(ANS - Rome)- Next week, 19 - 21 March 2015, the International Congress on Salesian Pedagogy will take place in Rome. "With Don Bosco, educators of young people of our time," is the title of the Congress, and it is one of the major events of this Bicentenary Year. In preparation for that event ANS put some questions to Fr Vito Orlando, SDB, Vice-Rector of the Salesian Pontifical University and coordinator of the congress.

For many years there has been talk of an educational emergency. Can you help us to grasp the true meaning of this expression?

It is true, the educational emergency has been discussed for many years. I believe, however, that some clarification might be useful.

If we look at the emergency as an alarming situation heralding danger, we might panic, become anxious and accept any form of solution to the danger.

However, if we examine the roots of the term emergency and its deeper meaning, we see the need to be careful and pay attention to something that is emerging. It requires attention and commitment to understand why it concerns us and how we should respond.

If we look at the educational emergency from this second point of view, we see that the difficulty of educating and the crisis of educational models has become increasingly clear in recent years. The profound social and cultural changes and advances in communication have caused confusion among adults. They often find difficulty in understanding their role and their educational responsibility and run the risk of succumbing to the temptation to give up.

In truth (as Benedict XVI wrote in his Letter to the Diocese and City of Rome), we cannot leave everything to individual responsibility because there is "a mindset and form of culture which induce one to have doubt about the value of the human person, about the very meaning of truth and good, and ultimately about the goodness of life."

What in your opinion, are the main educational needs of the younger generation today?

The more we become aware of the profound cultural changes and their anthropological influence, the more we pay attention to what can increase confidence and hope, in adults and in young people. Young people today need points of reference to help them develop.

For some time now I have been trying to show that there is need to provide a compass to help young people find the way and to support them on the journey. Young people need the fundamentals, some convictions that can help them to grow as people, and to identify objectives that help to enhance their capabilities and give meaning to their commitments.  They need people who can enlighten and motivate them in their efforts. They need to be able to count on travelling companions to share their journey to the fullness of life.

Published 10/03/2015