ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: BLESSING OR CURSE?
The image, according to Chat GPT, features the phrase “ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE” at its centre, overlaid on a stylized depiction of a microchip and circuitry. This design symbolizes the integration of advanced AI technologies within modern electronic systems, emphasizing the critical role of AI in driving technological innovation and enhancing computational capabilities across various industries.
RADAR
15 000 YOUTHS AND THEIR MENTORS SHOW ENTHUSIASM FOR THE ECO- UBUNTU PROJECT
Almost 10 years after Pope Francis’s ‘Laudato Si’ encyclical and the respective Laudato Si movement, the Salesian Family of Southern Africa has embarked on the ECO-UBUNTU Project.
BY FR KLEMENT VACLAV SDB | SUPERIOR OF SOUTHERN AFRICA VICE-PROVINCE, JOHANNESBURG
The Salesians of Don Bosco and their Lay Mission Partners, Salesian Sisters, and Missionary Sisters of Mary Help of Christians, accompanied by some Don Bosco Past Pupils and Salesian Cooperators and coordinated by the Salesian PDO (Planning and Development Office) based in Johannesburg, initiated a Laudato Si project aimed at 15,000 young people from Salesian schools, their communities, and families, including the broader society.
The main areas of focus are green skills training, green interventions, capacity building, and establishing project pillars.
After an initial planning period (2022-2023), the launching workshop was held at Lumko in Benoni, Johannesburg, in January 2024. It brought ‘on board’ 40 ‘green delegates’ from eSwatini, Lesotho, and South Africa. Workshop participants included a wide variety of Eco-Ubuntu project stakeholders: school leaders, green delegates (mainly school teachers), and experts in the following five green pillars of the project: renewable energy (solar technology), water access, waste management, hydroponics, and sustainable cultivation.
The following four are the main areas of focus: green skills training, green interventions, capacity building, and establishing project pillars.
Six months after the launch, great enthusiasm is tangible, and the first visible fruits among many youths, their educators, and families are noticeable:
More than 4,800 youths from seven communities in eSwatini, Lesotho, and South Africa were equipped with Green Life skills. These skills aim to initiate behavior change toward a more sustainable lifestyle. Developing a comprehensive curriculum for primary and secondary school education on the environment—based on the Green Life Skills Guide—was the first step in this process. University professors coached the green delegates from Salesian schools, parishes, and educational projects (technical and vocational education and training colleges-TVET) and social works, who, in turn, are leading young people in this transformation.
Moreover, climate change information was disseminated through the Eco-Sports Day, Green Youth Day, Eco-School debates, and Gardening competitions. All these events will be followed by the main event of 2024—Eco Ubuntu Youth Day—Youth Synod in Johannesburg, on August 30th.
Solar technology workshops and 6–12-month courses have started or are in the developing phase, beginning at the first venue at MYC (Manzini Youth Care, eSwatini), Cape Town (Salesian Institute of Youth Projects), and DBEP (Don Bosco Education Projects) such as Declan Skills Centre in Ennerdale (Gauteng).
Sustainable farming practices and hydroponics were launched, especially in the numerous schools served by the Salesians in eSwatini and Lesotho, together with Waste Management (Manual and Education about recycling). Two borehole projects have already been completed in water-challenged areas in eSwatini rural schools (eGebeni Catholic School in Malkerns and Bosco Youth Agricultural Centre on the outskirts of Manzini).
The local wider society has been impacted, especially in primary schools in Delft and Cape Town (Western Cape), with particular engagement of the community around the Salesian schools in Lesotho, both in Maseru and Maputsoe.
The Salesian Family believes that through education we can transform our society, especially in the care of our common home, so close to the hearts of our young generation.
The Salesians of Don Bosco and the Salesian Family believe that through education, we can transform our society by means of a consistent process, day by day, and little by little, especially in the care of our common home, so close to the hearts of our young generation. Laudato Si—Praise be the Lord.
More info: https://spdo.org.za/eco-ubuntu-programme/
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