The Don Bosco School of Arts and Crafts provides education to poor youth. The school is focused on how to continue to enrich programs for its students. Students who graduate are able to go on to one year at the University of Labor of Uruguay and obtain a secondary school diploma. This collaboration between the schools started in 2010, and 50 students access this accreditation every year.

The Salesian Youth Center in Salto transforms the lives of vulnerable youth. Youth between 12-18 years old take part in activities at the Salesian Youth Center. They are supported by Salesian staff and volunteers who operate programs and assist youth with educational initiatives to help them learn and grow. The Salesian Youth Center offers vocational training through woodworking and metal workshops, as well as cooking classes focusing on regional cuisine. There is socio-educational space for group learning activities and a space for recreation and sports where youth can engage with their peers. The center also assists families to help them understand how best to support youth at home to focus and continue their education.

Salesians in Uruguay focus on crime prevention by working to keep youth off the streets and engaged in productive activities. These activities include education and skill development to give youth better coping skills so they can be more connected to their communities and deterred from criminal activity.

The Salesian-run Miguel Magone Project is focused on working with youth who have already committed crimes and are engaged in Uruguay’s criminal justice system in Salto. The project ensures that youth are not abused by the criminal justice system and that programs are in place to provide them with counseling and an education to give them a better start once released from juvenile detention or prison.

Salesian missionaries operate Casa Valdocco in Montevideo to provide support to children between the ages of 5-12 who need assistance from the state. Casa Valdocco’s main objective is to ensure that children spend as little time as possible in public institutions and instead be in a family-like environment. Youth are protected, cared for, assisted and accompanied in the exercise of their rights with the aim of strengthening their family ties when they have been weakened.

The Tacurú Movement, in Montevideo, supports vulnerable youth, offering them tools for personal development. The center is part of a network of Salesian initiatives in an area with the highest rates of unmet basic needs in Uruguay. The center operates an oratory, educational programs, vocational training center, work-related training programs, school support, a sports school, early childhood care and more. These initiatives provide a comprehensive approach that combines strengthening values, emotional support, and access to educational and employment resources.

The Tacurú Movement has helped youth who have reintegrated into the education system, entered the workforce and regained confidence in their abilities. These transformations are possible thanks to the support network built up by educators, volunteers and religious people who dedicate their lives to the service of others.

Don Bosco Workshops launched a photovoltaic microgeneration park and an electric vehicle technician training workshop. The school is also a part of the Salesian Vocational Centers of America Network, composed of 22 centers.

Don Bosco Workshops has been focused on clean and renewable energy since August 2022. The school added 150 photovoltaic panels on the roof, which will cut electricity consumption by more than 35%, allowing the funds that are saved to be used for educational innovation and technological upgrading. In addition, new training in the field of electric mobility has started.