TOKYO: 9th November '04 -- The Japanese province took a step forward yesterday with its first full meeting of the Province Youth Ministry Commission, in the presence of the Regional Councillor, Fr Klement.  The YM Delegate for the province is Fr Sato (Naoki).  The goal of this particular meeting, also attended by the Provincial, Fr Puppo, was to gain a better overall picture of the YM circumstances of the province and to open up a dialogue on the basic understanding of YM in the province.

    A Powerpoint slide session presenting the YM model prepared by Fr Domenech the General Councillor for this sector, has been translated into Japanese and was shown to participants.  The challenge for Japan is to fully understand this new model and its terminology - and implies some fast but vital translation work to ensure that many of the materials in this sector of activity can be read and understood by confreres.

    YM in Japan (the same can be said for many other places) can mean many things to many people: Oratory-youth centre activities, non-formal structures outside of school, evangelising activities within school, the Salesian educative and pastoral approach.  The commission felt it could also learn from the experiences of other provinces in the region.

    Japanese Salesian schools are very well organised and connected in their own right, and this presents a challenge both to them and to the Delegate and Commission, to see themselves as part of the same pastoral task.  The Japanese federation of Salesian Schools has for some time been ensuring that at least one work of Salesian pedagogy is translated into Japanese each year. 

    The province is seriously considering the role of the YM Delegate as a full-time role, along with that of the Ongoing Formation Delegate.