By Canicius Ungmoro (BAUT 4)
and Ms. Arlene Abital
DBTI Boroko - Port Moresby, PNG, 6 March 2024 -- The Dreamers’ Camp kicked off over the weekend at Don Bosco Technological Institute. Nearly five hundred students, staff, and selected student-facilitators gathered for the first batch of the three-day camp on the elements of Salesian Youth Spirituality. The theme of the camp was: ‘Dream, Live, Love like Don Bosco,’ inspired by the Strenna 2024 on ‘The dream that makes you dream - Transforming wolves into lambs.’
The special event was conceptualized by the Salesians and the FMA Sisters together with the Pastoral Team as the institute celebrated its Silver Jubilee of Foundation and coincided with the Bicentenary of Don Bosco’s dream at nine. The camp is divided into two batches, where the first batch was held on 1-3 March for the 1st and 4th year students, while the second batch will be held on 8-10 March 2024 for the 2nd and 3rd year students.
Several invited speakers, namely Mr. Godfrey Morisa, Sr. Alice Fulgencio, and Fr. Angel Sanchez, shared on the dream of Don Bosco at nine and how the participants themselves can dream, live, and love like Don Bosco. Fr. Juna Amang deepened the participants’ knowledge of Salesian Youth Spirituality alongside the SYS Amazing Race as a means to help them set their goals and dreams before leaving DBTI. Students were divided into fifteen groups to battle it out in team-building activities like Mirror of Life, Every Drop Counts, Hamster Roll, Escape the Web, and Connector, strengthening their friendship, communication, personal, and social values that would make them ‘like Don Bosco’ in friendship with Jesus. The documentary film ‘Don’t Cry for Me, Sudan,’ which highlighted the missionary life of the Korean Salesian, Fr. John Lee, of South Sudan, challenged the participants to realize that living ‘like Don Bosco’ is possible in order to care for the poor and the needy in whatever way they can. By helping others through Jesus’ healing power, we transform wolves into lambs.
The live rendition of the gospel and charismatic songs organized by Mr. Fidelis and the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Ariel Macatangay and Fr. Bernard Kaiau instilled in the participants the ways to achieve the fullness of life – to be happy, perfect, and holy.
At the end of the celebrations, selected students expressed their satisfaction and happiness over the course of the three-day camp.
