The “Planting Hope” project promotes integral ecology and youth leadership in Pará de Minas, Brazil

Pará de Minas, Brazil - December 2025 - The Salesian Youth Centre located in the Salesian Patronage of Pará de Minas, in the State of Minas Gerais, launches today, 4 December, the ‘Plantando Esperança’ (Planting Hope) project. The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the Don Bosco Green Alliance, aims to promote actions to care for the Common Home through the sustainable cultivation of fruit and vegetables. Inspired by Pope Francis' call for an integral ecology, the project will also be developed in Belo Horizonte, and envisages investments in sustainable practices geared towards the production of healthy food. The proposal aims to stimulate environmental awareness among children and adolescents assisted by the social work, strengthening their commitment to environmental protection. In addition to the ecological dimension, “Plantando Esperança” contributes to the development of cognitive and socio-emotional skills, encouraging youth involvement and reinforcing the importance of integral protection as envisaged by the Statute of the Child and Adolescent (ECA). Another focus of the project is the promotion of healthier eating habits among the assisted families. The vegetables and fruits produced will be distributed to the families accompanied by the Youth Centre, expanding the social impact of the initiative. The implementation of “Plantando Esperança” in the Salesian presences of the São João Bosco Province counts on the support of the DON BOSCO NEL MONDO Foundation.