Are you active in the spirit Don Bosco as an animator or trainer? Do you have experience as a trainer on a local level but want to expand your horizon? You are interested in learning about working with international groups? You want to develop your own trainings in an international environment?
 
‘Rise Up!’ is a 5-day European training course for (international) trainers, where you can meet people from over 10 European countries. The TC will focus on training basic and advanced competences of trainers. You will get input on intercultural learning processes, general training skills, DBYN’s educational style, safeguarding and conflict management. Additionally you get the chance to actively work in international groups and try new methods and approaches in a safe environment.
Next to this you will be sharing your own experiences, work on leadership skills, reflect on intercultural learning processes and much more.
 
The TC takes at the Burg Wildegg near Vienna (AT). The training course will take place from the 27th of October until the 2nd of November 2017.
 
Are you interested in taking part?  Contact your local DBYN organisation for more information and the registration procedure, or visit ​http://www.dbynbuildingcitizens.net/rise-up.html 

Don Bosco Youth-Net was created in 2001 to offer educational opportunities for Don Bosco youth in the growing EU. But Europe and its young people have changed strongly since then. In order to address these changes, DBYN organise a strategic network meeting 16-19 March 2017 at the Salesianum in Munich.
 
During the first day of work, representatives of member organisations were divided over 4 thematic working groups: Participation & Impact, Education, Representation and Spirituality. The working groups focused on bringing a new clarity on the needs of our member organisations and its youth. The outcomes fed into the annual meeting of DBYN’s General Executive Body. This is the main statutory meeting of the network, which apart from adopting the annual reports, started the development of a new strategic plan for 2018-2020 and a new work plan for the coming year.
 
DBYN also elected a new leadership. The network voted Aktionszentrum Benediktbeuern from Germany, Salesians of Austria, SPYS Malta and The Salesian Youth ministry office of Great-Britain as new members for the Administrative Body. They are responsible for the operational follow-up of the network. Fonny Grootjans was elected as a new president, who is taking over the presidency of Francesco Bagiolini.

On 23rd and 24th of November, Don Bosco Youth-Net participated in an expert seminar of ‘the EU-CoE Youth Partnership’. This is a cooperation between the Council of Europe and the European Commission in the youth field. The Expert seminar “Journeys to a new life” was organised by this cooperation in order to gather knowledge concerning the role of youth work for the inclusion of young refugees and migrants in Europe. By opening space for researchers, policy makers, youth workers and refugees to discuss this topic the aim is to find possibilities to improve youth work and its role in social inclusion in the three dimensions research, policy and practice.

As a participant from a practitioner’s point of view, Don Bosco Youth Net could share expertise and experience in working together with and for refugees. Especially the focus on refugees and Human rights education and the participation of young refugees in the seminars of DBYN, as well as two initiatives from Vienna (Sale for Youth, Don Bosco für Flüchtlinge) contributed as examples on how youth organisations and initiatives are important actors in social inclusion of refugees.

Although the background and situation of European countries and their role of youth work is often different, the output of the seminar showed important messages for improvement. It contains experienced good practices from the case studies, identified fields where deeper research is missing and policy recommendations to support youth work. More information, including the analytical papers and case studies can be found on the website of the seminar:
http://pjp-eu.coe.int/en/web/youth-partnership/refugees-seminar
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​13 to 16 October DBYN held a network meeting in Turin. Our hosts of Turismo Giovanile Sociale arranged accommodation at SERMIG  - Arsenale della Pace, close to Valdocco. The focus of the meeting was initiating a strategic reform process, which will run through the year 2017. The main aim is to bring DBYN close to the needs of current generation of young Europeans. We could also welcome Lithuanian and Albanian guests from the Don Bosco centres in Vilnius and Skhoder. They could experience how the governance of our network works, get to know the different member organisations and reflect on possible future cooperation.

My name is Salvi, I am an animator at Centro Juvenil Bosco in Cádiz (Spain) and now I am an intern of DBYN until February. For the end of my university studies I wanted to have a new international experience in the field of communication, so I decided to do this internship.  It is a challenge for me but I think I can do it very well because it has all I want for my personal and professional development: social communication and Don Bosco’s style.

Since 2010, I am animator at Centro Juvenil Bosco in Cádiz. Among other things, I have been responsible of the social networks (you can check it in twitter and instagram -@cjboscocadiz– and facebook) for the promotion of all activities which are carried out at the Oratory.
I have studied Audiovisual Communication at the University of Seville and I am finishing a master in Strategic Management and Innovation in Communication at the University of Cádiz. I want to specialize in communication for social change and development. I consider that this internship is perfect for this.

I am interested in the youth problems in the world. I think this internship is a very important experience to know more about this and to try to enhance the life of young people who are living in Europe. I think that with this internship I will grow personally and professionally. It is going to help me to be better person and to keep fighting for a better world.

A different story is going to start and I am keen on doing it real!
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Don Bosco Youth-Net is looking for a volunteer to support the ‘Summer Exchange of Animators’-project. The volunteer would start the voluntary service in January or February 2017. The voluntary service would last between 8 and 12 months. The volunteer will help with the preparation of actions which support the summer exchange (training course, publications …). The volunteer will have the chance to be active on at least one summer exchange itself. The volunteer will help with developing communication and promotion tools to increase the visibility of the summer exchange of animators.  For more information on the summer exchange of animators: www.summerexchangeofanimators.eu
 
The EVS project offers a unique opportunity to live in another European country and work for an international youth organisation. Apart from learning on-the-job, EVS includes different training activities for the volunteer. The volunteer will take part in the EVS training cycle: on-arrival training, midterm evaluation and final evaluation. The volunteer will also have the opportunity to learn Dutch and take part additional relevant trainings in support of the EVS.
 
DBYN aims to apply for the voluntary service the 1st of October 2016. In order to do so, we would like to plan the interviews with candidates before the 20th of September 2016. If you are interested please send an email, together with a motivation and curriculum vitae to projects@donboscoyouth.net.

​The deadline for applications is the 1st of September 2016.

The European Voluntary Service programme is being used by many of DBYN's member organisations. Several of our member organisations are sending or receiving EVS volunteers individually or in group. Next this are some of our members and our trainers active in the EVS training cycle. We also noticed that the numbers of EVS volunteers is reducing in our network. Apart from this our members which are not based in EU member states cannot apply themselves directly for EVS.  Therefore we decided to apply for an EVS accreditation for DBYN as ENGYO.  

With this accreditation we can act as sending and coordinating organisation for those of our member organisations which do not have the capacity for  this. At the same time DBYN will be able to host EVS volunteers in its international secretariat. In such an EVS the volunteer would be involved in the project management of our international activities, getting an on-the-job experience what it is to run an international network. If you are interested in this, don't hesitate to contact us !