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On the 19th March and 04th June 2025, DBYN and its partners organised webinars on three of the Cultural Routes and generally the Cultural Routes programme of the Council of Europe and the Jubilee year 2025, as a part of the Young Pilgrims of Hope project. This project financed by the European Union aims to link our cultural heritage of pilgrimage routes with European values: inter-religious dialogue, inclusion & solidarity, sustainability & the environment, civic engagement & youth participation. Young people from Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Malta and Spain are coming together to learn and share. These online webinar aimed to give more background on cultural routes and the programme in general.
After its launch during the summer of 2024, DBYN and Bosco Base have continued their partnership to improve the Animakit app in order for it to be available to more young people. We are happy to share that the games are now available not just in English and Dutch but also in Hungarian, French and that the translations have started in German, Italian and Spanish which will be uploaded in the future. The games, as well as the included dice and randomiser, are useful tools for all animators, especially during the summer time with summer camps and other animation possibilities. You can download it for free through the links down below: 📥 App Store: https://apps.apple.com/be/app/animakit/id1110663829?l=nl 📥 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.donboscoyouth.animakit We want to thank the volunteers for the translations they have done. For any questions and comments or if you would like to help translate it in your local language, you can contact Don Bosco Youth Net.
Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is an international network of Salesian youth work offices and youth organisations which work in the style of Don Bosco. The network assemblies 18 organisations, +1.000 employees and +9.000 volunteers, who cater for over 125.000 children and young people in 16 European countries. The task of the network is to create and promote international activities for and by young. Next to that we create possibilities for our member organisations to share their good practices and start-up new projects together. Furthermore, we represent the voice of Don Bosco young people on European and international level through advocacy work. All actions which we carry out within the network are based on the pedagogical system of Don Bosco, a pedagogical approach with a tradition of over 170 years.
Bosco Base is the Salesian Youth organisation in Flanders, Belgium. Bosco Base guides young people in their journey from animator to instructor and in their commitment as volunteers. Bosco Base provides formation and support according to Don Bosco's pedagogical vision. By taking up an engagement in youth work at home or abroad, young people acquire skills for life. DBYN is glad to share that one of its youth representatives and representative for TGS Nazionale, Gabriele Giovagnoli, will be in Brussels on 27-28 March to officially represent DBYN, the European network of Salesian Youth Organisations for the kick-off meeting of the ‘EU Youth Stakeholders Group’ set up by the European Commission. (an excerpt from the Commission's website): ‘The objective of the working group is to involve European youth organisations, national youth councils, youth researchers, representatives of Member States and other EU institutions in the implementation of the legacy of the European Year of Youth 2022 and the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027, as well as to facilitate exchanges and consultations of young people on upcoming EU policy initiatives. The group aims to:
All EU Member States and national youth councils have been invited to appoint representatives to the group. In July 2024, the European Commission launched an open call for European-wide youth organisations interested in becoming members of the group. Of the 76 applications received, 66 were deemed eligible. Based on the selection criteria described in the call for expressions of interest and the need to ensure a balance between geographical coverage, sectoral expertise and diversity, 41 international non-governmental youth organisations (IYNGOs) were selected, including Don Bosco Youth-Net. At the following link you can see the complete list of group members. We wish them all good work! (This article can be found in Italian here)
 (DBYN – Heverlee) – “Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw”, the European network of Salesian youth organisations, in partnership with Bosco Base, the Salesian Youth organisation in Flanders (BEN) is launching AnimaKit, their new app for Games and Tools for animators. After more than 2 years of brainstorming and hard work, AnimaKit is now available on both the AppStore (iOS) and the PlayStore (Android). Thought as a toolkit for Salesian animators, it can be used by youth workers and educators in schools, youth centres and parishes. The app is a collection of games and activities that can be used for different age groups, different spaces, different situations and different group sizes. The app also includes a dice roller and a randomiser where you are given 3 prompts to create your own activities. The app has been built to accommodate future growth as well. It is for now available in English and in Dutch but could have more languages in the future as well as other categories such as Good Nights ideas which will be implemented in the near future and information about the different youth organisations. So, feel free to download it and check it out! 📥 App Store: https://apps.apple.com/be/app/animakit/id1110663829?l=nl 📥 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.donboscoyouth.animakit 
 On the 10th and 11th January 2024, the A.B. members from DBYN met in Paris (FR) to continue working on the general management, the finances, as well as the programme of the next meeting of the G.E.B. in March 2024. First steps to develop our next Master Plan were taken and this will be continued during the meeting in March.
