(ANS – Rome) – In 2024, over 18,000 Unaccompanied Foreign Minors were received in Italy, mainly from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe. The regions with the highest number of admissions were Sicily, Lombardy, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Precisely in the latter, which represents one of the main terminals of the so-called “Balkan Route,” the Salesian San Luigi Community in Gorizia – belonging to the network Salesians for Social – has welcomed more than a thousand of them in 10 years, returning from difficult and dangerous journeys that began in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Albania and Kosovo.
On the occasion of World Refugee Day, which is celebrated today, June 20, the social promotion association ‘Salesians for Social’ reiterates the importance of building a bridge between past difficulties and a future of hope for these young people who arrive alone in a new country.
Since 2015, the San Luigi community in Gorizia has been offering an educational, welfare, formation, and vocational services, aimed at reducing the risks and damages linked to marginalization and school drop-out, favoring a complete and integrated human growth.
The reception of foreign minors at the San community is divided into two autonomous structures
- reception, a service operating from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., dedicated to the immediate reception of minors tracked down by the police;
- and community placement, which represents the real Salesian residential educational experience, dedicated to a path of integration and growth.
‘The greatest need of the children and young people arriving in our Community is an authentic, concrete and customized welcome,’ says Fr. Vincenzo Salerno, Rector of the San Luigi Community. ‘We want to offer specific paths that guarantee an effective insertion in school, work, and social contexts, favoring autonomy and inclusion. Our goal is to accompany them towards a growth that makes them autonomous and integrated in Italian society, with a focus on education, vocational training, and insertion in the world of work by the age of 18.’
Every year, Salesians for Social reaches over 100,000 beneficiaries, offering protection and support through an active network in more than 600 territorial realities throughout Italy. There are 97 socio-educational services, including 33 family homes and 45 day centers, which represent a safe and familiar reference point for children and young people, to whom they offer protection, warmth, and educational figures dedicated to their growth.
The reception network has expanded with facilities dedicated to unaccompanied minors who have arrived in Italy, where they can receive food, clothes, assistance in contacting their families, and attend Italian courses, thus building a path towards autonomy. These facilities also take in minors entrusted by the juvenile justice system, guaranteeing them a safe environment and educational support that is fundamental for their reintegration and personal development.
To find out more, visit: https://www.salesianiperilsociale.it/