Works%26SServices_Vulnerability%26Exclusion_ENG


Works%26SServices_Vulnerability%26Exclusion_ENG

1 Pages 1-10

▲back to top

1.1 Page 1

▲back to top
Works and
services for
young people
in situations of
vulnerability
and exclusion
Salesian Youth
Ministry Sector

1.2 Page 2

▲back to top
Graphic design: Artia Comunicación
Illustrations: Javier Carabaño (The son of the widow of Nain - Luke 7:11-17)
Translation (English): Australia-Pacific Province
All rights reserved to the SDB Youth Ministry Sector
Salesians of Don Bosco – Headquarters
Via Marsala, 42. 00185 Rome

1.3 Page 3

▲back to top
Works and
services for
young people
in situations of
vulnerability
and exclusion
Salesian Youth
Ministry Sector

1.4 Page 4

▲back to top
ABBREVIATIONS
AGC Acts of the General Council.
C. Constitutions and Regulations of the Society of Saint Francis
de Sales.
EPC Educative and Pastoral Community.
GC General Chapter of the Salesians of Don Bosco.
OPP Overall Province Plan.
SEPP Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project.

1.5 Page 5

▲back to top
Table of Contents
Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Chapter 1
The original nature of works and services for young people in
situations of vulnerability and exclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
1.1 Don Bosco’s social option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
1.2 The specific nature of this setting
in Salesian Youth Ministry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
1.3 Structures, services and specialised projects . . . . . . . . . . 17
1.4 Groups we serve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Chapter 2
The Educative and Pastoral Community: Works and services
for young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion . . . . 23
2.1 The importance of the EPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
2.2 The individuals involved in the EPC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter 3
The educative and pastoral project of the Works and services
for young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion . . . . 31
3.1 The spiritual dimension and the journey of faith . . . . . . . . 33
3.2 The family atmosphere and formative proposal . . . . . . . . . 36
3.3 The preventive criterion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3.4 The social and political perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 4
Systematic pastoral animation of the Works and services for
young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion . . . . . . . 45
4.1 Main interventions in this proposal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.1.1 In-depth knowledge of the youth reality and
cultural processes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.1.2 A plan for integral accompaniment . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
4.1.3 Development of network programs and projects . . 49
4.2 Structures of participation and responsibility . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4.2.1 At the local level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4.2.2 At the province and inter-province level . . . . . . . . . . 54
Conclusion
From the trap of withdrawal to mobilisation
towards unknown territories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
5

1.6 Page 6

▲back to top
Presentation
I am immensely pleased to be able to present
you with this new edition of
the Works and services for youth in situations of vulnerability and exclusion
in the Youth Ministry Frame of Reference (2014). It retraces the path of
reflection and practice of recent years within the Salesian Congregation
concerning the current issues, identity, and educative and pastoral work of
these Salesian presences. The efforts of the Youth Ministry Sector has con-
sisted in gathering what we have shared across many meetings, reflection
days, and during the International Congress held in 2022.
Our service on behalf of the least is highlighted as a congregational
priority: this preferential option shapes our vocation and the sense of our
Salesian mission. It is not “charismatic archaeology”. Behind these lines
lie the many reflections and experiences of so many Salesian presences,
that can be summed up in that terrible question that echoed in Paradise:
“Where is your brother?” (Gen 4:9). This is the question that continues
to loom over us today and invites us to be surprised, and to be aware
that God’s original plan for humanity has been marred. As Salesians, we
accompany many people, young people in particular who are born, live and
die surrounded by various injustices, suffering and helplessness. Everyone
has a face, a name and a surname, a story, a family, an experience, feelings,
desires, dreams, values, qualities, and potential.
The main thrust of the text’s reflections revolves around some convictions
we wish to embrace even more strongly and that must be guidelines for
rekindling the flame of our charism: what our intervention is and should
be like in these Works and services in light of Don Bosco’s experience;
the importance of the individuals involved in the Educative and Pastoral
Community; what the nature, guidelines and principles of our educational
and pastoral proposal are; what changes should occur in management and
working methodology in our resources, services, and centres.
We use the term exclusion, which is more complex than the lack of financial
means. It has a multidimensional character in which the individual is
6

1.7 Page 7

▲back to top
deprived of a series of rights and fundamental freedoms that have to
do with their well-being: work, health, education, formation, housing,
quality of life. The inability of these individuals to exercise their rights and
participation in society prevents them from enjoying full citizen status in
this society.
The concept of social vulnerability refers to a broad range of situations
somewhere between inclusion in the social fabric and exclusion, as well
as the fragility and propensity of certain individuals or communities to
slide from a situation of vulnerability into one of exclusion. In the case
of our young people, it is associated with exposure to very different risks
(complex personal situations, family upheaval, dropping out of school, drug
addiction, unwanted loneliness, transgression or crime...). Vulnerability does
not necessarily lead to exclusion. Therefore, it is important to implement
preventive measures typical of Salesian activity.
Finally, it should be noted that these reflections, guidelines and proposals
aim to be both concrete enough that they can transcend the world of
ideas, and general enough that they allow flexible action in a changing
reality. There are issues in this document that are merely sketched out
and subject to further exploration, and others that are likewise simply
suggested, because each place and each province, starting from its own
circumstances and possibilities, must make them even more concrete and
give shape to them.
A special thanks to Father Rafael Bejarano and the extensive network of
educators involved in these Salesian Works and services for the wealth of
contributions they have made to this document, always within the dynamic
of shared responsibility and life. All of them, every day, demonstrate
their professionalism, their enthusiasm, pastoral intelligence, and
their immeasurable dedication to many young people immersed in
serious situations of exclusion. Theirs is an educative and evangelising
activity that leaves a mark for posterity.
7

1.8 Page 8

▲back to top
Let me attempt to summarise the work of these Salesians and laypeople
in a few verses by Fernando Sabino; since the important things in life are
best expressed in poetic registers and codes:
Three things remain of everything:
the certainty that we are always starting
the certainty that we need to continue
and the certainty that we will be interrupted before we finish.
Therefore, we must make
of interruption a new journey,
of false steps a dance step,
of fear a ladder,
of dream a bridge,
of need an encounter.
Father Miguel Angel García Morcuende, sdb
General Councillor for Youth Ministry
ROME, 24 MAY 2024
8

1.9 Page 9

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS
AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN
SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY
AND EXCLUSION
CHAPTER
I

1.10 Page 10

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
1 1 DON BOSCO’S SOCIAL OPTION
❖ Moved by God’s merciful goodness, Don Bosco felt called by the
dramatic situation of many adolescents and young adults: job insecurity,
low wages, overcrowding in inadequate housing, hygiene and health
problems, moral misery, poverty, and educational risk. His arrival in Turin
in November 1841 immersed him in this harsh reality, taking care of
artisans, migrants, orphans and former prisoners, opening new and
innovative educational and pastoral environments and involving many
people and institutions in these projects.
He entered the Convitto Ecclesiastico (a residence for priests) to pursue
further studies in moral theology and preaching. It was there that Father
Cafasso, Director of the Convitto and his spiritual guide, entrusted him with
the task of visiting the prisons where he first became aware of the alarming
condition of the young inmates. The impact that these incarcerated
young people had on him moved and disturbed him.
When he had to leave this Residence, he continued to be concerned about
the most abandoned boys who followed him from there, going from the
Refuge to Saint Peter in Chains, Saint Martin of the Mills, the Moretta
house, the Filippi fields, until arriving at Valdocco on 12 April 1846, Easter
Sunday. The Oratory’s wanderings are not understood without the “poor
and abandoned boys” who roamed the streets of Turin.
“I was beginning to learn from experience that if young lads
just released from their place of punishment could find someone
to befriend them, to look after them, to assist them on feast
days, to help them get work with good employers, to visit them
occasionally during the week, these young men soon forgot the
past and began to mend their ways. They became good Christians
and honest citizens.” (MO, 104 2010 New Rochelle Edition).
“The Virgin Mary showed Don Bosco his field of labour among the
young, and was the constant guide and support of his work” (C.8).
His journey was courageous and committed. He launched the exercise of
active citizenship and prevention of the causes of the many ills that afflicted
young people, promoting a comprehensive education that prevented many
of them from becoming victims of this structural malaise. This is why,
10

2 Pages 11-20

▲back to top

2.1 Page 11

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
in the first instance, he welcomed and offered basic physical necessities
(such as food, clothing, housing, and education) to many orphaned or
unaccompanied adolescents and young adults who arrived in the city of
Turin in search of work: both during the week and on weekends and
holidays when they were completely abandoned to their fate.
❖ With the same pastoral charity of Don Bosco, as a sign of the
Church which goes forth (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, no. 20), today we go
out to meet children, adolescents, young people, families and communities
living in conditions of vulnerability and exclusion. This reality is the greatest
moral crossroads of our societies and challenges us as Salesian educators
to position ourselves in this contradiction.
“Don Bosco clearly saw the social implications of his work. We
work in poor areas and for poor young people. We work with them,
educating them to assume their moral, professional and social
responsibilities, and favouring their involvement in groups and
in the larger community. In a way appropriate to religious, we
share in the witness and commitment of the Church to justice
and peace.” (C. 33).
For this reason our Works and services have a vocation to transform, one
that seeks to break social exclusion, which is a constellation of closely linked
factors making the development of the most needy difficult or indeed
directly impeding it. This exclusion goes beyond poverty understood in
its traditional meaning of deprivation of goods and refers to everything
that is against the freedom of the children of God and violates their
human dignity.
❖ Given the awareness we have today, this dignity is called Human
Rights; its denial is the highest level of humiliation. Commitment to
solidarity combines the recognition of dignity with the universal nature
of civil, political and social rights. For us Salesians, this lack of dignity
is discouraging and we feel called upon by those who are deprived or
dispossessed of it due to historical or other circumstances.
In fact, this “vicious circle of exclusion” interferes with or even prevents
individuals and groups from accessing resources and opportunities for
social well-being, ignoring them as holders of rights and placing them at
risk of living in poverty. Despite the difficulty of identifying and rigorously
11

