bricco Gioino Agricultural, which provided bees and their technical expertise. We are also appreciative of past pupils from the Agricultural School and Alessandro Appendino who carefully follows the health of the bees.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Lombriasco Beekeeping Project 2020

Net4Grow

Net4Grow Facebook

Salesians Lombriasco

Salesians Lombriasco Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Beekeeping initiative launches first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Positions open for youth volunteers

MissionNewswire — Fri, 01 Jan 2021 15:12:49 +0000

Salesians for Social has 1,250 Universal Civil Service placements available for youth volunteers in 2021

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesians for Social, which coordinates the Universal Civil Service in Italy, will engage 1,250 youth between the ages of 18 and 29 in 2021 for volunteer positions in Italy and programs in Spain, France and Albania. This is the highest number of volunteers the Salesians will ever place for Universal Civil Service projects. In 2020, many of the placements were online and had to adapt to finding new ways to provide services that were originally intended in-person. This required flexibility within placements that will carry over to 2021.

For some projects, volunteer service will take place remotely while volunteers are at home. In other projects, a volunteer will work at the project’s original site or in another place where work can be done safely thanks to agreements with local governmental bodies and organizations.

Youth will be engaged in social welfare and educational activities that allow them to give back to local communities, gaining personal growth and maturation. Volunteers services include supporting the elderly, social assistance, educational support, digital literacy, creation of educational and cultural projects, food support, donation management and more.

“Volunteering in the coming months will help Italy to restart and not only prepare older youth volunteers for the future but give them an opportunity to help others prepare through education of younger youth and children,” explained Father Roberto Dal Molin, president of Salesians for Social.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Civil Service with Salesians for Social Affairs: 1,250 places available for Italy and abroad

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Positions open for youth volunteers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Hope for victims of human trafficking

MissionNewswire — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 14:54:53 +0000

Victims of human trafficking gain an education through the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education initiative

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Victims of human trafficking are finding hope for a better future through a hospitality course aimed at employment in the hotel and restaurant employment sectors thanks to a partnership between the Italian Red Cross and the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education (CNOS-FAP).

Siddhi, Cindy and Ritha are among the 22 women currently enrolled in the course at the Salesian Center in San Benigno Canavese, a commune on the outskirts of Turin, Italy. The women in the program attend theoretical lessons and cooking, pastry and cleaning workshops and are then provided a 60-hour internship and job placement.

“Cindy takes care of whipping the egg whites,” says Daniela Gilardo, a course teacher. “Everyone in the course calls Cindy ‘Maestra’ because she not only creates a perfect product, but she does it by singing and dancing. Good humor spreads throughout the kitchen.”

Siddhi, who is 42 and from Nigeria, said, “I learned to cook many things including pasta, pizza and savory pies. I enjoy making bread at home, I don’t buy it anymore and my children love it.” Siddhi is always focused on the task at hand and is diligent in her work. She has thought of opening her own restaurant if the situation allows.

For most of the women, the course is a second chance in life. Ritha, a mother of a 6-year-old boy, is also from Nigeria. She arrived in Italy when she was still a girl. Ritha said, “It’s impossible to forget what I went through but engaging in this course is a distraction and at the same time it’s given me hope. I have an opportunity now for work at a cleaning company, a restaurant or a hotel. I would love to work in the industry after this course. Despite all the pain, life goes on and having people next to me who tell me that I can succeed gives me strength.” Ritha also wants to lead by example and show other women who have experienced the same pain to see that there are opportunities for a better future.

The courses, part of the European project “Pathways,” are providing support and education to migrants and victims of trafficking. For the last two years, the Italian Red Cross and seven other organizations from Italy, Greece and the United Kingdom have been engaged in these efforts.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Women’s redemption also starts from kitchen

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Hope for victims of human trafficking first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Programs for at-risk youth expand

MissionNewswire — Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:49:45 +0000

Salesian missionaries in Scandicci open new semi-residential community for youth

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian community of Scandicci, just outside Florence, Italy, opened a semi-residential community for youth in memory of Salesian Blessed Artemide Zatti. The community was two years in the making and has opened its doors to four young people. The residence will be able to accommodate up to 18 young people a day, both males and females, aged 6 to 14, who are sent by the local social services.

“We’ve come a long way together with the whole educational team,” said Father Giorgio Mocci, director of the Salesian community in Scandicci. “The community has always supported us. We have several volunteers from the association La Melagrana Aps ready to make themselves available to these young people and support them.”

Yuna Kashi Zadeh, president of La Melagrana Aps, noted, “The satisfaction for having started this path is now great. ‘We’re here’ is the phrase that recurs most in the messages, in the calls and in the meetings that we have had in recent days. It means we are here and staying to embrace, meet, smile, cry, talk and to listen.”

While many programs in Italy have closed during the pandemic and others have limited the work they are doing, the Salesians have remained and continue to grow and expand programs to meet the critical needs of poor and at-risk youth. All Salesian programs are adhering to COVID-19 safety measures including wearing masks, social distancing and sanitizing.

“For us, it is important to start this work especially for those facing the most difficulty. We Salesians are here in Scandicci as we are in the whole world to be signs and bearers of God’s love for young people,” added Fr. Mocci.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Sign of hope in Scandicci: semi-residential community for minors “Michele Magone”

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Programs for at-risk youth expand first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Online museum launches featuring life of St. John Bosco

MissionNewswire — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 14:47:56 +0000

Casa Don Bosco Museum launches new virtual presentation of the museum’s 4,000 square meters and 27 physical exhibitions

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Casa Don Bosco Museum, located in Turin, Italy, remains open online in compliance with the rules imposed to counter COVID-19. Visitors from all over the world can visit the virtual museum through the website. The museum provides an exhibition of the origins of the Salesian founder St. John (Don) Bosco’s educational and spiritual life.

While the museum will continue to be developed over time, the virtual experience provides a digital presentation of the 4,000 square meters and 27 physical exhibition spaces currently available at Casa Don Bosco. Launching the virtual part of the museum has not been an easy task because the space was intended for an in-person experience of the saint who changed the lives of thousands of youth during his time and, thanks to his successors, millions of youth since then.

All the museums in Italy are currently closed, so a virtual component to Casa Don Bosco was necessary. Virtual visitors can enter the room where Don Bosco slept and worked, observe the architectural development di Valdocco, and admire the representations of artists portraying Don Bosco and his work with young people over the ages. The virtual museum also provides original photographs, Don Bosco’s clothes and small bits of Salesian history.

“Casa Don Bosco is the fulfilment of a mandate given to the rector major, Father Ángel Fernández Artime, by General Chapter XXVII in 2014,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The museum is now a living memory of the life of our founder St. John Bosco. Being able to offer a virtual tour enables the museum to remain accessible during the lockdowns even if visitors can’t be there in person.”

The official inauguration of the physical space was held over three days in early October. There was a ceremony for dignitaries, including 12 ambassadors to the Holy See, Piedmontese political representatives and Turin’s mayor, who proudly noted that even in environments which are hostile to the church, Don Bosco is always well received and his message still opens doors. A grand opening to the public followed.

At the inauguration ceremonies, high school students from the Valdocco culinary school provided a reception in the courtyard. Most of the students are recent immigrants to Turin, and their expertise, pride and hard work were on full display and a reminder why Casa Don Bosco Museum exists—to keep alive Don Bosco’s dream of work for youth.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Casa Don Bosco House Museum remains open online as virtual museum

Casa Don Bosco Museum

The post ITALY: Online museum launches featuring life of St. John Bosco first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Partnership with USAID helps over 24,000 young, vulnerable as part of COVID-19 response

MissionNewswire — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 08:25:57 +0000

With U.S. Government support, Salesian Missions to help over 24,000 young people and vulnerable populations across Italy

(MissionNewswire) With support from the U.S. Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, has launched a new project: “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19.”

This activity is one element of USAID’s $50 million commitment to Italy to help save lives and build resilience for the future. USAID’s work in Italy is one part of the U.S. Government response to the pandemic in Italy.

The “Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19” project gives students access to online tools and technology.

The project will impact over 24,000 people including students and other young people, teachers, families, and migrants and refugees. Salesian Missions is working with Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS) and local Salesian partners CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, and SCS-CNOS Federation, Salesians for Social Welfare.

The project will mitigate the harmful secondary effects the COVID-19 pandemic has had on vulnerable populations across Italy.

Through the stay@ctive campaign, VIS will work with local Salesian centers to develop free online educational resources for families with children to provide parents and children with coping strategies during periods of self-isolation and quarantine.

Secondly, the project will help develop technical and vocational training for students who have experienced a lapse in education due to the pandemic. With an unpredictable timeline for a return to normalcy, these investments in career-focused training will help young people make up for any loss in education access. In partnership with CNOS-FAP, this effort will reach more than 25,000 students.

In addition, the project will provide the funding to acquire annual licenses for technical software, e-simulators and e-platforms aimed at delivering distance learning in vocational fields and at simulating practical work-based environments. One of the challenges with e-learning is the inability of lower income students to access online tools. Thanks to ongoing relationships with Apple and other companies, it is possible for CNOS-FAP to acquire educational devices for its students at competitive prices. In addition, 550 start-up technology kits will be donated to the most vulnerable and poor students.

Salesian Missions will also donate food baskets and personal protective equipment (PPE), including face masks, disposable overalls and gloves, and detergents to marginalized groups including refugees, migrants, impoverished families and the elderly. VIS will help deliver these services through its partnership with SCS-CNOS Federation. A psychological help desk service will also be established to provide people with emotional support as they struggle with the challenges of social distancing and other COVID-19 related personal obstacles.

“The United States is proud to support ‘Salesian Solidarity with Italy: the Emergency Response to COVID-19.’ This project will provide online educational training, as well as food, protective equipment, and psychological assistance to vulnerable populations across Italy. Coordinated action is essential to mitigating the long-term effects of COVID-19,” said U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See, Callista L. Gingrich. She added, “Faith-based organizations such as Salesian Missions are reliable partners in providing care and support to those most in need during this pandemic.”

