Dear friends,
Work is a Blessing.
Once I had the opportunity to talk to an employee. I asked him: “Sir, I always see that you do your work with joy. Are you really happy?” He replied, “Father, keeping the campus clean is certainly a way of earning a living and supporting my family. But beyond that, I find working here a blessing in many ways. So how could I not enjoy it? I feel a responsibility to make sure that they and I become a true blessing to the institution.” That is inspiring.
I believe that work, for all its value, is a blessing. It allows us to grow as human beings and gives us self-fulfilment. It allows us to participate in His creation, to recreate it and “give” it dignity. Indeed, a blessing from God. Wherever we are, even in missions, when we look at work in this way, we begin to enjoy it and allow it to make us more human and more divine.
Fr Jose Lorbeth Vivo SDB
Member of Youth Ministry Sector
‘Don Bosco saw work done with love as something constitutive of the human being and, therefore, a duty and a responsibility towards oneself, towards society and towards God.’ (Peresson, 2010)
These words mobilise the hearts and hands of those who, at the forefront of education for work, find in this action the opportunity to transform the world with a creative and productive attitude that allows for the dignity of human beings and the consolidation of a just society.
It is therefore necessary to precisely define the roles involved in this exercise of consideration between the work carried out and the fair payment for its performance; according to UN data (2020), at the end of the second decade of the 21st century, about 500 million people do not have adequate economic recognition for their work, and it is believed that 1 in 5 workers do not receive sufficient pay to support themselves and their families in the minimum necessary conditions, representing for the ILO (2024) a further manifestation of modern slavery.
Considering this data and its implications, we are faced with the challenge of committing to support those who experience these difficulties in finding work, providing them with the necessary tools to enter the labour market with a defined and qualified task based on their skills, interests and possibilities in the context in which they are inserted, as expressed by the UNHCR (2024) when it refers to the fact that ‘education’ is the most effective weapon to counter this socio-occupational imbalance.
The charisma of Don Bosco, who supported dignified work and the education to achieve it, guides us in this challenge and shows us that ‘being faithful to his mission implies being faithful to the signs of the times’ and that we must act with the vocation of the father who cares, the teacher who educates, the craftsman who teaches and the leader who empowers. We must formalise the relationship between school and business, specifying the job functions required and offering the relevant training to meet this demand, so that the value of work is recognised in the market and the quality it represents in the final product that reaches the public.
Hernando Mendivelso Aponte
Provincial Coordinator of Professional Training, Colombia – Bogotá (COB)
Dear Sara, this month's topic is the world of work. Don Bosco trained poor children so that they could find a decent job with good working conditions. Do you think the Salesians still do this?
At DBI we not only think about this, but it is one of the key messages we promote in the European institutions (EU): the Salesians continue to train young people in vulnerable conditions and to facilitate a ‘fair’ entry into the world of work for them, guaranteeing dignity and rights. This is demonstrated, for example, by the partnerships with companies that support the centrality and respect of the person, reflecting the values of the Salesian mission. Furthermore, it is important to recognise that the Salesians value meritocracy, which is often ignored in many sectors. The concrete testimony that commitment, seriousness and responsibility will also bear fruit in the workplace helps our young people not to make compromises that could damage their dignity. In a world of conflict and rearmament, these are important questions to reflect on and provide the tools to keep hope alive.
In the context of work, we often talk about our vocational training centres (CFP) which, unfortunately, are decreasing in number. If we wanted to ‘rethink’ them, what alternatives would you suggest?
Let's reflect for a moment on the European situation: lack of professional figures on a large scale, urgent need for skills that respond to the rapid changes in the world of work, new investments by companies, governments and the EU for professional training inside and outside the Union. The question arises spontaneously: why is it so difficult to guarantee the sustainability and development of our TVET centres? We know that the reality is much more complex and diverse, but there is a potential that is not fully realised: the excellent results, good practices and global dimension of our network often do not reach the decision-making tables, where policies and investments are shaped. To this end, it is essential to map and collect data to be promoted through clear, coordinated and outward-looking communication. Our TVET centres have the experience, the right methods and the tools to offer effective and innovative solutions to current challenges, but they lack the visibility and cohesion that are essential for dialogue with funders, whether public or private, local or international. It is crucial to work together to make it clear that TVET centres are stepping stones of hope in today's world, bridges between public policies, businesses and human rights.
One of the main aims of DBI is the transition from school to work. How is DBI managing to achieve this?
The transition from school to work is one of DBI's three priorities. The main aim is to create political impact, keeping the issue at the centre of attention, promoting good Salesian practices and participating in European platforms. Through networking we build new contacts to facilitate collaboration between young people, schools, vocational training centres and civil society, aligning educational outcomes with the needs of the labour market. In this regard, in recent years we have collaborated fruitfully with DB Tech Europe and DB Tech Africa, but there is still a need to collect data and communicate strategically with institutions to give greater visibility to Salesian organisations.
