Salesian Social Platforms provided education and support to 52,667 youth and their families in more than 500 projects in 2020

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social Platforms State Coordination Committee recently presented its 2020 report, which highlighted the work of Salesian programs in support of Spain‘s most vulnerable people, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. During 2020, 52,667 people participated in one of the more than 500 projects in 74 municipalities that Salesian Social Platforms has developed. This work was done with the support of 1,700 workers, 900 volunteers and its funders.

In 2020, the State Coordination of Salesian Social Platforms celebrated 20 years of activity. It was created to coordinate the 10 social entities of Salesians and Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Spain, which promote the social inclusion of vulnerable children, young people and families through education.

The report also published testimonies of people who collaborated in the growth of the State Coordination of Salesian Social Platforms. These testimonials describe what it meant for them to participate in this collaborative project to help people who need it most.

“Thank you all for this shared time. I hope that in the future, the people who make up this organization can look to the past with the same pride that I have. For this, we have the challenge of continuing to work as we have done so far,” said Paco Estellés, president of the State Coordination of Salesian Social Platforms, in the presentation of the publication.

The State Coordination of Salesian Social Platforms reached significant milestones, including the continuation of a reception program for young applicants seeking international protection, a legal orientation program, the start of a plan for equality, a new platform for online training and the “Red-In” mapping tool.

Salesian missionaries have 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 percent 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 percent less than men and represent only 34.5 percent of those listed as the highest earners in Spain.

###

Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – Salesian Social Platforms accompanied over 52,000 people during hardest pandemic times

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain