(ANS – Mestre) – On the afternoon of 2 June, the SYM 2026 Festival took place in Mestre, an event organised by the Triveneto Salesian Youth Movement which brought together almost 600 young people from various Salesian groups across the region. The chosen theme, “We are here”, accompanied a day designed as a time for gathering, celebration, spirituality and witness. Throughout the day, various activities and initiatives were organised, allowing participants to gain a closer insight into significant experiences within the Salesian and associated world, including the Missionaries, Vides, MAU, Salesian Cooperators, TGS and Nuovi Orizzonti. There were also dedicated spaces for spirituality and personal reflection, with Eucharistic adoration and the opportunity for confession. Games and sport also retained their place in the programme, despite the changes necessitated by bad weather. One of the central elements of the Festival was the time dedicated to talks, designed to offer young people food for thought on some important aspects of Christian, personal and social life. The Festival concluded with a Prayer Vigil for Vocations. It was a moment of silence, listening and prayer, intended not merely as a closing to the event, but as a true mandate for the summer now upon us. Of particular significance was the presentation of missionary crucifixes to the 51 young people who will be setting off this summer for Madagascar, Peru, Egypt, Moldova and Brazil. The SYM 2026 Festival thus demonstrated, once again, the vitality of the Salesian Youth Movement of Triveneto.
