It is worth remembering what Don Bosco himself said about social communication: "We are in times when we need to operate. The world has become material, hence one must work and make known the good one does. If one does miracles by praying day and night while staying in his cell, the world does not pay attention and does not believe it anymore. The world needs to see and touch." (Biographical Memoirs XIII, 126-127).
The Salesian Bulletin is an initiative of Don Bosco himself. A long time has passed between the first issue in 1877 and the 2023 issues. The format has changed, it has been published in more countries and more languages. In recent years, thanks to the development of the Internet and social networks, the Salesian Bulletin has been present in the digital space. Those responsible for this extremely important part of the Salesian charism will meet in Turin in April 2023.
The meeting will be held from April 21 to 26 in Valdocco. It is being organized by the Sector for Social Communication, in the heart of the birth of the Salesian Congregation. Visits to places associated with Don Bosco are also planned. About 70 people from all over the world will participate in the meeting: SB Directors, contributors, reporters.
The charismatic dimension, the Salesian and professional dimensions, communicating today with Salesian identity, credibility and visibility in a changing society, the value, branding of the Salesian Bulletin, and the ongoing relationship with readers - these are some of the topics that will be covered during the meeting.
This meeting echoes the Rector Major's Guidelines for the Salesian Congregation after General Chapter 28. It will serve to reflect on the Rector Major's proposal (charismatic communication and Salesian mission) according to five dimensions of the Sector for Social Communication: living communication in an evangelical, synodal, Salesian, convergent and artistic way. Other objectives are the exchange of experiences among those involved in the SB around the world, as well as to animate, accompany and assist the renewal processes of the SB and orient the information policy of the SB accordingly.
During the meeting the aim is to:
- Share innovative and fruitful experiences of the SB of each Province;
- Get to know the management lines of the Sector for Social Communication in relation to the SB at the world level, networking, organization in the regions;
- Deepen the charismatic, Salesian, pastoral, professional, and management dimensions of the SB;
- Reflect on new readers in the digital environment and the new realities of the metaverse - a look toward the future;
- Discuss the issues for the Salesian Bulletin for the next 3 years, following the Congregation's planning;
"We would like to continue together the process of coordinating the paper publication activities of the SB worldwide and contribute to the digitization processes and relevant activities on the Internet and social media. An important task is to continue networking and learning from each other new solutions for the presentation of the Salesian charism," they say from the Social Communications Sector.
The most important task of SB publication is to help spread the Salesian charism around the world. The forms of publication change over time, but the content invariably concerns the activities of the Salesian Family. Certainly, the SB today is already a combination of printed and digital forms. In the rapidly changing world of digital media, this is an inevitable process. The development of new technologies requires us to be innovative.
