NGO Volunteers in the Salesian Mission

Voluntary Service in the Salesian Mission, Handbook and Guidelines, Rome 2008


7.5 Salesian Non Governmental Organisations of Voluntary Service


[104]Among the different kinds of organisation of Salesian voluntary service, there are the Salesian NGO which promote Salesian voluntary service in the social, international and missionary fields.

These are non-profit associations recognised by civil society, which promote social justice, fairness, the development and safeguarding of human rights, without formal links to governments and their policies; they operate in a professional manner in their own fields, and through suitable projects try to respond to the urgent needs of society swiftly and effectively.

The Salesian NGO promote and sustain in the context of the Congregation and the Salesian Family:

  • education to a world view; to solidarity and to collaboration among peoples;

  • campaigns to create awareness about social justice, fairness, the development and promotion of human rights, in a network with other associations working in the same field;

  • the planning, financing and implementation of projects of education and human and social development of the young and the poor, in particular of marginalised young people in developing countries;

  • the selection, training, placing and accompaniment of volunteers.

In the carrying out of these objectives it is to be hoped that the Salesian NGO work in close contact among themselves, sharing projects and collaborating in the promotion, training and support of the groups and of the projects of voluntary service in the Provinces and Regions.

[105]It is the role of these Salesian NGO to:

  • Collaborate with the Provincial Delegates for Youth Ministry and the Missions in education to the spirit of voluntary service and in the promotion of Provincial and National voluntary service;

  • Promote the selection, the training and accompaniment of the volunteers, in particular those involved in International and missionary voluntary service;

  • Ensure for the volunteers engaged in projects of international voluntary service projects the proper legal, economic and working conditions according to their status and state of life;

  • Formulate with the Provinces and the communities which receive the volunteers a contract that sets out the norms, the conditions, the rights and duties of the volunteers, of the organisation that sends them and of the Province and community that receives them;

  • Facilitate better communication and a “network” among them and with other Provincial organisations of Salesian voluntary service, encouraging the exchange of information, training materials, programmes, etc.

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