SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) On Jan. 21, more than 800 youth participated in a meeting of Salesian oratories and youth centers in the Canary Islands, Spain. The meeting was held at the Salesian center in La Orotova and was coordinated by the Don Bosco Youth Center of the Our Lady of Conception Parish. The young participants took part in a day filled with sports and recreational activities. They were able to bond with their peers, meet new friends and learn from caring adults.

“The work of Salesian missionaries in Spain goes beyond traditional education, and youth centers play an important role in how they support youth,” said Father Timothy Ploch, interim director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesians aim to serve the whole person. Providing safe spaces for youth, especially for those at-risk or in high violence and conflict areas, ensures they feel empowered and are able to develop a sense of self-worth.”

Salesian youth centers and oratories are safe havens for youth. They can access tutoring help, have a safe place to go after school and spend time engaging in recreational activities. The sports offered at youth centers also offer opportunities for youth to learn teamwork, improve their health and take on leadership roles.

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 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.

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ANS – Spain – Over 800 young people at meeting of Salesian oratories and youth centers in Canary Islands

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Pinardi Federation of Salesian Social Platforms in Spain, in collaboration with the Community of Madrid, is providing 400 youth the opportunity to train in companies thanks to its “First Professional Experience” program that aims to address youth unemployment.

This program, which targets youth ages 18-29, has been ongoing for several years and enables on-the-job training for youth at risk of social exclusion. Youth will do their training at companies like Ibedrola, La Caixa, UPS, Ferrovial, El Corte Inglés, Sacyr, Orange, Meliá, IBM, JP Morgan, Auren, Parques Reunidos and Clece.

Maria Concepción Dancausa, the family, youth and social policy councilwoman for the Community of Madrid, recently warned of the high youth unemployment rate and the difficulties of companies in filling certain positions. “We don’t have time to waste,” said Dancausa. “They are restless, creative and enterprising. And they want to learn.”

Javier Doval, general coordinator of Pinardi Federation of Salesian Social Platforms, said, “Young people need experience that focuses on them and their enormous potential. First Professional Experience is a personalized program in a real-work environment, which, as much as possible, develops practical training. Thanks to the companies that are committed, it will allow youth to acquire personal and professional skills, achieving an impact in the host community.”

The key to success of the program lies in professional mentoring during the real-work experience, which facilitates learning personal and professional skills in an intensive and experiential way. Youth have educational and professional support throughout the program. They also have personalized social support and access to scholarships so that their economic situation is not an obstacle to training.

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.

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ANS – Spain – Pinardi and Community of Madrid seek alliances with businesses to achieve job placement for young people at risk of exclusion

Salesian Missions – Spain

Salesians in Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries have launched the “Network for Human Rights: Young People Mobilized for the Rights of Children and Youth Around the World” project in the provinces of Salamanca, Valladolid and León, in the autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. The project trained three groups of youth, ranging in age from 13 to 21.

Before starting the training, educators went through theoretical and practical training to learn about rights violations and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Agenda 2030, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They also received information about the project’s educational materials and training course, including an interactive clue game and complementary activities with online youth meetings, a photo exhibition, and a video forum.

During the training, youth solved a puzzle about a rights violation in order to put the material in context. After the training, youth developed their own awareness initiatives by choosing a right and then working to make this right visible in their environment and educational institution.

Youth also viewed the film “Libertad” created by the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid. The film illustrated human rights violations in Pademba Prison in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Also, on display was the photo exhibit “Rights of Children and Youth. A Global View.”

One Salesian said, “These activities helped youth to be able to reflect on human rights violations suffered by children and youth in different parts of the world. This training achieved its goal of helping youth to understand their rights and mobilizing them into action to bring greater awareness in their communities about these issues.”

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.

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ANS – Spain – Young people in Castile and Leon mobilize for children’s rights by developing solidarity initiatives

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Youth learn about their rights first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Institute of Pamplona in Spain, in collaboration with two non-governmental organizations, Medicine Open to the World and Help Container, received a Learning-Service Award. The project “Incubators that save lives” began in 2021 and continued into 2022 with the support of seven other education centers.

This year, 359 projects were submitted for the awards and involved 121,429 students from more than 600 educational centers and social organizations from all Spanish autonomous communities. The themes addressed by the winning projects included healthy habits, solidarity, human rights, inclusion, environment, cooperative work, gender equality, the inclusion of people with disabilities, immigration, and reading.

The Spanish Learning-Service Network, Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, and the City of Seville, with the collaboration of the Edebé Foundation, announced the 21 winning projects for the Learning-Service Awards. The awards will be presented in Seville on Dec. 16, as part of the 15th state meeting of the Spanish Learning-Service Network.

The meeting will bring together more than 500 professionals seeking to promote the Learning-Service working methodology, which combines learning objectives and community service to provide a pragmatic and progressive learning experience while meeting society’s needs.

In recent years, the Learning-Service methodology has grown exponentially in Spain as an element of social and educational transformation. The methodology improves academic achievement, fosters students’ motivation, educates them about life and society’s problems, opens the school to the outside world, and develops an attitude of service to others, while helping students become supportive and committed citizens.

Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco said, “We congratulate these students for their accomplishments. Projects like these reinforce how important hands-on preparation is in the education of new skills. 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.

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ANS – Spain – “Learning-Service 2022 – Development Cooperation” award to “Life-saving Incubators” project of Pamplona Salesians

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Pinardi Federation of Salesian Social Platforms, in collaboration with the Community of Madrid, launched the First Professional Experience program that aims to address youth unemployment. The program is funded by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration and the Next Generation EU fund through the Recovery, Transformation, and Resilience Plan in Spain.

The initiative launched in the Salesian centers of Atocha, Puerta del Sol, and Pan Bendito in Madrid and in the cities of Alcalá de Henares, Fuenlabrada, and Parla, where 400 youth will gain skills and have a chance to work in companies to put the skills they learned in the classroom into practice.

The program offers youth in socially vulnerable situations professional experience and provides companies with the opportunity to discover potential talent. The main idea is to connect youth who have a desire to work with companies that are committed to people. The key to success lies in professional mentoring in a real work environment, which facilitates learning personal and professional skills in an intensive and experiential way.

One Salesian said, “The project pursues an inclusive approach to training and learning, breaking down the barriers that often exist between young people and companies, and betting on those young people who have been left on the sidelines and instead are just waiting for a second chance to train, learn, and discover their vocation.”

Youth will have educational and professional support throughout the program. They will have personalized social support and access to scholarships so that their economic situation is not an obstacle to training. They will also access professional mentoring in the workplace for personal and professional development.

Businesses are at the center of the program and are involved in designing and updating the training program according to the needs of the labor market.

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.

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ANS – Spain – Launching “First Professional Experience,” a solution to youth unemployment, pilot project of Pinardi and Community of Madrid

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Program addresses youth unemployment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Foundation provides support and education for young migrants in Spain. The foundation develops projects to support youth in residential care as well as education and workforce development services. Two young migrants recently credited the support of the Don Bosco Foundation for their success.

Yassin Halim, a young man who received assistance in Don Bosco Foundation’s Project Buzzetti home, recently opened his own hairdressing salon in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and named it Don Bosco. When a customer recently inquired about the name, Halim said, “Because Don Bosco took me off the street.”

Halim arrived in Spain about four years ago by boat with only a backpack. He spent months on the road, ate meals at the Diocesan Caritas and took language classes with the Don Bosco Foundation. When faced with a deportation order for lack of documents, he was sent to the Don Bosco Foundation’s Project Buzzetti home. Today, Halim’s dreams have come true.

Another recipient of the Don Bosco Foundation’s support is Jimmy Samuel, a 21-year-old man from Venezuelan origin who arrived in Spain less than two years ago. Since then, he has worked hard to be successful and shown perseverance and gratitude for the support and opportunities he has been given. A Salesian said, “Jimmy won us over with that smile he never loses, with the melodious telling of his story, and with his satisfied look when he says he has managed to graduate.”

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.

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ANS – Spain – Yassin, Jimmy and all the others… “Fundación Don Bosco” for reception and integration of young migrants

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: 2 young migrants find success first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social Networks Platforms has released a 2021 report that highlights the work done by member entities to help children and families living in poverty. The report noted that Salesian programs in Spain have impacted more than 56,000 people through participation in at least one of its 600 projects. The work has been carried out by more than 3,700 coordinators and more than 1,500 volunteers.

Paco Estellés, president of the state coordination of Salesian Social Networks Platforms, said, “The year 2021 was also a year in which newer opportunities presented themselves, which, thanks to the initiatives of the coordinating technical team, then converted into new projects and campaigns launched already in January 2022. Very significant of these campaigns is the Innovation Program for the Prevention of Childhood Institutionalization, which will run until 2024, and brings a value of innovation, networking and prevention that makes us particularly proud.”

Salesian Social Networks Platforms is facilitating several projects including the “Take the reins” online publication, the continuation of the assistance provided to youth seeking international protection and legal orientation, the renewal of the Protection Program for Children, Young People and Vulnerable Persons, and the publication of qualitative research on migrant women known as “Many lives in one life.” Salesian Social Network Platforms continues its work to remain a significant point of reference for social and educational initiatives and policies in Spain.

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.

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ANS – Spain – Salesian Social Networks Platforms have reached out to more than 56,000 people in 2021

Memory Report 2021

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Elche, Spain, have taken steps toward energy independence and the use of alternative energies to help reduce their environmental impact and to save energy costs. The steps are also more in line with the sustainable development goals and priorities of the Salesian Congregation, which aims to promote alternative energies and implement them in its centers around the world during this decade.

Salesians have added 80 solar panels to their building, which was possible in part by a grant from the Valencian Institute for Business Competitiveness. The Salesian school in Elche has also joined the Don Bosco Green Alliance, an international collective of youth from Salesian institutions and organizations. Membership is open to all Salesian institutions and organizations worldwide. It began April 2018.

The Alliance’s priorities are combating pollution, reducing global warming and eliminating disposable plastics. In each of these areas, it aims to partner with ongoing global campaigns promoted by U.N. 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.

“Salesian organizations around the globe have an ongoing focus on the environment,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This has been driven by Pope Francis’ 2020 Laudato Si’, which underlined the importance of education and training that will help youth foster environmental responsibility. As a result, youth have launched important projects to help their communities and beyond.”

These changes also reflect on the guidelines put forth by Rector Major Father Ángel Fernández Artime, to the Salesian Congregation after GC28, entitled “Accompanying young people toward a sustainable future.” In response, Salesian Congregation is aiming to equip all provinces with renewable energy by 2032.

He emphasizes that this is a true cultural conversion. A statement read: “Our commitment to an integral human ecology comes from a conviction of faith for which everything is interconnected, and that genuine care for our own lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice, and faithfulness to others.”

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.

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ANS – Spain – Salesians of Elche join green energy

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: 80 solar panels reduce environmental impact first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Emmanuel, a 12-year-old boy from Sierra Leone, has a new lease on life thanks to the medical team of Dr. Pedro Guillén, the CEMTRO Clinic in Madrid and many volunteers. Emmanuel was born with a leg disability and was abandoned by his mother. After being abused by his family, he ran away from home and survived on the streets. It was there that Salesian missionaries found him.

Emmanuel was asked to join Don Bosco Fambul, located in Sierra Leone’s capital city of Freetown and one of the country’s leading child-welfare organizations. Over the past two years, his life has changed. He has found an environment free from discrimination where he studies and dreams of becoming a soccer player. Thanks to his recent operation, he is now able to walk normally and “be like everyone else” as he has said.

The plan was put into place last summer, and volunteers worked to make the trip to Spain and the surgery possible. Emmanuel arrived in Madrid on April 22. On April 26 he was admitted to the operating room of the CEMTRO Clinic and underwent a successful surgery. Guillén explained, “We were clear that it had to be an operation on the soft parts, without touching the bone, although we realized that the bone was also affected after years of resting the leg badly.”

Dozens of volunteers, including the staff of the CEMTRO Clinic, and university students from Francisco de Vitoria and CEU-San Pablo Universities, took turns spending time with Emmanuel, going on walks, and playing games. A nurse said, “He arrived as a weak child and in these few weeks he has grown, gained weight, and has shown that he is very intelligent and adapts very well to any situation.”

In just a few weeks, Emmanuel experienced things he never imagined, including seeing snow for the first time, attending a Real Madrid game, and receiving a jersey with his name on it from the president of the Real Madrid club. For the past month, Emmanuel has spent most of his time with a foster family and has only gone to the hospital for rehabilitation. He has integrated seamlessly with his new siblings and has begun to enjoy his time being like everyone else.

The medical team will continue to follow him over the next year. Emmanuel will have to wear an insole in his shoe to walk properly and continue to strengthen his muscles. Next year, he may return to Spain for another corrective operation, but in the meantime, at Don Bosco Fambul everyone is waiting for him.

Salesian Father Jorge Crisafulli, former rector of Don Bosco Fambul and now provincial of the new Africa Nigeria Niger Province, said, “Thank you to all those who make these miracles possible. The world is a little more beautiful with each of these boys and the miracle of Don Bosco Fambul continues. We are all together part of this dream and we are the miracle in motion.”

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ANS – Spain – Emmanuel, Freetown street boy whose life has changed thanks to a leg operation

CEMTRO Clinic

Don Bosco Fambul

Don Bosco Fambul Facebook

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) After two years of restrictions because of the COVID-19 pandemic, close to 18,000 youth will take part in summer activities hosted by the Salesians across Spain. From June through September, 160 activities are planned, including 102 urban summer activities at Salesian centers, 23 nature camps and 31 faith education camps. Activities are made possible thanks to the involvement of 300 Salesians and 2,750 youth workers who are using their summer vacations to volunteer and give back.

Another 150 youth will take part in spiritual formation activities in Valencia, Seville, Barcelona and Guadalajara. The goal is to provide youth with the technical and spiritual education so that they can continue their work in supporting and educating other youth.

