Meeting of Salesian Bulletin editors-Conclusions

MEETING OF SALESIAN BULLETIN EDITORS

NAIROBI 23 MAY 2006


CONCLUSIONS


The SB editors gathered in Nairobi wish to align themselves with overall policies regarding quality and collaboration promoted as part of the worldwide Salesian project of relaunching the Salesian Bulletin, but also and especially in view of the African Salesian context where there are currently five Salesian Bulletins, all relatively new, covering three lingua francas (English, French, Portuguese), and an expressed desire on the part of several other provinces to have their own Salesian Bulletin. Accordingly, they express their intention to:


  • develop a creative, capable team to support each editor.

  • give attention to the 'Salesian' quality, the features of which are clearly expressed in existing documents (e.g. The conclusions of the Rome 2005 SB world meeting) and which should be immediately evident.

  • offer an image of Africa which can help correct a general media view of the continent which tends to dwell on the negatives.

  • (English-speaking group) profit from another meeting to be held at Conference (CIVAM) level, for example of formation or youth ministry, to also gather Social Communications Delegates and Salesian Bulletin editors to agree on a common editorial approach, and to set in motion plans for a workshop for SB 'workers' (collaborators) which would deal with practical elements of the magazine journalist's tasks.

  • (Portuguese-speaking group) aim for three meetings, i) to establish broad outlines for a SB that might be shared by Angola as part of its desire to launch an edition of the SB ii) identify the local and then the common features, with the same intentions as above and iii) plan a workshop along similar lines as proposed by the English-speaking group.

  • aim at the best quality for the SB, since it is rightly regarded as a Salesian work, and our other works already manifest this quality of offering the best even and especially to the poorest in society.

  • SB copies from Africa sent to each other – all editors to receive each edition.

  • request the intervention of the General Councillor for SC (discussion with the Mission Councillor, for example) to see if it would be possible to tie each of the SBs in Africa to a Mission and Development Office in the Salesian world with two intentions – in exchange for financial support, these SBs would ensure that one of their editions each year would fulfil the usual requirements for report on the activities of that funding project (for benefactors/donors and to some extent for reporting to government where that is applicable).

  • request that the General Councillor for SC write a letter to all Provincials in Africa, incorporating these inclusions as also the conclusions of the wider group of SC delegates at the Nairobi meeting, and urging the provincials to encourage all their confreres to support the SB as a work which involves each and every confrere.

  • request the Department for SC to investigate further any possible application of the German-Austrian Content Management System proposal in the African context. (It is understood that such an approach, were it applicable, would mean a broadly common structure, some common items as well as locally relevant items).

  • request ANS to offer, by way of its 'Service' product, interview or in-depth material that may be of assistance to the SB in Africa. The editors also feel free to make suggestions to the ANS director which would assist his annual planning in this regard.


The SB editors believe that follow-up is important to ensure that these proposals will have a fruitful outcome, and believe that Conclusion no. 6 (regional SC delegate and CIVAM provincial with an SC overview) would offer the best way to ensure this follow-up.