‘Navigating the Future’ – an Assessment of the Don Bosco Impact on at Risk Children and Youth
The Young at Risk (YaR) mission of the Salesians of Don Bosco in the Bangalore Province (spanning Karnataka and Kerala), is an incredibly special service, focused on the rescue and rehabilitation of children and youth, who suffer from deprivation and adverse circumstances in life. Over the decades, the province has invested greatly in promoting this cause—nurturing pioneers and practitioners, creating settings, and encouraging innovative models and strategies to protect children at risk and promote their rights.
In response to the ever-changing scenarios on the ground, there was a felt need to assess the YaR mission from various dimensions, documenting and validating its achievements, while also assessing its future trajectory. Under the supervision of BREADS—the Province Development Office—the study framework was laid out with Dr. Tom Jose as the principal assessor. A study across 12 YaR centres, 345 past and present beneficiaries, 92 staff, and 40 key informants resulted in the findings published in the report Navigating the Future, released by Fr Fabio Atard, the Salesian extraordinary visitor from Rome.
As the International Children’s Day 2024 theme, ‘Listen to the Future’ advocates, we listened to the most important people in the programme—the children and youth at risk—and this is what they opined about the Don Bosco YaR (DB YaR) mission.
- It offered a safe, caring space for any child and youth in need (both boys and girls): 74.2% received shelter; 67.8% received healthcare; 53.3% were reunited with families; 73.9% availed other services.
- It prepared the child and youth for the future in any way that was individually suitable: 85.5% were educated; 80 % were skilled (formal and non-formal), 73.3% were found employment
- Life skills training, which is a fundamental part of the Don Bosco system, has borne fruit in numerous ways: personality development and employability, among other aspects. 92.5% observed positive behavioural changes in themselves.
- After their stay with Don Bosco, 47.2% of youth reported responsible financial behaviour, supporting their families economically and spending less on frivolous items, thereby helping to alleviate poverty in their households.
- 89.3% of YaR beneficiaries felt that the DB YaR mission has also helped their families in some way.
- The children and youth reported satisfaction with DB YaR services at 81.8%, and 81.2% of the respondents would recommend them to other children.
- 82.3% of the respondents said they want to continue their association with DB YaR programmes, indicating the connections and sense of belonging experienced among the children.
These findings revealed the positive impact of our work on the lives of vulnerable children and young people at risk, enabling them to create new futures for themselves, also validating the decades of DB YaR dedicated services as a safety net for these children. The children also offered suggestions for the betterment of our YaR services.
This transformational work in individuals and communities is characterised by partnership and the trademark Salesian accompaniment, especially of children and youth. Through the dedicated services of the Salesians, Don Bosco staff, volunteers and coopted stakeholders in local communities and governments, we see the ripple effects of our mission far beyond the walls of our YaR settings.
Navigating the Future – A study of the YaR work of the SDB Bangalore Province
Fr. George PS
Executive Director, BREADS Bangalore