In addition, Salesians, members of the Salesian Family and educators will take part in Days of Theological-Pastoral Actualization to be held in Santiago de Compostela from July 22 to 24. Father Jesús Rojano will address the theme “A look at today’s youth culture” to help attendees better understand the youth of today and how Don Bosco saw youth.

In Italy, Campobosco is also taking place this summer in Turin. This will bring together 660 youth from Salesian provinces of Spain and Portugal from July 30 to Aug. 8. Youth will visit places that played a key role in Don Bosco’s history and the birth of the Salesians. In addition, a group will participate in the European Youth Pilgrimage, organized by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, to be held in Santiago de Compostela.

“Just because school is out for the summer that does not mean Salesians stop their education work,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “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. That work continues year-round.”

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.

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ANS – Spain – 18,000 young people will participate in summer activities promoted by Salesians

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian vocational training centers in Pamplona, Spain have made 10 incubators for premature babies and provided them to Ukraine SOS Cluster, which is a group of associations and organizations helping provide support to the Ukrainian people. Five of the incubators are being sent to the Kyiv region, three to Zaporizhzhia and two to Mykolaiv.

The ongoing war in Ukraine is contributing to premature births and not everywhere is medically equipped to deal with them. The incubators, designed by Medicina Abierta al Mundo (Medicine Open to the World), were built by students in mechanical and electrical courses at eight Salesian vocational training centers. This is an ongoing project for the centers known as the “Incubators Saving Lives” project.

Ukraine SOS Cluster contacted the Salesians in Pamplona after hearing about the project. It ordered 50 incubators, and this 10 is the first shipment. One student said, “For us, it’s a pleasure to work on the construction of these incubators for premature babies. We learn to work with new materials and feel useful. It’s very inspiring for all of us.”

Lily Shyshkovska, a representative of the association Alas de Ucrania (Ukrainian Wings), which is part of the Ukraine SOS Cluster, said, “Thank you to all the people who participate in this project. You are incredible. Even among so much evil in this world, thanks to you, trust in the goodness of human beings is returning.”

The “Incubators Saving Lives” project began last year, and incubators have already been sent to locations in Africa and America. Pablo Sánchez, a young engineer who participated in the design of the incubators, said that the demand is high and comes from different places, so they will continue to produce them during the next academic year.

Many companies have been interested in contributing materials or manufacturing small parts of the incubators on a larger scale. M Torres provides 3D printing of small parts to complete the device and Moshy donated the liners for the incubator mats. The banking company La Caixa is also involved through the FPDualiza initiative.

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.

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

ANS – Spain – Salesian Vocational Training creates 10 incubators for at-risk children in Ukraine

Salesian Missions – Spain

Salesians in Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Students make incubators for babies in Ukraine first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians Sarrià Vocational Training School, located in Sarrià, a neighborhood in Barcelona, Spain, has been honored for its commitment to sustainability. The school received an award as part of the Green Roofs project, promoted by the Barcelona City Council to enhance nature within the city. The school is equipped with photovoltaic panels, two wind turbines, a drip irrigation system, an insect shelter to help pollinate plant species, an aromatic plant area and a vertical wall.

Father Xavier Brines, rector of the Salesian community, and Father Francisco Álamo, rector of the Salesians Sarrià Vocational Training School, have stressed the importance of such an initiative, especially in a city with a lot of pollution and few green spaces.

The school offers three bachelor’s level specializations including sciences and technology, humanities and social sciences, and the arts. These studies have a duration of two academic years and are divided into two areas — one containing subjects that are common to all the courses and another with specific subjects for the area of specialization.

“Students attending the Salesians Sarrià Vocational Training School have an opportunity to gain the skills needed for employment or more advanced education,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Sustainability projects like this not only help the environment but ensure that Salesian programs can have the funding needed to stay in operation and meet the needs of poor youth in the community who might not otherwise be able to afford an education.”

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.

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ANS – Spain – Salesians of Sarrià receive award for huge commitment to sustainability

Salesians Sarrià Vocational Training School

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian school honored for green roof first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social Platforms has launched the “Agents of Equality” project to educate and empower 20 youth to become agents of equality and work for the prevention of gender-based violence in Madrid, Spain. The project was launched in March and is a collaboration with the Ministry of Social Affairs.

To kick off the project, Salesian Social Platforms held a two-day training for 10 educators from Salesian centers. The first training objective was to gain knowledge about gender-based violence and provide a time for educators to share their experiences and emotions.

Gema Rodríguez, program manager of the state coordination of Salesian Social Platforms, said, “The return to in-person training fostered the motivation of the group, which showed determination to apply the empowerment methodology and gender perspective used in this project in their respective entities.”

Recovering mindfulness, knowing how to listen and be listened to, growing, and learning were some of the priorities that the educators discussed. They also discussed gender-based violence prevention and generating safe and trusting spaces that facilitate participation. The goal is to continue to plan the best way forward to educate youth.

Salesian Social Platforms, which is run by the Salesian Pinardi Federation, primarily supports children, adolescents and older youth, many of whom are alone in Spain for the first time. Since its inception in 2001, the Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

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.

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ANS – Spain – Salesian Social Platforms launch project “Agents of Equality”

Salesian Missions – Spain

Salesians in Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Youth program educates against gender-based violence first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The DB Wave project brings together eight Salesian organizations from the six European countries of Italy, Spain, Belgium, Germany, Hungary and France. The goal of the project is to strengthen the European Salesian network of vocational training centers. In the long term, the project is expected to impact approximately 60,000 students and 7,000 teachers from the European Union, increasing the quality of training and inclusion.

The development of a European network began with coordination by the Salesian Youth Ministry Department. 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.

Among the latest activities was a peer review of vocational training centers in the Spain Mary Help of Christians Province, in Seville and Rota, by experts from CNOS-FAP, the National Salesian Center for Vocational Training and Ongoing Education in Italy.

The peer review methodology included interviews with representatives at the educational centers, coordinators of international projects and work teams. At the Seville center, students also participated in the interviews in some cases.

Most recently, the Salesian training centers in Pamplona and Soto del Real were visited by a Salesian organization in Hungary and Tech Don Bosco in Madrid in order to learn about, analyze, and evaluate the internationalization model developed in these centers.

Miguel Esquiroz, director general of Tech Don Bosco, said, “We visited the two centers which have already developed their own internationalization strategy, have a team dedicated to internationalization and integrate the work of this team in the different areas of educational activity of their centers.”

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.

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

ANS – Spain – “DB Wave” project gets underway

DB Tech Europe (DB Wave)

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Initiative aims to improve vocational training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Ten Salesian vocational training initiatives have been listed among 141 national innovation projects highlighted by the Spanish Ministry of Education. Most of these initiatives stand out for their innovation in terms of collaborative robotics, smart manufacturing, digitization, 3D printing, drone management, artificial intelligence, Industry 4.0 and Internet of Things (IoT).

In total, all of the selected initiatives will have a budget of 23.8 million euros from Spain’s Chapter 20 of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan. More than 600 entities will be involved including vocational training centers, companies and other organizations related to vocational training across the country.

The projects require five participants including at least two vocational training centers located in different autonomous communities, and one to three companies, foundations, associations, or public or private entities.

Salesian Lora Tamayo Vocational Technical Training Center in Jerez de la Frontera and Salesian Juan Solé Vocational Technical Training Center in Cartagena will collaborate on the “Advancing in Dual Vocational Training and Industry 4.0″ project. Salesian Lora Tamayo Vocational Technical Training Center will also participate in the “From the Traditional Workshop to the Sustainable Workshop” project.

Salesian San José Vocational Technical Center in Salamanca will participate in a project entitled “Technical and Methodological Development for Industrial Practice 4.0 and IoT,” which will have a grant of 163,000 euros. Students will design an electronic board that other students can use to practice their knowledge of robotics or home automation at home.

A Salesian missionary explained the aim of the project, “The objective is to make it accessible to the general public, containing it at a cost of about 20 euros. It will not only be necessary to design the hardware, but also the application that can allow its use in professional environments and the website where the design of the board will be made public, so that it can be used freely.”

Other notable projects include “Intralogística 4.0” with participation from the Salesian technical vocational centers in Pamplona, Atocha, Zaragoza, and Cordoba, the “Intelligent Manufacturing with Robotics” project with participation from the Salesian St. Domenico Savio Technical Vocational Center in Madrid, and “Drones in Classrooms 4.0” with the participation of the Salesian San Ignacio Technical Vocational Center in Cadiz. Finally, the Salesian Technical Vocational Training Center in Carabanchel is participating in the “The Development of Hydrogen Storage Units” project.

Salesian centers in Spain operate close to 50 vocational training centers that employ 1,300 teachers and offer 17,000 students a chance to gain an education. In addition to these centers, the Pinardi Federation of Salesian Social Platforms and the Salesian Association of Technology and Innovation also offer vocational training courses. All Salesian vocational centers have the support of companies from a variety of business sectors to give students real-world work experience.

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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – Country’s innovation counts on Salesian Vocational Training Centers

Salesian Technical and Vocational Centers

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: 10 Salesian initiatives among 141 national innovation projects first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Fifty students from the Salesian University School Sarrià, located in Barcelona, Spain, have created a single-seater car (EM-04) capable of competing in Formula Student, an international tournament promoted by the Society of Engineers that brings together more than 800 universities.

The car was tested in December and will go back into a construction phase to make necessary adjustments. The final car will compete during the summer. The competition evaluation process takes into consideration not only how well it performs on the track but the business plan, consumption, and cost analysis.

The Salesian team, known as EUSS MotorSport, was first developed in 2017 and brings together students from different engineering specialties to design and build the car together. Alicia Camp, industrial organization engineering student and EUSS MotorSport project director, said, “It’s real work experience and a great personal learning experience. Seeing our idea run and making it work is the best reward. It’s like working in a company and applying your knowledge in the real world.”

For this competition, EUSS MotorSport changed its work process. Camp explained, “This is the first time we are working by projects and not by departments. We have made sure that the groups are composed of multidisciplinary teams that can manage and carry out the different phases of the project. We are more efficient. Also, it’s up to us, not the teachers. If we make a mistake and one part doesn’t go well, no one makes note of it, but we will have invested badly and will have to start over.”

Each of the 25 active projects that have gone into building the car, including improvement, innovation and validation projects, has its own director who carries out coordination and management tasks. Camp noted, “There is a lot of communication so that there is good planning. It is a rather radical change but we are already seeing many improvements.”

Also, first-year engineering students have the opportunity to join the team in any project from the sponsorship area. Camp added, “It’s a way to present them to the team in an equally necessary and important perspective, like media, social media, and sponsors. Without them, the car would not exist.”

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 and college courses.

Close to 37 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.

Poverty also rose in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, those expecting severe poverty or material deprivation affected reached 7 percent of the population in 2020, around 3.3 million people. This is sharp rise from 4.7 percent registered in 2019, and is slightly below the 7.1 percent seen in 2014, which was at height of the financial crisis in the country.

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ANS – Spain – Salesian students design new race car for Formula Student (SAE)

Salesian University School Sarrià

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Engineering students to compete in international tournament first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian missionaries in Huelva, Spain, hosted a recent event for the “New shoes for those who need them most” campaign, an initiative of the La Caixa Foundation. The event was hosted in collaboration with the Municipality of Huelva and provides new shoes for 1,871 youth from families in vulnerable situations.

The La Caixa Foundation works in collaboration with hundreds of organizations and thousands of volunteers to combat poverty and exclusion, promote medical research, bring culture within everyone’s reach, and improve children’s education. The foundation allocated 18,000 euros ($21,106) for this initiative. One of the collaborative organizations is the Salesian-run Carabela Youth Association in Huelva.

“New shoes provide a sense of dignity for children, especially as they return to school and are outside connecting with their peers,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “In addition, many schools ask parents to invest in required school clothing forcing families to struggle to pay for basic necessities. When children lack appropriate footwear, they are exposed to potential illnesses and injuries. With shoes, they are better able to participate and focus in school.”

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. Although teachers are available to provide distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

Poverty also rose in Spain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the World Bank, those expecting severe poverty or material deprivation affected reached 7 percent of the population in 2020, around 3.3 million people. This is sharp rise from 4.7 percent registered in 2019, and is slightly below the 7.1 percent seen in 2014, which was at height of the financial crisis in the country.

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

ANS – Spain – New shoes for those who need them most

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: More than 1,800 vulnerable youth receive new shoes first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(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.

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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

The post SPAIN: Salesian Social Platform projects reach more than 52,000 people first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) More than 1,400 staff and volunteers at Salesian youth centers in Spain are organizing activities for 13,000 children and older youth during their summer break. Despite the limitations caused by the pandemic, the activities are broad-based and varied. These activities are facilitated at overnight camps and day camps in urban areas.

The goal is to create a lively atmosphere through games, gymnastics, sports, educational activities, workshops, cultural visits and excursions into nature. The camps will also feature workshops on technology, linguistic immersion and pilgrimage experiences along the Camino de Santiago. In addition, Salesian social platforms have developed activities such as camps, excursions, workshops and vocational training courses.

Some of the activities that could not be held last year are available this summer. A training course for youth who are Salesian staff helps with professional development so the youth can obtain the titles of supervisor and director of recreational activities. More than 600 people will take part in this training.

Teachers in the Spain-Mary Help of Christians province will also take courses in professional development. Close to 600 teachers are learning about the preventive system, neuro-education and educational marketing. Another 400 teachers attended sessions in Barcelona to improve learning processes in the classroom.

All the activities for youth and Salesian staff and teachers will be offered according to regulations to prevent COVID-19, including testing, distribution of masks and disinfectants, meeting capacity limits, and ensuring safety distances.

“All youth deserve a chance to have an enjoyable summer vacation, and Salesian programs provide a time when youth can relax with their peers and engage in safe activities,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The programs provide much more than just recreational activities. There is an educational component to each program. Even the sports programs teach teamwork, skill building and problem solving. These programs also provide a chance for our youth leaders to practice their skills outside of the classroom.”

