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18/7/2011 - RMG - Salesians in Europe: holidays… on voluntary service
Photo for the article -RMG – SALESIANS IN EUROPE: HOLIDAYS… ON VOLUNTARY SERVICE

(ANS – Rome) – Starting today the Agenzia iNfo Salesiana (ANS) will be devoting a series of short articles to the work the Salesians in Europe are doing during the summer to make the best use of the school holidays. Young people are being invited to turn their free time into time for service, learning and development. The first of these deals with the experience of voluntary service being offered by Salesians in Italy.

During the summer Salesian Missionary Promotion in Italy, in collaboration with the International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS), organises various summer voluntary service experiences in poor countries, which over the years have become ever more significant. This year there are 268 people involved in the various initiatives organised by the Provinces of the Salesians and of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians of Italy.

The experience of training in poor countries lasts about a month spent in a group in one of the missionary centres of the two Congregation, in close contact with the missionaries and the local people.

The young people are helped in their human and Christian development and their knowledge of other cultures. Their experience enables them by direct contact to understand the causes of poverty and under-development in some places and encourages them to look for some possible solutions to be implemented through development projects. For many young people it also helps with their vocational guidance regarding a choice of life of commitment and solidarity. When they return home, almost without exception they become active in encouraging others to join them in working for social and political change.

A typical day for the summer volunteers includes moments of spirituality – with prayer and Mass – and activities with children and youngsters, meeting the local people and collaborating with those involved  in specific projects  (the care of former street children, literacy programmes, technical-vocational training, education to human rights …). Through these and thanks to the help the resident missionaries give to the summer volunteers, they avoid being caught up in just doing an efficient job.

In preparation for the summer voluntary service experience each Province provides a long and serious process of training in a variety of ways. The young Italian volunteers then spend a month between July and August mainly in Africa, East Europe and South America.

In particular, for example, from the Province of Italy- Lombardy Emilia (ILE) 30 young people aged between 17 and  25 together with a group of  the Friends of Sidamo, will be spending a month working in Ethiopia.

From the Italy- Special Circumscription of Piedmont  Val d’Aosta” (ICP), in collaboration with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians 9 Missionary Expeditions with young people between 20 and 28 are ready to leave for: Lithuania, Angola, Brazil, Ghana, Moldavia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Cameroun.

Published 18/07/2011

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