Calling all youths!
European Youth Week starts next week and the theme for this year is “Democracy and me”. It explores how young people can actively participate in society and influence decision-making. European elections are just around the corner on the 23-26 May and youths are encouraged to go and vote so that they can begin to influence the decisions that impact their lives.
Events have been planned all over Malta to engage youth in a celebration of democracy. Here are a few that are happening and how you can get involved:
30 April – 04 May
Citizen Science for Environmental Protection and Research
The Argotti Botanical Gardens will be open to the public for the week. Greenhouse Malta, alongside other organisations, will be present throughout, and will put on a series of workshops and informal lectures to showcase their work. There will be discussions about how people can join in citizen science research projects to help collect biodiversity data, with the aim of increasing local knowledge of local flora and fauna.
Visitors will be able to learn about local biodiversity and be shown what can happen when they get actively involved in collecting data – highlighting how previous data collections have lead directly to protecting wildlife and habitat.
03 May 15:00-19:00
Democracy by doing
This event is hosted by Cross Culture International Foundation (CCIF) and will take place at the Floriana Youth Hub. It involves a simulation game (Democracy by doing) where participants will be divided into multinational teams. The purpose will be to create a democratic society that will have to follow specific social and work behaviours and greetings. The game will be followed by a reflection of the dynamics and feelings that came up during the simulation. What are the human rights that every person is entitled to have? Participants will be asked to reflect on the values and beliefs that guide their life choices.
The aim of this event is to raise youth awareness of the importance of democracy to achieve a positive change in society.
Registration is accessible on the Facebook event page.
Address : 53 A Magazine Street, Floriana
04 May 09:00 – 15:00
Environmental awareness through a clean up
This event is happening in Gozo around Fort Chambray. It is a clean-up to remove litter and rubbish from around Fort Chambray to take action through ‘democracy by doing’, and to raise awareness. Organised by Malta Cadets Corps
04 May 09:00 – 12:00
SDGs in Maltese context
This event will take place in Valletta and is hosted by the YMCA Youth Facility. Through the use of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) participants will be encouraged and empowered to reflect on current issues of national importance.The participants will be divided into groups and through the use of SDGs cards come up with a project proposal involving at least three SDGs to tackle a national challenge of their choice. Each group will then have five minutes to present their project to a panel.The purpose of this activity is to help the participants to see themselves as active citizens who have a voice.
Address : YMCA Youth Facility 178, Merchant Street, Valletta
More information on each event and even more activities that will be taken place on the island during European Youth Week can be found on https://europa.eu/youth/week/event_en.
By Kaye Vassallo
