From 24 November until today, a Meeting of the Directors of the Salesian Publishing Houses of Europe ...
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From 24 November until today, a Meeting of the Directors of the Salesian Publishing Houses of Europe was held at the Generalate in Rome. It was organized by the Department for Social Communication. In addition to the planned objectives, the meeting decided to produce a website called Don Bosco Media.

The main objective was to study the situation of the Salesian publishing houses in Europe from the point of view of Information and Communication Technology. Other items on the agenda included new types of users, Salesian Pastoral Ministry, the economic situation and the market, agreements on common projects and collaboration at continental level.

The participants shared their views on the main challenges facing every publishing house from the perspective of the Salesian charism, new types of users, employees, and good practices already implemented.

Agreements were drawn up to promote collaboration at European level as we approach the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco in 2015. All the publishers shared their plans for that event.

The sixteen participants, including several members of the Department for Social Communication, were joined for the daily Eucharist by the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez; his vicar, Fr Adriano Bregolin; and the Economer General, Bro. Jean Paul Muller. Two talks were given: the first on the quality of the staff working in the field of publishing and the second on the administration of the publishing centres.

Among the initiatives taken during the meeting, was a decision to create the Don Bosco Media website, which aims to present Don Bosco’s work in the publishing field and to establish a point of contact and collaboration between European publishers. (ANS)
link: www.infoans.org/1.asp?sez=1&sotSez=13&doc=9972&lingua=2

6.2.4.1 Publishing Enterprises

81.


Don Bosco’s educational work ...
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6.2.4.1 Publishing Enterprises

81.


Don Bosco’s educational work bears the imprint of his work as a writer and editor. As an author he wrote devotional, training, education and schooling texts. To support his publishing activities he set up the Society for the dissemination of good press and founded the Printing Press at the Valdocco Oratory.

Vision

82.

•The Salesian publishing enterprises are part of the cultural, social and political life of the people, especially young people in ordinary settings, and are open to the cultures of countries where they are to understand them and inculturate the gospel message in them (cf. Constitutions Art. 7).
•Through their activities they help the Congregation play an active role in the process of evangelisation and catechesis, in society, school and culture; they regulate their editorial policy on the relationship between faith and culture as interpreted by the Magisterium; they acknowledge the authenticity of secular values [ or better, ’human’?? ], their autonomy and relevance to the faith, and reject any form of fundamentalism.
•They are a creative and educational presence in culture, paying particular attention to its popular and humanistic dimension, following Don Bosco and the Salesian tradition of education and pedagogy.
•Salesian Publishing operates in the field of education, evangelisation, catechesis, formation and education. These publishers are committed to facilitating the proclamation of the Gospel, accompanying the discovery and development of the faith, facilitating the synthesis between faith and culture, educating to a critical, aesthetic, moral sense, and promote openness to religion. (Cf. Constitutions Art. 31 and 34, Regulations Art 32).




Entrepreneurial structure




83.

•Following the example of Don Bosco, who gave stability to his publishing business, and as required by the Regulations (No. 31), Salesian Publishing houses are set up on a secure economic and legal basis.
•As for other works in the Province, the Provincial and his Council clearly define the legal structure of the Publishing House in accordance with applicable laws in the country, the owners, the object of its activity, its organisational structure, clear roles, responsibilities and functions. They exercise their continuing duty to monitor and address the situation.
•The owners of the Publishing House should set out in official documentation the core values, guidelines for decisions, policies, actions, scope: the basic reason for the existence of the publishers, the mission, the objectives to be pursued.
•The enterprise will develop a strategy to achieve the mission that was entrusted to it through an assessment of its strengths and weaknesses, its financial and human resources, its innovative capacity, and identify its target market area, core business, develop its strategic plan, as well as a financial and marketing plan, and set out its tasks: who does what, when and how.

link: www.sdb.org/en/Departments/Communication/Documents/SSCS_2011_SALESIAN_SYSTEM_OF_S#sec-1.6.2

Edebé-Brasil will give new prominence to the publication of digital resources for the education sec ...
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Edebé-Brasil will give new prominence to the publication of digital resources for the education sector. This is what the Salesian Publisher promised at its official launch yesterday, Thursday, 21 November. The ceremony was held at the Israel Pinheiro Congress Centre in Brasilia.

The event was attended by the directors of RSE, the Salesian Schools' Network, and Edebé-Spain; the directors and officials of the various members of the RSE, and many other personalities including Bishop Leonardo Steiner, Secretary General of the Brazilian Bishops' Conference; Fr Natale Vitali, Regional Councillor for the American Southern Cone; Sr. Maria del Carmem Canales, Councillor for Youth Ministry of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians; Fr Ángel Asurmendi, Provincial of Barcelona; Fr Nílson Faria dos Santos, President of the RSE; Sr. Rose Idália Pesca, Vice President; Fr Orestes Fistarol of the Conference of Religious of Brazil; and Fr José Marinoni, president of ANEC, the National Association of Catholic Education.

"What distinguishes Edebé-Brasil is that it started on the market as a digital publisher.This is what makes it original and important. It is a publisher that uses the tools of our time and concentrates on education. This led to its cooperation with Don Bosco Salesian education,” said Fr Nivaldo Luiz Pessinatti from the Executive Board of RSE.

Edebé-Brazilis the result of collaboration between RSB, the Salesian Network of Brazil, a body that has legal responsibility for RSE, and the Province of Barcelona, which coordinates the Edebé Spain publisher. The partnership was established on the recommendation of the Rector Major, Fr Pascual Chávez, who suggested in 2010 that the people in charge of the RSB make contact with the Spanish publisher which had extensive experience in educational publications and even then had the necessary tools and programmes for training in the digital sector. In 2011, there were several meetings and videoconferences between Edebé Spain and the RSB until, in March 2012, the General Assembly of the RSB approved the collaboration agreement.

"From there we developed an extensive and rigorous work plan to prepare teaching material for the RSE, which is the first production of Edebé-Brazil," added Fr Pessinatti.

Among Edebé–Brasil’s first projects is Esemtia, a management programme that facilitates the work of academic leaders and allows the integration of the Salesian educative-pastoral communities, and the development of the Digital Learning Materials of the RSE. These will be launched next year and will be the first digital book and digital notebook, learning tools that will enable students to access and interact with web resources. (ANS)
link: www.infoans.org/1.asp?sez=1&sotSez=13&doc=9955&lingua=2