Do you want to know more about it? Stay tuned! We are looking forward to meeting our MO's representatives in Assel (NL). Thank you Mike, Niklas, Jonny, Gabriele and Marieke for your time and work! On the 26th April 2023, DBYN was invited to participate in a European Parliament’s Breakfast Event titled: ‘Work and loneliness: Quality resting time for an improved mental health of workers.’ The Event organized by the European Sunday Alliance was co-moderated by the Members of its Steering Committee: the European Confederation of Independent Trade Unions (CESI), The Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) and The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE).
 Sara Sechi & Simona Di Dio (DBI), Begoña Ros Gras (DBYN)
In preparation for its General Executive Body meeting in October the Administrative board of DBYN met in Leuven from the 15th-16th May 2023. Aktionszentrum - Germany, Bosco Base - Belgium, and the Salesian Youth Ministry - UK as well as the president and the staff were in attendance for the meeting and met to discuss the state of affairs, updates from the member organisations, looking at the projects that have already taken place in 2023, as well as the projects that are coming up. There was also a discussion about the different working groups and the process for hiring a communications officer.  From left to right: Br. Mike - AZ, Jonny - SYM UK, Auberie, Niklas - President of DBYN, Begoña, Marieke - Bosco Base. From the 12th to the 15th October, all member organisations will meet again for a network meeting and the next general assembly to network, to discuss upcoming projects and to brainstorm ideas for future projects.
Also, after 3 years, there will also be the elections for the next Administrative Board, and the next president, with the previous elections taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is an opportunity for member organisations to better shape the work of the network and ensure we meet the current needs of young people. From Friday 11th to Sunday 13th March 2023, the member organisations (MOs) of DBYN came together in Sliema, Malta for their Annual General Executive Body (G.E.B) meeting.
13 representatives from as many countries attended the meeting hosted by our Maltese member organisation SPYS (Salesian Pastoral Youth Service). The first day was an opportunity to get to know any new representatives and for the more experienced members to re-connect with each other. We also took the time to present the member organisations and to ask ourselves questions to go deeper in our work and to know the other MOs better. The group were then given the opportunity to visit St Patrick’s Salesian School & Residential care in the late morning, and then visit Valetta in the afternoon with several stops to get to know the work of SPYS and the Salesians in and around Malta (Friends of Don Bosco & Past pupils, YES – Youths Engaged in Senglea, the oratories, SPYS). On the Saturday, the work of the G.E.B began. The body met to look ahead to the activities that were scheduled in 2023, and to hear about the activities of each member organisation present. It was also an opportunity to look at the state of affairs of the network. We were also introduced to the newest staff member to DBYN, Begoña Ros Gras. Begoña is joining DBYN as Project Coordinator and Fundraising officer and has been volunteering for DBYN as an international representative since 2019. Once we had concluded the business of the network, SPYS took us over to Dingli to see the sunset from the Dingli cliffs before visiting Savio college and sharing a nice meal with Maltese specialities. During the next G.E.B meeting in October, the elections for the presidency and the board will take place and we will also continue working together in the network to offer opportunities to young people. Our stay in Malta was appreciated by all representatives and we have been able to get even more connected to each other than before. We would like to thank the whole hosting team for the preparation of the meeting and their warm welcoming. Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern, Don Bosco Ukraine, Jeugddienst Don Bosco and the Salesian Youth Ministry GBR, all members of the administrative body of DBYN, met from 12-14 January 2023 in Jünkerath for the first administrative board meeting of the year.  Auberie Samson, Br. Mike Goldsmits, Jonathan Dearden, Oleksii Dyshel, Lien Vanhecke, Niklas Gregull From Thursday 12th January 2023 to Saturday 14th January 2023, the administrative board of DBYN met in Don Bosco Jünkerath to organise the year 2023 and work on the outcomes of the General Executive Body of October 2022. Our Ukrainian delegate joined the meeting online.