“We are grateful to the U.S. Government for supporting this critical project in Italy, which has been hard hit by the virus and has a struggling economy made worse by the pandemic,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions. “Salesian organizations have rallied together across Italy to help mitigate the challenges and worsening conditions of poverty for those they serve. This is an example of yet another collaborative project to assist those most in need through education, psycho-social support and delivering direct relief materials.”

USAID is the U.S. Government’s premiere development organization operating in more than 100 countries worldwide.

###

Sources:

Photos courtesy of Salesian Missions (contact for usage permissions)

CNOS-FAP

CNOS-FAP Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Partnership with USAID helps over 24,000 young, vulnerable as part of COVID-19 response first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Students graduate from first-ever ‘Pizzoratorio’ project in Torre Annunziata, receive pizza making certificates

MissionNewswire — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 08:12:11 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Students who attended the first “Pizzoratorio” project launched by the Italian Salesian association, Piccoli Passi Grandi Sogni (Small Steps, Big Dreams) in October 2019, have graduated. The project, which took place in Torre Annunziata, a city in Naples, Italy, provided vocational training at the local Salesian oratory Casa Valdocco for youth to earn a professional qualification as a pizza maker. The project received the support of the Salesians per il Sociale (Salesians for Social), Don Bosco Mondo Foundation and the Banco di Napoli Foundation for Child Care.

Students who attended the course received a pizza chef certificate, recognized by the Campania Region. Given the success of the first graduating class, Salesians have introduced the continuation of the program with a second round of training. The workshop for pizza makers is training youth aged 16 to 18 years old who are at risk of social marginalization. The goal is to help them gain a skill to find employment.

Father Antonio Carbone, the Salesian in charge of the project, explained, “The project was born in an area where there are many difficulties and the prospects for work and commitment are also difficult. Our goal every day is to get young people off the street. We will save them from the streets thanks to a gastronomic laboratory that will teach them how to cook and bake pizzas. And thanks to this qualification, they will be able to find an honest job.”

For many youth in the area, the project was an alternative to the dangers on the streets. Saverio, a 16-year-old graduate said, “I would have liked the course to last longer, to learn more and more techniques and improve. I still don’t know if I’ll want to do this job when I grow up, but I’ll carefully preserve this certificate that I conquered with constancy and sacrifice.”

The first graduating class suffered a tragedy. Luigi, a 17-year-old student, was killed in a robbery attempt in the final weeks of the class. He was passionate about his work as a pizza maker. Fr. Carbone wrote in a Facebook post, “I remember him when with so much sacrifice he wanted to learn the profession of pizza chef, I remember him, when during the months of lockdown three days a week, together with other guys he prepared pizzas to take to disadvantaged families, I remember him crying because in those months he couldn’t see his family, I remember him on Sunday at Mass with downcast eyes when during the homily there was talk of the beautiful life to which Jesus calls us.”

In Italy, young people who are unemployed and not in school or training programs represent 20 percent of the population. Vocational training is as an educational path that serves as a highly effective bridge between school and work.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Final event of “Hands in Dough” project

Casa Valdocco Facebook

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Students graduate from first-ever ‘Pizzoratorio’ project in Torre Annunziata, receive pizza making certificates first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian Oratorio San Rocco inaugurated in Sondrio after 15 months of work to rebuild the structure

MissionNewswire — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 21:27:42 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Oratorio San Rocco has been inaugurated in Sondrio, Italy, after 15 months of work to rebuild the structure. The project was made possible thanks to funding from the Cariplo Foundation and a fundraiser. Established more than 120 years ago, the oratory is managed by the Salesian community and parish in Sondrio.

Mons. Oscar Cantoni, bishop of Como, presided over the Eucharistic celebration in the courtyard of the Salesian Institute. Participants also went to the Piazza San Rocco for speeches from Father Giuliano Giacomazzi, superior of the Lombard-Emilian Province, Father Christian Bricola, and a representative of the Cariplo Foundation. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony in the hall, Msgr. Cantoni said the blessing prayer.

“Functioning side by side with Salesian schools, Salesian oratories (youth centers) offer a safe place for engaging youth in constructive activities during leisure time—such as sports, art and music,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Youth are able to connect with supportive adults, access workshops and extra tutoring, and socialize with their peers. Youth learn teamwork and social skills, which provide opportunities for growth and maturity.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – New “Oratorio San Rocco” inaugurated in Sondrio

Salesian Missions – Italy

Salesian Oratorio San Rocco

Salesian Oratorio San Rocco Facebook

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian Oratorio San Rocco inaugurated in Sondrio after 15 months of work to rebuild the structure first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Graduates from Salesian Vocational Training School in Sesto San Giovanni earn employment at Yamaha dealerships

MissionNewswire — Mon, 21 Sep 2020 13:39:49 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The collaboration between the Salesian Vocational Training School in Sesto San Giovanni, a commune in Milan, Italy, and Yamaha Motor Italia established during the 2019-20 school year has already brought about a positive impact. Although both institutions had to face challenges during lockdown, two graduates of the program have started work at official Yamaha dealers.

The program provides automotive training courses that meet the Yamaha standard. Students are then able to access internships for on-the-job training with Yamaha dealerships. After graduation, they are often offered advanced course work at Yamaha and employment at dealerships.