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – Salesians organize summer activities for 13,000 children, adolescents and young people

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: 13,000 youth take part in summer programs first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) A hotel workshop is providing youth an opportunity to train for employment in Spain. The project is part of a collaborative effort between Salesian Social Platform Ángel Tomás Solidarity Initiative Foundation (FISAT) and Don Bosco Day Center of the Salesian St. Antonio Abate. The two organizations also operate the Apartments for Emancipation – Magone, where many of the youth who take the hotel training course live.

Carlos,  an educator at the Don Bosco Day Center, said, “Meeting these young people allows us to know their realities, not only to evaluate their employability, but also at what point in their life path they are.”

Omar, a student, said, “When I arrived in the emancipation apartment, I didn’t know which path to take. But it is the educators who have come to meet me with an appointment at the day center.” Ángela, who works at the apartments, noted, “For us, operators of the Apartments for Emancipation, the collaboration with the hotel workshop means a real job placement for many of them.”

In the Apartments for Emancipation, youth are able to pick a path toward training and improving their employability. For those who consider the hotel and restaurant sector as an option for the future, the Don Bosco Day Center provides a socio-work placement itinerary as a cook assistant and waiter, which then allows the youth to gain professional skills and training in the field. The training course also includes tutorials, job orientation and development of social skills.

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – When the road to autonomy passes through a hotel workshop

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Youth choose their path to employment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social Platforms in Madrid, Spain, has launched the “Experiences without decent work” campaign to invite people to reflect on the unemployment and underemployment faced by more than nearly 11 million people in the country. Salesian Social Platforms manages 131 social and work integration projects in which it supports more than 33,000 people, employs 600 and has 100 volunteers.

Youth in Spain are more pessimistic about the job situation today than they were a year ago, and they have been hard hit by the pandemic. While youth are more educated today than their parents were, they have worse prospects for work. When asked recently what their perspectives on the future are, their responses were largely negative. One respondent said, “Work today is precarious and hinders the life plans of many people.” Another added, “It’s a frustrating time, but we young people have an obligation to persevere and not give up.”

Salesian schools, social platforms and youth centers in Spain are working to prepare youth for livable wage, long-term employment, while also collaborating with public administrations and businesses to make decent work tangible and accessible.

Salesian missionaries and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians operate 52 vocational training centers that educate 15,000 students and employ 1,200 educators. These centers also offer placement offices, job grants and guidance services to help young people find work.

A Salesian representative noted, “Building relationships with companies and offering tailored coursework to provide them skilled labor plays a very important role. In turn, these companies, in years of economic and social crisis, have given rise to new and original initiatives to place young people in preferential market niches.”

In addition to Salesian vocational centers, there are 99 Salesian youth centers throughout Spain that support 36,000 youth and employ 4,350 staff. These centers are also working to improve the employment opportunities of youth. The Confederation of Don Bosco Youth Centers is a founding member of the Reconoce Association, which requires certification of the skills acquired through volunteering. It has launched the campaign, “Our future work is a meme” to denounce the employment situation of today’s young people, raise awareness in society and inform public bodies on the need to improve the employment situation for youth.

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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

ANS – Spain – Greater effort towards decent jobs for young people: request of Salesian organizations

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Program promotes better employment opportunities for youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Cadiz Virgili Don Bosco, a five-a-side soccer club founded at the Don Bosco Institute in Cadiz, Spain, has expanded its sports-educational offerings with a team dedicated to people with disabilities known as the Eyser team. Training for team members takes place free of charge on Mondays and Wednesdays at the Don Bosco Institute.

The team’s name honors George Eyser, the first Olympic athlete with a disability, who won six medals as a gymnast. The Eyser team was an initiative of the Don Bosco team’s coaches, Teresa Atero and Néstor Villegas, and has received the support of the Don Bosco Polideportivo Club and of the five-a-side soccer team Cadiz Virgili Futsal.

Cadiz Virgili Don Bosco currently has several teams engaged in tournaments and training. The teams are run by qualified and certified coaches who, with the support of the Salesian community, promote the individual care and development of athletes.

Villegas noted, “The new team for persons with disabilities is a team that five-a-side soccer needed, and we are fortunate to have qualified people to carry it forward. With this team, people with functional diversity will have a place and an opportunity to play sports, have fun and learn and play five-a-side soccer.”

Salesian Father Rafael Cazorla, coordinator of the Salesian sports club, added, “We want to achieve greater integration in sport. It is very important to work in this direction and that is why we want this team to continue to grow and be able to compete in tournaments in the near future.”

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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

ANS – Spain – Integration through sport: “Eyser” team of “Cadiz Virgili Don Bosco” club

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: New soccer team launches for youth with disabilities first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Thirty projects from 19 vocational training centers across nine autonomous communities throughout Spain were showcased in the 34th edition of the Don Bosco National Award. More than 2,000 students have competed in these awards over the last 30 years. Due to the pandemic, the awards ceremony took place online, offering a virtual exhibition where watchers could visit each project and see prototypes, as well as contact the authors.

Each year, the number of companies and organizations involved has grown. Most business leaders see the competition as an incubator for talent and interesting projects. Many of the projects this year focused on innovation for dealing with the pandemic, including self-disinfecting outdoor furniture, a COVID-19 alarm network and an air quality meter.

“Participating in this competition stimulates the innovative skills of students and teachers, making them aware of the importance of research and the possibilities that they have to contribute to improving society,” said Dr. Merche López, director of the Salesian school in Zaragoza. “Every year there are important companies that reach agreements with young researchers to make their prototypes.”

For example, the family booth project gave a second life to telephone booths, transforming them into a technological point that gives access to new technologies for the elderly. The author of the project noted, “Our loved ones are isolated because of the health situation we live in or because they are far away and cannot travel. Our project aims to humanize technological communications.”

The clean air systems project created a disease transmission control installation designed for schools, which could also be applicable to workplaces or any other public building. The system makes it possible to have control access based on body temperature, control of space capacity, ventilation, hydrogel distributors and masks.

To ensure the quality of the air in an enclosed space, COncentra2 proposed measurement of CO2 concentration levels in the air. The novelty of this project is the use of different meters, made with a CO2 sensor based on Arduino programming.

The self-disinfecting furniture project focused on automatically disinfecting street furniture, thus increasing the control of public spaces and reducing the work of cleaning staff. Other projects highlighted innovations in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, renewable energy and augmented reality to contribute to the improvement of society.

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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ANS – Spain – Don Bosco Prize for Innovation in Vocational Training presents its most innovative edition ever

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Students compete with innovative ideas for dealing with pandemic first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions Office of Madrid (“Misiones Salesianas”) has created an educational campaign as part of the “Something new is sprouting” initiative launched by the Salesian St. James the Greater Province. The new educational campaign aims to help children and youth transform the world into a more just place, starting with the care of the planet.

There is a dedicated page on the Salesian Missions Office of Madrid website that includes activities that can be implemented in educational centers as well as in non-formal educational youth centers. The activities and information are structured along the four themes of eco-social justice, responsible consumption and fair trade, water, and healthy and sustainable agri-food.

In addition, five challenges will be launched, one on every Friday starting February 19. Youth are encouraged to participate by becoming an “influencer for the Common Home” and encouraging more people to change their habits. The campaign is using the hashtag #PonteEnVerde (GoGreen) for campaign activities on social media.

The first challenge is “Fair and sustainable clothing” and encourages participants to reuse their clothes or exchange them. The second focuses on “Healthy eating” with a focus on making a new recipe using seasonal, local or about to expire products. The next challenge is “Plastic” and urges participants to clean up plastics from the environment or give these items a second life. The fourth, “Meatless,” challenges participants to prepare a recipe without meat. Finally, the last challenge is “PonteEnVerde” and asks participants to describe what other small daily actions can help to preserve the “Common Home.”

The educational campaign is in response to the call from Pope Francis in his 2020 Laudato Si, which has as its theme “Good Christians and Upright Citizens.” Pope Francis underlined the importance of education and training that will help youth shape a lifestyle and foster environmental responsibility. Further, Salesian Rector Major Father Ángel Fernández Artime noted the importance of concrete initiatives in the care of the environment. The first objective is encouraging the environmental commitment of youth.

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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

ANS – Spain – Young people, “influencers” in favor of Common Home

Salesian Missions Madrid, Spain – Campaign website

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: New campaign focuses on youth and the environment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Father Eusebio Muñoz, the head of Salesian Missions in Madrid, Spain, and Emilio Butragueño, director of institutional relations for Real Madrid, a Spanish professional soccer club, recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of the alliance between the organizations. The collaboration has benefited more than 20,000 youth in Africa, Central and South America, and Europe over the past decade.

The partnership began in 2010 in a Salesian school in Senegal and continued to schools in Central and South America. The first social-sports school was in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2012, social-sports schools opened in Portugal. Today, the collaboration has 21 projects in 14 countries and serves nearly 4,000 children each season, using educational sport and its values as a catalyst for the social betterment of youth and communities.

Both the Real Madrid Foundation and the Salesians are aware that sports are important for social integration and the promotion of values like team work, communication, respect, and team spirit. The social-sports schools are housed in Salesian schools, and as part of the Real Madrid Foundation’s “They play, we educate” program, participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health checkups, the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts and reading, and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and drug abuse are also provided.

A ceremony, led by Julio González Ronco, administrative director of the Real Madrid Foundation, was held to mark the occasion. At the event Fr. Muñoz said, “The success of these 10 years of collaboration is due to two fundamental factors: the sharing of values, such as great commitment and teamwork; and the concern to help children and young people in very vulnerable situations through education and sport.”

Butragueño underscored his gratitude to Salesian Missions. “Even if there have been many patrons and supporters that we have had on our journey together in these 10 years, it is essential to have a solid foundation of education and care for the most vulnerable that Salesian Missions offers. You are our eyes and our hands on the pitch and you have always given great importance to sport in education.”

To celebrate the anniversary, both organizations have launched the “Change the rules” creative competition, which lasts for 10 weeks and involves 60,000 students from Salesian centers in Spain  in three different categories.

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ANS – Spain – “Misiones Salesianas” and Real Madrid Foundation celebrate 10 years of alliance for sport and education

Real Madrid Foundation

Salesian Missions Madrid, Spain

Salesian Missions Madrid, Spain Facebook

Salesian Missions – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian missionaries and Real Madrid Foundation celebrate 10 years of work first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesians in the Mary Help of Christians Province in Seville, Spain, launched the Kilo Operation to collect and distribute aid for families impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative launched in December 2020 and provided 2,200 kilos of nonperishable food to 70 families. The initiative was promoted by many local institutions.

Another initiative, the Potito Operation, was held from Dec. 17-19 and collected close to 10,000 items. This initiative, led by the DOSA Youth Center and Bosco Global, brought together 350 volunteers who went to the city’s pharmacies and supermarkets in small groups of five to seek donations directly from people in Cordoba on behalf of Caritas, ADEVIDA, the Food Bank or the Franciscans of the White Cross.

Salesians in the San Lorenzo district reported, “This year we had the support of the students from the Salesian school and the La Salle School. There were also volunteers from the Don Bosco Foundation, Salesian Brotherhood of Córdoba, and many parents, teachers, and past pupils.”

In addition, the youth ministry from the Salesian house La Línea de la Concepción launched three initiatives during the Christmas season. The first was a traditional food campaign, the second supported day centers and the elderly, and the third found homes for families who have to travel to hospitals in Seville.

A Salesian representative said, “In these times, it is fundamental to show the importance of values such as affection, empathy and kindness. With these initiatives, we also try to unite the younger and older generations, showing affection through a greeting card and filling a void in their lives.”

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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ANS – Spain – Solidarity initiatives of “Mary Help of Christians” Province

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire)  The Salesian Reconoce project was officially established as an association on Dec. 5 at a signing ceremony held at the Youth Council of Spain in Madrid. The project will certify the skills youth acquire in volunteer programs to improve participants’ work prospects. Volunteer positions provide youth hands-on, real world experience that helps them develop the skills needed for employment. The goal is to qualify this experience in such a way that bolsters their work prospects.

“This project is essential for all young people, as the skills acquired during volunteering can be fundamental in the selection process,” said Elena Ruiz Cebrián, president of the Youth Council of Spain.

Luis Caballero, a representative of the Youth Institute of Spain, noted, “A team of young people has developed a valid and rigorous instrument to qualify volunteer experience. It was important to make this project a legal association because of the great work that it does. Reconoce is recognized as a priority for the Youth Institute because it is born of young people and links non-formal education to employment.”

Santiago Domínguez, president of Reconoce, added, “The more than 20,000 young people from all over Spain who are part of Reconoce are the real engines of social change and must be considered by all as the entrepreneurial fabric for their unique skills acquired during the voluntary service.”

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

Don Bosco Foundation launches new vocational training school in Polígono Sur

(MissionNewswire) Don Bosco Foundation, in collaboration with the Endesa Foundation and the Commissariat of Polígono Sur, a municipality in Seville, Spain, launched a new vocational training school at the Don Bosco Social Center. The center is equipped with classrooms, workshops, offices and multipurpose rooms for carrying out educational activities. Currently, there are 20 youth, aged 16 to 19 from Polígono Sur, who are attending classes.

The first class will run through June 2021 with the goal that youth can transition from the program to employment. Many youth in Seville are suffering from unemployment and see little hope for the future. One student in the program said, “There are not words to express thanks for this second chance.”

The school offers both traditional education and social support for youth who come from challenging backgrounds and need the extra support. The goal is to increase motivation, personal stability and maturity, promote positive influences in the environment, generate greater family involvement, and encourage positive habits and willingness to work.

Social and professional orientation sessions and pre-employment workshops in various professions are also planned. During the course, youth will visit companies from different sectors as well as other schools and training centers. At the same time youth are taking courses, support will be provided to their families.