2.2 Page 12

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
distinguishing all the manifestations of deprivation of fundamental rights,
let us try to give a brief overview:
◗◗ Mental and physical health through proper nutrition.
◗◗ Access to decent work and, therefore, the availability of income and
financial autonomy.
◗◗ Access to the various levels of education and culture.
◗◗ Caring for the spiritual dimension as a holistic approach to the
individual.
◗◗ Owning a decent and adequate home as a key space in life for the
education of children, and stable relationships.
◗◗ Equity, justice and physical security, where people are free from any
kind of exploitation and abuse.
◗◗ Recognition of nationality, citizenship and freedom to move around.
◗◗ The right to integration into society and to freedom of expression.
Significantly, in a volatile, interconnected, complex and ambiguous world
like the present one, impoverishment also manifests itself in the “denial”
of what relationship is. Like in Don Bosco’s time, the experience of
children, adolescents and young adults disconnected from emotional
environments, from their family nucleus and/or from the immediate context
or community and institutions, plunges them into the deprivation of the
experience of love. This disengagement manifests itself in various ways and
in social issues such as the family:
From a charismatic point of view, there is still a need for a specific
focus on the family, because material, cultural, moral and spiritual
poverties, sometimes even ‘family poverty’, are often closely related
to family issues. (Youth Ministry and Family, p .56.
A deep look and creative imagination are therefore required, where
we ensure – not exclusively, but with professional specialisation – the
consolidation of an intervention model that takes into account the
revitalisation of the experience of “love”.
❖ It is clear that the weakest members of communities that are impoverished
and whose rights are violated (very often children, adolescents and young
adults) end up being the victims of this vicious circle and this could
condemn them to replicating destructive and maladjusted behaviours,
increasingly widening the social gap that divides the human family. Don
12

2.3 Page 13

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Bosco’s direct experience with the boys he visited in the ‘Generala’ prison
confirms that if timely intervention is not made, the prison solution these
young people are facing will prove to be a true school of delinquency,
making them worse than before.
“One could note also that little by little they could be led to
appreciate their dignity as human beings, that they could reason,
and that they must earn their bread in life through honest effort
and not by stealing. In other words as soon as their minds were
enlightened by a moral and religious principle they began to feel
something good in their hearts which they could not explain but
which made them want to be better people.” (Historical Outlines
Concerning the Oratory of St Francis de Sales).
Undoubtedly, as long as there are excluded neighbourhoods, marginalised
ethnic groups, isolated communities, depressed areas, poor countries, or
marginalised minors, the Salesian Family feels called to welcome them, care
for them, and offer them food and shelter. And also to develop educative
and pastoral strategies, establishing alliances with different bodies so that
they can achieve the moral and financial autonomy that allows them to
exercise their full rights and belong with dignity to a society.
12
THE SPECIFIC NATURE OF THIS SETTING IN SALESIAN
YOUTH MINISTRY
❖ To understand the situations in which people live without protection and
with limitations in accessing and enjoying social and political rights, Saint
John Paul II in his Encyclical “Reconciliatio et Paenitentia” (1984) referred to
“social sin”, which we see when the network of relationships within
a community becomes unjust. Exclusion, which affects both the human
condition and the social system, grows every day, becoming dramatically
and structurally social sin.
The multiple forms of poverty violate both the individual in their rights
and the communities that suffer the deterioration of their environment.
A society based on growing inequality marginalises all fragile individuals,
many young people who are experiencing failure, and all those who are
different because they are considered dangerous. Such conditions of
13

2.4 Page 14

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
inequality have been normalised and even internalised in the daily life of
many contemporary societies, rendering invisible the pain of those who
need to be cared for, and increasing the insensitivity of those who
have the moral and institutional obligation to address these manifestations
of inequality.
❖ Works and services too, that are aimed at young people and communities
in situations of vulnerability and exclusion are aligned with “Integral
human development” advocated by the Church’s Social Doctrine.
On 26 March 1967, Pope Paul VI published the encyclical
‘Populorum Progressio’, whose influence on development models
and schools marked the beginning of the paradigm of Christian
social thinking focused on human dignity – leading to a rights-
based approach – and a theology that conceives of the person
as being in the image and likeness of God. This Catholic school
of thought regarding development expresses itself in “integral
human development” (Saint Paul VI), solidarity (Saint John Paul II
in ‘Sollicitudo Rei Socialis’), in being charitable - ‘love received and
given’ (Benedict XVI in ‘Caritas in Veritate’), sustainable (Francis in
‘Laudato Si’) and fraternal (Francis in ‘Fratelli Tutti’).
The SEPP (Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project) for these works and
services takes up the development model as integral in the personal
dimension, and social and supportive in the relational dimension. It
responds to specific situations that strongly restrict young people’s direction
in life, and their adult life. In this way we provide support and direct
intervention to individuals, families, and groups, planning – together with
them – actions that allow them to overcome their situation and generate
a positive social impact, as a specific way to proclaim the Gospel.
On the other hand, faced with this reality we run the risk of thinking that a
Salesian work with these characteristics for this category of young people is
simply an “organisation”, and we forget that we are also an expression of
the Christian community. In reality, within the framework of the Church’s
evangelising mission, we feel called to promote the integral development
of individuals and peoples: “bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising
up, healing and freeing” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 273) the poorest and
most excluded.
14

2.5 Page 15

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
❖ It is important to remember that we cannot speak about social exclusion
and vulnerability as univocal concepts, as we would be referring to a
universe of specific homogeneous individuals and groups; in other words,
we can say that they do not exist in a generic sense; there is exclusion
and vulnerability in almost every individual, which is recreated and
expressed in various ways.
Like Don Bosco, we need to begin by observing what is happening around
us and analysing it with the broadest and most all-embracing perspective
possible, aware that everything is connected: “genuine care for our own
lives and our relationships with nature is inseparable from fraternity, justice
and faithfulness to others” (Laudato Si, no. 70). Therefore, no situation of
poverty/exclusion can currently be explained by a single factor. They are
complex and interconnected realities.
In conclusion, the offer of specialised services for young people and
communities in these situations does not only occur in Works where this
is the environment: the option for the poor is inherent to the nature
and purpose of every Salesian Work. In this respect, preventing and
addressing possible risk situations and identifying the needs of young
people in every environment and context is a typical activity of Salesian
Youth Ministry.
“With Don Bosco we reaffirm our preference for the young who are
poor, abandoned and at risk, those who have greater need of love
and evangelization, and we work especially in areas of greatest
poverty.” (C. 26).
Therefore, as happens in every educative and pastoral context, after an
institutional and personal discernment and an updated and relevant analysis
of the youth and social context of its areas, the provincial community
privileges activities with a clear preference for the poorest and most
in need. It is a matter of opening our eyes to reality, being sensitive so that
we are moved by the suffering of those most in need, and having the will
to put our own abilities, hands and possessions at their service, which is
the program of the Good Samaritan according to the Gospel.
This is why the Provincial with his Council must incorporate these
options within the OPP, giving the necessary instructions to all Salesian
presences so that action is taken to counter all the areas where exclusion
15

2.6 Page 16

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
is generated: economic causes (deprivation of material goods and access
to adequate income), deficits in the exercise of citizenship (right to health,
education, housing...) and the weakness of social ties (relationships,
cohabitation, etc.).
❖ Embedded in the local reality, each EPC belonging to Works and
services for young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion,
together with other social actors in the territory develops strategies,
on the one hand, to support young people and the community with a
systematic approach, while on the other hand it ensures the adequacy
of job outlines required for management, administrative and pastoral
processes, and psycho-social intervention. Only in this way can projects
provide effective responses in the short, medium and long term
within a consolidated institutional framework. Together with this, it is
necessary to ensure sustainable management of its human and financial
resources.
Consequently, any kind of personality cult or improvisation must be
overcome and avoided in the formulation of programs and intervention
strategies, as Salesian presences should not depend on an individual
working alone. All are members of the EPC, especially lay and religious
educators; all identify with the same apostolic mission and passion
which guides their educative and pastoral activity.
At the same time, it is essential to give correct acknowledgement and
respect to each one’s vocation, roles and competence, considering that the
knowledge and experience of individuals represent an invaluable asset with
which one must engage in dialogue in an open, inclusive, and collaborative
atmosphere.
❖ The institutional model for intervention and management of these Works
and services for young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion are
situated within the social sector and, therefore, develop within a specific
legal and fiscal framework in different countries.
This Salesian action in the organisational and legal field corresponds to
the social or solidarity economy sector, also known as the Third Sector of
Social Action and developed through non-profit institutions. This has led us
to better organise this Salesian Youth Ministry setting, offering competent
responses.
16

2.7 Page 17

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Our Works “adopt multiple legal forms of civil or ecclesiastical
recognition as a requirement to be able to offer their services in
different countries in a professional and transparent manner. Our
face in this sector is therefore one of Associations, Cooperatives, Non-
Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Independent Businesses for
Humanitarian Aid, Joint Agreements for the concerted provision of
specialised services, Social Centres that provide psycho-social and
health care in general, and which are also employment agencies,
etc. As in other areas of our youth ministry, what distinguishes us
from other similar organisations is this: we Salesians evangelise
through the provision of social services, offering everyone a search
for meaning and an openness to transcendence, while respecting
the freedom of each individual.” (Father Ángel Fernández, AGC 438).
1 3 STRUCTURES, SERVICES AND SPECIALISED PROJECTS
❖ The educative and pastoral activity in this setting unfolds in specialised
structures and through specific and professional programs. The initiatives
of the Provinces in this field follow different strategies, adapting to
the various geographical and cultural areas.
Therefore, we recognise the great diversity of services and institutions in
terms of their size, scope of action, geographical and territorial location,
purposes, methods of work or organisational culture. Furthermore,
depending on the complexity of the work, in many places different projects
have their own structures and specialised processes focused on their
beneficiaries, including the following:
◗◗ Pastoral proposals for accompanying young people in
situations of vulnerability and exclusion: pastoral teams that
reflect and promote the accompaniment and growth in faith of young
people in this setting with experiential proposals, respecting their
history and culture.
◗◗ Reception houses: boarding establishments, residential and semi-
residential structures, transition homes, apartments for young
people who were previously accommodated, protection homes,
and family homes.
17

