Salesian Youth Leadership Conference Awakens the Dream

By Marisol Becerra

(Aptos, California) – Inspired by the Rector Major’s 2024 Strenna “The Dream that Makes You Dream” A Heart that Transforms “Wolves” into “Lambs,” the theme for Salesian Youth Leadership Conference (SYLC) this year was Awaken the Dream. SYLC 2024 offered young people a comprehensive experience focusing on Salesian spirituality, social justice, and leadership development.

The conference centered on the Dream that makes us dream, prompting questions such as: Who are the young people called to serve? What is the current reality? What lens do they use to understand what is happening in their communities? A call to action followed, focused on the participant’s Dream for our world: How do young people respond? How can young people concretely address their needs in their reality?

Throughout the conference, the young people reflected on the pastoral cycle through the lens of their current reality and integral ecology. This lens was also combined with “See, Judge, and Act,” and every community had an opportunity to engage in pastoral planning.

These meetings prepared young people to participate in and animate their local Educative Pastoral Communities (EPCs). The youth who participated in the conference were empowered to animate their current realities based on their dreams and collaborate with the directors and leadership at their sites. Overall, SYLC offered young people an opportunity to learn and reflect through the Salesian charism and commissioned them to be leaders and create change in their communities.

There were youth participants from 14 communities within the province:

From Southern California