After the presentation of each delegation, Fr Juan Pablo Alcas, Provincial of Peru, said, "The Lord wants us to be responsible for young people and our Salesian identity urges us to place ourselves among young people. This is the first step to being in their midst.”

Fr Uriel Jáuregui, Provincial Delegate for Youth Ministry, then outlined the topics to be developed during the meeting:

-           The Pastoral Proposal 2024-2026 (at the level of the Salesian Educative and Pastoral Plan and the Educative and Pastoral Community)

-           Faith Education processes – the Salesian Youth Movement – Vocational and Missionary Animation

-           A diagnosis of pastoral challenges for 2024

-           The Salesian-Lay Joint Formation project.

-           Don Bosco's Dream at Nine Years of age.

For his part, Fr Orozco stressed the importance of community. "The community that is not united dies" he recalled, before adding that "animation consists in building the vital unity of the community". He then gave responsibility to the role of the Rectors of the communities, reminding them that to carry out their task they must know how to discern the will of God "with intensity and rectitude".

On the second day, Alvaro Covarrubias, Director of the Province’s Planning and Development Office (PDO), spoke about the "Re-engineering Process of the Province" and its hierarchical organisation, also mentioning the four fundamental axes that support the proposal, namely having a focus that is:

–    General, with clear and crisp objectives;

–    Integral, through systematic development

–    Practical – friendly and simple

–    Original, with the aim of having legitimate support.

Fr Jáuregui then announced the change of the name from "Social Works and Services" to "Works and Services for Young People in Situations of Vulnerability and Exclusion". He also highlighted the inclusion of two sectors that run across everything, in addition to those already known: ecology (focused on the care of our common home) and advocacy (linked to the impact of Salesian work in civil society).

Several questions were offered for common reflection, which made it possible to know the circumstance, challenges and objectives of each Salesian house and, as well as the teams that animate them. Among the questions offered, were: "How do I dream of the pastoral care of my work and its environments? How to build at the level of the Educative and Pastoral Community (EPC)? How do we cultivate mutual trust?

This was a moment of common learning, in which Salesians and lay people were able to share and exchange experiences.

Furthermore, Fr Ángel Recuenco, Vocational Animator and Delegate for Missions and Volunteering, addressed some key points concerning the vocational culture and its process. And in this regard he indicated that one of the challenges in this area is to propose and accompany the process of vocational maturation of young people as a life project based on discipleship of Jesus, facilitating a decision-making process as a result of discernment, which strengthens their commitment within the Educative and Community and the Church.

To conclude the day, Fr. José Kamza presented the 2023 work report of the Delegation for Missions and Volunteering, as well as the pastoral proposal for 2024 and the document on the missionary vocation of the Missions Sector.

Finally, a thought offered by way of the Salesian "goodnight", the Provincial urged: "Dear confreres, let us return to the Dream at Nine Years of Age, from which all this takes meaning."

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