By JC Montenegro, PhD, Executive Director of the Salesian Family Youth Center

(Boyle Heights, California) – In Salesian ministry, mission is never only about what is done. It is about who young people are becoming and who they discover themselves to be in relationship with others. In the SUO Province in the Western United States, short mission experiences have emerged as one of the most effective ways to create environments where young people both belong and serve, two realities that must always go together if formation is to be authentic.

Young people do not remain in service because of tasks alone. They remain because they feel seen, trusted, accompanied, and needed. Short mission trips, when intentionally designed, offer precisely this kind of environment. They provide a space where young people are welcomed as they are, invited into meaningful responsibility, and gradually formed into people who serve not out of obligation, but out of conviction.

What we consistently observe is a developmental journey that unfolds over time. First-year participants often arrive unsure, curious, and cautious. Many are moved by the reality they encounter and grow in gratitude and awareness. At this stage, the experience primarily answers a foundational human question: Do I belong here? When the answer is yes, growth begins.

Second-year participants return with greater confidence. They know the rhythm of the mission and begin to shift from receiving to engaging. Relationships deepen. Prayer, service, and community start to feel interconnected. Belonging becomes more than feeling welcomed; it becomes a sense of shared purpose.

By the third year, many young people begin to internalize service as part of their identity. They naturally accompany younger participants, model leadership, and take responsibility for the community. They are no longer simply attending a mission. They are helping sustain it. At this stage, service is no longer an activity; it is a way of being.

Those who return for a fourth year embody what Salesian formation aims to cultivate. These young people arrive ready to give, guide, and support. They animate prayer, help shape reflection, and walk intentionally with others. They understand that mission is relational, not transactional. They have learned that presence, consistency, and love are transformative.

This progression is not accidental. It is the result of environments intentionally shaped by accompaniment. Adults walk with young people, not ahead of them and not behind them. They invite reflection, challenge comfort, and trust young people with real responsibility. In this way, short mission experiences become formative spaces where young people practice belonging through service and service through belonging.

One of the most hopeful outcomes of this approach is what happens as young people complete high school. Many who have participated for multiple years express a strong desire to continue serving. They seek new mission opportunities, long-term volunteer programs, and deeper involvement in faith-based service. The mission has done its work not by directing them, but by forming them.

Providing environments where young people belong and serve is not optional in today’s world. It is essential. When young people experience community that is rooted in trust, faith, and shared responsibility, they do not ask whether service matters. They ask where they can serve next.

Short mission experiences, when grounded in the Salesian spirit, remind us that even brief encounters can shape lasting commitments. In places like the SUO Province in the Western United States, these missions are not simply events. They are pathways where young people discover that they belong, that they are needed, and that their lives can be lives of service.