most young people today might be considered 'at risk', 'abandoned', 'poor';

4. The extraordinary cultural pluralism, often involving conflict, which young people experience

today.

4. For these and other reasons the original educational hypothesis seems to have been superseded. It created an institutional, separate, apolitical system. The preventive system must be written all over again and implemented in many versions to reach the entire gamut of people involved, more or less explicitly, and systematically associated with the growing up process, beginning with the leading players: parents, teachers, other educators, pupils and those being educated in any shape or form. Naturally, we must be aware of the existence of divergent and conflicting forces which are to be tackled cooperatively from a pedagogical point of view.1379

In tackling them the following need to be involved: politicians, economists, scholastic organizers, mass

media, cultural and sporting associations, leisure clubs, churches , ideologies, administrators at all

levels. No institutional education sector can considered self -sufficient from now on. And even the

theoretical revision of the preventive system cannot be carried out except within a broad are of cultural,

social and po litical discussion.

5. At a formal educational level the following needs stand out: frank realisation that there are lacunae

and retrograde elements within the traditional preventive system; an effort is requested to create and

rebuild the system almost fr om its very foundations. There are some parts of the preventive system,

which Don Bosco was unable to explore profoundly and fully implement due to personal, cultural

limitations as well as historical circumstances.

What stand out first of all are social a nd political areas, and formal education, without neglecting

consideration of strong moral content already generously present in the system.

1380

Here there is an obvious need to engage in a specific theoretical and technical in -depth study of the “Good Christian and upright citizen”.1381No less needed is a radical reconsideration of affectivity, sexuality and human love in reference to different vocational choices. This radical reconsideration is urgently required of a system which makes affectivity, loving kindness and kindred realities one of its foundations.1382

In fact, even though it has the ambition of being an open system and a system for the young, the preventive system has proven to be, perhaps not so rarely, a suspicious, rather cautious one, at times indifferent, fearful, prudent and inclined to control and to silence.

A third item to add is a more positive appreciation and explicit use of the inner energies of the young and an increased recourse to personal and group autonomy within the framework of educative cooperation and even as part of teaching and catechetical activities.

1379 Cf. P. Braido, Pedagogia dell'identità, della differenza, della solidarietà, in «Orientamenti Pedagogici» 37 (1990)

923-930. We cannot overlook research, reflection and writings on 'complex society' and the 'educating society': cf. For

example, As. Pe. I., Per un'educazione nuova di fronte alla società complessa. Acts of the 18th National Congress,

Catania, 3-7 Nov. 1987, Catania C.U.E.C.M. 1989, 229 p.; G. Angelini et al, Educare nella società complessa. Problemi

Esperienze Prospettive. Brescia, La Scuola 1991, 225 p.; N. Galli, Educazione familiare e società complessa, Milan,

Vita e Pensiero 1991, 482 p. (with a complete bibliography, pp. 455-472); cf. S. Colonna, Senso di una pedagogia della

«scoietà educante». Lecce, Milella 1978, 246 p.; Idem, Società educante e umanizzazione sociale, Ibid 1979, 252 p. 1380 Cf. for example, F. Desramaut,L'azione sociale dei cattolici del secolo XIX e quella di don Bosco, in L'impegno

della famiglia salesiana per la giustizia. Leumann-Torino, Elle Di Ci 1976, pp. 21-77; in particular pp 46-75, L'azione e

il pensiero cristiano di don Bosco.

1381 Cf. P. Braido, Una formula dell'umanesimo educativo di don Bosco: «Buon cristiano e onesto cittadino», RSS 13

(1994) 75.

1382 Cf. P. Braido, La prassi di don Bosco e il sistema preventivo, in Il sistema preventivo verso il terzo millennio.

Rome, Editrice SDB, 1995, pp. 145-148. X. Thévenot insists on this in his studies cited in the bibliography. Elements of

reconsideration and proposals connected with a new problem in respect to Don Bosco's experience can be found in the

collaborative work ed. by C. Semeraro, Coeducazione e presenza salesiana. Problemi e prospettive. Leumann-Torino,

Elle Di Ci 1993, in particular pp. 81-151, Coeducazione tra storia e vita salesiana.