4181(II)_How to reach to the poor young people in Japan?

October 27, 2016

By Our Own Correspondent

Osaka, Japan, 27 October -- Japan Salesians in their well prepared Provincial Chapter (June 2016) finalized their Overall Provincial Plan (2016-2022) - ‘Become a province especially for the poorest young people’ with very concrete and demanding two main strategies:

1. Strengthen the relationship with poorer youth: which means to get know who are the marginalized youth and relate to them; to review in view of this priority our community (consistency) and work (way of doing the mission) and review the provincial structures and animation.


2. Formation: which means focus on ongoing formation as the constant renewal of the confreres; formation of (lay) mission partners and improving the quality of SDB initial formation.

A clear strategy was adapted - each local community is invited to look in their own situation of parish, school, social work, youth center or SYM - how to reach out to the poor young people of Japan. Indeed the poverty of one of the richest countries in the world is not very easily visible on the surface.

For example few communities already practice a neighborhood voluntary outreach with our youth to the homeless facilities (Osaka, Tokyo) or other social work institutions of Salesian Family (like Caritas Sisters of Jesus). Indeed just two kilometers from our famous Osaka 'Seiko Gakuin' there is one of the nation wide famous poor district, where the Salesians try to understand the dynamics of the homeless.

Among the most common needs of Japanese youth in need are the high school drop outs, kids without complete family background (single parents), youth growing in multi-cultural families (Japanese and foreigner marriage) or youth that is isolating themselves from the rest of the world - locked in their own room. Learning from some NPO (non profit organizations) or NGO (non government organizations) are among the first strategies of the most courageous Salesian communities.

We pray that the journey towards the new poverty in Japan will help our Salesian awake and vocationally fit!