The youth center runs every evening. From 6:00 to 7:15 any child in the local area is allowed to come into the centre and play. There is a surge of children as they all run through the gates when they open as Don Bosco is one of the few open spaces in Pasil where the children can actually play. The older ones mainly play basketball whereas the smaller children prefer to run around, play pogs, skipping games and rock, scissors, paper.
During this time the scholars of Don Bosco, who are sponsored through their education, study and complete their projects for school. Every Sunday there are meetings with the scholars to find out how they are progressing and deal with any problems or needs that might have arisen.
By 7:45 only the Don Bosco youth are left in the center and they say the rosary together, listen to a good night talk and then have their group meetings. The youth are then allowed to play until 9:00. There is also a games room with table tennis, pool, table football, guitars and books to read.
The Don Bosco Youth Center gives the children of Pasil a place to escape to; from their homes or broken families and from the streets where they may be tempted by drugs or crime.
The youth center is always a fun and lively place full of activity.
As Don Bosco said "Run. Jump. Shout and Play but avoid sin"
The Don Bosco Youth Center gives the children of Pasil a place to escape to; from their homes or broken families and from the streets where they may be tempted by drugs or crime.
The youth center is always a fun and lively place full of activity.
As Don Bosco said "Run. Jump. Shout and Play but avoid sin"
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| The Youth Center |
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| Children playing pogs |
The Don Bosco Youth Centers are more than just places for recreation. They are characterized by total participation in the life of the youth through sports, religious, cultural and service-orientated activites and a comprehensive growth-program that is always creative and youth-friendly.
These Centers play an instrumental role in meeting the developmental needs of youth by keeping them off the streets, removing potential anti-social behaviors like drug use and violent crime. Instead, programs are designed to divert them into positive activities that increase their sense of belongingness, instill a sense of usefulness and competence to achieve their potentials and enhance their self-esteem.
Hundreds of young people who became leaders in our Youth Centers have become successful individuals and have been able to help out their families and have actually sent their younger siblings to school as a way of paying forward.
The assistance of lay people helps the Centers to continually adapt to the changing requirements of the young. The valuable presence of volunteers as well as the sharing of time and resources of benefactors and sponsors enable these non-profit centers to operate systematically and help sustain the running of actitives and programs requiring continuous financial support.
May St. John Bosco and Mama Mary be our source of inspriation for helping the young people of today.
Yours in St. John Bosco,
Fr. Abundio Bacatan, SDB