austraLasia #2285
Jardins Dom Versiglia - a shining beacon for boys at risk
MACAU: 7th November 2008 -- There is an entire Don Bosco Youth Village tucked away in Macau, and one part of this village, completed only in 1999, is known as 'Jardins Dom Versiglia', a boarding place for boys already very much at risk for lack of family support.
The wider entity of Don Bosco Village was begun in 1996 with help from the Macau Government. It is located in Coloane, Macau where Fr Caetano Nicosia SDB had already founded the Escola D. Luigi Versiglia to meet the social needs of the 1980's. The school had a boarding house for the children of Hanson's Disease sufferers. Fr Nicosia also opened the school to children of farmers in Coloane and the Salesians continue to manage the school. The boarding house had closed in 1999 and its function was replaced for a new need, thus Jardins Dom Versiglia came into existence. Fr Peter Pong is now the Rector of both the Escola D. Luigi Versiglia and Jardins Dom Versiglia, while Fr Savio Yeung is Director of Don Bosco Youth Village.
Everyone is aware of the not-so-gradual transformation of Macau into a slick, super-modern city and tourist haven boasting high class accomodation, casinos and the like. The social downside of this development is the pressure on resident families, and the lure of riches for young people. Some young people in Macau encounter difficulties in their pursuit of education and there other other problems arising from difficult family situations.
The family background of current boarders features single parent families, insufficient parental care since both parents are working full-time, personal conduct problems on the part of some of the youngsters themselves. The Government Social Welfare Department sends some to 'Jardins' because they are orphaned or abandoned by their families.
Jardins Dom Versiglia features the full range of Salesian educative activity, including a warm personal environment, many wholesome activities including an outward-bound programme and self-challenge workshops designed to enhance personal development. Linking the boys back to family where possible is also seen as crucial to their development and this is partly achieved through Volunteer programmes and Parents' Days.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2285
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces, CIN Macau
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2285
Jardins Dom Versiglia - a shining beacon for boys at risk
MACAU: 7th November 2008 -- There is an entire Don Bosco Youth Village tucked away in Macau, and one part of this village, completed only in 1999, is known as 'Jardins Dom Versiglia', a boarding place for boys already very much at risk for lack of family support.
The wider entity of Don Bosco Village was begun in 1996 with help from the Macau Government. It is located in Coloane, Macau where Fr Caetano Nicosia SDB had already founded the Escola D. Luigi Versiglia to meet the social needs of the 1980's. The school had a boarding house for the children of Hanson's Disease sufferers. Fr Nicosia also opened the school to children of farmers in Coloane and the Salesians continue to manage the school. The boarding house had closed in 1999 and its function was replaced for a new need, thus Jardins Dom Versiglia came into existence. Fr Peter Pong is now the Rector of both the Escola D. Luigi Versiglia and Jardins Dom Versiglia, while Fr Savio Yeung is Director of Don Bosco Youth Village.
Everyone is aware of the not-so-gradual transformation of Macau into a slick, super-modern city and tourist haven boasting high class accomodation, casinos and the like. The social downside of this development is the pressure on resident families, and the lure of riches for young people. Some young people in Macau encounter difficulties in their pursuit of education and there other other problems arising from difficult family situations.
The family background of current boarders features single parent families, insufficient parental care since both parents are working full-time, personal conduct problems on the part of some of the youngsters themselves. The Government Social Welfare Department sends some to 'Jardins' because they are orphaned or abandoned by their families.
Jardins Dom Versiglia features the full range of Salesian educative activity, including a warm personal environment, many wholesome activities including an outward-bound programme and self-challenge workshops designed to enhance personal development. Linking the boys back to family where possible is also seen as crucial to their development and this is partly achieved through Volunteer programmes and Parents' Days.
_________________
AustraLasia is an email service for the Salesian Family of Asia Pacific. It also functions as an agency for ANS based in Rome. For queries please contact admin@bosconet.aust.com . Use Bosconet-wiki to be interactive. RSS feeds - just go to Bosconet, click on austraLasia 2008 in the sidebar. You will see the RSS orange icon in your browser address bar - add it from there. Avail yourself of the Salesian Digital Library at http://sdl.sdb.org
Title: australasia 2285
Subject and key words: EAO Provinces, CIN Macau
Date (year): 2008
ID: 2000-2099|2285
