Salesian Missionary Volunteers: Short- and Long-Stay Opportunities for 2024

October 5, 2023

The calls for short- and long-stay Salesian Missionary Volunteers for 2024 are already a reality. Last summer, 32 people participated in the short-stay international volunteer experience organized by the Santiago El Mayor Province (SSM), in collaboration with Salesian Missions and Youth and Development. In turn, during this year, eight people are living the medium and long-stay international experience of Salesian Missions and Youth and Development; and another five, who have already experienced the training process, will begin it at the beginning of 2024.

Los testimonials of people who carry out missionary volunteering confirm that they changes life. After a training process throughout the course, they embark on living the experience of service in Salesian social projects in different countries.

This year, 40 people have participated in the international volunteer programs. Thirteen countries in America and Africa have been the destinations of the volunteers who left their environments to know other realities, learn, grasp, empathize and contribute their talents in an attitude always of service. They did it in Venezuela (5 personas); Uganda (2 personas); Mexico (7 personas); Bolivia (5 personas); Peru (2 personas); Guatemala (2 personas); Colombia (3 personas); Angola (2 personas); Republic Dominican (3 personas), Mozambique (6 personas), Argentina (1 person) and Nigeria (2 personas).

The objectives of the Salesian Missionary Volunteering are, first of all, be formed in a human and Christian key to project life with a global dimension of solidarity. Then do community experience, teamwork, and coexistence with the people of the country that welcomes us. Also, acquire training to know and understand global inequality, living with the concrete reality of other countries. In addition, collaborate in the projects that are being developed in the destination places and, finally, acquire knowledge and motivation to become, upon returning to Spain, agents of awareness and social change.

The Short Stay Volunteers will begin their training on October 21 and 22 with a meeting in León

The Short Stay Salesian Missionary Volunteering experience goes addressed to animators of youth centers, teachers of Salesian schools and vocational training centers, educators of Social Platforms, catechistsmembers of the Salesian Family and, in general, to young people who share the Christian and Salesian identity, and what have turned 21 years old.

Las dates planned for the training calendar of this course are the following: October 21 and 22Provincial Meeting of Missionary Animation and Volunteering in León. He December 2 and 3Specific training of Salesian Missionary Volunteering in El Plantío (Madrid)). He March 16 and 17 Specific training of Salesian Missionary Volunteering in Mataelpino (Madrid)and the June 1 and 2 Provincial Meeting of Missionary Animation and Volunteering in Astudillo (Palencia)with the ceremony of sending the volunteers.

Medium and Long Stay Volunteering will begin its training in January 2024

The destinations of the Salesian Missionary Volunteering will be in America, Africa and Asia. Will look for a destination appropriate to the profile of each person and the knowledge of the language. The volunteer experience will be carried out in projects of childhood in a vulnerable situation, training and job training, literacyworkshops, animation and idleness in it leisurehealth care, vocational training courses for teachers and students, among others.

The volunteers They will share life with the Salesian community of destination, which requires the capacity for adaptation and integration. It is important to situate the experience of missionary volunteering as a immersion in the reality of concrete projectsavoiding other interests.

The Medium and Long Term Volunteering will begin its training in January 2024 with three face-to-face meetings and one online training. The call for this modality will be launched on October 24. For more information you can write to volunteerado@misionessalesianas.org.