2.8 Page 18

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
◗◗ Pastoral and psychosocial support: a spiritual and professional
support team in crisis and social emergency situations who design
and implement educational projects for attention and interdisciplinary
intervention processes for spiritual growth, healing, rehabilitation,
restoration of rights, and rebuilding support networks.
◗◗ Programs for compliance with socio-educational measures:
developed with young people in conflict with the law and also with
individuals detained and confined in detention facilities and penitentiaries.
◗◗ Schools: educational projects developed starting from official
programs that respond to socio-pedagogical models adapted to the
needs of young people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion.
◗◗ Vocational training centres: workplaces and pre-workplaces
with special programs and agreements with public and private
organisations. This includes pathways to support job transition,
recovery, and activation of young people.
◗◗ Services for personal and social development: preventive support
to promote the growth of minors and young adults through the
development of individualised programs.
◗◗ Job placement services: programs to improve employment with
training in power skills and in selection processes and support during
the job placement phases. In the same way, formation activity in
entrepreneurship and job intermediation with companies.
◗◗ Training centres for sports, art and culture, as well as for
recreational spaces: specific structures and programs that allow
learning and practice of sports, enhance artistic qualities for the
development of social skills, mental health, and entrepreneurship.
◗◗ Facilities for healthy eating and nutritional balance: catering
services in institutions, such as community kitchens and social
restaurants, supported by teams that ensure adequate nutritional
assessment and monitoring.
◗◗ Health centres: general and specialised medicine, with particular attention
to mental health. Help in connecting with state healthcare systems.
18

2.9 Page 19

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
◗◗ Legal Service Centres: provide guidance, inter-institutional
coordination, and support in restoring rights.
❖ All these services structure the different resources and assets in each area
for promoting, facilitating and defending the dignified life of all human
beings and the rights of the most fragile. The Works and services for young
people and communities in situations of vulnerability and exclusion are not,
therefore, “service providers”, but rather sustained and transformative
processes, often of a preventive and promotional nature.
Given the predominantly social nature of this setting where many initiatives
respond to serious and painful emergencies affecting youth, it is appropriate
to avoid impulsiveness. It is true that these emergencies lead us to increase
services and accumulate tasks. They are, undoubtedly, a necessary activity,
but perhaps they lead us to prioritise immediate help over the idea of
working through more medium- and long-term processes in search of a
transformative solution.
We are clear that the commitment is to trace processes in which each
individual is the central element, knowing that these are “long and
complex paths” and that how we measure timing and objectives is
different for each individual. In this respect, the social issue becomes an
“anthropological question” for us today (Caritas in Veritate, no. 75), as
Benedict XVI stated.
1 4 GROUPS WE SERVE
❖ As we have seen, valuable Salesian experience has facilitated the
emergence of a wide variety of services in different provinces. It is natural
that the types of services constantly adapt to the dynamic social reality;
therefore, it is an ongoing necessity not to lose sight of and to work with
great attention to events and with an eye to the future.
We believe that the world can be different and better, especially for the
group of children and young people in vulnerable situations, the preferential
option of our charismatic mission. They are not just recipients of our
service, but the reason for our commitment. They are responsible
for who we are and what we do.
19

2.10 Page 20

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
“We feel the need to go deeper into the interpretation of the times
we are living in, to the point of recognising that social phenomena
and spiritual challenges, appeals of the young and movements of
the Spirit are closely linked, without any possibility of separating
them.” (GC 28, 7).
❖ The following list provides an overview of the most common support
groups:
◗◗ Boys, girls, adolescents and young adults on the street: support
for family and social reintegration, rebuilding of the parental network,
strengthening of personality and support networks, protection of
minors, and restoration of rights such as identity, health, education,
and protection in safe environments.
◗◗ Adolescents and young adults in conflict with the law: Young
victims of recruitment by outlawed armed groups. Young people
tied to urban gangs, accompanying young people with degrees
of deprivation of liberty, young people under protection orders,
programs to strengthen the abilities of young people who are
incarcerated or in the release phase.
◗◗ Children, adolescents, and young adult victims of exploitation
and human trafficking: Protection programs for minors and young
adults who are exploited for work purposes and/or sexually abused,
or under-age girls given in marriage. Use of minors by criminal
organisations to commit crimes.
◗◗ Unaccompanied migrant children; migrant youth, families and
communities; refugees and displaced persons: Reception centres,
orientation and support in transit and destination countries. Pastoral,
psychosocial, nutritional, and healthcare support. Programs for social
and employment integration in destination countries. Meeting centres
for faith communities, evangelisation and catechesis. Spaces provided
for ethnic minorities to meet and integrate. Special schools and oratories
for migrants and refugees. Social assistance in refugee camps through
specialised educational projects. Programs to strengthen different skills.
◗◗ Youth rehabilitation: Centres for treatment, accompaniment, and
support in situations of addiction and dependencies due to the abuse
20

3 Pages 21-30

▲back to top

3.1 Page 21

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
of psychoactive substances. Programs for accepting and caring for
young people living with HIV.
◗◗ Presence among poor or rights-violated groups: Believing
communities within low-income neighbourhoods as a testimony to
the Christian faith. Accompaniment of individuals in these spaces
with specialised social services (healthcare, nutritional, and legal) and
development of formation and growth in faith processes.
◗◗ Services for the care and promotion of indigenous cultures
and peoples: Specialised works for supporting and improving
the academic, health, and professional qualifications of these
communities. Works for the development of the skills of the Roma/
Gypsy people and peasant communities. Reception, protection,
promotion of rights, and generation of social mobility for communities
traditionally excluded from social systems in different countries
due to certain cultural or religious traditions. Accompaniment of
communities that have experienced forced displacement due to
violence or climate change and suffer from uprooting; promoting
inter-cultural education, literacy, environmental care, and vocational
training among them.
◗◗ Complementary educational services: Programs for developing
personal skills and academic reinforcement to overcome academic
failure with psycho-pedagogical support for learning difficulties. Offer
of adapted spaces with technologies that facilitate personal study
and research. Programs for children and young people with special
physical and mental educational needs. Updating programs for adults
or for those who cannot find work.
◗◗ Alternative educational services: artistic or sports training
programs with methodologies for social integration and skills
enhancement, leading to respect for citizens. Offer of social group,
sports, and art programs for healthy coexistence which strengthen
self-esteem, promote discipline and personal growth, and create
opportunities for work entrepreneurship. Programs for availability
and healthy enjoyment of leisure time.
◗◗ Support services for families and women: temporary protection
and accommodation for families at risk due to violence or
21

3.2 Page 22

▲back to top
THE ORIGINAL NATURE OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
displacement. Education for responsible motherhood and fatherhood.
Support for young mothers in support facilities and care during
pregnancy and early childhood. Workshops to strengthen family
bonds. Support for single mothers or heads of households.
◗◗ Open spaces for young people who do not study or work:
generation of a sense of hope, with socio-educational support,
training in autonomy and responsibility, training in managing free
time, and universal skills that allow them to reintegrate into the
school system or be connected to entrepreneurial or employability
projects.
22

3.3 Page 23

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OPFAVSUTLONREARLAEBGILIOITVYANANILDE EXFCALMUISGILOINA
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL
COMMUNITY: WORKS AND SERVICES
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF
VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
CHAPTER
II
23

3.4 Page 24

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY: WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
2 1 THE IMPORTANCE OF THE EPC
❖ Don Bosco, through the Oratory, offered abandoned and vulnerable
young people a real family in which to grow and prepare for life. This is
why he considered the community experience important. The commitment
to the poor, the excluded, and the vulnerable in Salesian presences has
been consolidated since the beginning as a point of reference for the
Salesian charism and mission. This comprehensive educational service is a
true Salesian option of family welcome and presence. All EPC members
are part of this transformation process. The mechanism or vehicle to
direct this community action is generated through the relational processes
among the people of the aforementioned community.
Starting from this principle, let us state some common elements so that
the EPC can be truly transformational in its activity:
I. The desire or intention to work on shared goals and values in a
community-oriented way, converging around a project that has the
local circumstances as its context and interacts with it. In order to
achieve this goal, a cohesive local EPC focuses on the individual needs
of young people and supports them as they become active members
of their communities with recognised rights.
II. The option for the poorest young people throughout the EPC is not
an issue for those who are more receptive to the needy, nor is it a
horizontalist or sociological trend. It is a strong conviction, rooted in
the liberating action of the Gospel, on which the entire principle of
the Salesian charism and spirituality is focused.
III. The centrality of young people as individuals who also play an active
part in actions and decisions with the goal of influencing change and
improving their living conditions.
IV. Awareness of belonging to the Salesian house that welcomes,
includes and accompanies all people, establishing welcoming,
humanising and engaging spaces.
24

