austraLasia 1239
Vietnamese Past Pupils in Vietnam serving the youth of
their country
HO CHI MINH CITY: 1st September 2005 -- We
occasionally hear of the work of Vietnamese Salesian Past Pupils in
various parts of the world. They are very active in the US, for
example. But not so often do we get a glimpse of their activity
in Vietnam itself. However, the President of Vietnam's national
federation explains in some detail the progress they are making.
"Our objective is to strengthen once more our Federation, to increase
more Local Associations and recruit more new members, with the purpose
to be strong and to serve effectively the Vietnamese youth within the
Vietnam Salesian Family.
Right now our Federation has 15 active Local Unions and 125 members. In
the last two years, after returning home from the World’ Congress, and
especially after my trip to the United States where I had a great
chance to meet a lot of Vietnamese friends and former students, some
concrete initiatives have been drawn up to support fellow Past Pupils
in my homeland. Together with the Salesian Delegate the administrative
committee has twice made a tour around the country. To visit our dear
Past Pupils in the far away provinces, to fortify the Local Unions as
well as to establish new ones. Each local Union will keep an eye on all
the Past pupils in the area attached to the Salesian House in its
locality and have a Salesian of that Community as an animator to the
Union. The Local Unions are of course autonomous in organising their
activities and sharing among themselves educational and apostolic
initiatives. They have their traditional days, and Retreat days in
Advent, or at Lent.
The administrative members have the duty to assist at the local
traditional days and other situations their presence is needed.
On the part of the Federation: the Executive Council has the duty to
organise the festivities within the Salesian Family whenever it takes
place. We have to assist at the great events taking place in the
Salesian Family. Last June, on the 19th of June 2005, we organized the
annual meeting of the members of the Federation, to revise our
activities and to draw out the orientations for next year.
We have to keep in mind the vocational guidance of young Past Pupils
and the children of Past Pupils who are about to join the world of
work. We are able to support the children of poor Past Pupils by a
scholarship, sponsored by our Past Pupils living abroad, especially in
the USA. They also sponsored for us a computer centre for software
activities. But this project is still under discussion, because we lack
personnel (trained experts) and appropriate business premises.
Next year June 2006 will be our 2nd Election Assembly. In 2007 we will
hold our Second National Congress. Our task is to revise all our
activities of the past four years, revise once again our Statutes and
vote for a new National Presidency for a new four years term, to bring
new blood into our Federation.
We hope to have more information and assistance from all friends and
colleagues Past Pupils from all over the world, aiming to serve the
youth of our Country just as Don Bosco did this for us in the past."
"Good on you", as we say in certain parts of our Region!
__________________________
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