Two students, Michele Musolino and Marco Crippa, obtained a technical diploma from the Salesian Vocational Training School in June and subsequently received a job offer from Yamaha dealers.

Musolino said, “It was a great journey. I started this experience by taking a course suitable to Yamaha standards. Then towards the end of the school year, I did an internship at Yamaha Motor to gain on-the-job training. Later, I did an internship at Valli Moto in Lissone. After the exams, I took my CV to Roberto Valli who hired me! As a result of the training, I have found good and helpful people, and I’ll be able to do a job that I like.”

Michele Musolino and Marco Crippa each obtained a technical diploma from the Salesian Vocational Training School followed by a job offer from Yamaha dealers.

Crippa also noted his positive experience with the training course. He said, “I have an apprenticeship contract with a maximum duration of three years, with the aim of training as a motorcycle repair mechanic. It includes full-time work of a maximum of 40 hours per week and training courses regarding my specialization. This work experience at the Motortimes dealership in Saronno has already filled me with positive emotions. It may seem trivial, but working on Yamaha-branded bikes gives me an extra boost.”

The partnership with Yamaha is a flagship professional training program at the Salesian Vocational Training School. Director Francesco Cristinelli noted, “Youth have the opportunity to have access to cutting-edge automotive workshops and to work on the latest-generation of Yamaha-branded vehicles. Then the best, like Marco and Michele, have the opportunity to build their future inside first-rate dealerships.”

Andrea Colombi, Yamaha Motor country manager, added, “This collaboration has the value of giving our contribution to the territory and to society in terms of skills, to create new highly technical professionals who can immediately integrate into the world of work. In every field, skills make and will make more and more a difference. Soon, other students of the fourth class will be selected to undertake the same path, and we are confident that in a year we’ll be able to speak of new and exciting results.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Don Bosco Social Works of Sesto San Giovanni and Yamaha: from training to hiring

Salesian Missions – Italy

Salesian Vocational Training School in Sesto San Giovanni

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Graduates from Salesian Vocational Training School in Sesto San Giovanni earn employment at Yamaha dealerships first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Don Bosco Institute in Florence hosts summer camp for children who are blind

MissionNewswire — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 13:27:02 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Institute in Florence, Italy, is hosting a summer camp for children who are blind. The camp is organized by the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Tuscany with the support of the CR Firenze Foundation Summer Together, the Red Cross, and the Institute for Research, Training and Rehabilitation. The camp, which is in its fourth year, has 11 youth participating.

“This is an important moment of interaction with peers before school resumes,” said Elena Ferroni, project coordinator. “These kids suffered during the lockdown period because their relationships with their teachers is very important. They all have a great desire to go back to class with friends and are now delighted to have a week dedicated to the group and learning.”

The camp is being held with strict adherence to COVID-19 health and safety measures. As soon as the youth arrived at camp, each one was provided a backpack with twenty masks and sanitizing gel inside. Activities at the camp include computer science activities, theater workshops, cinema, and excursions to the adventure park in Pratolino and the Acqua Village in Cecina.

Antonio Quatraro, presidents of the Italian Union of the Blind and Visually Impaired of Tuscany, said, “Those with visual impairments are unfortunately used to doing without. COVID-19, unfortunately, affects each of us and in a certain sense calls everyone to order. This, paradoxically, could ‘open the eyes’ of even those who do not want to see. We are happy to have managed to offer such a beautiful opportunity to these young people who are giving their utmost in every activity even in this difficult year.”

Director of the CR Firenze Foundation, Gabriele Gori, noted, “We believe it’s very important to support an initiative like this, and we designed and launched the Summer Together call precisely to encourage these forms of aggregation and socialization. The Foundation cares very much for those living in a condition of disability and is always available whenever collaboration is requested to implement programs that aim to make them feel fully integrated into the community.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – First post-Covid summer campus for blind children at Don Bosco Institute in Florence

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Don Bosco Institute in Florence hosts summer camp for children who are blind first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian oratory in Bova Marina plants saplings as part of summer activities

MissionNewswire — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 13:41:55 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian oratory in Bova Marina, Italy, has joined the “Plant Your Tree” initiative, which was launched in the fall of 2019 by the Mondoverde Club, an environmental association. As part of the summer 2020 activities, close to 60 youth from the Salesian oratory planted saplings. Four teams of youth were created and each was responsible for planting one sapling.

This activity is one of many that Salesian organizations around the globe have participated in recently in a push for broader environmental awareness and engagement. In April 2018, Salesians in India launched the Don Bosco Green Alliance, an international collective of youth from Salesian institutions and organizations that contribute to global environmental action, thought and policy. In two years, Don Bosco Green Alliance gained 273 registered members from 56 countries. Membership is open to all Salesian institutions and organizations worldwide.

