By Our Own Correspondent

Liloan - Cebu, the Philippines, 20 February 2019 -- Since 2010 when the Magone Home Aftercare Program first opened, more than 150 young marginalized people have been transformed thanks to this new Don Bosco ministry in Cebu. Together with the Boys Home, Parish, Vocational Training Center, High School and Youth Center, this Program offers an integral environment for many youth in conflict with the law for a solid renewal of their life. Thanks to the commitment of the Salesians, Past Pupils from the Don Bosco Home (some of them are on the staff at Magone), well qualified staff involving social workers, psychologists and networking with many government and other civil authorities, most of the 'clients' of Magone have been able to start a new life. Up to this point, this is the only Salesian ministry of the kind in the two Filipino Salesian provinces.

Listening to the batch 11 boys (who entered this program last year, 2018) offers deep insight into the healing, transforming and faith developing results of the Magone Project:

• Before, I was always rejected due to my many faults but in the Magone Home I was made welcome and recovered my self-esteem.
• They have restored the bonds with my family members and I learnt here that I’m loved and also how to love.
• In Magone I learn how to change myself, Don Bosco is the best thing in my life, he is part of my changed life.
• Thanks to Don Bosco I met Jesus Christ and I was also baptized; outside I didn’t know Him, although I was curious about who he was!
• In Don Bosco I grabbed the opportunity to change my life. Earlier my life had no direction, but Magone means guidance.
• Here I got the courage to stand up and I’m now holding the steering wheel, and my dream is to finish College.
• Magone for me is a great help, especially to find my own family. They continue to help me here and I got to know Jesus.
• Before I did not give any importance to my family; here was the first time I spoke to my brother.
• In Don Bosco I found youth with dreams, everybody is here to help us; they don’t mind our mistakes and help me to achieve my dreams.
• Outside there were many struggles with no direction; here in Magone we are trained how to change our life and how to meet Jesus!
• I’m the only non-Catholic (Pentecostal), but I respect the Church and learn how to change.
• Don Bosco gave me baptism and I’m also proud to become a Bosconian.
• Magone helped me to dream again: when I was caught I was always rejected, now I’m welcome.
• Family day was the best experience last year, after many years I met my family, I learned how to talk to my parents for the first time..."

Magone offers a multi-facet program based on the synergy of personal, family and group counselling, a variety of activities, vocational training program (carpentry and construction), together with many typically Salesian activities like sports, works, music and personal development, which make this program quite effective. Each day the Magone boys mingle with all other youth at the Don Bosco campus in Boys Home Liloan, especially involved in the TVET vocation training program.

Also the highly committed team of lay mission partners together with Fr.Arvin Abatayo and Br. Louie Domasian are united in their vision: "One of the important qualities of a good program is its capacity to replicate itself to others who have the same goal. Here at Magone, we see networking as an essential way of encouraging others to adopt our program's best practices. This is the reason why we are very happy to have a meeting with other civil or education institutions where we learned that they aspire to develop their own community-based program for the CICL (Children in Conflict with Law). In this way, we achieve one of our goals that other will do what we are already doing."

Over the past 10 years the Magone program has been developed, especially in the personalized journey for each young person: "Prior to the youth admission to the Magone Home Aftercare Program, it is important to hold a case conference wherein the referral center staff, Magone Helping Team (MHT), and the client meet to discuss the client's personal and family background, case, and the results of the intake assessment. This process allows the MHT to gauge the qualification and the willingness of the youth to be admitted into the program. Also, this provides important information for the preparation of suitable and tailor-fit interventions for the child, through the principle of a client-centered approach."

We hope that many more Salesian Family members around the Philippines and around the world will be involved in this challenging sector of Youth Ministry. Indeed Don Bosco was involved not only with Saint Dominic Savio, but also with Francis Besucco, Michael Magone and a variety of youth coming from very difficult backgrounds.

FB pages: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MagoneHomeAftercareProgram/

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