austraLasia #2310


AUL Youth Leaders Programme aims to inspire true sense of mission - and missions

MELBOURNE: 11th December 2008 -- 110 youth leaders ranging from ages 16-24 are currently gathered at the Don Bosco Camp, Dromana (near Melbourne) for the Annual Youth Leaders Formation Programme. They come from Salesian Centres around Australia - Engadine (Sydney), Adelaide, Bairnsdale, Sunbury and Chadstone (both Melbourne), and from across a wide range of Salesian outreach in parishes, schools and universities in the Melbourne area.
    The Lay members of the Salesian Family, Mr Ashley Trethowan, Mr Isaac Schmid and Ms Emily Walter, directors of the Don Bosco Camp programmes, have prepared a core group of experienced youth leaders to conduct the formation and training programme. Included in the core group are two FMAs and three SDBs from their respective formation houses.
    The 8th December was the first full day of the programme and provided opportunity to highlight the Salesian beginning experience, the encounter with Bartholomew Garelli.  In the formation session focusing on Don Bosco's charism in the light of the coming celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation, Fr John Papworth, Vice Provincial, highlighted 'Don Bosco the Good Shepherd', emphasising, through scriptural reference, the quality of life, both human and Christian, that leaders are to bring to young people and their care.
    Don Bosco's gifts and the source of his strength came from his close friendship with Christ. "If it worked for Don Bosco enabling him to do extraordinary things, why not for his followers'", was the question put.
    The Feastday liturgy was given greater significance by Bro Ralph sdb (music and liturgy) and Sr Sovita fma, who explained the significance of the Good Night, drawing her thoughts from Mamma Margaret.
    The programme involves formation sessions on expectations of leaders (Fr John Prest sdb), group leadership, entertainment approaches to the Summer Camps (Core Team). The focus is on leading by example.
    The final days of the programme will see sessions by Ms Lauren Bicknell, Director of the Australia-Pacific Province's Cagliero Project. This lay mission project is seen as a natural extension of involvement by well-prepared young Salesian lay leaders in the neediest centres of the Salesian mission in the East Asia and especially Pacific zone.
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 AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific.  It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome.  For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there.  Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org

Title: australasia 2310
Subject and key words: SAsia INM India Free Open Source Software Salesian education
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2310