On the agenda were the approval of reports, an update on all 2023 activities for young people, the brainstorm session on the future open vacancies in the international secretariat but also a visit to the Don Bosco projects in Helenenberg and Trier. The next general executive body and administrative body meetings will take place from 9th to 12th March 2023 in Malta, hosted by our member organisation Salesian Pastoral Youth Service (SPYS). Heverlee (Belgium), 24/05/2022, Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw, the European network of Salesian youth organisations, and its partners announce their 2-year project on the topic of volunteering: “The future is Europe: Voluntary service and social change”. “The Future is Europe” is an Erasmus+ small-scale partnership in youth Key Action 2 project starting in spring 2022 for the duration of two years. It was written and applied for by the Don Bosco Youth-Net Working Group on Volunteering and is aimed at young volunteers. The project’s aim is to help define a vision for voluntary service for the next years in setting long-term goals helping all partner organisations to develop concrete actions. All activities implemented for this project are built around four pillars: digitalisation, solidarity, employment and sustainability. These activities aim to raise awareness of young people on issues such as European citizenship, civic engagement and common values. They will connect young people from various countries and help them develop their soft skills, competences and their employability. This will help all partner organisations to create a model of education for active and European citizenship to be implemented in all countries involved and beyond. Presentation of the project and expected impact The project “The Future is Europe” consists of four activities build around an online preparatory meeting, an in-person seminar and an online follow-up meeting for each topic: ● “Volunteers for digital transformation” – Benediktbeuern (Germany), 29/08-01/09/2022 ● “Volunteers for solidarity” – Leuven (Belgium), 20-23/10/2022 ● “Volunteers for employment” – Campello (Spain), 27-30/04/2023 ● “Volunteers for sustainability” – Mogliano V.to / Venice (Italy), 03-06/08/2023 Expected project results include the strengthening of the voluntary service at European level for all partners involved, in order to reach more young people through quality projects, to have a strong impact on employability of young people through recognition of competencies gained during the experience, to provide digital solutions for networking and learning environments, including mentoring and general support during all the stages of a project. A final document, implemented during the whole duration of the project in the form of a policy paper, will be then disseminated at international, national, regional and local level, aiming to inspire other organisations active in the field of volunteering service and international youth mobility.  About the project partners Don Bosco Youth-Net (DBYN), based in Belgium, is the lead partner and coordinator of this project. It is the network of European Salesian youth organisations. Its own working group on Volunteering has made this project possible. Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern, based in Germany, is a youth centre for young people providing activities in the field of non-formal education, training of youth leaders and voluntary service. Confe Don Bosco, based in Spain, is a youth organisation that works to defend and promote children and young people, offering volunteering experiences, training opportunities and international camps. Jeugddienst Don Bosco, based in Belgium, is a non-governmental organisation offering participation in youth-led events and youth participation activities, providing activities in the field of non-formal education, training of youth leaders and voluntary service. Salesiani per il Sociale (SxS), based in Rome, Italy, is a network of more than 100 organisations engaged in the protection and support of minors and young people throughout Italy. Turismo Giovanile e Sociale, based in Rome, Italy, is a network of groups and associations actively promoting youth and social tourism all over Italy. TGS Eurogroup, based in Mogliano V.to / Venice, Italy, combines youth training activities in its home country as well as abroad with a concept of active, social and sustainable tourism. Salesian Pastoral Youth Service, based in Balzan, Malta, accompanies young people to discover authentic life values through local and international volunteering and training activities. Youth to Connect, based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is a youth-led project offering young people a volunteering experience within Europe, including guidance, preparation and evaluation.  Group picture of the Working Group on Volunteering in Benediktbeuern, Germany on 17-18 May 2022
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