In June 2020, Don Bosco Green Alliance launched the “Rethink, Reconnect, Renew” campaign. The new campaign will be carried out through the ongoing “Laudato Sì” year. On May 18, Pope Francis inaugurated “Laudato Si” at the Vatican commemorating the fifth anniversary of the publication of his eco-encyclical with the same title. As part of these efforts, Don Bosco Green Alliance was invited to lead initiatives within the school sector. The goal is to rethink educational programs to create greater awareness of ecology and to think about concrete actions that promote ecological vocations for youth, teachers and education managers.

This new campaign invites all of the Alliance members to rethink their priorities, their choices and their lifestyles, especially during the pandemic. Rethinking and reconnecting should inspire people to renew their way of living and ensure a healthier and happier future.

All Alliance members are being encouraged to make pledges on how they will concretely live more eco-friendly lives. Alliance members are also being asked to hold activities and programs during the year to bring about concrete outcomes at institutional and individual levels. A series of monthly webinars on topics connected to the theme of the campaign has been planned. Special events will be organized during the year in which members of the alliance can participate collectively.

“The Don Bosco Green Alliance is an important part of our Salesian youth ministry today,” said Father Savio Silveira, the convener of the Alliance. “Young people feel very strongly about the environmental crisis since they understand the impact it has on their lives and their future. Accompanying young people as they seek solutions to environmental issues has to be an aspect of our youth ministry.”

Don Bosco Green Alliance is focused on combating pollution, reducing global warming and eliminating disposable plastics. In each of these areas, it aims to partner with ongoing global campaigns promoted by UN Environment or other international organizations.

Members of the Alliance have also undertaken such initiatives as environmental education to increase green areas and planting trees, the reduction of the use of non-degradable materials, promotion of organic agriculture and home gardens, preservation and conservation of water, and increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Salesian oratory of Bova Marina turns green

Don Bosco Green Alliance

Salesian Missions – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian oratory in Bova Marina plants saplings as part of summer activities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Four students collaborate to help provide computers to families for distance learning

MissionNewswire — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 13:47:12 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Four 18-year-old students, two of whom attend Salesian schools in Milan, Italy, have started a project to help families have access to computers at home for distance learning. The website PC4U.tech was set up to handle both donations and requests for a computer.

The team is made up of Matteo Mainetti, a student from Leone XIII Institute, who deals with the project’s logistical aspect; Salesian students Emanuele Sacco, who works on the programming of the site, and Pietro Cappellini, who takes care of the graphics and design; and Jacopo Rangone, who is dedicated to the administrative part of the project and studies in England.

The idea first came to the students during the general lockdown period that was required when COVID-19 hit Italy. Many students could not follow their academic lessons remotely because they did not have a computer or a tablet at home. The four friends began to collect devices from those who donated them spontaneously.

Through the online platform, people have the opportunity to donate functioning devices or to request one, if needed. The initiative, which is free for all, is also aimed at companies that have obsolete devices that they can give away. Each device is collected at the donor’s home, reformatted by an expert in the sector, sanitized and loaded with a message from the donor to the recipient. Cappellini said, “In the end, we are not donating an instrument, but a door to knowledge.”

Sacco explained, “The numbers of those who are hungry for technology, even in Lombardy, remain high. More than 2,600 students, nearly 14 percent, do not have a computer, and have not been able to go to school in recent months.”

“A recent ISTAT survey says that 33.8 percent of Italian families do not have a computer or tablet at home, and 57 percent of the kids must share only one computer in the family,” added Sacco. “This problem goes beyond the need highlighted by COVID-19 and the lockdowns because schools increasingly are digital, and students will increasingly need technological supports to be able to study.”

The project has also received help from Microsoft, which is providing support for the activation of Microsoft Office A1, the edition dedicated to schools.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “PC4U”: a solidarity chain in Milan

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Four students collaborate to help provide computers to families for distance learning first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Fundamental Rights Agency highlights the work of Salesians for at-risk youth during the COVID-19 lockdown

MissionNewswire — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 13:55:07 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The work of Salesian missionaries with at-risk youth was recently highlighted on social media by the Fundamental Rights Agency, a European Union agency focused on human rights. The agency shared a post on Twitter and Facebook that asked, “What did the COVID-19 isolation mean for vulnerable youth?” Thanks to the participation of Don Bosco International with the Fundamental Rights Agency, the agency highlighted the work of Salesian Social Platforms of Spain and Salesians for Social APS in Italy.

The Salesian Social Platforms in Spain has 83 residential centers for youth that house close to 700 across these centers. During the period of isolation, the work of Salesian missionaries and staff changed considerably.

“The extension of hours of intervention brought more time to foster conversation. We have seen how some gave their best, and we were forced to leave our comfort zones to seek new resources. They made us change,” said José Carlos Rodríguez, coordinator of the Salesian residential project Casa Garelli Protección in Madrid.

Ignacio Vázquez, general manager of the Don Bosco Foundation, which is active in Andalusia, Extremadura and the Canary Islands, said, “The efforts and creativity of the educational teams were fundamental. Today more than ever it has been seen that Don Bosco is the home of boys and girls who do not have another home.”

The work of Salesians in Italy was also critical. Many minors who have no place else to go rely on the services provided by Salesians for Social, which kept residential services open and operating during the pandemic. While many projects were on hold because of coronavirus, youth remained in residential services. Salesian staff did everything they could to minimize the risks of the coronavirus.

