The pastoral work carried out by the Catholic Church on behalf of youth is what is called youth ministry. Youth ministry in the catholic circles is a special concern for the welfare of youth. Certainly, as the times change, the focus on ministry has moved from a very static and liturgy based ministry to a more dynamic and people centred ministry.
In the same way, the Salesian Congregation dedicates all its energies and resources to the education and evangelisation of youth, and therefore in so doing the Salesians use a particular way of educating young people called the ‘Preventive System’, which is based on ‘reason’, ‘religion’ and ‘loving-kindness’.
One of the main scopes of this method of education and evangelisation is the integral formation of the young person in order to make of him/her a ‘good Christian and a honest citizen’, according to the vision of St John Bosco.
The Salesian youth ministry in Africa is of recent history. In most of the African countries, the Salesian presence is not older than 30 years, with exception of South Africa and Congo D.R (former Zaire).
In ZMB Vice-province, the Salesian youth ministry started in October 1984, and ever since it has grown into what is today: a powerful expression of the love of God for the young people through the intervention of the Church. From Zambia it has spread to Zimbabwe, Malawi and Namibia.
The Salesian Youth Ministry in ZMB Vice-province unfolds its activities in parishes, youth centres and oratories, technical schools and outreach programmes for less privileged children. With the cooperation of lay people, the Salesian community reaches out good number of youngsters who undergo a significant behavioural change through the education they receive.
At the provincial level there are some big moments of celebration which helps young people share their lives and faith through international encounters. These encounters are organised in such a way that they bring young people and Salesians together in journeys of music, sports, and lots of joy and prayer. The participation of the Salesian sisters and the youngsters they work with is remarkable.
Parishes
The youth ministry in parishes involves the educative pastoral community in activities which aim to develop and accompany the faith journey of the young through sacraments and catechesis. The presence of many youth groups in the Salesian parish fosters the possibility of addressing the young people’s needs for social networking and growing and maturing in their faith. Some of the most common groups in the parishes are: Xaverians, Junior Legio of Mary, Junior Franciscans (Jufra), Altar Boys Club, Stella Girls, Junior Motherhood of Mary and the youth of the Salesian movement.
Through these groups the youth animation is done at various levels and in different ways, but all aiming at the integral growth of the young.
Youth Centres and Oratories
The youth ministry in the youth centres and oratories is definitely the most efficacious way to enter the world of the young. In these two arenas, the Salesian community finds a special group of interacting with the young. In the province each community has got either a strong presence in the youth centre or at least an oratory which encourages the youngsters to get on with the challenges of life and empowers them to face up the future. The sport activities as well as the catechesis and other formation activities such as retreats and workshop are bearing fruits among the young. The youth centre and oratories in ZMB province are in the process of contiguous growth and developing of its structures to foster a better service to the young.
Among the sports activities offered to the youth we find: football, netball, volleyball and basketball clubs, karate lessons, chess groups, table tennis and other indoor entertainment, especially for the rainy season which is quite strong in Africa.
As far as spiritual formation is concern one of the main activities is the annual retreats, and the monthly recollections. In addition there are workshops, seminars and youth camps which aim at programmes dedicated to behavioural change.
There are some short skill courses such as bricklaying, IT learning, literacy courses, and school reviews.
The catechesis is in the oratories is the one area which is not so strong in the Vice province yet.
Technical Schools and Boarding
The youth ministry in the technical schools embraces the areas of professional training, job placement and outreach. The main concern in the technical schools in the ZMB is the technical/professional education of the youth in view of securing their future through skills learning.
One of the main challenges in the area of youth work in the technical schools is the faith which the students profess; there are among the strongest groups Seventh Day Adventists and Muslims who are particularly. A second major challenge is the financial aspect of the school whihc without subsidies cannot run a year.
