(MissionNewswire) IME Communication, a new startup in Naples sponsored by the Salesian General Administration in Italy, is giving 11 youth the chance to gain technical and employment skills in video production. The first test of their skills has been the production of the 2019 Salesian Strenna video presentation. The theme of this year’s Salesian Strenna is, “Holiness for you too,” and focuses on the need for everyone to find happiness and live their lives to the fullest.

The IME Communication team chose to narrate the holiness of everyday life while highlighting the holiness that is hidden in the lives of many people. The video depicts people who live the Gospel simply through their daily gestures or family dynamics.

With its launch, IME Communication has become the new face of the Social Communications of the Southern Italy Salesian Province and is facilitated by a group of young experts in the field of communications, video production, live streaming and graphics. Staff include sound engineers, editors, graphic designers, camera operators, engineers and directors.

IME Communication was launched in response to Father Pierluigi Lanotte, delegate for the Social Communications, wanting to support and encourage a group of young people to continue to build their skills in the communications field. Currently, IME Communication has 11 members but aims to grow and plans to offer its services to the entire Salesian congregation.

The organization’s focus will be on the production of content intended for social networks while looking ahead to experimentation and the gradual implementation of new languages in its productions. It will also look for a more effective means for the flow of communication to foster an active and equal exchange of information.

“Salesian programs in Italy and around the world aim for innovation and hands-on work experiences that help youth in marginalized communities gain the education and resources they need to find, and even create, long-term employment that will help them break the cycle of poverty,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This new communication initiative and other Salesian initiatives in Italy help to make Salesian students competitive in the labor market or help them develop their own businesses to gain financial security.”

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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Italy – IME Communication: a wholly Salesian startup

UNICEF – Italy Poverty