3.5 Page 25

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
2 2 THE INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE EPC
❖ The different members of the EPC have a relationship of closeness and
friendship with young people based on the specific role that has been
entrusted to them. We start, therefore, from the absolute centrality of
every individual, from their inalienable and inviolable dignity as a child
of God. Every child, youth or adult actually enjoys the dignity and beauty
of being a child of God, is hungry for values, hope, faith, freedom, dignity,
peace, infinity, eternity. These are the individuals who are chiefly involved
in the EPC.
An imminent risk in understanding our young people is “grammatical
reduction”, that is, the tendency to work by starting from “labels”
(“distinct”, “different”, etc.) losing sight of the individual as a whole.
These individuals are labelled because they “do not fit” the puzzle that
makes up our social model. Our activity, however, is based on the abilities
and potential of individuals rather than on their difficulties and
misfortunes. Faced with shortcomings we focus on development factors,
possibilities, opportunities and dreams. It is a new way of looking at,
approaching, and relating to people.
Salesian education is all-encompassing and integrative.
This approach obliges us to recreate the helping relationship,
overcoming the model of assistance and charity where some give
while others receive, some know while others are ignorant, some
make history while others endure it, some are saved while others
founder.
It is crucial that the psychosocial support offered to young people during
their growth process is aimed at facilitating their becoming independent
individuals capable of managing their own lives. It represents, therefore,
an intervention model that promotes the empowerment of young
people, their experiences and life paths, since they are unique, personal,
and full of dignity.
Young people who are capable of expressing themselves freely, of defending
their rights as an expression of their own process of personal and social
promotion in the three areas of integral human development: response to
needs, to the meaning of life, and to responsible participation.
25

3.6 Page 26

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY: WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Furthermore, it is necessary to prioritise all those occasions in which young
people can acquire the ability to make autonomous decisions, responsible
attitudes in choices (also very important for the discovery of faith), by
proposing small goals, a very Salesian element that contributes to how
someone defines their possibilities, achievements, abilities, and limits.
In this way, this community experience is consolidated as a school of
experience for the young people themselves. They recognise
themselves as jointly responsible for educational action with their peers,
with whom they share the same process of integral growth to maturity
that gradually prepares them for future service tasks in the same work, in
their families, and in society.
Therefore, the implementation of new programs and projects must always
meet the needs of young people and the territory in which they live.
Involving them in the animation and governance groups of the Works is
essential for ensuring the relevance and adequacy of formation proposals.
Pope Benedict XVI develops this approach in Caritas in Veritate (no. 17):
“Integral human development presupposes the responsible freedom of the
individual and of peoples: no structure can guarantee this development
over and above human responsibility.”
“It is very important to emphasise that good accompaniment
does not place the young person in a passive or subordinate
position, but on the contrary promotes that individual’s active
participation in community life and shared responsibility in
the service of the poorest It is therefore an accompaniment for
involvement, for active and responsible presence in society and
in the Church” (GC 28, 10).
❖ Educative and pastoral activity in this setting is essentially a community
process, a dialogue between individuals who recognise themselves as
living together legitimately. Hence life develops through shared work
between religious and lay people and interdisciplinary teams
that include professional figures such as social and re-educational
educators, psychologists, social workers, socio-cultural animators,
healthcare personnel (physicians of various specialities, nutritionists
or physiotherapists), lawyers, accountants, administrators, project
specialists, and global management specialists, among many others. This
26

3.7 Page 27

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
combination of experiences, formation, and strengths is important to
ensure comprehensive assistance.
I. The Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project is realised not only through
the offer of an original and specific educational and cultural proposal,
but also through the witness of those who work in the Salesian
house who today, more than in the past, are called to present
themselves as points of reference for the younger generations. It is
charity in word and deed.
II. Today nobody doubts that ethics is a central element in
the practice of any profession, especially those related to
accompanying individuals. Ethics is involved in every moment
of activity: in the accuracy of diagnoses or interventions, in the
treatment of those being served, or in the use of power derived from
one’s professional role. Best practice, professionalism, and Salesian
kindness are a combination of knowledge with respectful treatment
and confidentiality.
The accompaniment process is inter-subjective, it is something that
involves two people; therefore, the people involved in the educational
relationship have their own subjectivity, can establish their own limits,
must navigate between affections and disaffections, encounters and
disagreements, etc. The accompanying educator must understand
their own psycho-affective, social and spiritual dynamics and those
of the person they are accompanying.
III. Joint formation between Salesians and laypeople is
an opportunity to achieve this goal, as it integrates elements of
charismatic identity with those related to the different roles and
functions of the organisation. To do this, it is necessary to allocate
human and material resources that offer specific knowledge and
ensure the ability to develop strategies that provide vitality to the
presence.
The formation of socio-political awareness must be carefully promoted
through diplomas, higher education cycles, and social integration
to be pioneers in these fields: to be specialists in addressing and
intervening in associated problems such as drug addiction, violence,
school failure, family planning, etc.
27

3.8 Page 28

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY: WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
IV. In order to provide these services it is necessary to gain a deeper
appreciation, through the study of the Preventive System, of
current youth needs arising from the cultural and socio-economic
reality and the national and international legal framework.
V. At the same time the study of the Social Doctrine of the
Church from the perspective of integral human development
is needed. We move according to the parameters of this Social
Doctrine, whose mission is the concrete enlightenment of humankind
starting from the Gospel, a constant and repeated attempt to apply
the message of Jesus Christ to changing social realities.
As Salesians, we embrace the values and attitudes promoted by
this “Christian social thought” or “social teaching of the Church”
as a historical response to social, cultural, economic and political
problems; with the aim of promoting the transformation of reality
into a more just, supportive, and fraternal society through respect
for the dignity of the human person, human rights and duties, and
the rights of peoples.
VI. Finally, leadership groups must pay particular attention to the well-
being of the human resources of the organisation, seeking
their involvement and avoiding high staff turnover. This is done with
both those who are contractually tied to the work and with those
who volunteer, through good relationships, fair compensation, and
recognition of their work. Furthermore, it has to be said that the
educative and pastoral activity of these presences is carried out by
people who are not immune to fatigue and tiredness. They are
normal, fragile individuals who also require care and support.
❖ The members of the Salesian community, wherever their presence is
possible, are called to be a humble prophetic presence and a witness of
fraternity and of a simple and joyful life.
On the other hand, they must be “experts” in imagining pastoral care for
young people, which in turn is “pedagogical charity” with very original and
surprising characteristics, that is, with unconditional educational love, the
energy that imbues every Salesian relationship and every person. It makes
the individuals in the Salesian house exist and live for each other, in others
and for others. No one lies outside this inclusive relationship.
28

3.9 Page 29

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
The exemplary nature of the Salesians must be the same as Don Bosco’s.
His testimony, his concrete language puts the “heart” at the centre: the
heart desires, the heart understands, listens to what is said to it, reflects,
moves. The Salesian is supported by mature affectivity, by love that is
strongly internalised yet transparent to the gaze of the other – perceivable,
visible, witnessed through the primacy of educational fatherhood.
It is a “cheerful” love which bears the seal of celebration and joy. The
religious community, in short, bears witness through care, familiarity,
and affectionate dedication. Young people feel loved forever, with an
educational and, at the same time, personal love.
❖ The pastoral Coordinator, together with those responsible for
interdisciplinary care in the Works and services for young people and
communities in situations of vulnerability and exclusion, is tasked with the
preparation, implementation, and evaluation of the local SEPP. The shared
responsibility of everyone in the structuring of the project, including young
people and families, is a characteristic element of Salesian pedagogy.
❖ Various forms of social volunteering have been carried out in this
setting for several decades. They represent another very valid method to
ensure interdisciplinary work in support of social interventions carried out
with young people, families, and groups.
Promotion of social volunteering in the various areas of mission and local
management is a contribution to sustainable development, integrating
within (for example) the European Volunteers’ Project and working groups
according to their profiles and the time they have available to dedicate
to the cause. There are numerous experiences that demonstrate that this
expression of volunteering is deeply rooted in the Salesian charism, as it
integrates people – friends of Don Bosco’s work – within a movement of
cultural, religious, and professional diversity. To all of them, therefore, the
doors are open to contribute with their knowledge and skills, enhancing
the culture of solidarity.
29

3.10 Page 30

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL COMMUNITY: WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
30

4 Pages 31-40

▲back to top

4.1 Page 31

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL
PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF
VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
CHAPTER
III

4.2 Page 32

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
The educative and pastoral project of the Works and services for young
people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion
In the Works and services for populations in situations of vulnerability
and exclusion, our special preference is to work with young people and
starting from young people, which means being by their side, looking at
the situation, and shaping our criteria and our personal, pastoral and social
projects from there. It is from there that we configure our priorities, our
lifestyle, and our strategic directions.
In this regard, educating in the Salesian way means that:
I. On one hand, the focus is social and the methodology is
interdisciplinary, to guarantee effective support paths aimed at
the integral development of young people/groups and at restoring
their rights.
II. On the other hand, the social dimension of pastoral charity
that takes advantage of Don Bosco’s pedagogical model is in tune
with Jesus’ fervent desire to reach out to the most vulnerable and
excluded.
III. We are, finally, faced with the challenge of applying a style, an
essential identity: the Salesian educational style that is the most
characteristic and expressive embodiment of Don Bosco’s pedagogical
method and spirituality in Valdocco. This involves a return to the
origins, to the Oratory criterion, the guiding principle of action,
discernment, and renewal of all Works and activities.
In the Salesian tradition, this original criterion has been expressed
through certain icons: a family environment that welcomes, values,
cares for, and supports (“home”), characterised by joyful encounters
and friendship (“playgound”); where everyone can develop their
potential, acquiring new skills (“school”) and can journey in a
holistic way, educating and valuing their interiority (“church”).
Therefore, this dynamic is always present in the configuration of
these Works and services.
32

