Turin (Italy). On 1-3 December 2023, the Poly-sports Salesian Youth Association (PGS) lived in Valdocco, Turin, a significant time of associative life with the National Conference “On the places of the origins for a renewed cultural proposal”.
The event was an opportunity to officially present the path begun in December 2021, when the Association chose to take back in hand its ‘identity’ through a reflection on one’s roots and on one’s own history that would lead to a current cultural and formative project, inclusive, focused on young people.
The work was curated and coordinated by the teachers of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS) Andrea Farina, Andrea Zampetti, and Isabella Cordisco, assisted by the National President PGS, Avv. Ciro Bisogno, and the National Contact of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Sister Francesca Scibetta.
In recent months the reflection has focused on the dream, the vision of PGS, the ways of presence in the territories, the extent to which the Salesian identity emerges compared to other similar associations, on how to meet them, on the values to be transmitted through sport.
During the conference, also presented were the four dimensions that represent the main areas within which the action and intervention of PGS is expressed: Mission, Youth, Sport, Professionalism and Volunteering. Some convictions emerged strongly, a clear sign of the identity of the Association:
- PGS contributes to recover the sense of sport, that sport that is true training to life, open to comparison with human values and interested in the promotion of the person.
- PGS proposes the courtyard of Don Bosco as an environment of personalization and socialization: viewed by the educator, the field and the space-time of sports play become an educational art, expression of the ability to coexist with children and direct and personal relationships; seen by young athletes, are the expression of needs with multiple contents.
- PGS invests in youth protagonism, calling young people to become protagonists and not merely spectators of the educational process.
- For PGS sport is both a practice by which to educate, and a value to strive for in order to educate. Having quality sports becomes an end to excel in different disciplines and to grow as ‘good Christians and honest citizens.’ In fact, PGS puts sport at the center to achieve the goal that is education; to experience values such as friendship, socialization, and social integration; respect for diversity; honesty towards the opponent; team spirit. Through sport, PGS offers different formative moments not only focused on sports but also on life, culture, thought, promotion of values related to sport.
The visit to the places of Don Bosco and the possibility to breathe the air of the origins have strongly marked these days, encouraging reflection and sharing on the sense of educational service through the sports that PGS have chosen to provide to young people in Italy.
President Ciro Bisogno writes, “There have been many emotions experienced in these three days of associative life. The presentation of the work on the renewed cultural proposal has given guidelines from which future associative actions will be inspired to build an inclusive association that has in its style the contagion tool, that knows how to meet local associations and formulate sports proposals adapted to the new needs of the youth contexts.
The presence of the Rector Major of the Salesians and new Cardinal Fr. Ángel Fernández Artime, to whom I extend my deepest gratitude, filled us with pride and enthusiasm and gave us so much strength with which to continue to face the challenges of the times in the full sharing of mission and objectives.”
PGS wishes to continue to build the dream of Don Bosco, committing itself to spreading through sport, the genuine Salesian spirit.
