(Brussels) “What solutions to youth unemployment in Europe? The perspective of the Catholic Church”: this is the subject that will be discussed in Brussels later today on the initiative of Don Bosco International in partnership with the Commission of the EU Bishops Conferences (Comece). “In October, the European Commission submitted an initial assessment of the measures taken to reduce youth unemployment”, the organisers explain. “They found that the Youth Guarantee and the Employment Initiative have helped reduce youth unemployment since 2013”. The first item on the agenda will be the real experience of the Italian association Don Bosco for education and vocational training, told by Ivan Toscano, and the efforts made by the Salesian initiative in implementing the two European measures. This will be followed by a workshop that will discuss “further steps to be taken to tackle long-term youth unemployment and the role of vocational training”. Guest speakers will include MEP Brando Benifei, co-president of the youth inter-group; Helen Hoffmann, welfare advisor to the European Commission, Tinkara Oblak of the European Youth Forum. The meeting is held as part of the “First European Vocational Skills Week” (5-9 December) devised by the European Commission to “improve the image and attractiveness of education and vocational training”.