The panel discussion featured key voices engaged in advocacy, education, migration and child rights: Fr Antoine Farrugia, SDB, Global Advocacy Coordinator for the SDB Youth Ministry Department; Fr Bart Decancq, SDB, Provincial of Northern Belgium and the Netherlands; Ms Valentina Galli, Policy and Project Consultant at the SIRIUS Network; Ms Zuzana Konradova, EU Affairs Coordinator at Eurochild and Co‑Chair of the Alliance for Investing in Children; and Sr Valentine Delafon, Managing Director of Don Bosco Ganshoren.

Drawing on evidence from the SIRIUS Watch 2025, Eurochild’s 2025 flagship report, recommendations of the EU Alliance for Investing in Children, and Salesian good practices, speakers underlined that inclusive education is essential for responding to current uncertainties and for building a cohesive and resilient Europe. They highlighted persistent challenges such as structural barriers in migrant education, unequal access to EU mobility programmes, gaps in educational and social services, and the need for coordinated and adequately funded public policies.

Referencing the Salesian Preventive System, the speakers emphasized that learner‑centred and equitable education ecosystems are possible when stakeholders commit to presence, listening, collaboration and dialogue. A recurring message throughout the evening was the importance of making children and young people protagonists of change, especially those facing socio‑economic disadvantage, as a decisive investment in Europe’s future.

The celebration was honoured by the presence of Monsignor Itaruma, Councillor at the Apostolic Nunciature to the EU, MEP Cristina Guarda, and officials from the European Commission and the European External Action Service, alongside representatives of civil society, European VET networks and education experts.

The evening concluded with a Eucharistic Celebration  presided over by Xavier Ernest, Provincial FRB, animated by the GPS Trio, followed by a buffet dinner—an expression of Don Bosco’s enduring legacy of joy, encounter and hope, and a renewed commitment to inclusive education across Europe.