4.3 Page 33

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
3 1 THE SPIRITUAL DIMENSION AND THE JOURNEY OF FAITH
❖ We might be tempted to think that socio-educational discourse has
nothing to do with the spiritual and religious imagination of young
people. We forget that they have a spiritual desire and also have the
ability to satisfy it. And with this, activities related to interiority can often
go unnoticed.
Interiority, inner life, is not the monopoly of believers or Christians:
every person experiences an inner dimension, lives – we can say –
“spiritually”, lives with awareness, a search that is typical of the human
being and transcends nature. It is the movement that every human
being makes to return to their essence, to their home, to their source.
In conclusion, interiority is an experience that belongs to every young
person.
The educative and pastoral activity offered by a Salesian work represents
the opportunity to give soul, breath, depth and continuity to existing
services, inserting them into a framework of meaning and perspective that
is more complex than simply “doing good” for young people. The religious
question, therefore, also resides in this context of meaning, because
Salesian pedagogy involves guiding the young person in their growth from
an explicitly integral perspective: it is education, with a component of
“science and art” that aims to develop all their potential.
❖ We consider the individual to be an integral system where every action
taken has an impact on the interconnected parts that make up the human
being as a whole. For this reason, among other things it is necessary to
implement a pedagogy of interiority. If this aspect is missing, there is
a risk of disfiguring the authentic and integral meaning of the Salesian
mission.
To incorporate this pedagogy of interiority it is necessary to start by
deconstructing some prejudices and stereotypes. Our interiority must be
like Don Bosco’s in the field of education: an interiority that is receptive
to engaging with others in a rich and complex active way. Don Bosco
would be remembered as a man of exemplary character and active faith
in charity, fully embodying human fullness, especially for those who are on
the “margins” of society.
33

4.4 Page 34

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Don Bosco’s letters reveal a great sense of the primacy of God in
him in all his endeavours. He expresses concern for the answers
to the “ultimate” questions: the meaning of life, of inner life, the
destiny of communion with God, the tension to become human in
dealing with others, with history, with small or great difficulties
that reality poses.
As a result, educators who want to experience this Salesian educative and
pastoral proposal must also think of it as a response to the increasing
questions of meaning, belonging, fullness, in other words a proposal
of spirituality.
The education of the inner dimension will be fruitful precisely because
it allows the young person to enter the fascinating territory of human
questions and experiences. These are a propitious moment for the first
proclamation of the Gospel, because it is at these crossroads that every
man or woman experiences that life is “more”, it is worth more than what
we produce; they are crossroads that urge us to open the heart and mind
to the gift of God.
Catechesis and education in the faith are not something we should
offer only to the most fortunate, able and capable boys and girls.
It is precisely those most in need who are the first to be enriched
by the gift of the Lord’s presence in their lives, by the gift of faith –
whatever their religion.”(Father Ángel Fernández, AGC 438)
Cultivating interiority from a Christian perspective means creating the
optimal conditions that allow each person to recognise themselves as
precious and authentic, to find meaning in their life, and a vital project
from which to develop and encounter humanity. Often the desire for
transcendence arises in people. It is about directing our efforts so that
young people discover within themselves “the hidden treasure” which is
not perceived by a superficial glance: the presence of God in their life and
the face of Jesus in every human being.
❖ As we said above, we start from the absolute centrality of the person,
from that person’s inalienable dignity as a child of God. We recall
the vivid scenes around Jesus Christ himself, to whom many in need
come and feel privileged: the socially excluded (lepers and the disabled),
the religiously marginalised (prostitutes and tax collectors), the culturally
34

4.5 Page 35

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
oppressed (women and children), the socially dependent (widows and
orphans), the physically handicapped (deaf, mute, lame, and blind), the
psychologically tormented (those possessed by demons and epileptics),
the spiritually humble (simple and God-fearing people, repentant sinners).
Jesus Christ is more interested in your health than in your guilt, more in the
freedom of what is new than in the restoration of what is old.
From Jesus we have learned that only proximity, words, and presence can
humanise/evangelise. One of the deepest wounds of socially excluded
individuals is not being recognised, the feeling that their identity is despised
and that they are expendable. The renewed attention to Jesus Christ, to his
person, by the entire Salesian pastoral work is a priority and an invitation in
particular to place Christian humanism at the centre of our Educative
and Pastoral Project.
Our educational commitment is totally inspired by this Jesus
who approaches the reality of youth, touches it and brings life in
situations where there was only death (Luke 7:11-17). The Master
felt the same mercy for the most vulnerable and excluded of his
time that the Father always showed for his people.
❖ We therefore assume the belief that the Works and services directed
towards young people and communities in situations of vulnerability
and exclusion are a setting of Salesian Youth Ministry in which
evangelisation is accomplished through actions promoting human
dignity. In this respect evangelising means proximity, commitment,
humanisation and accompaniment to respond to the reality we are
addressing. In respect of the beliefs and cultural values of individuals and
the diverse societies in which we find ourselves, our presence and actions
are concrete forms of first announcement and become a genuine path of
evangelisation.
In Christian societies, proclamation is made explicit; in secularised and
non-Christian societies, it is expressed through the witness of life. Under
no circumstances do we give up our charismatic identity. We find the best
way to share and offer our values by seeking to build the Kingdom of God
and social friendship. Members of the EPC who are neither Christian nor
Catholic, or who have not experienced processes of faith, are respected
for their ways of life, while they are invited to share Don Bosco’s charism,
35

4.6 Page 36

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
to engage in the institutional mission, and to participate in and implement
the educative and pastoral proposal expressed in the SEPP.
3 2 THE FAMILY ATMOSPHERE AND FORMATIVE PROPOSAL
❖ The “home” is a symbol of intimacy and rest; it goes beyond its walls, it
is the place of relationship with others who are made welcome. Home and
encounter with others are the two most significant points of reference for
a person. Many of our young people, however, suffer from situations of
brokenness, loneliness, and powerlessness that they would like to forget;
the deep impact of these vulnerabilities on their lives sometimes conceals
the strength of positive or reference relationships.
Our first task is, therefore, to create a welcoming environment. But this
is not achieved simply by opening doors or arms. What is needed is a
precise intentionality that focuses on the affective-relational dimension.
This means creating free relational spaces within the EPC where listening
to our young people, their problems, their values becomes a fundamental
moment of shared living, appreciation and respect for every individual.
Every educator must understand that everyone in their individual history is
a world and that every world has its richness.
Earning the friendship and trust of the boys; accompanying
them in their contexts of work or prison; bringing them together
on Saturdays and Sundays,and offering them confession and
communion, singing, catechism, an example of life and something
to eat… “This is how things normally ran at the Oratory for nearly
three years, up to the end of October 1844” (Memoirs of the Oratory
of Saint Francis de Sales, 107 New Rochelle Edition 2010).
The positive and realistic vision of Don Bosco’s youth is imbued with
“preventive love” in the sense that it gives credit to the young person in
a free and gratuitous manner. Love, or if you prefer, the loving-kindness
of the educator in this process has the essential function of triggering the
positive response and collaboration of the young person, a conditio sine
qua non of the authenticity of the formative work. This is why intelligence
and heart must be cultivated in every relationship.
36

4.7 Page 37

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Salesian loving kindness is an emergency brake and dam against
forgetfulness, abstraction, anonymity and generalisation. It is a word
that revolves around the potential of tenderness, human abilities, and the
empowerment of the individual.
Regarding educators, we share the words of Pope Benedict XVI:
“Individuals who care for those in need must first be professionally
competent... They need humanity. They need heartfelt concern.
Those who work for the Church’s charitable organisations
must be distinguished by the fact that they do not merely meet
the needs of the moment, but they dedicate themselves to others
with heartfelt concern, enabling them to experience the richness
of their humanity. Consequently, in addition to their necessary
professional training, these charity workers need a ‘formation of
the heart’” (Deus Caritas est, 31.a).
Indeed, the good received turns into a gift of good because the perception
of being loved and receiving love drives the will to choose what is good.
This freely given good, methodologically transformed by the educator into
“demonstrated love”, is the cornerstone of this system where prevention
expresses all its multiple dimensions: taking the first step, getting there first,
searching, approaching, being accessible, welcoming, inspiring confidence,
encouraging, caring; and also, leading as a guide, and then accompanying,
advising (cf. A youth ministry that educates to love, Rome 2023).
This love necessarily implies the recognition of the dignity and rights of the
young. To separate charity and justice is equivalent to emptying Christian
love of its real content. Our young people, like all living beings, need
oxygen, water, food; but as human beings they need recognition and
affection which is a right and a duty of everyday life. This is the revolution of
tenderness to which Jesus invites us in the Gospel, the culture of tenderness
that Pope Francis asks of us (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, no. 209).
Personal relationship is always and in any case predominant and
essential. In the brief decalogue that introduces the “Regulation for
the houses” written in 1877, Don Bosco returns to speaking about
assistance with an interesting clarification in Article 3: “Assistance
requires few words, but a lot of work.” (The “General Articles” of the
“Regulation for the houses”).
37

4.8 Page 38

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
❖ A Salesian house is always an educational place” where every young
person feels valued for who they are, for what they have, for what they
need, and not judged for what they should be. Every person finds their own
role and is valued not for what they can do. Even young people who do
not want to or cannot find their way in formal situations discover, through
more informal elements (educational, cultural, recreational initiatives), an
opportunity to express themselves. Some informal Salesian elements are
very helpful: the playground, walks, theatre, music, games, images, sports,
art, graphics, dance, storytelling, comics, singing, etc.
The protection of minors and vulnerable persons must always be promoted
within the framework of the culture of institutional care. Manuals for a safe
environment, ethical codes and other tools will be developed, implemented,
and continuously updated for this, and always communicated to all
members and stakeholders.
❖ It is important to help shape the “identity” of or, in some cases, to
rebuild and unify, the person. In a context of fragmentation, unity
can be achieved only through vital contact with people and institutions
endowed with a strong identity, respectful of diversity and therefore
liberating. We educate through conviction and motivation, with
personalised relationships that express welcome and dialogue, respect
and unconditional acceptance.
We are bearers of something formidable that we must know how to value,
in which we must believe and by which we must live. And that treasure
is Don Bosco, the Salesian charism, the dream of an education capable
of changing the heart of every child and young person because it first
changed ours. In other words, every educator is a positive role model
for identification and a point of reference in the personal growth
process of young people.
3 3 THE PREVENTIVE CRITERION
❖ From the beginning of his stay in Turin, Don Bosco frequented the
places where educational and welfare activities took place, such as the
juvenile prison, the Generala, or the works of the Marchioness Barolo.
Life, formation, and the spiritual, pastoral and social activity of Don Bosco
38