“The vocational training school will support youth who have already left the education system, many of them without qualifications, and who do not have the training to enter the job market. Due to their age, they are in no man’s land, which makes their inclusion difficult. But we believe in second chances,” said Antonio Mengual, territorial director of the Don Bosco Foundation.

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

Misiones Salesianas signs on to Pope Francis Global Compact on Education

(MissionNewswire) Misiones Salesianas, the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid, has signed on to the Pope Francis Global Compact on Education, a pact to encourage change on a global scale, so that education may become a creator of fraternity, peace and justice.

More than 258 million children around the world do not go to school. More than 1 billion people don’t know if their classrooms will reopen after the pandemic, and 23.8 million additional children and youth (from pre-primary to tertiary) may drop out or not have access to school next year due to the pandemic’s economic impact alone, according to the United Nations.

Children’s education is the first and best response to breaking the cycle of poverty. Father Eusebio Muñoz, head of Misiones Salesianas, said, “A child who goes to school will have tools and opportunities for the future. He will acquire knowledge that will help him find a better job and a better quality of life. He will marry later, will be a more responsible parent, and will want his children to go to school. He will also know his rights and will not let them be abused, and he will participate in decision-making in his community, town or country. It is a virtuous circle that begins with a pencil, a blackboard and a school.”

“Education is at the service of that path so that every human being can be the architect of his own destiny,” said Pope Francis in his latest encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

Misiones Salesianas believes that education fosters dreams and provides hope for a better life.  “We are committed to work for the integral education of children, especially the most vulnerable, so that they have opportunities in life,” added Fr Muñoz. For this reason, the Salesian institution adheres to the Global Compact on Education proposed by Pope Francis.

“Never before has there been such a need to unite efforts in a broad educational alliance to form mature people, capable of overcoming fragmentation and opposition and rebuilding the fabric of relationships for a more fraternal humanity,” said Pope Francis when he launched the Global Compact on Education.

Salesian missionaries establish vital primary and vocational schools in some of the most impoverished and remote places on earth. By focusing on the poorest places and most vulnerable children and young adults, this effort makes a lasting impact.

Salesians are also 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.

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ANS – Spain – “Misiones Salesianas” joins Global Educational Pact proposed by Pope Francis

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) In early September, 136 Salesian schools throughout Spain started again, educating more than 95,000 students and employing thousands of teachers and staff members. The Salesian educational centers are following safety protocols to provide a safe environment.

Salesian teachers and staff members worked over their summer holiday to prepare for the new school year, including how to address some of the challenges children have faced in the lockdowns. At the start of the new school year, a virtual meeting was held for more than 400 elementary education teachers to discuss the emotional health of children.

“We have never disconnected,” said Rosa Erro, a teacher at the Salesian Institute in Pamplona. “We put together a team in the summer and adopted some measures for the start of the new school year.”

José Antón, from the Salesian Elche Institute, explained, “Since July, we have adapted the protocols put forth by the authorities. It was an ongoing job, but we did it with enthusiasm and with the final goal in mind that children can come to school feeling accompanied and safe.”

Salesian schools have employed new safety measures including daily temperature assessment of staff and students, social distancing, and the use of face masks. There has also been a coordinator appointed for the management of the virus emergency who will monitor compliance with hygiene measures and will be in direct contact with families and the health center.

From the very beginning, Salesian educational centers have insisted on making students aware of the importance of following preventive measures. A Salesian representative in Pamplona stated, “We have prepared a welcome day for the whole center, but with a tutor present in the classroom to focus on the educational aspects, prevention and collaboration.”

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. Although teachers are available to start providing distance learning again in the event of a new lockdown, the importance of face-to-face education is emphasized in Salesian schools.

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian St. James Major Province in Spain recently coordinated a “Training Plan for the Development of Online Skills” project for educational centers. During the lockdown that resulted from the coronavirus pandemic, teachers had to quickly learn how to teach their lessons online. As a result of the change, educational centers needed training on how to facilitate distance learning most efficiently and effectively.

The training project had organizational support from TECH Don Bosco, and the State Foundation for Employment Training in Spain provided a virtual video conference room where the online courses were held. The basic training course provided digital teaching skills to 386 teachers, 58 of whom were on educational centers’ management teams. Teachers from all grade levels, from kindergarten to bachelor’s degrees and higher vocational training, participated.

The basic training course included four sessions of 90 minutes each that were structured to tackle various themes in online education including communication through the screen, security and digital teaching.

“There were morning and afternoon sessions,” explained Charo Fernández from the Salesian province innovation team and coordinator of this initiative. “We all worked together in an online environment divided into nine virtual classrooms. From time to time, as a coordinator, I visited the online classrooms to make sure there were no problems. I have been working on digital skills training for many years, but this was the first time we had organized such a thing. It worked perfectly.”

The training proposal for the development of distance teaching skills aims to support teachers and school management teams by strengthening their skills in achieving quality online education, and keeping the teaching and learning processes as close as possible to the Salesian educational style.

“The confinement was an opportunity to launch this proposal and the response of the teams, centers and teachers exceeded all expectations. We initially thought we’d give training to three groups, and in the end, we configured 12 of them. We have nine expert tutors with digital competence and Salesian Preventive System,” added Fernández.

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

Close to 37 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.

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ANS – Spain – Distance teaching training exceeds all expectations: over 400 teachers trained in June

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Social Platforms, which is run by the Salesian Pinardi Federation, has programs in Spain to help vulnerable unaccompanied minors. Many countries around the globe have been grappling with an influx of children and adolescents who have fled their home countries in search of safety, employment and a better way of life. However, many youth find that life in a new country, where they are at greater risk of social isolation, poverty and violence, is not any easier than the life they left behind.

Requests for asylum from people who are fleeing their homeland continued to increase exponentially in Spain in 2019. In 2019, 118,264 asylum applications were received, according to data from the Spanish Commission for Refugee Aid. However, only 3,156 were granted, equal to one in 20 applications.

In Spain, more than 133,000 people currently live in uncertainty as their applications are pending. The global COVID-19 pandemic has also worsened the situation because processing procedures slowed down or stopped in some areas. During this time, Salesian Social Platforms has continued to work to house and provide support for those seeking protection.

Salesian Social Platforms primarily supports children, adolescents and older youth, many of whom are alone in Spain for the first time. In fact, of the 118,264 asylum applications submitted in 2019, 22,373 were from minors under age 18, whose situation is especially vulnerable.

Salesian Social Platforms has a program for youth who are 18 to 26 years old, which is funded by the Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, the European Social Fund, and by the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. For these refugees, their age makes them even more vulnerable because they are alone without a family support network in a new country. They are also challenged to find employment.

During 2019 and in the first part of 2020, 76 youth were supported by Salesian Social Platforms. These youth come to a Salesian reception center to learn or improve their knowledge of the language and to receive training to find a job. A staff person from Salesian Social Platforms said, “We are concerned that the personal, educational and work process of young people is not taken into account in the resolution of international protection.”

Salesian centers across Spain employ 60 professionals and 200 volunteers to serve more than 25,000 migrants and refugees through 40 projects. Salesian missionaries and their network of programs across Europe are assisting European countries with the ongoing refugee crisis. Salesian programs provide humanitarian and educational assistance to refugees by helping them become fully integrated and independent in their new countries and homes.

Since its inception in 2001, the Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

The Pinardi Federation’s youth employment projects include training programs that collaborate directly with the business sector so that students learn marketable skills to ease the transition from coursework into employment. These programs also encourage the business community to take an active role in program development as well as meet with students to help shape their academic and social development, ensuring greater opportunities for employment after graduation.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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ANS – RMG – Salesian activities with minors at risk also appreciated by “Fundamental Rights Agency”

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian educational centers are reopening for students in Spain. Vocational training and B.A. courses have started again with face-to-face lessons. Teachers and students have been wearing masks and temperatures are being taken at the entrance to the centers as a precaution. Centers are also following social distancing in classrooms and laboratories and reinforcing strict cleaning activities.

“Participation in these conditions was better than we expected. We are all eager to recover our habits,” said Josean Prol, director of the Salesian Center in Deusto, Bilbao. “There was intense preparation by the management team in collaboration with teaching staff. We have started with mathematics and language courses for those in the fourth year of secondary school.”

José Luis Pinedo, director of the Salesian Center in Urnieta, reported that this restart has not been easy. The center has restarted in a staggered way and entry is scheduled at specific times for each group. Only those classes that need to be held at the center have restarted with the rest of the lessons still being held online.

“The safety measures are exhaustive,” said Asier Irastuza, who is on the management team at the Salesian Center in Urnieta. “We also have the unconditional collaboration of the Parents Association which, among other things, has provided each student with protective masks and sanitizing gels.”

Salesian center directors and principals are already thinking about how to get organized for September. While responding daily to all the indications that come from the educational and health authorities, the goal now is how to best plan lessons for the next school year. Most centers are looking at offering 50 percent of the lessons online while 50 percent will be held in the classroom.

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

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian Missions Madrid and the Spanish Salesian Jóvenes y Desarrollo Foundation (Youth and Development) in Spain are helping Salesian organizations in countries around the globe respond to COVID-19. To date, the two organizations have sent more than 200,000 euros to the 12 countries of Bolivia, Ecuador, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Angola, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Togo, Sierra Leone and South Sudan to assist with efforts to fight the pandemic.

In many countries, not only are essential foods lacking, but also resources for hygiene. There are millions of people who cannot meet their primary needs. Mandatory confinement means families are unable to earn an income and to buy food, just as prices are rising.

“Access to water and hygiene products is very difficult. A bar of soap, clean water and a plate of food every day are a luxury for many families around the world,” said Father José Antonio San Martín, head of Salesian Missions Madrid. “For this reason, our organization and many other Salesian organizations are working to bring food to those who need it most and to distribute hygiene products because the lack of food and soap facilitates contagion.”

Salesian organizations are focused on the most vulnerable including children, migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons, as well as families with scarce resources. In addition to sending money, Salesian Missions Madrid and the Jóvenes y Desarrollo Foundation have launched the campaign “The essential should not be a luxury” to highlight the needs of at-risk groups. The goal is to provide basic food products and hygiene products to thousands of people who cannot access them to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

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

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) At the beginning of the new academic year, Salesian centers in Spain launched the Enredados campaign, an initiative of the Spain-St. James Major Salesian Province that helps families look at safety while online.

The campaign aims to address questions for parents, including: What are youth doing online all that time? What are they looking for in social networks? Are they making good use of technology? How and why should they be in that digital environment? Families are offered tools and resources to support youth in the digital environment.

Father Fernando García, the coordinator of Salesian schools in the province, explained, “With the end of this first quarter of courses, the Enredados campaign has come to light. It is an initiative that we coordinated within the pedagogical area of our province to help the parents of our students in the difficult task of accompanying and educating their children in a digital environment. The Enredados project was born to get closer to families, to count on them, and to provide them with reflections and materials that help them communicate with their children.”

The Enredados campaign offers a series of tools for parents to talk about topics at home with their children as well as to provide them with education about the internet. The first educational course of the campaign focused on privacy, and the next will focus on healthy habits for using the internet, along with using information and communication technologies while helping youth avoid addiction. The last educational course of the campaign will look at the nexus between personal relationships and virtual relationships.

With the aim of underlining the positive character of the internet, Salesian missionaries developed the slogan, “A better Internet starts with you: together we learn cybersecurity” as part of the campaign. The motto invites everyone to join the global movement, to participate and to take advantage of the best of the internet to bring people together.

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

Close to 37 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.

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) BoscoSocial brings together the work of three organizations impacting communities in Spain. These organizations are the Boscos Foundation, which has projects in Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja and Cantabria; the JuanSoñador Foundation’s projects in Galicia, Asturias, and Castile and León; and the Pinardi Federation, which has projects in Madrid and Castilla-La Mancha.

BoscoSocial projects focus on training and support and have impacted more than 14,000 children, adolescents and youth at risk of social exclusion. Nearly 1,400 families have been assisted thanks to the work of more than 400 educators and contract workers and more than 230 volunteers. Among the various programs supported by BoscoSocial are programs tailored specifically for migrants. These initiatives include training, social support and connection with the local labor market.

Abdalah, a 24-year-old Palestinian migrant from a refugee camp in Lebanon, took part in one of the Pinardi Federation’s projects in Madrid. Helped by educators, Abdalah is now taking many steps forward in life to seek employment. He is better integrated into his new community.

In Galicia, the JuanSoñador Foundation facilitates the Malaikas project, which is for women between 19-75 years of age who are at risk of social exclusion and in situations of vulnerability. In 2019, more than 650 women of 45 nationalities participated. The Malaikas project aims to break the isolation of migrant women, provides meeting spaces, and creates circles, networks and alliances, which encourage the empowerment of women to face their life plans within the migration process.

Salesian missionaries also offer housing for migrants in need. In Bilboa, the Boscos Foundation launched the Zuen Etxean project, which offers refuge and support to young people in situations of vulnerability through shared housing within a Salesian community.

“For these young people, this time with us is like an oasis in which they can take their life and decisions more calmly, and continue to fight for that dream which, for various reasons, they could not fulfill in their places of origin or that they did not see as feasible while they were there, and that now, from afar and after other experiences, some see that they can indeed face it, even in another way,” said a Salesian missionary engaged in the project.

Salesian centers in Spain operate close to 50 vocational and technical training centers that employ 1,300 teachers and offer 17,000 students a chance to gain an education. All Salesian centers have the support of companies from a variety of business sectors to give students real-world work experience.

Close to 37 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.

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

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) Salesian teachers who took part in continuing education courses focusing on the management of educational centers and pastoral coordination received their diplomas at the Atocha Center in Madrid, Spain. The training course, which educated 80 teachers from Salesian schools, offered both classroom and online lessons focused on some of the challenges in teaching today.

During the graduation ceremony, Professor Rafael Díaz Salazar, faculty of sociology, international relations and political science at Complutense University of Madrid, presented a paper entitled, “Teachers with their feet on the ground.” He stressed the importance of helping students understand their role, especially from an ecological perspective.

