(ANS – Ressins) – Ressins is a small town, tucked away among the hills and small villages, about 8 kilometres from Roanne. It is the home of the Don Bosco Agricultural School. The educators at the Centre encourage the involvement of the students in a great number of different activities.

The work at Ressin consists of a Salesian Agricultural School with 450 students. In the institute the students can make use of a “foyer” with opportunities for various socio-cultural activities such as games, music, dance, circus acts… Every Thursday there is an evening presentation on a particular theme: sports, parlour games, or the great “Golden Trefoil” evening like the recent one on 18 April when all the students of the institute took part in festivities marked by a genuine Salesian  spirit.

As part of these activities the students are asked to produce a film or photo reportage, sketches, reports on visits to farms or other agricultural activities. On one occasion, some young farmers were invited to share with the students their problems and successes, and in particular their involvement in young farmers’ organizations.

There is a group of students called “Amitiés Marhaba” (Friendship Group) which in the course of the year got involved in various humanitarian activities. In cooperation with with a chain of restaurants they organized benefit dinners, the proceeds of which went to support various projects in Senegal and Morocco.

In the different classes the students have the opportunity to take part in a variety of meetings arranged for different age groups on topics of human development. These are called Christian Discovery meetings. The younger students reflect on aspects of adolescence, as well as the life of Don Bosco and Salesian educational method. The older students are introduced to topics in bioethics by teachers of biology and philosophy and by a doctor.

There are three Salesians working in the school and, together with the lay teachers, they give a deep Salesian sense to all the work of the school. The young people and the people of the locality greatly appreciate their work. Every Wednesday evening, the students have the option of attending Mass with the Salesian community, and about 20 of them do so on a regular basis.

The Pastoral Programme includes:

• “Life and Faith” meetings for different age groups, one hour per week or a monthly meeting;
• Celebrations and special gatherings for students of the final year;
• Opportunities for sharing and listening to testimonies;
• Courses in preparation for the Sacraments, especially Confirmation;
• Times for prayer during the week;
• Weekends at Taizé;
• Annual Pilgrimage to Lourdes with the young people of the diocese of Lyons.

From a scholastic point of view, the work includes classes of third and fourth year junior high school for young people with learning difficulties, or who wish to leave school early. These young people have instruction specifically for them, together with work on the farm including work with machinery. The High School (Lyceum) leads to the school leaving examination with two areas of specialization – agriculture and technology. After the school leaving examination the students have the possibility of continuing to study for another two years for a certificate in higher technology, a kind of university course in animal husbandry, commercial management in the food production sector and the management of agricultural firms.

Published 22/04/2013