The Don Bosco digital forum was chaired by Father Gildasio Mendes, General Councillor for Social Communication. Around ten youths from various Provinces of South Asia actively participated. Father Gildasio welcomed the participants and set the stage for discussions by outlining the vision behind such a forum. “Young people, you are digital natives. You live inside a real global aquarium. You are immersed in colour, sounds, images and interactions”, he said. He went on to say that this forum is an opportunity for boys and girls who live in the digital universe to voice out their challenges and concerns that they grapple with on a day-to-day basis such as faith, spirituality, relationships, family crises, difficulty in pursuing studies, career anxiety, violence, physical and emotional problems, etc.

The forum was organised and moderated by Father Ernest Rosario, Coordinator of BOSCOM. It was marked by moments of frank and open sharing and discussion. “We are glad that we had this opportunity. We are thankful to Don Bosco for creating space to hear us out,” said Christo Daniel from Chennai. “I will be glad to have more such opportunities to interact with our peers from across the country and the world. As a digital native I am lost in my little virtual world with less time for interaction,” said Kaiya Mao from Dimapur.

Father Mendes concluded the digital forum by lauding the active participation of the youth with the promise of hosting the next meeting in 2024 at the world level with English-speaking regions so that there will be more diverse participation and a rich exchange of ideas and experiences. He also gave an open invitation to the social communication delegates to host such forums at the local Province level to listen to the yearnings of the young in each region.