Teachers who attended the courses also spoke at the graduation. Marta Parrado, a teacher at Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Aravaca, noted, “It is we who have the responsibility to accompany, help, delegate and leave when necessary as Don Bosco did.”

Yulema Pedro, a teacher at the Salesian-run St. Anthony Abate Center in Valencia, said, “Teachers of the Salesian schools are witnesses, guides, companions, guarantors and leaders of the Salesian style that makes us special.”

Teachers play an important role in the lives of poor youth in Salesian schools. Their work is vital to their students’ success both in and out of the classroom. Salesian missionaries educate more than 1 million youth in over 5,500 schools and youth centers and nearly 1,000 vocational, technical and agricultural schools in more than 130 countries around the globe.

Salesian missionaries understand the importance of education in building strong sustainable societies and are dedicated to increasing the number of trained teachers where they are needed most. Not only are the Salesians a major employer of quality teachers worldwide, but they also provide the training and certification teachers need. Salesian programs provide ongoing teacher training to ensure that teachers remain motivated and effective in the classroom and have their own educational needs met.

“Teachers are the backbone of the Salesian educational system and we are dedicated to providing the support and training they need,” says Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian teachers face many challenges educating poor youth. Many of their students have faced severe poverty and often lack basic needs such as food, clothing and shelter. 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.”

Close to 37 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.

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

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ANS – Spain – Teachers of Salesian schools: Ongoing formation to educate students and offer quality education

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) On Jan. 17, the Salesian College of Puertollano had new solar panels installed on the roofs of the pavilions of the vocational and secondary education centers. More than 1,400 square meters of solar panels were installed at the Salesian College to improve the environment, enhance educational awareness, and achieve sustainability and energy efficiency.

An inaugural event to highlight the new solar panels was attended by the authorities of the Municipality of Puertollano in Ciudad Real, including Noelia Caballero Romero, councilor for the environment, and Jesús Buendía, councilor for sport and works. Salesian Father Fernando García Sánchez, coordinator of the schools of the province and recently appointed next provincial of the St James Major Province, was in attendance along with the director of the Salesians of Puertollano, Father Ernesto Rodríguez-Arias Izard, and many other prominent figures.

Salesian missionaries utilized the company POWEN to install the solar panels. During the public ceremony, a POWEN representative highlighted the importance of the work done and thanked the Salesians for their contribution to the community and students. The POWEN representative noted that they are pleased the Salesian College is a national reference point in energy efficiency for the educational field.

“As the world faces growing environmental degradation and climate change challenges, there is a need to embrace sustainable development more than ever before,” said Father Gus Baek, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Many Salesian centers and institutions around the globe are exploring ways to utilize renewable energy both to cut costs for the schools and to help do their part for the environment.”

Salesian missionaries in Spain were inspired to move in this direction in part from Pope Francis’s message on the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation 2019. Pope Francis warned, “Too many are seeking domination on Creation. Let us choose to change, to take on simpler and more respectful lifestyles! It is time to abandon the dependence on fossil fuels and to undertake, rapidly and decisively, transitions towards forms of clean energy and a sustainable and circular economy.”

Close to 37 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.

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – Solar panels from Salesians of Puertollano: “We’re a national reference point in field of energy efficiency, education”

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

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SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Don Bosco Foundation, which was founded Cordoba, Spain, more than 21 years ago, has won a commemorative award as part of the Andalucía Joven Awards, facilitated annually by the Andalusian Institute of Youth. The Don Bosco Foundation, which provides programs in Andalusia, the Canary Islands and Extremadura, plays an integral role in the development of young people in situations of risk or social exclusion.

The Andalucía Joven Awards give recognition to the paths taken by youth, groups, entities or institutions that stand out in their work throughout the year. These awards, which received more than 150 candidate applications from all over Andalusia, include prizes for categories such as entrepreneurship, art and culture, sport, science and innovation, social commitment, environment, and sustainable development.

Rocío Ruiz, councilor for equality, social policies and conciliation at the Andalusian Council, presented the awards on Dec.18 in a gala event held in the Gran Teatro in Huelva. Many Andalusian youth associations were represented at the event. Attendees enjoyed an artistic performance by youth from the Salesian Carabela Youth Association.

In a speech made at the event, Salesian Father Fernando Miranda, president of the Don Bosco Foundation and vicar of the Salesian Province of Spain, thanked the public and private institutions that support the foundation and all of the people who make the work possible, including more than 500 professionals and 200 volunteers.

In his statement, Fr. Miranda said, “Thanks above all to all the young people who make the foundation’s dream come true. A dream that is already many years old. It was born in the head of Don Bosco—of which we bear the name—and he dreamed of giving a better future to many children who were lying on the street at that time. We continue to encourage and accompany many young people so that they continue to dream and find a place in the midst of reality, in the world, in the place where they live.”

Salesian centers in Spain operate close to 50 vocational and technical training centers that employ 1,300 teachers and offer 17,000 students a chance to gain an education. All Salesian centers have the support of companies from a variety of business sectors to give students real-world work experience.

Close to 37 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.

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – “Fundación Don Bosco” awarded for efforts in favor of young people

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Don Bosco Foundation wins award for ongoing work to provide support and education to poor youth at risk of social exclusion first appeared on MissionNewswire.

SPAIN

(MissionNewswire) The Salesian Institute in Ciudad Real, a city in central Spain and south of Madrid, was recently awarded the 2019 Educational Innovation Award in the Best Innovative Experience-Nursery and Primary School category at Simo Educación, an international exhibition of educational technology and innovation. The Salesian Institute was chosen for this honor for its “The car of the future” project.

This project was launched by primary school teacher Carlos García Turrillo, who teaches 6th grade. “The car of the future” project engaged students in cooperative learning and gamification processes while teaching the fundamentals of electronics and robotics.

The students’ objective was to construct a scale-model car. This enabled students to learn how to work in groups and use renewable energies. The project was developed in three phases and students had to use learned skills in geometry, natural sciences, languages and robotics in order to complete the project successfully.

The top 10 schools that were awarded honors at Simo Educación will go on to compete against each other for the InnoTechEdu Award and the Award for Best Innovative Experience in Teaching, which is the absolute top prize in the competition. Both prizes will be announced Nov. 6 in Madrid during the InnoTechEdu Party & Prizes celebration. The event has the theme “We love our teachers!”

“Salesian teachers work to provide students with the best learning environment and utilize innovative and effective methods of teaching,” says Father Mark Hyde, director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This competition aims to be a stimulus and a point of transformation for those who participate. For students and teachers, it is an incentive for innovative skills, to become aware of the importance of research and explore the possibilities of contributing to the improvement of society.”

Salesian missionaries arrived in Ciudad Real more than 50 years ago. In 1962, missionaries started the St. Tomás de Villanueva school and reception center focused on poor and orphaned youth. Over time, Salesian missionaries expanded their educational and social programs by adding a primary school and vocational training courses as well as workshops in mechanics, carpentry and printing.

Salesian centers in Spain operate close to 50 vocational and technical training centers that employ 1,300 teachers and offer 17,000 students a chance to gain an education. All Salesian centers have the support of companies from a variety of business sectors to give students real-world work experience.

Close to 37 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.

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

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Sources:

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

ANS – Spain – “Car of the future” project awarded at “Simo Educación 2019” fair

Salesian Missions – Spain

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Institute in Ciudad Real wins innovation award for its “The car of the future” project first appeared on MissionNewswire.

This is the second campaign run by Salesian organizations in Spain to help the people of Benin. In 2014, a container was shipped carrying rice, lentils, beans, pasta and other non-perishable food items as well as donated school supplies, bicycles and t-shirts. The items were donated to several Salesian programs in Porto Novo that provide education, workforce development and social services for poor youth and their families.

“Campaigns like these are a great example of how youth in Salesian programs are able to take what they have learned and pay it forward, supporting families in other communities in a time of need,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Both campaigns for Benin have been possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, small businesses, supermarkets, food suppliers and local shops.”

Salesian programs in Benin provide food, clothing, shelter, medical services and education to poor youth. With the goal of caring for youth in supportive environments with access to education and training, Salesian missionaries in the country hope to help break the cycle of poverty and provide hope for the future.

The Saint Joseph Center, run by Salesian Sisters in the city of Parakou in northern Benin, operates with financial assistance from UNICEF and offers children refuge from the cycle of poverty and exploitation. The Salesian Sisters at the center ensure that children receive nutritious meals and enroll in nearby schools, providing the essential support their families cannot. At the Vocational Training Center Laura Vicuña in Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, Salesian Sisters are working with young girls, many of whom have been victims of trafficking, providing shelter and education that includes training in skills and trades in order to create more stable lives for them.

In 2013, Salesian missionaries at Foyer Don Bosco in Porto Novo launched a program as part of a European Union collaborative initiative called, Development and Action in the Republic of Benin. The four year initiative focuses on the protection of youth at risk in the areas of Littoral, Ouémé and Alibori. Through this program, Salesian missionaries are working to strengthen the collaboration, coordination and teamwork of the state and non-state bodies engaged in the protection of children as well as work to identify children at risk, offer them advice and education and rehabilitation. The program is also creating awareness among local authorities and community leaders in addition to the general population on the protection of children and the need for community programs to safeguard their rights.

Youth in Benin face overwhelming challenges in combating poverty. According to UNICEF, Benin remains one of the poorest countries in the world with close to 70 percent of its population living in poverty. Almost 20 percent are chronically undernourished and the effects of poverty in rural areas are severe. Child labor and trafficking are also concerns with about half of all children between the ages of five and 14 engaged in some form of labor.

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Sources:

ANS – Benin – 23,000 kilos of aid for Benin

UNICEF – Poverty in Benin

The post BENIN: Salesian Programs in Spain Support Food for Benin Campaign with Recent Shipment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The First Professional Experience program provided internships and hands-on work experience to its participants who were placed into a business where they worked for up to four months. Each participant was accompanied by a professional tutor who motivated them and guided their professional development and specialized training within the company. Many of the most well-known companies in the hospitality and tourism industries participated in the program including Meliá Hotels International, Hilton Madrid Airport, Grupo Vips, Parques Reunidos, KFC and the Accenture Foundation.

Javier Llorente, president of the Pinardi Foundation, noted that the program has proved to be an effective way of ending youth unemployment. He also explained that the foundation began by focusing its efforts on students and their individual goals and educational needs and then matched them with the most suitable company.

Pedro Boada, managing director of JP Morgan in Spain, spoke at the presentation of the program about how the successful results demonstrate that collaboration between companies and social organizations ensures youth have access to a better future. He also noted that the program will help to provide better growth prospects for Spain.

Hard hit by the current economic troubles in Europe, Spain now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. One in five citizens are living below the poverty line and poor youth with too few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment.

“With so many young people out of work and facing conditions of poverty in Spain, it is vital for Salesian workforce development programs to respond to market demand,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Students in these programs have a real opportunity to enter the workforce prepared both in terms of the skills they have learned and in their social development, ensuring a lifelong ability to retain livable wage employment and escape poverty.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

For its youth employment projects, the Pinardi Federation develops training programs that collaborate directly with the business sector so that students learn marketable skills and make an easier transition from coursework into employment. It encourages the business community to take an active role in program development as well as meeting with students to help shape standards and students’ academic and social development, ensuring greater opportunities for employment after graduation.

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – First Job, more than just an opportunity

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian-run Pinardi Federation’s First Professional Experience Program Placed Close to 75 Percent of its Participants into Employment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

In 2014, European Union countries hosted a relatively small share of refugees. At the end of 2014, the world’s top refugee host was Turkey followed by Pakistan, Lebanon, Iran, Ethiopia and Jordan. Lebanon hosted by far the largest number of refugees by population. By the first six months of 2015, 137,000 refugees and migrants arrived in Europe by sea under profoundly difficult and unsafe conditions as compared to the 75,000 that arrived during the same time period last year. The numbers are expected to continue to rise throughout the rest of 2015.

Syrian refugees make up the single largest group followed by refugees from Eritrea and Afghanistan. High numbers of refugees from Somalia, Iraq and Sudan who are in need of international protection are also arriving in Europe. According to UNHCR, the majority of those arriving in Europe in the first six months of 2015 were men searching for a safe place to live and work before attempting to reunite later with their families. However, this total also included large numbers of women and children, including thousands of unaccompanied and separated children.

Often the lack of legal routes to safety leaves no choice for many men, women and children other than to turn to smugglers at enormous cost and danger to their lives. Before arriving in Europe, many have suffered high levels of abuse, exploitation and human rights violations.

In countries 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. Salesian programs provide refugees much needed education and technical skills training, workforce development, healthcare and nutrition.

Salesian missionaries are working across Europe helping to provide needed services for the new wave of refugees arriving in these countries.

ITALY

In Sicily, Salesian missionaries have revamped a reception center for children who come to Italy looking for a better life. The reception center provides the first emergency point of contact for unaccompanied migrant and refugee minors. By creating two new sections within the existing center, missionaries have been able to add an extra bedroom and bathroom as well as a new bathroom for staff. The center also includes a living room and balcony that serves as a communal area to encourage sharing and relaxation.

All the fittings and interior doors of the premises have been replaced and new furniture has been acquired including a television set, DVD player, computer, cookware and plates. Currently, the house can accommodate up to 12 youth. The center offers an immediate welcome and safe space and is prepared to offer accommodation for as long as necessary until youth find a suitable, more permanent solution. The new structure also offers educational initiatives including language skills training and legal assistance to help youth begin a new life in Italy.

In addition to the center in Sicily, the Salesians of the Special Circumscription of Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta are active in welcoming refugees to their new reception center at the Don Bosco Institute in Alessandria, a city in Piedmont, Italy, and the capital of the Province of Alessandria. And in Turin, Italy, Salesian missionaries are working with the local government to actively plan a new center for refugees while assessing what assistance might be needed to help unaccompanied youth long-term.