4.9 Page 39

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
were nourished by a group of saints and witnesses of the faith who had a
special social sensitivity and commitment to the poor: for example, Saint
Vincent de Paul and Saint Leonard Murialdo. Even his direct relationships
with institutions and individuals who shared his preventive concern are
documented.
“Don Bosco made a gospel choice to become poor with the poor.
He took on the poverty, including the material poverty, of the Son
of God, in order to reach out to those who were most in need. The
streets and squares became his workplace, the field or playground
his meeting place and the place where he proclaimed the Gospel.
He welcomed young people without exception and without
prejudice, recognising and valuing what was in their hearts (their
dreams, their difficulties and their challenges). He walked with
them, adapting himself to their pace” (Salesian Youth Ministry Frame
of Reference, 41).
Don Bosco reinterpreted everything he experienced through his rich
personality and experience among young people lacking material,
psychosocial, and spiritual resources. And in this process he was convinced
of the preventive value of education in society, and of how prevention
is a criterion that permeates the educational relationship and calls for the
presence of a community/family strategically gathered around a project.
Prevention is the best way to educate: on one hand, it generates healing
and reconciliation processes; on the other hand, it has a clear vital
projection aimed at avoiding, from a promotional perspective, scenarios
of greater distress, building a proposal for young people for an integral and
healthy life (“upright citizens and good Christians”, Don Bosco).
❖ The preventive criterion was therefore the guiding principle of Don
Bosco’s educational practice. Today, this criterion continues to enlighten
and progressively guide the entire Salesian method: the vision of the
young person, educational purposes and objectives, content and means,
educational relationships, environment, and proposed activities. In other
words, there is a “preventive” way of being educators that involves
a particular way of thinking about young people, of being among them,
“loving what they love”, and making proposals that dynamically involve
each and every one of them.
39

4.10 Page 40

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
This is preventive thinking in the broadest sense of the term:
I. The “preventive criterion” aims to prevent harmful or distorting
experiences in young people. It includes the more protective-
negative sense of the term, that particular sensitivity necessary
for every educator to pay attention to everything that can could
be an irreversibly negative experience at a time when the young
person is developing. It is about anticipating the risk factors that
must be fought or contained, warning of the risk of internal or
environmental threats. Preventing in this case means reducing the
incidence of harm, avoiding, preventing, isolating, neutralising
negative and counterproductive elements; very often, in fact, the
educational proposal responds to social emergencies and, therefore,
offers assistance, defence, and social protection. Furthermore, it
seeks to address the root causes that lead to vulnerability and
exclusion.
II. On the other hand, it should be noted that prevention means
bringing out the best in everyone, positively influencing the young
by promoting constructive and edifying experiences. In this way, it is
not so much about containing the risks as it is about promoting and
improving the starting conditions and resources. So, through sports,
creative activities and cultural activities among others, the young
person’s process of maturing is activated, their human potential, their
opportunities to discover themselves and grow as individuals. In this
case, prevention is promoting, valuing, building, strengthening.
III. Thirdly, prevention includes interventions aimed at rehabilitating
and recovering those who suffer from complex, adverse, or conflict
situations, transforming these environments into true scenarios of
youthful resurrection.
“The defence, restitution and safeguarding of the rights of children,
teenagers and older youth – as well as their families, groups and
neighbourhoods – give the Salesian Preventive System a very
concrete characterisation and implementation. Mitigation of
social risk, the restoration of rights, and reintegration into social
life are the expected results of this pastoral action.” (Father Ángel
Fernández, AGC 438).
40

5 Pages 41-50

▲back to top

5.1 Page 41

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
❖ The two core areas identified as privileged places for the application of
the preventive criterion are relationships (as we explained above) and the
group: while the first is the privileged place for prevention, the second is
the essential condition for preventive education. The pedagogy of the
environment and the group is an experience of social integration for
learning to live in relationship and spontaneous dialogue, in autonomy and
interdependence, drawing on the resilient capabilities that young people
possess so that they can overcome the pain they have experienced and
strengthen their personality.
3 4 THE SOCIAL AND POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE
❖ Salesian social action and its response to the vulnerability and social
exclusion of young people necessarily has a political perspective. Its
Works and services promote prevention, reintegration, a culture of care
for others, as well as everything related to peace, justice, social dialogue,
environmental protection, and the reconstruction of family and social ties
that enable cohesion among peoples.
Our action must be transformative of people and the structures that
generate poverty. It must be prophetic, must denounce injustice, must
alleviate suffering, but take on the political implications of so-called “social
friendship”.
Social friendship, an expression of Pope Francis in his social Encyclical Fratelli
Tutti (2020), is closely linked to universal fraternity, leading to closeness
especially with the poorest and most needy. There is continuity between
friendship and fraternity; they are not two opposing areas, loving those
far away without loving those close to us to means deceiving ourselves.
The construction of this social “fraternity-friendship” pair urges us to
respond like Don Bosco who, with the attitude of the Good Samaritan,
could see human suffering, heal and cure the wounded, and reintegrate
them into the normalcy of life as a sign of Divine salvation.
“It is clear that we cannot speak of Salesian Social Works and
Services without recognising that we are involved in this call
to participate in the path of integral human development to
41

5.2 Page 42

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
which Pope Francis has invited the Church and the world. It is,
so to speak, the official agenda of the Church to which we are
institutionally aligned as a Congregation. This adds value to the
significance of our works, reinforces the charismatic identity of our
educational and social intervention and enlightens us in our choice
of allies and stakeholders.” (Father Ángel Fernández, AGC 438).
❖ We realise how many things we have forgotten in the name of progress
and economic growth. In many contexts we observe the existence of a
societal model that has confused ‘development’ with ‘growth or progress’.
‘Progress’ has shown us that the existence of people in situations of poverty
and exclusion becomes the most visible sign of their crisis and contradiction.
These situations of inequality are the most significant proof of a social
model that is moving in a direction that does not correspond to God’s
plan for humanity. Therefore, an essential element is the development
of critical-social thinking regarding our own environment and the
world, with new criteria of analysis.
We have a challenge of stance and testimony in our action, of proclamation
and denunciation. The first victory of solidarity occurs in the arena of what
we say. We do not need violent actions; our action is rooted in the dynamics
of reason and justice.
Given that these presences have a high social impact, it is necessary to say
that they also enjoy political ramifications, as the defence and promotion
of various human rights conventions, particularly that of minors, places us in
an active position of political influence or advocacy, working in collaboration
with states and other organisations responsible for ensuring people’s
development. With Development Cooperation, moreover, situations that
have become invisible and hidden in the social geography are made visible.
“While not getting involved in ideologies or party politics, we reject
everything that encourages deprivation, injustice and violence. We
cooperate with all who are trying to build a society more worthy of
human dignity. The advancement to which we dedicate ourselves in
the spirit of the gospel makes tangible the love of Christ which sets
us free, and is a sign that the Kingdom of God is among us.” (C. 33).
It is the denunciation of cover-ups (the most dangerous form of lying!),
of concealing unjust structural realities, of moving towards a future that
42

5.3 Page 43

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
is currently denied, of denying personal and collective responsibility. We
must be critical in order to be constructive, expressing problems to address
them without harming people.
❖ The small commitment “for others” brings new responsibilities, forces
one to search for, to find new energies. It makes one capable of resisting
and reacting to difficulties, possible crises, and negative events. Small
potential steps, so long as they are experienced fully, transform. This is
why we help young people rediscover a greater adherence to the typical
elements of Christian humanism, as far as their commitment in the world
is concerned.
Educational activity in these Works and services prepares and helps young
people to engage in their surrounds. At the same time, it promotes the
care of our common home. We include the responsibility to preserve a
whole and healthy environment for all people in our educational proposal.
Pope Francis, in his Encyclical Laudato Si’, has effectively introduced this
issue into educational and social reflection, connecting the environmental
crisis and the social crisis, and calling for both social dialogue to achieve
sustainable development and the need for a human and integral ecology.
As educators, we take on the fact that concern for nature and justice for
the poor are inseparable, and we promote an ecological approach that
listens to both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.
43

5.4 Page 44

▲back to top
THE EDUCATIVE AND PASTORAL PROJECT OF THE WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
44

5.5 Page 45

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL
ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES
FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF
VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
CHAPTER
IV
45

