It is in harmony with the "Program guidelines of the Rector Major for the Salesian Congregation" for the 2020-2026 term and with the strategy of the "Don Bosco Green Alliance" (DBGA). The meeting has been bolstered by Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Sì, and the project will promote education for sustainable development, environmental protection, and the adoption of sustainable lifestyles in the educational environments of 17 Salesian Provinces in Latin America. This has been the result of an effort of planning and networking which begun in 2018, in the context of developing the skills of the Planning and Development Offices (PDO) and the Vocational Training Centers (VTC) in the Salesian Regions.
During the workshop, the participants discussed strategies to give visibility and empower young people as Salesian environmental leaders, allowing them to generate a positive impact in their educational, family and territorial environments. Furthermore, the added initiative of measuring and mitigating the ecological footprint of Salesian educational institutions was begun, so that the impact of Salesian networking could have positive effect on the environment. This initiative is vital as this aspect affects young people and could jeopardize the principles of sustainable development.
The project will last two years (2022 and 2023) and is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is coordinated by the Salesian NGOs "Don Bosco Mondo" (DBM) of Bonn, Germany, and by the Projects Office of the Province of Bolivia (OFPROBOL), based in Cochabamba.