GERMANY

The German Province of the Salesians of Don Bosco has been strengthening its commitment to young refugees. To meet the large and growing need in Germany in recent weeks, Salesian missionaries have been continually increasing the number of houses where they give assistance to youth in need.

In addition to new houses, missionaries are now offering temporary housing. Today, 11 Salesian programs across Germany are caring for 448 refugee youth and more accommodations are being prepared to accept additional refugees as the need increases. Most of the refugees are young males between 16 and 18 years of age who have come to Germany from African countries, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The boys are provided shelter in Salesian houses that can accommodate up to 12 people with four social workers available 24 hours a day.

SPAIN

In Madrid, Salesian missionaries are developing programs across the country in preparation for additional refugees seeking services. Missionaries are working with local governments and other social programs to respond to the refugee crisis.

Salesian missionaries who have previous experience working with young refugees and their families are helping to start additional Salesian programs that will address the needs of today’s refugee youth. Many of the new programs focus on meeting the immediate needs of newly-arrived refugees and go on to address the need for education and employment. Missionaries are also working with local schools to help assimilate children from refugee families into classrooms.

Salesian Sisters with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians are working with the local government and diocese in Madrid to determine the most appropriate course of action to respond to and assist refugees from Syria. Currently, the Salesian Sisters operate six socio-educational projects that offer services for children at risk of social exclusion (many of them immigrants) and a social work project that was created to provide education and workforce development services to help decrease youth unemployment and educational inequality for those in poverty, especially girls.

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Sources:

ANS – Italy Reception Centre for unaccompanied minors

ANS – Germany Welcoming Refugees: Salesians of Don Bosco in Germany give increased aid

ANS – Spain Welcoming Refugees: the Salesians in Spain are ready

UNHCR – The sea route to Europe: The Mediterranean passage in the age of refugees

The post EUROPE: Salesian Missionaries Providing Shelter and Education to Refugees Arriving in Europe first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Migrant populations face many challenges when leaving their home countries in search of safety, work and a better way of life. In 2014, the High Commissioner of the United Nations for Refugees (UNHCR) noted that more than 3,500 African migrants died in the sea on their journey to Europe. In response, the Salesian Youth and Development organization in Madrid, Spain has launched an awareness campaign called #StopNaufragios (Stop Shipwrecks) denouncing the inhumanity of these trips by migrants to Europe. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the cooperation among Southern countries that are working to eliminate the extreme poverty that forces people to flee their homelands.

“The human capital of a continent cannot be allowed to disappear, drowned in the waters of the Mediterranean, while Europe looks the other way,” says Manuel De Castro, president of the Salesian Youth and Development organization. “It is not just a problem of safety at sea nor of the mafia who engage in trafficking and get rich on the suffering of others. This a problem that will be solved only when, through the development of these impoverished countries, their inhabitants can reach a sufficiently dignified life and will no longer need to leave their country.”

The campaign will include various activities to raise awareness and financial support for educational projects facilitated by Salesian missionaries in countries like Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Mali, Togo, Ghana, Niger, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Sierra Leone and others. Salesian missionaries will focus on bringing training and awareness to the most disadvantaged youth, informing them of the dangers of travel while providing alternatives that include educational programs to improve future opportunities.

One of the dangers facing migrants as well as other youth in impoverished countries is child trafficking. At the end of May in Valencia, Spain, Salesian missionaries from the Salesian Missions Office in Madrid participated in a round table conference on child trafficking in Africa organized by Global Networking for Rights and Development, an international non-governmental organization established in June 2008 with the aim to enhance and support both human rights and development by adopting new strategies and policies for real change.

In addition to Salesian missionaries, the conference included Joseph Chalengi, president of the African Economic, Social and Cultural Union, Mohamed Lemine Haless, president of Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, a non-governmental organization in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania in Northern Africa and Professor Ximo Revert of the University of Valencia.

After the group screened, No estoy en venta (I am not for sale), a documentary created by the Salesian Missions office in Madrid which focuses on the experiences of victims of child trafficking in Africa, Ana Munoz, spokesperson of the Salesian Missions office, noted that child trafficking is the slavery of the new century and spoke about the work being done by Salesian missionaries to combat the issue.

“We at the Salesian Mission Office in Madrid cannot stop the traffickers and put them in jail, but we can accommodate and help children and families, and we can inform the public about the phenomenon and work with governments and the security forces to eradicate this scourge,” added Muñoz.

The conference attendees focused their work on addressing the  problems at the root of child trafficking, strategizing new ways to work with countries in Africa to spread awareness of the issue and provide better access to education while working to strengthen educational systems and help families out of poverty.

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Photo: Massimo Sestini / The Italian Coastguard (courtesy of the United Nations)

ANS – Spain- Child Trafficking, a Scourge for the Present and the Future of Africa

ANS – Spain – Salesian Youth NGO launches #StopNaufragios campaign

The post SPAIN: Salesian Missionaries Develop Awareness Campaign to Prevent Migrant Deaths at Sea, Child Trafficking first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Youth who are robbed of their freedom are often aware of their rights being systematically violated but lack the resources and support to challenge and change their circumstances. While sending a minor to prison or a rehabilitation center should be the last resort, in many places it is common practice. For example, in Kenya, more than 1,800 children are detained because they are homeless and live on the streets. In addition, close to 500 are being held because they are not under the control of parents and another 600 for begging.

To bring awareness to these issues, Salesian Missions in Madrid has launched the Youth IN-Justice campaign to highlight growing concerns surrounding the juvenile justice system and the needs of incarcerated youth.

“There are alternatives to a child or a youngster entering a prison or a reformatory center,” says Ana Muñoz, spokesperson for Salesian Missions Madrid. “The great challenge is to understand that in order to end these practices, we must provide supports like education and social development programs to help youth break the cycle of poverty and incarceration.”

Salesian missionaries have a long history of working with poor youth and those who have been incarcerated. Programs focus on rehabilitation as well as education and skills training so youth are able to provide for themselves once released. At the Pademba Road Prison in Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, Don Bosco Fambul, one of the country’s leading child-welfare organizations, provides a range of services to help incarcerated youth. Prison life in Sierra Leone offers very little hope for rehabilitation or reintegration back into society once a prison term has ended. According to humanitarian watch groups, prisons in Sierra Leone face overcrowding and inadequate food as well as lack vital sanitation and health care. Inmates die from overcrowding, illness and violence.

All too often, minors are detained for petty crimes and end up falling prey to prison violence, giving them little hope for the future upon their release. The population of Pademba Road Prison, the country’s largest detention facility, was designed for 324 detainees but had over 1,300 inmates at the time of the report with the number continuing to grow.

“My life in the prison of Pademba Road was a continuous torture,” says Johnny, a former prisoner who was 14 years old at the time of his incarceration and whose only crime was being homeless and sleeping on the streets. “I was in a cell with adults who were criminals. All I would get to eat was a plate of rice and a cup of black tea without sugar. The other prisoners would take away my sandwich at breakfast and other things from my plate of rice. They would not allow me to sleep at night as I had to fan for the elder ones. In the morning, it was my turn to clean the can that we used as a toilet. But the worst thing was the sexual abuses which I was a victim of for two years. I complained against them but no one listened.”

In addition to providing legal support and working to gain early release for incarcerated youth like Johnny, Don Bosco Fambul provides education and counseling services for youth inside the prison. Through the establishment of a long-term partnership between the prison and Don Bosco Fambul, a new youth counseling center for prisoners will be staffed with two social workers and three assistants for four hours each day. The goal of the center is to give youth and their families the necessary tools for rehabilitation and reintegration upon release.

Don Bosco Fambul is also providing food and water to more than 70 inmates of Pademba Road Prison each day while offering counseling services, medical assistance and stress therapy to ensure inmates are mentally fit when their prison terms have ended.

“Incarcerated youth must see hope for the future if we expect to deter them from crime and other dangerous behavior,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “A goal of Salesian missionaries is to do everything possible to keep youth out of detention centers. For those already incarcerated, Salesian programs help them to use their time in prison constructively and, through counseling, begin to address what brought them there in order to prevent their return.”

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – One million children in the world are deprived of their liberty

UN – Facts on Juvenile Justice

(Stock photo)

The post SPAIN: Campaign Launched to Highlight Struggles of Youth Unfairly Kept in Juvenile Justice Centers first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The Salesian film, directed by Raúl de la Fuente, is a part of the “I’m not a witch” campaign launched in 2014 by Salesian Missions Madrid to address the ongoing child abuse and violence faced by children in Togo and other areas of Africa and Asia as a result of poverty and tribal traditions. The campaign works with families, communities, governments and the international community to raise awareness while highlighting the root causes and conditions that lead to accusations of witchcraft and the resulting violations of children’s basic rights.

“Yo no soy bruja” tells the story of several children accused of witchcraft and highlights the work of Salesian missionaries who care for them in many of their programs. One child’s story featured in the film is that of Georgette, a girl in Togo who was accused of witchcraft by her stepmother. Georgette’s hands were badly burned and scarred for life after her stepmother submerged them in boiling water, purportedly to determine if she was a witch. Today, Georgette lives at the Don Bosco Center in the city of Kara in northern Togo.

“The people who do this must not remain unpunished,” says Ana Muñoz, spokesperson for Salesian Missions Madrid. “Thousands of boys and girls like Georgette are maltreated and even killed in Africa through practices like this. Children that are a bit more lively or smarter than others or children with disabilities or illness are sometimes accused of witchcraft.”

At the Don Bosco Center in Kara, Togo, Father José Luis de la Fuente, along with other Salesian missionaries, counter the deeply rooted cultural beliefs that routinely demonize children and blame them for illnesses, deaths and other misfortunes that are more accurately the outcome of overwhelming poverty. The Don Bosco Center offers a loving home where youth can recover from their physical and emotional wounds. In addition, the Center provides opportunities to break the cycle of poverty though through education and training.

More than 80 percent of Togo’s rural population lives in conditions of poverty making the country one of the world’s poorest, according to UNICEF. Children in the country suffer the most with close to 50 percent of those living in poverty under the age of 18. One in eight children will not reach their fifth birthday, and the number of children who drop out of school because their parents cannot afford to educate them is high. Children are also forced to work in exploitative and dangerous conditions in order to help support their families.

Salesian programs in Togo provide youth a place to live, nutritious meals and counseling along with education and job skills training. The goal is to help youth develop a sense of hope for their future and learn the skills necessary to lead independent, productive lives.

Sources:

ANS – Spain – The short film “Yo no soy bruja” finalist in the Espiello Awards

ANS – Spain – The Salesian Mission Office in Madrid launches the “Yo No Soy Bruja” campaign

Salesian Missions – Mission in Focus: Help Rescue Them from Blame

UNICEF – Togo

The post TOGO: Salesian Film and Awareness Campaign Work to Address Violations of Children’s Basic Rights first appeared on MissionNewswire.

The center is part of an ongoing Salesian educational building project facilitated by Solidaridad Don Bosco, a non-governmental organization that is part of the broader Don Bosco Network in Spain. Salesian missionaries opened the new center in Senegal to address the high rate of unemployment and limited skilled labor among poor youth in the Yoff district. In addition to serving local youth, the center will focus on training women who are often underrepresented in the workforce and lack educational and advancement opportunities.

Prior to the opening of Center Kër Don Bosco, there were few places for disadvantaged youth to access the skills and qualifications necessary to develop a trade and gain stable employment. To address this need, Salesian missionaries at the center plan to offer vocational training in food production, construction and yarn dying. In addition to classroom training in these subjects, students will have the opportunity to apprentice in local businesses where they will have access to hands-on training by professionals in their fields. In this way, students will be able to apply the lessons and skills learned in the classroom in a real working environment while also accessing social skills training to prepare for stable long-term employment.

Focused specifically on helping women gain opportunities in the workforce, the center is offering two literacy classes as well as a safe space for studying. Women in Senegal are often heads of households but lack the training and confidence to try to enter the workforce or advance into higher paying jobs. The center’s goal is to help women connect with their peers and provide access to employment training to boost confidence and improve employment prospects.

“Access to education provides opportunities many have never imagined possible,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian programs are able to meet the diverse needs of students, allowing them to focus on their studies while gaining life skills that help them make better decisions and find future employment.”

Located on the west coast of Africa, Senegal has close to half its population living in poverty. Crop failures due to extreme weather have impacted the economy and, combined with a recent ban on street beggars, has taken away the only source of income from many families. A recent report by the Chronic Poverty Research Center found that not only are 60 percent of households labeled “poor or vulnerable” but there is a possibility that the poverty will be passed on to the next generation. A sign of hope in the country is the steadily increasing percentage of children enrolled in primary school. According to the World Bank, that number has reached 86 percent.

“Salesians in Senegal have been providing vocational and technical training programs to local youth and women for many years,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The constant expansion of our programs is important to us and provides access to education to all youth who want to improve their quality of life.”

Sources

ANS – Senegal – Opening of the “Center Kër Don Bosco” in Dakar

Chronic Poverty Research Center – Chronic Poverty in Senegal

Don Bosco Network

World Bank- Senegal

The post SENEGAL: New Don Bosco Center Offers Vocational and Literacy Programs for Poor Youth and Women first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Started in October 2014 and continuing to September 2015, the project is financially supported by the Spanish Institute for Women through the European Economic Area under a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Spain. Salesian missionaries working across six Salesian institutions (Salesians of Saint Jordi, the Pinardi Federation of Social Platforms, the Valsé Foundation, the Valponasca Association, Collectiu Popular and the Mornese Foundation) are participating in this project.

For close to 15 years, the State Coordination of the Salesian Social Platforms, through its member institutions, has been developing women empowerment and workforce development programs aimed specifically at women in vulnerable situations. In many instances, the women who participate in the programs are immigrants with little means of finding and retaining employment in their new country. Salesian missionaries are currently operating 19 programs in 10 Spanish provinces aimed at helping women break the cycle of poverty. These programs, supported by more than 130 professionals and volunteers, have helped 1,168 women gain new skills and find employment.