5.6 Page 46

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
4 1 MAIN INTERVENTIONS IN THIS PROPOSAL
So the time has come to provide, in an open and non-exclusive manner, at
least three specific strategic priorities that allow us to act effectively.
4 1 1 In-depth knowledge of the youth reality
and cultural processes
❖ The educative and pastoral action in our territories cannot work only
with short-sighted perspectives that focus just on what is immediate and
at hand. We need a thorough approach to uncover the challenges posed
for us by social and cultural realities, enabling us to discover new paths
and engage with a perspective that humanises, transforms, and liberates.
It is urgent and necessary to cultivate direct knowledge of the root causes
of social exclusion and vulnerability. This reminds us that solidarity is an
open-eyed school. Father Cafasso advised Don Bosco to look at things
from the perspective of those on the outer, and to let himself be seen by the
children and poor youngsters of Turin. One’s awareness is prompted by what
one sees, especially when looking at the unpleasant face of poverty and the
exclusion of the poorest who have stopped hoping and often even desiring.
This image is the one presented to Don Bosco at the beginning of
his apostolate as an educator of young people. Today, once again,
maintaining the genuine Salesian perspective in all our Salesian
presences involves actively demonstrating closeness and being
present. We are captivated by the human face of so many young
people and feel motivated by the challenges of their situation to
be committed to them.
❖ It is necessary to be able to rely on EPC members capable of reflecting
on, organising experiences, collecting and analysing data that
allow us to measure the impact of the work carried out and evaluate
and strengthen our educative and pastoral service in every institution. To
implement this option, it is necessary to qualify the action we offer as
a Congregation to the neediest in each of these Works and services, to
avoid the risk of ourselves becoming just one more agent who violates
their dignity.
46

5.7 Page 47

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
Therefore, constant reflection on the effects of different types of poverty,
human mobility and exclusion and their influence on the youth world,
especially on the family, also implies a systematic collaboration among the
various institutions to be found in the area. Our charism asks us to carefully
perceive the cultural categories of the young, the needy, the minorities, to
contribute to rebuilding a new humanity, even starting from the margins
of history.
“our preferential option for the poorest young people means we
must necessarily look at the different environments they come
from. So the focus of these social works and services demands
reflection and interdisciplinary intervention which offers processes
of accompaniment for young people, their families (when they
have one) and their core social group. This says that situations
of poverty, wherever they arise, must be analysed seriously and
in depth. It is clear that we must have as much preparation and
expertise in accompanying people and communities in situations of
vulnerability just as we do in the other “common and traditional”
areas of our pastoral work, where we take care to respond to
various needs with professional and quality offers.” (Father Ángel
Fernández, AGC 438).
A plan for integral accompaniment
412
❖ An individual grows through slow and gradual processes. By this we
mean that transformation processes take precedence over immediate
results. Therefore, our action is essentially the accompaniment of integral
processes of personalised development.
This accompaniment of processes is a characteristic that deserves Salesian
attention: it is an integral accompaniment that does not focus on partial
elements of the individual. This proposal for overall development, which
encompasses all the life experiences of young people and all dimensions of
their person (personal, family, sociocultural, environmental, sociopolitical,
and ethical-religious), will constantly and systematically take into account
their personal resources, so that they themselves can increasingly become
the protagonists of their own lives.
47

5.8 Page 48

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
That is why the social sector model encourages an interdisciplinary
approach and develops a specific educational support plan for each young
person. This plan is the basis for accompanying them, evaluating their
progress, and deciding together with them when the objectives have been
achieved. All educators, as a consequence, will have progressively acquired
a theoretical background and basic attitudes regarding accompaniment
as a transformative process involving dialogue.
❖ The SEPP of a work explicitly dedicated to serving young people in
situations of vulnerability and exclusion, plans policies and care strategies
and support that involve:
◗◗ Approaching the reality of young people, being interested in and
knowing about it, sharing their interests in their world and where
they live, welcoming them unconditionally from the outset.
◗◗ Valuing the talents of each individual, giving everyone the opportunity
to develop and achieve their potential, also known as “gifts”, in a
continuous journey that also becomes a guide for the construction
of the individual’s life project, involving all aspects of their humanity:
intellectual, physical, ethical, social, and religious.
◗◗ Implementing significant interventions for the education and personal
guidance of young people, helping them to accept themselves and
then offering them the opportunity to rehabilitate and positively
redirect their lives (cultivating appropriate attitudes for a healthy
relationship with themselves and with others).
◗◗ Knowing their religious world, offering experiences that from the
beginning can encourage the growth of their spiritual dimension and
help them personally assimilate educational, religious, and gospel
values.
◗◗ Helping them discover and experience the loving and fatherly
presence of God in their lives, creating conditions for a personal,
patient, trusting and confidential encounter between the educator
and the young person.
◗◗ Proposing concrete activities for bodies interested in young people to
keep them away from violence, drugs, and organised crime. Sports,
48

5.9 Page 49

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
music, dance, games and other artistic activities are essential for
intellectual and motor development; but they also improve social skills
and integrate young people into the community, offering additional
options for healthy entertainment and/or distraction. Examples
of such initiatives include, among others, sports tournaments,
integration games and teamwork activities, and singing and acting
competitions.
◗◗ Redefining the dreams of many people who are living, now more than
ever, in a situation of human mobility (migrants, refugees, displaced
people). Addressing this situation through the four verbs promoted
by Pope Francis at the International Forum on Migration and Peace in
February 2017: “welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.”
The implementation of a migration project inevitably involves often
unpredictable challenges, especially for the individual concerned
but also for the host society. When this process, moreover, occurs
during adolescence, characterised by insecurities, doubts about the
future, and difficulties in prioritising goals, its impact increases
exponentially.
◗◗ Motivating young people to participate in solidarity initiatives
through volunteer activities where they take care of others in order
to gradually involve them in active citizenship.
◗◗ Accompanying young people in the transition to adulthood by
establishing educational and work paths that allow for recovery,
activation, and approaching the world of work.
◗◗ In the same way, we also accompany situations where very different
people come together such as interculturality, where conflicts accompany
relationships and influence peace and how people live together.
4 1 3 Development of network programs and projects
❖ Salesian accompaniment is not just a methodology, but it follows the
Salesian intervention model, a humanistic model where the helping
relationship involves empathy, connection with others, and care
for life.
49

5.10 Page 50

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
There are Salesian works and services that take care of life, especially
when it is most threatened (area of exclusion). They take care of fragility,
especially of the most vulnerable individuals (area of health). They take
care of the earth, especially where it has been damaged by human abuse
(ecological realm). They take care of a just and equitable world (area of
cooperation).
Given the vastness of the fronts engulfing us, we must consider intentionally
planned and multidisciplinary actions aimed at achieving a goal with a
specific population, always within an institutionally established framework.
In other words, it is about developing transformation tools and processes,
given the increasing complexity of social phenomena.
To achieve educative and pastoral activity of quality, insights,
sporadic experiences, or good personal intentions generated by
philanthropy are not enough. In other words, just any kind of help
does not work and just any kind of action does not work.
❖ Hence it is useful in the first instance for this commitment to be specified
in the Province SEPP, indicating in which places educative and pastoral
services are developed, clearly defining objectives, timelines, teams,
methodologies, as well as the indicators that will help the Province to
strengthen them. Considering that these are educational and evangelising
places, it is necessary to ensure the dignity of the spaces, work materials, and
all types of resources that make working with the poorest an opportunity
to raise their quality of life. It is about building an ideal reference shared
by all the people involved in the form of principles and values that must
guide educative and pastoral activity.
Secondly, it is necessary that every EPC periodically includes a study of
youth culture in its local SEPP and examines it with an attitude of faith
and discernment. The encounter with the real situation of young people
must be the starting point and, for this encounter to be honest, it must be
imbued with listening and courage.
Additionally, any self-referentiality in the mission will be avoided to the
extent that this in-depth knowledge of the youth reality is supported by
networking and coordination with other church and civic bodies present
in the immediate environment.
50

6 Pages 51-60

▲back to top

6.1 Page 51

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
The journey which the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Project
(SEPP) aims at for this setting sees to the articulation of its four
dimensions with true apostolic zeal, so that by accompanying the
educational process of young people in relation to their family (if
they have one) and their environment, a true redesigning of culture
takes place, mitigating the devastation of social evil found in their
personal story. In our ecclesial commitment for the salvation of
humanity, we strive to build processes of reintegration of these
young people once left on the margins, excluded from society, to
return them to it as people capable of autonomous development,
as active and believing citizens – with absolute respect for their
freedom. (Father Ángel Fernández, AGC 438).
❖ This organisational model, in which the participation and involvement
of the EPC play a crucial role, allows it to gain not only experience in
accompanying people but also in how it measures and organises its
pedagogical knowledge. In this regard, many contexts have implemented
management and quality systems that allow the monitoring and continuous
improvement of services; moreover, they have promoted measurement
and communication mechanisms to involve all levels of the Congregation
in understanding the impacts of the environment, enabling processes
of reflection and decision-making and the responsible involvement of
institutional bodies. This allows them, in turn, to prepare the social balance
sheet of their activity.
Finally, it is necessary to optimise the digital dimension, adapting the
technologies available, thus bridging the gap between the social and
digital sectors: it is an important aspect today for the transformative social
intervention action that we Salesians are called to realise in people’s lives
and in society itself.
❖ Faced with a world interconnected by interests and issues, we need to
create bridges, alliances at the local, provincial and regional levels.
In some cases, this type of operational-level cooperation continues to pose
a challenge. The practice encounters barriers of different nature such as
the differentiation of vulnerable groups, resistance to change, diversity of
interests, or lack of adaptability and flexibility. Nevertheless:
I. Awareness of networking collaboration is growing, first of all, among
Salesian Works in this setting to strengthen themselves corporately
51

6.2 Page 52

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
in the region, as well as with the Works from other Salesian settings
which are called to open their doors to the neediest, promoting
the use of their facilities and facilitating their integration into their
educational offerings.
In this regard it is necessary to strengthen internal communication
networks to promote common reflection and to be able to share best
practices, tools, and protocols used. The creation of this information
network regarding these presences and their projects, programs, and
activities provides feedback for the effective implementation of their
educational and social reintegration processes.
II. 2) We must see social reality as a set of connections, where
institutions and individuals (social actors, church institutions, social
services, public administrations, and international associations)
are involved in common relationships and solutions. As a result,
the development of programs and projects in this educative and
pastoral setting is clearly advantageous if there is networking
with other civil and religious organisations that share similar
objectives.
One aspect to consider is the ability to engage in dialogue and
negotiation with both government and non-government institutions
for participation in projects or for requesting resources without giving
up the values that promote Christian ethics.
III. It is necessary to strengthen the involvement of provinces in
competent civil organisations in order to follow up the development
of youth social policies and participate in reflection, and in
how legislative decisions are arrived at. Working in a network
represents a challenge for Salesian institutions because it allows
them to acquire greater skills for the delivery of their services, while
also sharing their best practices so that they can be replicated by
others.
52