At several Salesian centers across Italy, Salesians for Social bought sanitizer kits, masks and gloves, supplied tablets to the houses to foster distance learning, and purchased tools to allow young workers to continue their training and to produce masks to prevent infections.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – RMG – Salesian activities with minors at risk also appreciated by “Fundamental Rights Agency”

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Fundamental Rights Agency highlights the work of Salesians for at-risk youth during the COVID-19 lockdown first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian Pontifical University launches online psychological support for children dealing with isolation

MissionNewswire — Thu, 23 Apr 2020 14:12:34 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with the Higher School of Specialization in Clinical Psychology at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, Italy, have launched a free digital psychological counseling platform. The goal is to help youth cope with the psychological impact that could result from the long isolation caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The project is called “You stay home … I’m with you.”

Competent professionals and psychologists enrolled in the second, third and fourth year of specialization in psychotherapy will provide a space in which people will be listened to proactively. Further, if there is a need, psychologists will offer additional resources on interventions for stress response syndromes in the case of anxiety and depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. The consultancy provides for three online meetings for analysis and evaluation, identification of self-regulation resources related to stress response syndromes, and follow-up.

“The project arises from the need of specializing professionals and psychologists to put themselves at the service of others and to provide a place for exchange and listening in which people can feel understood and access resources to self-regulate and undertake psychological accompaniment paths,” explained Professor Father Mario Oscar Llanos, dean of the faculty of educational sciences.

Fr. Llano added, “This initiative is important because it is the contribution of our University to mitigate the psychological impacts that this emergency situation may have, especially on families and children.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “You stay home … I’m with you.” UPS free online psychological counseling service

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian Pontifical University launches online psychological support for children dealing with isolation first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian missionaries launch DB Wave project to promote Salesian vocational training in Europe aiming to impact 60,000 students

MissionNewswire — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 14:01:40 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Europe have launched the DB Wave educational project in response to a growing need for more skills training to help youth find and retain employment. In the long-term, the project is expected to impact close to 60,000 students and 7,000 vocational education teachers from the European Union, promoting quality of training and inclusion.

The initiative brings together seven national Salesian vocational training networks located in six countries including Spain, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and France and will impact 250 centers in these countries.

As part of Erasmus+, the European Union’s program to support education, training, youth and sport in Europe, the DB Wave project began to take shape at the 8th meeting of European Projects, School and Vocational Training, organized by the Salesians in Nice, France, in November 2018. The project officially started in November 2019, and will run for two years, ending in October 2021. The first meeting DB Wave project meeting took place in Munich in November followed by another in Rome, in December, with a third in Brussels in 2020.

The development of a European network of vocational training centers began much earlier with coordination by the Salesian Youth Ministry Department, and recently, by Father Tarcizio Morais. Starting from a meeting in Rome in 2012, the network has continued to grow, not only in the number of participants and countries represented, but also in the number of projects among the Salesian partners.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – RMG – “DB Wave” project: new impetus for Salesian Vocational Training in Europe

Salesian Missions – Italy

The post ITALY: Salesian missionaries launch DB Wave project to promote Salesian vocational training in Europe aiming to impact 60,000 students first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian missionaries launch new apartment for temporary shelter that can accommodate up to 7 at-risk youth and foreign unaccompanied minors

MissionNewswire — Wed, 19 Feb 2020 14:40:48 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian “This is my home” program in Turin, Italy, recently launched new temporary shelter spaces for at-risk youth and foreign unaccompanied minors. The inauguration of the new spaces took place at the Salesian Youth Center in San Paolo. The inaugurated spaces, which were renovated sections of an already established building, include the Caritas premises and an apartment that will accommodate up to seven youth.

The new apartment was launched after the success of the first housing in the building was established for 12 unaccompanied foreign minors who were entrusted to the Salesians by the Office for Foreign Minors of the Municipality of Turin in October 2016.

The new apartment is part of the welcoming path established by the Salesian parish and youth center in San Paolo, which contributes many volunteers to the practical and educational management of the two communities and to the Caritas listening center for the growing needs of families in the neighborhood.

The project to renovate the building was made possible by a donor and is intended to provide housing for young university students or workers and Italian and foreign young adults who need temporary social housing on their path to independence.

“We consider it important that these youth in need have a safe shelter so they can focus on work and their studies as they acclimate to a new environment. The space also becomes an opportunity for learning and developing peer relationships among different nationalities,” said Father Alberto Lagostina, director of the program.

Salesian missionaries have been challenged by the number of migrants and other unaccompanied youth looking for shelter, support and work in cities across Italy. For unaccompanied foreign minors, Salesian missionaries launched 58 projects including first- and second-level reception centers, Italian language courses, job placement services, legal assistance and more. These projects have impacted 4,068 migrant youth.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – A new residential shelter in Turin-San Paolo

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian missionaries launch new apartment for temporary shelter that can accommodate up to 7 at-risk youth and foreign unaccompanied minors first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian missionaries involve entire community to fight educational poverty

MissionNewswire — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 14:48:49 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Italy are holding events to focus on their “Give more to those who have had less” initiative, which works with 3,000 youth. The goal of the initiative is to fight educational poverty by involving all members of the community.

