By Fr George Miranda for BISMumbai

The Don Bosco Development Society (DBDS) organized the Social Ministry Delegates Meet on 13 and 14 July 2022 at Don Bosco Provincial House, Matunga. Social Ministry delegates from various houses in Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh participated in this programme; a total of 22 participants.

The theme of this workshop was: ‘Working with Youth, Fundraising and CSR’. On the first day, Fr George Miranda, the Executive Director of DBDS, welcomed all the delegates and introduced the agenda of the workshop. After the prayer service, Fr Savio Silveira, the Provincial of the Province of Bombay, explained the true nature of social ministry and reminded the delegates that social initiatives are a priority for the Salesians and they need to prioritize the young. In his interactive address, Fr Manuel Murzello, the Economer of the Province of Bombay, specified that the role of the Development Office is to animate the outreach work of the other houses in the province.

Sessions on ‘Working with Youth’ by Dr Ronald Yashudhas, Professor at Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work, Mumbai covered topics related to skilling the young. He also dealt with fundraising in his later sessions. Mr Mahesh Kumar, COO at DBDS, dealt with CSR Funds Analysis, and related topics. The sessions were interactive in which the participants were given group tasks.

After the session Fr Rudolf D’Souza delivered a vote of thanks. In the concluding address, Fr Miranda reminded the participants that Social Ministry is not an option but an obligation on the part of Salesian and that God’s love needs to be felt by the poor in the neighbourhood.