The mission, led by the Vice-President of Don Bosco Tech Europe, Dr Mario Toniutti, and promoted under the patronage of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region, also saw the participation of the University of Udine and unfolded through a packed schedule organised by the integrated mobility and housing platform “BTI”, which in just four days enabled over twenty meetings to take place between institutions, universities, technical schools and educational institutions. Among the most significant meetings was that with the Italian Ambassador to Buenos Aires, Fabrizio Nicoletti, alongside discussions with local institutions, vocational training centres, and Argentine schools and universities, both state-run and private (Catholic).
Against this backdrop, DBTech Europe was able to explore Argentina’s great educational potential and, in particular, the richness of the Salesian presence in the field of technical and vocational formation.
In Buenos Aires, the visit to the ARS province began in an atmosphere of genuine Salesian fraternity, with a communal gathering and a discussion with the provincial representatives of youth ministry, vocational training and the Planning and Development Office. The meeting provided an opportunity to share challenges, experiences and possible common approaches to supporting young people in increasingly specialised forms of formation.
Particularly significant were the visits to the San Pedro centre in the Boca district and to the Pio IX centre. In complex urban contexts, these centres powerfully bear witness to the relevance of Don Bosco’s charism: offering education, skills, dignity and concrete hope to young people and adults. In these places, vocational formation is not merely preparation for work, but an experience of holistic growth, inclusion and a future.
The stop in Córdoba then opened our eyes and hearts to the Argentina North province. At the Villada Salesian Technical Institute, the strength of a technical school deeply rooted in the local area emerged, with workshops, training sectors and programmes capable of responding to local educational and productive needs. The visit confirmed how the link between school, vocational formation and the local area can become a decisive lever for the growth of young people.
No less intense was the visit to the San Antonio de Padua centre, situated in a working-class neighbourhood of Córdoba. Here, the Salesian presence takes the concrete form of daily support: schooling, formation, care for adolescents, courses for adults and closeness to families. It is a simple yet strong presence, capable of creating opportunities where educational and social needs are most evident.
During the mission, a strong rapport emerged between DBTech Europe and the Salesian communities in Argentina: a shared desire to build educational bridges, promote exchanges, strengthen technical skills and guide young people towards experiences capable of opening up new horizons.
The invitation received from Confindustria Udine, following a dialogue that began in 2025 with the presentation of the Salesian Bearzi Institute and Centre for Vocational Formation, thus represented not only an institutional and operational opportunity to present initiatives such as international scholarships or specialisation courses, but also a valuable Salesian opportunity: to encounter living works, listen to local communities, recognise talents and envision new paths of educational collaboration between Italy and Argentina.
The mission confirmed, once again, that Salesian formation is a common language capable of uniting different continents. Wherever there are young people to accompany, skills to develop and communities to support, Don Bosco’s charism continues to shape the future.
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