Costa Rica - Care of young people at risk

07 July 2016

(ANS - San José) - In 1846 Don Bosco was present during the execution of a man condemned to death. Don Bosco had earlier heard his confession and given him communion. At the moment of execution Don Bosco lost consciousness and fainted. This experience marked his life and he decided to work to ensure that no young person would end up in jail. The world is full of risks and millions of young people are at risk, and if schools do not implement good projects, generations of young people will be lost.

"Youth at risk" are those who display conditions that lead them to fall into behaviour or experiences harmful to themselves or to society. These ways of behaviour or experiences not only affect those who are exposed to risk, but also society in general and future generations.  Some of the signs are: dropping out of school, being without work, abuse of drugs, engaging in violent behaviour, early sexual activity and/or risky sexual practices.

To respond to this problem, twenty-five instructors and educators of CEDES Don Bosco in Alajuelita got together and studied how to apply the "Programme for the care of young people in situations of social risk".

The provincial team for the preferential option is responsible for this project.  According to the statistics, 60% of young people are laid off from their jobs because of poor formation in values ​​and social skills, that is, because of weakness in the human skills that would best equip them to enter the world of work.

CEDES Don Bosco has taken an initiative to integrate their curricula with a ''Programme for the care of young people in situations of social risk," in order to make the curricula more complete.

Another of the strategies is to give more power and responsibility and improve the training of teachers and educators, since they are in daily contact with the young people and, in addition to instructing them, are called to deal with their living situations and to accompany them at different times.

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ANS - “Agenzia iNfo Salesiana” is a on-line almost daily publication, the communication agency of the Salesian Congregation enrolled in the Press Register of the Tibunal of Rome as n 153/2007.

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