Don Bosco Youth Incubator

​Don Bosco As social Entrepreneur

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Don Bosco as social entrepreneur

When the first industrial revolution started in Piedmont, many young people were forced to migrate from the impoverished countryside to the industrialised capital of Turin in the hope to find work and build a better life.  Often this proved to be false hope.  The classic liberal ideology of low state intervention led to the systematic abuse of young people of the city who found a job in the workshops and factories. Those who could not find a job were condemned to vagrancy or joined street gangs.  Both options often led them to a life in prison. 
 
It is in this context where Don Bosco (1815 – 1888) found his mission and worked for the dignity of those young people living on the peripheries. Apart from giving many of them a home, his solutions included the development of quality education (preventive system), solidarity mechanisms (mutual aid societies), social negotiations (work contracts), and entrepreneurship (workshops).  The ultimate aim was not just to render young people profitable for the economy, but as a method to find autonomy in life, becoming “good Christians and honest citizens”.
 
In order to sustainably develop these projects Don Bosco spend his whole life, not just building the projects, but also fundraising for running the projects. Often he would do this through diversifying his incomes: gifts through charity, fundraising campaigns like lotteries and tombola’s, and income generating investments through the products produced by the workshops. As such he can be seen as a 19th century social entrepreneur.

Apprenticeship contract

Don Bosco developed the first apprenticeship contract in Europe, assuring qualitative on-the-job training for young apprentices

Disclaimer

The international secretariat of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw is financially supported by the European Union, through its ‘Erasmus+ Youth in Action’-programme, and by the Council of Europe, through its 'European Youth Foundation '. This website is a publication of Don Bosco Youth-Net ivzw.  The website reflects the views only of the author, and the European Commission nor the Council of Europe cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therien.
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  • Home
  • About
    • DBYN?
    • Don Bosco as social entrepreneur
  • Training
    • Upcoming training courses
    • Past training courses >
      • Youth Incubator
      • Out of the Box
      • Youth Hatch
      • Travel Beyond !
    • Past seminars >
      • Will you join me?
      • Back to square one
      • Volunteer: step forward
      • Brace for Impact
    • Coaching
  • Finance
    • Erasmus+ >
      • Youth in Action basics
      • Youth Exchanges
      • European Voluntary Service
      • Mobility of youth workers
      • Transnational youth initiatives
      • Meetings of youth and decision makers
      • How to apply?
    • European Youth Foundation >
      • International Activity
      • Work plan
      • Pilot project
    • Alternative funding
  • Resources
    • Outcomes
    • Tools
    • Inspiration
    • Policy documents