“Salesian missionaries care about the growth and development of women in the communities they serve,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Women are the backbone of the family structure and by providing women necessary education, training skills and support, families are made stronger. Social outreach programs, child care support and job training allow women to work at every level of production and management jobs while supporting and keeping their families intact.”

Women engaged in the Empodera-T project are assessed for their current skill level and interest. They participate in both classroom and hands-on training. In addition, they receive assistance with resume writing, interviewing skills and finding and retaining employment. Wrap-around services that provide child care, nutritional assistance and counseling are also provided.

Spain, which has been hit hard by the current economic troubles in Europe, now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. One in five citizens are living below the poverty line. Poor youth with too few employable skills struggle the most to find and retain stable employment.

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

“We want women to succeed in the workforce,” adds Fr. Hyde. “Salesian programs have always grown and adapted their programs to best fit the needs of the communities in which they serve whether through education, technical training or social development programs that help women gain the confidence, strength and perseverance to set goals in life and achieve them.”

Sources

ANS – Spain – “Empodera-T”

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: More Than 1,100 Women Gain Job Skills and Employment Opportunities through Salesian Initiatives first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

Recently, the Atresmedia Foundation, an organization dedicated to developing projects to support children and adults with disabilities, and the Salesian-run Pinardi Federation signed an agreement to collaborate on a training program for students of Project Pro, a school for people with visual disabilities. Project Pro was established in 2010 by the Atresmedia Foundation to help provide training and workforce development services for people with visual disabilities so they could more easily transition from the classroom into employment.

For many youth with disabilities, access to education is limited and the opportunity to break the cycle of poverty is almost nonexistent. UNICEF notes in its State of the Worlds Children 2013: Children with Disabilities report that globally, close to 61 percent of boys finish school but for boys with disabilities that number drops to 51 percent. For girls, 53 percent finish school but among those living with a disability, only 42 percent finish their education.

UNICEF notes that studies across countries show a strong link between poverty and disability, which in turn is linked to gender, health and employment issues. UNICEF’s report further suggests that inclusion in mainstream schools and educational settings is usually most appropriate for children with disabilities, and when teachers and personnel are trained to consider disability-related issues, they look upon inclusion of children with disabilities more positively.

Through the new Atresmedia and Pinardi Foundation collaborative training program, Project Pro students will have access to mentoring services and an internship at the Pinardi Federation. Students will be able to put the skills they have learned into practice. The internships are for a maximum of forty hours per week and last two months.

“Youth living in poverty are among the least likely to have access to educational programs that provide the skills necessary to lead stable productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Children living in poverty with a disability are even less likely to attend school when compared to their peers. Salesians are working to ensure that access to education and workforce development services are afforded to every child no matter their situation.”

Since its inception in 2001, the Salesian Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

“Youth with disabilities have the same ability to achieve as their peers, if given the opportunity,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The Pinardi Federation is working to make sure that all students have access to the opportunity to lead fulfilling lives and contribute to the social, cultural and economic vitality of their communities.”

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Sources

ANS – Spain – Training for the visually disabled; agreement between “Atresmedia” and the Pinardi Federation

UNICEF – State of the World’s Children 2013: Children with Disabilities

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian-run Pinardi Federation Provides Mentoring and Internships for Students with Visual Impairments first appeared on MissionNewswire.

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in Central America, along with Honduras and Guatemala. The murder rate in El Salvador rose more than 44 percent in the beginning months of 2014, when compared to the same time last year. Gang violence is a leading cause of violence in the country and it’s estimated that some 60,000 young people have gang affiliation. Gang involvement often offers a sense of belonging and a sense of family that counters the lack of education and employment opportunities offered in the country.

To address the rising rates of youth violence, close to 1,000 youth who live in violent, crime-ridden areas of El Salvador have turned to the Don Bosco Youth Symphonic Orchestra as an alternative to becoming involved in the conflict and violence. The orchestra started last year in San Salvador, the country’s capital, and is financed by a $1 million grant from the Social Fund for the Development of Japan, administered by the World Bank.

Salesian Father Jose Maria Moratalla Escudero, known as Father Pepe, runs the orchestra and is president of the Salvadoran Education and Work Foundation. Bryan Cea, the 25 year old orchestra director, has had a similar experience to most of his students, growing up in the local area surrounded by poverty and violence.

Youth in the orchestra range in age from 8 to 20 and are students at various public schools in San Salvador. About 470 youth take part in the music program, with 220 of them in the symphony orchestra and 250 in the choir.

Existing school rivalries and conflicts are left behind when students enter the orchestra program located at Don Bosco Industrial Polygon. Unity and a sense of cooperation prevail as geographic and other differences are put aside and the young people live and work together peacefully.

The orchestra has become very important to San Salvador and its surrounding communities as a peaceful learning alternative for youth who have grown accustomed to violence.

“So this music project is fantastic because it keeps kids occupied all day long. First during school hours and later during their free time, giving them the chance to freely be in an environment where they can get the kind of music classes that most interest them,” said Fr. Pepe in a recent Catholic News Agency article about the program.

According to the same Catholic News Agency article, youth in the program explain that the orchestra has kept them away from violence. Carlos Palma (20), a violinist, notes that projects like this help the country and allow him to grow from a cultural point of view. Madelin Morales (15), a flautist, says that being part of the orchestra has helped her a lot because she has made great strides in her studies and has gained a better perspective on life.

The orchestra program continues to grow. Instructors at a conservatory in Spain are in communication with the program about coming to El Salvador to offer training to new instructors. In November of this year, the symphonic orchestra is scheduled to travel to Washington, D.C. to perform in concerts at the Kennedy Center and other venues. The orchestra is also planning on writing, composing and performing an ambitious musical with close to 3,000 actors.

“Let’s say it’s a gigantic explosion of a vitality that seemed to be dormant in the children, teens and young people of El Salvador and that, thanks to this project, is being awakened,” adds Fr. Pepe in the Catholic News Agency article.

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Sources

ANS – El Salvador – Children and young people fighting violence with music

Catholic News Agency – El Salvador youth saved from violence by music

Reuters – Murders in El Salvador spike to record high for May

World Bank – El Salvador

The post EL SALVADOR: Don Bosco Symphony Orchestra Provides Learning Environment As Alternative to Violence on the Streets first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

Recently, the Salesian Institute of Atocha in Madrid received scholarship funding valued at more than 35,000 euros from the Gene Haas Foundation. The foundation, directed by its founder Gene Haas, was formed in 1999 to provide scholarship funds to community colleges and vocational schools for students entering technical training programs, especially machinist-based certificate and degree programs. Since its inception, the organization has donated more than 8.5 million dollars to various organizations and charitable causes.

The Salesian Institute of Atocha was one of three schools to receive the scholarship funding. The awarded money will be used to cover educational materials, books, research and tuition fees for students with financial difficulties. The scholarships cover a period of one year and are aimed at students who are about to finish high school and students enrolled in vocational or mechanized production technology courses. The scholarships will also assist young or unemployed workers wishing to pursue studies in mechanical engineering.

“This scholarship funding will help poor youth gain access to vocational and technical training programs that provide them the necessary life and business skills to help them lead productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This training is particularly relevant at this time given the high unemployment rate in Spain. Youth need to develop the best skills they possibly can to compete in the job market and find a way out of poverty.”

The Salesian Institute of Atocha focuses on vocational and technical training to provide youth with employable skills that match the market needs in Spain. It has certificate programs in audiovisual, graphic arts and printing. The recent addition of a new building called Schneider Electric Hall houses technology programs in energy management, energy efficiency and automation.

A strong focus on workforce development programs at the institute helps students carry their skills from the classroom into the workplace. Students learn how to write a resume and are given opportunities to improve and practice their interview skills. Strong relationships between Salesian Institute staff and the local business community help match graduates to businesses seeking employees with particular skill sets.

In addition to the Salesian Institute in Madrid, there are more than 850 Salesian-run vocational, technical, professional and agricultural schools and programs in more than 130 countries around the globe that focus on education and workforce development. Through these institutions and programs, youth are given the practical skills to prepare for meaningful employment while learning how to lead productive lives and become contributing members of their communities.

“We want youth to succeed,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The Salesians have always grown and adapted their offerings to best fit the needs of youth whether through education, technical training or programs that help youth gain the confidence, strength and perseverance to set goals in life and achieve them.”

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – Scholarship for students of the Salesian Vocational Training Centre at Atocha

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Scholarship Funding at Salesian Institute Allows Poor Students Access to Technical Training first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Since its inception in 2001, the Salesian Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

At the end of June, the Pinardi Federation’s third Hilton Hopes Project came to a close. The project, which has graduated 20 young people, provides training and real life work experience in the hotel management industry. Students attend four months of intensive collaborative training through the Pinardi Salesian Center and the Hotel Hilton-Madrid Airport.

Started three years ago, the Hilton Hopes Project is supported by the United States Embassy in Madrid and the Vatel International School of Hotel Management and Tourism. The goal is to harness the talents of young people living in poverty by providing them the opportunity to learn employable skills and gain self-confidence through their first employment experience.

“The aim of the hotel in recent months had been to ensure that the young people in the program rose to the challenge and improved their self-esteem,” says Íñigo Arruti, director of the Hilton. “The Hilton has also developed thanks to these young people and this program.”

The Salesian Pinardi Federation specializes in developing training programs that collaborate directly with the business sector so that students learn marketable skills and make an easier transition from coursework into employment. It encourages the business community to take an active role in program development as well as meeting with the students to help shape standards and the students’ academic and social development, ensuring greater opportunities for employment after graduation.

Two of the students that graduated from the Hilton Hopes Project in June have already received employment offers. One student will be selected by Vatel to study for three years at its School of Hotel Management. To date, more than 75 percent of the students attending coursework through the project have found stable employment.

“With so many young people out of work and facing conditions of poverty in Spain, it is important that Salesian workforce development programs respond to the market demand,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Students in these programs have a real opportunity to enter the workforce prepared both in terms of the skills they have learned and in their social development, ensuring a lifelong ability to retain livable wage employment and escape poverty.”

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – Work Preparation Programme for young people by the Hilton Hotel and the Salesian Social Services

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Partnership with Hilton Hotel Provides Training, Work Experience and Hope for Poor Youth first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Since its inception in 2001, the Salesian Pinardi Federation has been developing programs to help poor youth between the ages of 12 and 16 and is currently operating close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. Projects focus on promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth retain employment and supporting migrants through family mediation. Other community projects work to raise awareness of volunteerism.

Recently, the Pinardi Federation and Kyocera Document Solutions España SA, have come together in a collaboration to feed youth in Spain’s capital city, Madrid. Thanks to this program, more than 50 youth who are participating in socio-educational programs at a Salesian Center in Parla, Madrid are receiving a free afternoon meal.

For Kyocera, the initiative is part of a corporate social responsibility plan that aims to make employees aware of the needs of children while encouraging them to offer their support. One of many projects Kyocera has worked on with the Pinardi Federation, this project has more than 10 Kyocera staff volunteering to collect donated food from company employees and then deliver it to Parla’s Salesian Center each month.

The afternoon meal offered to each child every afternoon helps to combat the rampant poverty that has affected so many families in Madrid. For some, this is the only balanced meal they receive each day and the hope is that it will give them the energy they need for study and play. The project also aims to educate young people on the importance of nutrition and a balanced healthy diet.

“For many families, their economic situations are in decline in Madrid,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Even those families who were once in the middle class are seeing the effects of poverty. Youth in the program are suffering from a lack of food and nutrition, and as a result are often tired and unable to focus. The food aids the families in caring for their children and in helping youth be better prepared for their activities and lessons.”

The Pinardi Federation is also working to meet the needs of families that are struggling to pay rent, mortgages, utility bills, school fees and food bills. The organization has set up scholarships to help cover the costs of transportation and education materials for youth to enable them to continue in their pursuit of higher or professional education.

“Because Salesians are working directly with families in their local communities, they are able to identify the most pressing needs and then create programs to meet those needs, such as assisting youth continue their education and social development,” adds Fr. Hyde.

These new initiatives are part of a larger program that the Pinardi Federation has developed which includes physical education classes, recreational activities, sports programs, family support and psychological counseling.

Sources

ANS – Spain – Programmes to improve nutrition among young people

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: New Initiatives Help Youth in Need through Scholarships and Nutrition Program first appeared on MissionNewswire.

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

A Salesian program started in 2012 is working to address the needs of young men who have aged out of residential youth programs, many of whom are left without resources and little support and direction for the future. For these young people, it can be difficult to find stable employment and a place to live and many do not have an existing or adequate social network to offer them the support they need to live life fully as an adult.

In southern Spain, the Don Bosco Foundation in Cordoba provides support for close to 50 young men. The Foundation’s program includes housing, socio-educational services and workforce development.

“The program focuses on 18 year old youth who were once residents within Spain’s centers for minors and who, upon leaving there, did not have any further support to live with dignity,” says Antonio Moriana, director of Don Bosco Foundation Cordoba. “These young people, who are often immigrants, are now provided support that includes education, health, housing and the use of other resources in the city.”

Young men in the program have several options to help them transition out of residential programs for youth, including moving into a shared apartment, a local hostel or a group home managed in collaboration with Caritas, the international network of charitable organizations of the Catholic Church. Included in the program is a range of support services, including assistance preparing and applying for work. The young men are able to hone their business and professional skills in a supportive environment with other young men in similar situations and under the supervision of adult mentors who provide guidance during the transition into adulthood.

Don Bosco Foundation also offers a residential program for younger children aged eight to 17 that provides a group home environment for up to 24 youth. The focus is on building an alternative home environment for each child that is structured and supportive. Youth in this residential program attend school and have the opportunity to engage in social activities that help them transition from their teen years into adulthood. Older youth attending high school are offered pre-employment training, help applying for internships and access to employment placement agencies.

“At the Foundation, we are helping youth both in a group setting but also with their individual needs, including working on personal and educational skills so they are able to move forward with higher levels of school studies, carry out apprenticeships and apply for work,” adds Moriana.

