(ANS – Jesolo) – Again this year the Salesian Youth Movement from Triveneto gathered in the Tourist Palace for their YouthFest on 4  March when about  6000 young people spent a day of activities and reflection with the slogan “I give my life.” Among those present was Mother Yvonne Reungoat, Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Andrea gives an account of his first experience of such an event.

“No idea of what to expect or what was awaiting me, not even a Google search. Just my yes to the invitation of a friend,” Andrea writes on the SYM Triveneto site.

Inside the Tourist Palace complex two corridors contained various stands of associations, missionary groups, pastoral offices. “A real Faith Fair. Holy pictures made by African children alongside South American fair-trade products” observes Andrea.

About sixty leaders put on a performance telling the story of two young people who want to write their autobiography – their dreams coinciding with famous dreams of Don Bosco, in versions updated to the life of an eighteen year old in 2012.

Mother Reungoat invited the young people to continue to dream, to give to others what they had themselves received. “The Jesolo YouthFest is a new form of evangelisation. The message of Jesus, in all its depth is handed on through celebration, harmony art, beauty.”

Alessandro d’Avenia, 34 year old literature teacher, author of several books appreciated by students, spoke about his own experience; his own youth, the explicit reference to Professor Keating, played by Robin Williams in the well-known film “The Dead Poets’ Society,” quickly captured the attention of the thousands of young people in Jesolo.

Mass followed at which Fr Silvio Zanchetta, Rector of the Institute in Pordenone presided and Fr Eugenio Riva and Fr Giovanni Rebellato, Provincial and Vice Provincial of the  “Saint Mark” Province of North East Italy concelebrated. “The dream mentioned by the youngsters a short time ago became reality with the Mass.” Andrea writes. “All this made it possible to repeat the miracle of the Cuatro Vientos: some minutes of perfect silence before the consecrated host. A Madrid there were two million, a Jesolo seven thousand, but the atmosphere was the same.”

In the afternoon there were workshops and the chance to meet people who helped them to think more deeply about the topic inspired by the Strenna for 2012 and then the games: “The Salesians, heirs to Don Bosco, captivated the young with human five a side football, giant draughts, volley-ball … There was even a mechanical bull, while in the Hall under the reflected coloured lights there was folk dancing.”

Andrea concludes: “All that remains to be said is that one has to acknowledge the effectiveness of the enormous work undertaken by the Salesians and the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, whose charism is that of successfully investing in the young, who are very different from those urchins who in his Oratory in Turin Don Bosco met and redeemed, but they still want to feel themselves loved.”

Published 08/03/2012