From the 24th to the 30th of January, University authorities, professors, students, and administrative staff took part of forums, religious, sports and cultural events that were organized to celebrate the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Don Bosco.

Don Bosco was born on August 16^th, 1815 in Turin, Italy. He dedicated his life to helping young people and since then future generations have followed by using his Preventive System which is based on reason, religion and kindness. Pope John Paul II named him "the father, teacher and friend of young people". Every year Salesian institutions worldwide celebrate the birth of Don Bosco.

Due to the celebrations, last January 24^th the physical education department at UPS organized the 11^th "Cycling Tour" called Don Bosco Vive or Don Bosco is alive with around 350 participants.

There were also some talks such as "the essence of poor and abandoned young people in danger" given by Vicente Plasencia; "Don Bosco and Pope Francis: a rich educational relationship" by Alejandro León; and "An educational experience with Don Bosco" by Edwin Cardenas.

And finally, there was a cultural festival where the university's music and dance groups performed several acts along with four special guests: Suyay, Medina, la 30/30 and Fransisco Viteri.

The celebration of the 200^th anniversary of the birth of Don Bosco is a good time for reflection where it is evident that UPS lives Don Bosco's educational experience.