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Sources

ANS – Spain – New opportunities for young people not living in a family

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Program Helps Youth Without Families Who Have Outgrown Available Services first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Two Salesian programs in northern Spain, in collaboration with the Provincial Youth Ministry Delegation there, recently held a fundraising campaign to help a Salesian program for street children in the capital city of Porto Novo, Benin. The campaign kicked off last November and while the total collected is still being assessed, more than 9,200 kg of food was received from the town of Azkoitia alone.

“The fundraising campaign was a great success allowing many families to be helped,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This has all been possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, small businesses, supermarkets, food suppliers and local shops.”

Rice, lentils, beans, pasta and other non-perishable food items were collected in Azkoitia at a Salesian institute and at various shops and supermarkets in the city. The community was very generous in its support of the fundraising campaign. On December 26, a shipment of the collected food and other donated items including school supplies, bicycles and t-shirts made its way from Azkoitia to Pamplona and then onto its final destination in Benin.

“Campaigns like these are a great example of how youth in Salesian programs are able to take what they have learned and pass it forward, supporting families in other communties in a time of need,” adds Fr. Hyde.

There are a variety of Salesian programs in Benin that provide food, clothing, shelter, medical services and education to poor youth in the country. With the goal of caring for youth in supportive environments with access to education and training, Salesians in Benin hope to help break the cycle of poverty and provide hope for the future.

Saint Joseph, a center run by Salesian Sisters in the city of Parakou in northern Benin, operates with financial assistance from UNICEF and offers children refuge from the cycle of poverty and exploitation. There, a team of caretakers ensures children receive nutritious meals and enroll in nearby schools, providing the essential support their families cannot.

At the Vocational Training Center Laura Vicuña in Benin’s largest city, Cotonou, Salesian Sisters are working with young girls, many of whom have been victims of trafficking, providing them shelter and education to learn skills and trades in order to create more stable lives for themselves.

Recently, Salesians at Foyer Don Bosco in Porto Novo launched a new program as part of a European Union collaborative initiative called, Development and Action in the Republic of Benin. A four year initiative culminating in February 2017, the program focuses on the protection of youth at risk in the areas of Littoral, Ouémé and Alibori.

Through this program, Salesians are working to strengthen the collaboration, coordination and teamwork of the state and non-state bodies engaged in the protection of children as well as work to identify children at risk, offer them advice and education and rehabilitate them. The program will also create awareness among local authorities and community leaders in addition to the general population on the protection of children and the need for community programs to safeguard their rights.

“Salesian programs are adaptable to the communities they serve,” says Fr. Hyde. “Education remains at the forefront and our programs strive to keep youth safe and provide for their basic needs so they can focus on gaining an education.”

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Sources:

ANS – Spain – 9,200 kilos of smiles and hugs

UNICEF – Poverty in Benin

The post BENIN: Salesian Youth in Spain Pay it Forward to Help Poor Youth in Benin first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Youth at risk of poverty or social exclusion are typically found in single parent families, large families and immigrant and ethnic minority families. With almost 10 percent unemployment, often spanning generations, youth with unemployed or underemployed parents also face a higher risk of poverty.

In addition, almost 15 percent of youth leave school without achieving a secondary education.

These conditions give rise to a staggering youth unemployment rate which is about twice the average when compared to the general population. Almost one fourth of youth are unemployed and face daily struggles to find employment and earn a livable wage.

To combat these challenges, the Salesians held a seven day training course called, “Transforming Voluntarism into Social Entrepreneurship” in early April at the Salesian Youth Center in Sliema, Malta. The course was funded by the European Commission and utilized project management within “Youth in Action” programs as a tool for developing entrepreneurial competence.

Designed and organized by Don Bosco Youth Net, the training program aims to motivate young volunteers to take the initiative to develop solutions for problems faced by young people across the European Union today.

“Salesians are working across the European Union to help youth find their own path out of poverty,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Youth need the tools, the education and support to help them on a path to a productive life. Courses like this help propel youth in the right direction, encouraging them to take responsibility for their lives and their futures.”

Twenty youth representing Austria, Belgium, Germany, Slovenia, Poland, Spain, Malta, the UK, Czech Republic and Italy took part in the training course. Learning the differences between voluntarism, social entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship through role playing, presentations and active work, the students learned how to turn ideas and concepts into action.

Each session combined elements of theoretical and practical work and challenged youth to utilize both personal and team skills to develop their abilities to plan and manage projects in order to achieve social objectives. Youth were challenged to design an innovative product to fit the needs of people in modern times.

Ideas ranged from arranging a festival to building a hostel. The students learned how to create a project based on ideas that had been collected. Then they explored how to finance their project and apply for funding from the European Union. Students received feedback from experts and their peers as they discussed their ideas for implementation.

“Sometimes jobs just aren’t available for youth”, adds Fr. Hyde. “The program’s overall focus on social entrepreneurship helps youth create their own opportunities in their local communities.”

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Sources:

ANS – Malta – Young Volunteers become Social Entrepreneurs to Fight Youth Unemployment

UNICEF – Tens of millions of children living in poverty in the world’s richest countries

The post MALTA: Learning Social Entrepreneurship to Combat Youth Unemployment first appeared on MissionNewswire.

To assist youth who have found they have aged out of foster care but aren’t quite ready to live on their own, the Salesians have started a new program in the Canary Islands, Spain. Proyecto Don Bosco Foundation opened Valdocco House this month, a new social initiative in La Orotava on Tenerife. Valdocco House can accommodate up to six young men age 16 -25 years who need a place to live.

“This program was initiated to help support youth who for various reasons find themselves excluded, maybe coming from foster homes or with other experiences which means that they are now without a home and very vulnerable,” says Miguel Ángel Rojas, director of the Proyecto Don Bosco Foundation. “The Salesians staffing this program take painstaking effort to help these young men with their personal and professional development so they have a better chance of success as they grow into adults.”

The house is in a residential part of the city and has three bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, kitchen and dining room. Young men that enter the program have six months to become better prepared for adulthood. They can focus on further education or find work while receiving the support they need from the staff at the Foundation and other ancillary programs. The house itself serves as a stable environment and a place to enjoy free time and activities offered by the Salesian Family in Tenerife.

This new initiative was made possible thanks to cooperation with the La Orotava City Council. Belén González Rodríguez, Councillor for social welfare, provided full support for the initiative as well as other Don Bosco Foundation projects aiding youth in the city.

“Success and the importance of a structured life is very important for youth,” adds Antonio Expósito, Don Bosco Foundation’s delegate for the northern zone. “Valdocco House will certainly help many young people improve their quality and style of life and allow them to build a future like other young people who do not have such complicated circumstances.”

Sources

ANS – Spain – And after the foster home?…

The post SPAIN: New Program Helps Youth Aging Out of Foster Care in the Canary Islands first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Spain has been hit hard by the current economic troubles in Europe and now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. One in five citizens are living below the poverty line.

“This forum helps youth in professional training programs learn necessary life and business skills to help them lead productive lives,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “The development training is particularly relevant at this time given the high unemployment rate in Spain. Youth need to develop the best skills they possibly can to compete in the job market and find a way out of poverty.”

The forum aims to foster growth and personal development of youth by promoting commitment, perseverance and the ability to push beyond one’s limits.

Throughout the forum, youth were given the opportunity to experience a range of professions and activities through workshops facilitated by various experts. For example, youth worked in the radio lab under the instruction of Mar Llerena and the Radio Temptation team, fostered creativity in literature with writer David Lozano, experienced theatrical improvisation with Manuel Castano of Lègolas Theatre and glimpsed what happens behind the scenes in television programming with Felipe Mellizo of Globomedia.

In addition, youth had the opportunity to participate in a dance workshop with dancer Susana Romero, discover the importance of sports with Joe Arlaucas and Jorge Franco of the Fundación Real Madrid and learn various magic tricks while enjoying a performance by Carlos Hernández.

Education and training skills are the primary focus of Salesian professional training programs. The Salesians promote the teaching of real world skills to youth in order for them to gain long-term employment to support themselves and their families. Equally important is personal growth through perseverance as many of the youth in these programs have had to overcome personal obstacles on their path to education.

“We want youth to succeed,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The Salesians have always grown and adapted our programs to best fit the needs of youth whether through education, technical training or helping youth to have the confidence, strength and perseverance to set goals in life and achieve them.”

Sources

ANS – Spain – 4th Forum “To share to educate”

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Youth Forum Focuses on Sharing the Educational Experience in Madrid first appeared on MissionNewswire.

Spain has been hit hard by the current economic troubles in Europe and now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union. According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live. One in five citizens are living below the poverty line.

The Salesians have recruited human resources professionals to volunteer for this initiative with 14 volunteers currently coaching youth in the program. The involvement and experience of these professionals, who work as a team with the Salesian staff who know the students and have witnessed first hand their educational and personal growth, has been very effective in helping youth find employment.

“This program is allowing young students to learn necessary life and business skills to be better equipped to find work in the business sector,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This program is particularly relevant at this time given the high unemployment rate in Spain. Youth need to develop the best skills they possibly can to compete in the job market.”

The coaching program focuses on helping youth through the selection and interview process of finding work. Youth are often insecure and unsure of themselves and how to best present their education, skills and experience during the interview process. To better help them prepare, youth undergo interview scenarios that are recorded and analyzed at an individual level so they can work to develop the necessary skills for succeeding in the selection process.

While the main focus is on skill building for youth, the Pinardi Federation also works to evolve the program platform and coaching techniques in order to keep current as labor markets’ focus and needs change. In this way, they can ensure the delivery of the highest quality assistance to youth who find it a challenge to secure employment.

Started in 2001, the Pinardi Federation has several programs focused on assisting poor youth to develop life and work skills. Currently, the organization has close to 40 projects aiding more than 2,000 youth. They range from promoting the quality of children’s lives, helping youth fit into jobs and supporting migrants through family mediation to community projects preparing for and raising awareness of volunteer activity.

“We want youth to succeed,” adds Fr. Hyde. “The Salesians have always grown and adapted their programs to best fit the needs of youth just as they continue to do at the Pinardi Federation.”

Sources

ANS – Spain – Fourth coaching programme for fitting into work and society

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Coaching Program Helps Youth with Job, Interviewing Skills first appeared on MissionNewswire.

According to the World Bank, close to 25 percent of Spanish workers are unemployed and a growing number of them can’t afford to buy enough food to live on. With one in five citizens living below the poverty line, Spain now has the greatest inequality of the 27 countries of the European Union.

Youth in the Salesian Centers donated their free time to focus efforts on more than 30 fundraising campaigns in various towns and cities in Spain. The campaigns included runs hosted by youth associations, football tournaments and food, book and toy collection programs.

Each fundraising initiative operates under a unique name such as Operation Kilo, Operation Baby Food and Operation Cart. In most cases these initiatives have become an annual tradition held during the holiday season. 2012 marked the 26th year for Operation Kilo. Dozens of different approaches were utilized in the many campaigns but all shared the same goal to help those in need.

“There is agreement by all those that participated that the campaigns were a great success and that the collection was larger this year than previous years, allowing many more families to be helped,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “This has all been possible thanks to the cooperation of many individuals, small businesses, supermarkets, food suppliers and local toy shops.”

From the numerous campaigns 76,235 kg of food, 4,054 kg toys, 2,558 kg of clothing and 12,932 euro was collected. Most of the money collected was distributed among local nonprofit organizations in the area including Caritas, hospitals and centers for the sick and elderly, to support them in their work.

In other instances the money was used to set up charitable projects for development cooperation as was the case with Bingo Support, a campaign organized by Club Esplai Amigos at Terrassa that offered the funds it had collected to support the Laura Vicuña School in Benin. This school, run by Salesian Sisters, works with young girls who have been abused and are at risk of trafficking and includes a shelter and alternative education center.

“These donation campaigns are a great example of how our youth in Salesian programs are able to take what they have learned and pass it forward, supporting families in their community in a time of need,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

ANS – Support Campaigns in Salesian Youth Centres

World Bank – Spain

The post SPAIN: Salesian Youth Raise Money for Families in Need first appeared on MissionNewswire.

UNICEF estimates that a little over 2.2 million children lived below the poverty line in Spain last year. They also note that there are now over 760,000 households with children where no adult works. In addition, 14.4 percent of children were living in households with a high poverty rate in 2011 up from 13.7 percent in 2010.

The Salesians in Valencia provide primary, secondary and technical training for poor youth, offering a path out of poverty for many of their students. In addition to formal education, youth centers, sporting teams and other youth related activities, the Salesians help students to develop and grow into responsible hard working adults who are able to develop employable skills and find jobs that support themselves and their families.

“Education is very important for poor youth,” says Father Mark Hyde, executive director of Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco. “Salesian programs focus on education to give youth both the training and development skills necessary to lead successful and productive lives.”

Coordinated by Carolina Charsley in Zimbabwe and Ana María Ramos Marimón, from Don Bosco School’s Spanish Department, this new program covers foreign languages and literature, as well as engages the Social Sciences Department at Don Bosco.

The program encourages students from both schools to use email written in both English and Spanish to improve their foreign language communication competence. The Foreign Languages and Literature Department work with the students on the spoken word by assisting them in making audiovisual presentations in English about the school and the city of Valencia. The Social Sciences Department is assisting with the audiovisual aspect of this project.

The program at Don Bosco School begins with students in their first and second years writing and sending letters to students in Zimbabwe. In the second half of the year, second year students add social science activities. Finally, the third year students create audiovisual presentations in English. The first letters from Zimbabwe arrived in Spain in December and responses from Don Bosco students were sent back the same week.

“Programs that help to advance technology and foreign language skills give students an advantage in the job market and make youth more employable. This program accomplishes both,” adds Fr. Hyde.

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Sources:

ANS –  Spain – Educational Exchange programme with Zimbabwe

Salesian of Don Bosco Valencia – Website

UNICEF – Spain statistics

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