In the industrial city of Thiès, Salesian missionaries operate the Don Bosco Center, a vocational training school that has been in operation for the last 30 years. Much of the population in the city works in the railway yards, manufacturing tapestries typical of the area, or in the aluminum and phosphate mines. The Don Bosco Center is an important center of learning for the city’s poor youth in order to gain the skills needed for employment. For those who attend the Don Bosco Center, 60 percent who graduate from the carpentry, mechanics or electro-technical courses manage to find work in the city.

Prior to the opening of Don Bosco Center, there were few places for disadvantaged youth to access the skills and qualifications necessary to develop a trade and gain stable employment. In addition to classroom training, students have the opportunity to apprentice in local businesses where they have access to hands-on training by professionals in their fields. In this way, students are able to apply the lessons and skills learned in the classroom in a real working environment while also accessing social skills training to prepare for stable long-term employment.

In Tambacounda, a town of 80,000 people, there are few opportunities and prospects, especially for young people who represent the large majority of the Senegalese population and a main source of support for families. Many youth leave the area in search of opportunity but can fall victim to exploitation and trafficking. To address the issue, the Salesian-run International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) has launched a project known as the “Action to combat irregular migration through support of local development in the Tambacounda Region.”

The project aims to create real opportunities for education and employment so youth are able to stay and to live in their country of origin without feeling compelled to embark on a dangerous journey, often without knowing the real risks awaiting them. The campaign has already found success in Senegal after research there has shown that nearly 40 percent of youth leaving the country are leaving in search of better educational opportunities. With that knowledge, funds now are being raised through the campaign to provide scholarships to students in Senegal so they are able to access educational opportunities within their own country.

Salesian programs in Senegal have a focus on sports education. Socio-sports schools in the cities of Dakar and Thiès started their programs in 2012, and one in the city of Tambacounda has been in operation since 2010. The overall objective of the schools is to provide students between the ages of 5 and 17 with organized sports that promote positive values and teamwork. The sports programs are provided in addition to traditional vocational education programs and social development services.

During the Real Madrid Foundation’s training course at the Don Bosco Kër Center, Salesian educators learned sports techniques and advanced educational lessons. As part of the foundation’s “They play, we educate” program already operating in Salesian schools across the globe, participants receive nutritional, family and psychological support, regular health checkups and the opportunity to participate in social and educational workshops, gymnastics, crafts and reading, and citizenship activities. Training sessions on topics such as health, hygiene, values, and the prevention of alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse are also provided.