Sessions focus on the Salesian preventive system of educating youth

(MissionNewswire) Nearly 70 teachers gathered in León and Mohernando in Guadalajara, Spain, for new teacher training. In León, the meeting was led by Irune López, provincial coordinator for orientation, and in Mohernando, by Óscar Bartolomé, provincial coordinator for schools. Teachers who had not been able to participate in past training due to the COVID-19 pandemic also joined.

The training was divided into four sessions: a Salesian house that welcomes, a playground where one can be with friends, a parish for those without a parish and a school that prepares for life. These sessions help to educate new teachers on the Salesian preventive system of educating youth. Organizers created the sessions based on the educative and pastoral nature of Salesian schools and to strengthen the identity of Salesian educators both in knowledge and in attitude.

“Salesian teachers are the backbone of Salesian schools and centers,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Almost all students in Salesian schools have faced conditions of poverty or are marginalized in some way. Some were previously living and working on the streets, and others have faced war as child soldiers or become refugees in war-torn communities. Salesian teachers meet these challenges head-on, providing education and hope for a brighter future. Ongoing training is essential part of supporting their work.”

Salesian missionaries have also been working for many years to provide educational and workforce development opportunities for poor youth and women in Spain through residential, technical, and vocational training programs.

Close to 32% of young Spanish workers under the age of 25 are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. Poor youth with few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment. Women in Spain face inequality in the workforce. They earn up to 14% less than men and represent only 34.5% of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – Formation of newly recruited teachers

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain