(ANS – Rome) – Exactly 40 years ago, on March 3, 1986, in Turin, the Salesian NGO Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (VIS) (International Volunteering for Development) was founded with the goal of implementing international cooperation projects. On that day, 14 young men and women—dreaming of a more just world—decided to embark on a new journey with a single desire: to stand beside young people as Don Bosco had done. A new institutional video released by VIS tells this story.
Forty Years of Global Commitment
Over the past four decades, VIS has carried out more than a thousand development and emergency projects, supporting the work of the Salesians across five continents and reaching millions of girls, boys, and young people through educational and socio-professional inclusion programs. It has also trained generations of individuals committed to international cooperation, human rights promotion, and peacebuilding.
The new institutional video, produced in collaboration with IME Comunicazione and released today, recounts this journey through the faces of the women and men working daily in the field, dedicating themselves to the communities and people served by VIS. As the video emphasizes, these 40 years were made possible thanks to the dedication and passion of many who believed in this dream.
A Year of Encounter, Not Just Celebration
For its 40th anniversary, VIS has chosen a path of shared engagement with all those contributing to this story. It will not merely be a year of celebrations but a year of encounters, dialogue, shared experiences, deep reflection, and renewed vision for the future. This journey will unfold in multiple languages and across locations that reflect VIS’s identity: Turin, Rome, the territories where volunteers and supporters are active, and partner countries where projects are implemented and staff serve in the field.
A Time of Transformation and Synergy
This anniversary comes at a moment of significant change for VIS, which recently became a participatory foundation with Missioni Don Bosco as its founding body. Together, they are pursuing collaboration and synergy to increase the impact and effectiveness of their programs.
For all expatriate and headquarters staff, the anniversary year will include a structured process of listening and internal climate analysis, conducted in partnership with other Third Sector organizations and in collaboration with the University of Verona.
Part of this journey also includes work with students from the Graphic Design course at the Salesian University Institute of Venice and Verona (IUSVE), who created a special anniversary logo that will accompany the organization throughout this milestone year.
Voices from the Leadership
“This 40th anniversary year,” said Michela Vallarino, “is a time of great change for our organization, and we could not have celebrated it in a better way. With hearts full of esteem and gratitude for those who helped write this story, we are ready to transform and relaunch it with renewed enthusiasm and motivation at a time when it is more urgent than ever to advocate for—and work toward—integral human development, social justice, respect for the rule of law and human rights, and peace.”
“Having just concluded the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the First Salesian Missionary Expedition, I hope that VIS may know how to honor the past in order to live the present and dream of the future with the fidelity and creativity that Don Bosco teaches us,” added Fr. Luca Barone. “For young people, and with young people as protagonists, let us put into practice what the Rector Major entrusts to the Salesian Family in the 2026 Strenna: ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ Let us look at history with realism to face challenges, listen to God’s signs in the world, choose missionary frontiers with passion and professionalism, and act with the boldness of faith and the courage of pioneers.”