6.3 Page 53

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
4 2 STRUCTURES OF PARTICIPATION AND RESPONSIBILITY
4 2 1 At the local level
❖ Faced with the speed of significant changes in our societies, all
Salesian presences in the province, in each of the pastoral settings where
they serve, must provide effective responses to the different types
of poverty that cause vulnerability and exclusion within their
environment by initiating coordinated processes involving the various
actors in the area and committing to finding the best solutions to help
alleviate social malaise.
In the specific Works and services in the setting that work with young
people in situations of vulnerability and exclusion, attention to young
people in difficulty must be developed by considering the commitment to
establish interdisciplinary teams in all Salesian settings that are adequately
formed and trained, ensuring a Salesian social action of quality and
professionalism.
❖ The sense of openness of the Work to the environment and to the youth
world is important, as well as the strengthening of a well-articulated
planning mentality suitable for the criteria and needs of educative and
pastoral work with these young people. In the same way, attention to the
dynamics and functioning of the Work itself is fundamental to avoid any
type of exclusion, as well as the presence, participation, and involvement
of young people in activities and groups. Similarly, constant research into
the quality of processes and educational programs is necessary, as required
by the circumstances of their beneficiaries.
❖ Specific Works intended for the pastoral care of young people in
situations of vulnerability and exclusion have accumulated a large number
of criteria and interventions that give their management its identity. Like
every Salesian work, and this one in particular, it must be an educative
and pastoral presence with proper management and administration of
the corresponding financial resources. It is a challenge to achieve greater
diversification of funding sources to attain independence and autonomy,
as well as a stronger commitment to sustainability in order to ensure an
effective and sustainable long-term financial model.
53

6.4 Page 54

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
At the same time, it requires a deep understanding of the legal frameworks
of each country for the implementation and work with minors and people
in vulnerable situations.
“As in any process of growth and maturation of institutions, it is
necessary to plan the future of these works, but always ensuring
that they respond with quality and dignity to the needs of their
beneficiaries. It is necessary to overcome the mentality, still
persistent in some provinces, that causes there to be a gap and
a difference between the buildings, equipment and profiles of the
educators and operators of the works that cater to young people
living without economic deprivation and those that cater to the
poorest. This perpetuates the difference between those who have
more opportunities and those who are less favoured and, to be
faithful to the Lord Jesus and Don Bosco, we cannot allow this,
because the poor deserve the best from us – as we learned from Don
Bosco.” (Father Ángel Fernández, AGC 438).
❖ As we have stated above, it becomes urgent and necessary to strengthen
the capacity of local bodies for territorial networking, taking care of
the political impact of their environment, also expanding cooperation with
platforms, networks, participation and social advocacy movements, and
civic solidarity initiatives.
4 2 2 At the province and inter-province level
❖ There is growing sensitivity and concern, reflection and commitment
in the Provinces with regard to the world of young people in situations
of vulnerability and exclusion. This category of Works and services is not
an isolated initiative, identified with some particular presence or driven
exclusively by personal initiatives. Faced with individualism based on distrust
and self-sufficiency, the proposal is clear: an “institutional sensitivity”
that is reflected in the conclusions of Chapters and Province assemblies, as
well as in the instructions and guidelines of official documents.
The OPP and SEPP, as we have been saying, in keeping with their options,
policies and strategies on behalf of the poorest, direct an organic and
networked kind of animation, with collaboration in all fields with the
Salesian Family and other church and civil organisations.
54

6.5 Page 55

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
The Youth Ministry Delegate and the Delegate for Province/National
Coordination for Works and services for young people in situations
of vulnerability and exclusion ensure that there are guidelines in
the SEPP for guaranteeing charismatic identity, the pedagogical and
organisational models that provide solidity to local processes and
establish methodologies for monitoring, evaluation, and feedback at
the province/national level.
The Provincial Coordinator of this setting is part of the Province’s Salesian
Youth Ministry team. The role of national and regional province teams and
commissions who support the Provinces in the development of this Salesian
action is important.
Moreover, it should be considered as a key criterion for vocational
discernment in the initial formation houses of the Salesians, that
young confreres take up and experience the option for our priority, the
poorest youth, as an expression of their Salesian vocation and as a clear
priority in the mission.
❖ The establishment of Salesian networks at the provincial and national
levels allows for coordination in projects, support in the mission, and
transparency in administration. The national and regional Salesian
networks give a sense of unity and belonging to a large national
and international movement, which showcases the Church and the
Congregation in their commitment to building justice, peace, and social
friendship.
Some of the most important tasks of these networks are:
◗◗ joint reflection on the different aspects of young people in situations
of vulnerability and exclusion in different countries;
◗◗ the offer of data on the indicators established in Salesian Works
encouraging social cohesion;
◗◗ the joint formation of EPC members working in the social sector;
◗◗ and the joint formulation of projects that have a coordinated impact
on different geographical areas that suffer from the common
consequences of various forms of poverty.
55

6.6 Page 56

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
This joint effort strengthens institutional development that makes
it possible for Works to provide their services in a competent way,
increases the capacity to negotiate resources for the mission with
institutions that guarantee rights, and expands the capacity for
political influence, giving a voice to the violated in decision-making
settings that should promote the well-being of individuals.
❖ It is particularly important in the animation and coordination of this
setting to work in an organised way with the Province’s Planning and
Development Office (PDO). This office provides support to the Province
and social works to acquire skills for planning, implementing, analysing
data, and establishing measurement tools in the evaluation of projects that
aim to carry out development actions for young people and social groups.
The PDO also searches for sources of funding for them and carries out other
actions that lead to institutional strengthening.
The Works and services aimed at young people in situations of vulnerability
and exclusion follow the rules of each province for the presentation
of financial projects or to obtain financial resources through the PDO,
increasing the culture of transparent responsibility with regard to the
province and society in general. The publication of the social balance sheet,
political impact, participation in networks and inter-institutional alliances,
strengthen the capacity of the Works to secure the resources necessary for
their functioning.
In some contexts, the fundraising functions of the PDO are integrated within
the same Salesian Work which has its own fundraising systems/teams.
Many provinces have developed funding strategies with other institutions,
both public and private, that share and mutually integrate their services.
The generation of these alliances makes us aware that it is not only the
Salesian Congregation that has to respond to social problems, but that it
is involved as one actor that generates social change together with others.
56

6.7 Page 57

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
CONCLUSION
57

6.8 Page 58

▲back to top
CONCLUSION
FROM THE TRAP OF WITHDRAWAL TO MOBILISATION
TOWARDS UNKNOWN TERRITORIES
There are hidden and irrelevant vulnerabilities (not highlighted or
represented) that are submerged in anonymity and lead many people into
the dark corners of exclusion. Like the illustrations of the text about that
widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17), with only that son who was everything to
her. Two lives buried in a single coffin, hers and her son’s. There are so
many stories like that today, so many families where death is at home.
Jesus felt sad at the woman’s pain. He sees her tears and is moved, does
not continue on but stops, and says softly: woman, do not weep. But he
is not satisfied with just drying her tears. Jesus consoles her and frees her.
We too, the Salesians of Don Bosco, have not lost the ability to be led by
the Spirit, to develop an action like that of Jesus which is truly inclusive,
human, and transcendent.
We realise that today it is necessary to engage with people’s contexts,
which are not all internal to our institution, our centres and services. Going
out on the street to search for real life stories, to sow hope becomes a
necessity. There is only one way to get to know a person, a country, or a
suffering: by stopping, kneeling down, and looking closely at this person,
looking at the faces of others, their eyes, their voice. When you stop to be
with someone, you have already done a lot for the history of the world.
Our educative and pastoral action of “going forth” (like the Church)
requires time and commitment, entails being creative and, at the same
time, learning with and learning from others about the pioneering initiatives
carried out by other bodies within or outside the Congregation. Mobilising
together towards the new peripheries as an institution implies generating
empathy, mutual support, motivation, greater security to innovate and
transform local practice.
58

6.9 Page 59

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
59

6.10 Page 60

▲back to top
THE SYSTEMATIC PASTORAL ANIMATION OF WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
60

7 Pages 61-70

▲back to top

7.1 Page 61

▲back to top
WORKS AND SERVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS OF VULNERABILITY AND EXCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES
Saint Paul VI, Encyclical Populorum Progressio (1967).
Saint John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Reconciliatio et Paenitentia (1985).
Saint John Paul II, Encyclical Sollicitudo Rei Sociallis (1987).
Benedict XVI, Encyclical Deus Caritas Est (2005).
Benedict XVI, Encyclical Caritas in Veritate (2009).
Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (2014).
Francis, Encyclical Laudato Si’ (2015).
Francis, Encyclical Fratelli Tutti (2020).
John Bosco, Memoirs of the Oratory of Saint Francis de Sales from 1815 to 1855
John Bosco, The “General articles” of the “Regulations for the houses” [1877].
John Bosco, Historical Outlines Concerning the Oratory of St Francis de Sales [1862-63].
Salesian Youth Ministry Sector, Salesian Youth Ministry. Frame of Reference (Rome, 2014).
Youth Ministry Sector, Youth Ministry and Family (Rome, 2021).
Youth Ministry Sector, A youth ministry that educates to love (Rome, 2023).
61

7.2 Page 62

▲back to top
62

7.3 Page 63

▲back to top

7.4 Page 64

▲back to top