At the halfway point of the initiative, events and seminars are being organized in all local offices to present the local project, the activities carried out and the prospects for the final period. To date, 57 partners, including nonprofit organizations, local authorities and schools, 14 implementation sites, and more than 80 committed operators, are working together.

The first public event took place in Trapani with the attendance of school staff, staff from the city’s social service and Father Giovanni D’Andrea, Provincial of the Salesians in Sicily. The meeting was coordinated by the local team and the national project manager, Andrea Sebastiani. It also featured the involvement of children, teachers and parents.

A second level of the project was working as a network with the various educational agencies in the territory. Participatory courses were developed at each location to identify educational challenges and objectives of the various territories and age groups of youth.

The third level of intervention concerned adolescents directly. “In the operational offices, training courses have been activated in high schools that have, as their aim, to work on self-esteem, motivation and aggregation through sports, creative and artistic and digital activities and support to studying,” said Roberto Maurizio, scientific manager of the project.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “Give more to those who’ve had less”. Fight against educational poverty must involve entire community

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian missionaries involve entire community to fight educational poverty first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: The Don Bosco Institute joins the Don Bosco Green Alliance and engages youth in community clean-up events

MissionNewswire — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 15:24:33 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Institute in Genoa, Italy, joined the Don Bosco Green Alliance, an international Salesian network that contributes to global environmental action, thought and policy. Since October 2019, the Don Bosco Institute has made specific commitments to promote the mission of the alliance. These include reducing waste production and improving its separation and recycling; raising awareness among young people who attend schools and the oratory; and leaving the Salesian center with concrete and visible actions.

The Don Bosco Institute has already held three ecological days, on Oct. 12, Nov. 16 and Dec. 12, in which youth engaged in community projects. The first ecological day brought together 50 youth, most of whom are part of the local community of unaccompanied foreign minors along with several students who are taking vocational training courses.

The young volunteers received overalls, gloves, masks and cleaning tools from AMIU, the company that deals with the collection and management of waste in Genoa. AMIU partnered with the Salesian youth to provide materials used in the project and select the gardens near the train station as the first clean-up project.

Divided into two groups and coordinated by a supervisor, youth started their work with enthusiasm, discovering a lot of waste and becoming upset about the poor behavior of people who litter so much. They filled dozens of garbage bags full of trash.

On Nov. 16, nearly 60 youth came together to clean up the Castagna cemetery. The youth garnered the positive attention of those visiting the cemetery. A few days after the third clean-up activity in December, Mayor Marco Bucci and Deputy Mayor Stefano Balleari awarded all the boys and girls for their efforts. Additional ecological days are scheduled for 2020, the first of which was Jan. 18.

“The ecological days are something that we want to continue and that we would like to become a reference model,” said Father Maurizio Verlezza, director of the Don Bosco Institute. “We care about the city, but above all, we care about young people who can grow and bring with them wherever they will go this sensitivity and this respect for the city in which they live.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Ecological Days of Don Bosco Genoa: service to city and young

Don Bosco Green Alliance

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: The Don Bosco Institute joins the Don Bosco Green Alliance and engages youth in community clean-up events first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian missionaries partner with Yamaha to provide technical education at the Don Bosco Social Works Vocational Training Center

MissionNewswire — Mon, 20 Jan 2020 15:24:40 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries with CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education, have entered into a partnership with Yamaha to provide skills training in the automotive and motorsports field at the Don Bosco Social Works Vocational Training Center in Sesto San Giovanni near Milan, Italy.

At the end of 2019, the Don Bosco Center created a special program to begin teaching its students repair work on Yamaha two-wheeled vehicles, thanks to a prestigious collaboration with the Yamaha Technical School. Yamaha will work to qualify Salesian education and its tools and instrumental resources, such as laboratories, classrooms and technical equipment, to raise the professional, technological and operational skills of both its teachers and students.

“The Don Bosco Social Works of Sesto is characterized by the extremely high level of preparation of its students and is one of the few to have a specialization dedicated to two-wheeled vehicles,” explained Father Elio Cesari, the Don Bosco Center’s director. “The collaboration with Yamaha creates the opportunity for our children to work with cutting-edge equipment and be able to have an educational experience thanks to the rapport, teamwork and sharing of our value systems.”

As part of this partnership, during the fourth year of study, the best students will be offered training internships at Yamaha and in the Yamaha Assistance Network to create and foster their experience in the workforce.

“We want to create professional technical figures trained with Yamaha standards and who able to answer to a rapidly changing market, thanks to creating a path where school and company work together,” said Andrea Colombi, a Yamaha manager for Italy.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – Yamaha and Salesians together to give young people more opportunities

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian missionaries partner with Yamaha to provide technical education at the Don Bosco Social Works Vocational Training Center first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: 1,157 youth engaging in volunteer projects through Salesians for Social around the world

MissionNewswire — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 17:47:56 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) Starting mid-January, 1,157 young people will have an opportunity to give back through civil service volunteering. Salesians per il Sociale (Salesians for Social) coordinates the Universal Civil Service in Italy and other countries, which enables youth to have these life-changing volunteer experiences.

Currently, there are 90 projects that will host volunteers in Italy, Spain, France and Romania. In Rome, volunteers will spend time at Borgo Ragazzi Don Bosco, which is one of several Salesian vocational training centers in the country. The school provides youth with the skills they need to enter the workforce and find and retain stable employment. This ensures that they are able to escape conditions of poverty and live a productive life.

Volunteers traveling to Spain, France and Romania will spend their time in Salesian oratories, boarding schools, traditional schools and family homes. They will plan and execute activities around study support, education, creative arts, sports, language and music workshops. Two more projects will start in February in Angola, Ghana, Ethiopia and Palestine, with eight volunteers.

“Volunteering is a great way for youth to give back and help support others,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Many youth also see volunteering as a way to gain valuable work experience that can be applied later in the workforce. They are able to apply some of the skills they have learned in the classroom to real-life situations. The opportunity to volunteer is invaluable for many.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – With Salesians for Social 1,157 young people ready to experience Universal Civil Service

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: 1,157 youth engaging in volunteer projects through Salesians for Social around the world first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Siamo Umani project helping young refugees use their skills and talents to start small businesses

MissionNewswire — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 15:43:20 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Siamo Umani (We are human) project is carried out by the Salesian Social Cooperative within the Sacred Heart Youth Center in Rome, located next to Termini Station and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart founded by Don Bosco himself. The project helps young refugees and Italians find job placements and was recently selected as an inclusion model at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.

Siamo Umani was founded in 2014 by two young married couples, Cristina and Giuseppe and Francesco and Antonella, with the help of Salesian missionaries. Their goal was to connect young refugees seeking services at the Sacred Heart Youth Center to job placements and fulfill the needs of community residents like the elderly. The goal was to bridge a gap between those new to the country and residents who might be able to help refugees acclimate easier.

The project has been successful to date. Its initiatives have grown and diversified and now include assistance for those wishing to start their own small businesses by creating and selling gadgets and homemade crafts.

For example, Soheila from Iran and Amira from Somali have put their artistic talents to good use in the creation of bonbonniere and gadgets for events and anniversaries. Viviane, originally from the Ivory Coast, provides light assistance to the elderly in the center of Rome. Mirvat, a passionate photographer from Syria, curates a blog and aspires to become an influencer on social networks to transmit a message of integration to young people. Finally, Morteza, a young man who arrived in Italy from Afghanistan, is a video maker who is hired by various local groups.

“Projects like this are essential to help young refugees make their way in their new country of residence,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesians know the local marketplace and are able to create job placement programs to help youth and those in need to connect through training and internships to highly employable job sectors as well as help them start their own businesses, which helps their families and communities.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – “We are Human”, a model of inclusion in courtyard of Rome’s Sacred Heart

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Siamo Umani project helping young refugees use their skills and talents to start small businesses first appeared on MissionNewswire.

ITALY: Salesian Net4Grow project provides agriculture training and business networking

MissionNewswire — Thu, 26 Dec 2019 14:49:18 +0000

ITALY

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Net4Grow project was recently presented at the end of the Expo Lombriasco AgriCultura 2019, held in October. The collaborative project is facilitated by a network of representatives from the Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco, the Plaza Argentina Association, the Salesian agricultural schools worldwide, the Past Pupils of Don Bosco, and businesses and professionals in the agriculture sector.

The project is led by Father Marco Casanova, director of the Salesian Agricultural School of Lombriasco, and Daniel Ormeno, coordinator of the project from the Plaza Argentina Association. Others have joined the project including representatives from the Salesian International Volunteering for Development (VIS), ISIRES Institute of Turin, the Agricultural University of Turin and the Agrimana Studio, which is coordinating the staff of agricultural technicians, agronomists and veterinarians.

The goal of Net4Grow is to preserve and develop agricultural vocational training and generate projects for shared local development. Additional training for both teachers and students in agriculture, livestock, innovation in the agro-industry and agribusiness is being planned for current Salesian vocational and technical training centers. Net4Grow is also working to set up on-the-job training for students so they can take what they have learned in the classroom and put it into practice in the world.

The project benefits both students and the business community. Net4Grow is also launching a Network Academy dedicated to entrepreneurs, where businesses become partners in research through the Net4Grow LAB in order to launch projects with national or international partners. Businesses will also be able to take advantage of vocational training courses that are tailored specifically for the work they do. Lastly, the Network Academy will help entrepreneurs create new opportunities where they can offer their products, services, and search for partners and collaborators in Italy and abroad.

“Salesian projects like Net4Grow are so successful in part because they remain flexible and diversified to meet of the needs of their students and the businesses that collaborate on the project,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Being an integral part of the communities in which they work, Salesian missionaries are aware of local needs first-hand and are then able to develop a project to directly address those needs.”

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – How NET4GROW project was established

Salesian Missions – Italy

UNICEF – Italy Poverty

The post ITALY: Salesian Net4Grow project provides agriculture training and business networking first appeared on MissionNewswire.