Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1285850
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 SEPTEMBER 2020 9 For many birdwatchers in Malta September is synonymous with balmy afternoons on the rocky ridge overlooking Buskett, craning our neck and scanning the clouds with binoculars for those tell-tale specks in the sky: birds of prey. Most European raptors migrate south in autumn to winter in Africa, and since Malta sits along one of their main flyways we get to see a few thousand. The fun is to identify the species from that height; some are hard, some are easy. Thanks to its large size and unique flight silhouette the osprey is one of the less difficult to identify. Ospreys (M. arpa) feed exclusively on fish they catch from lakes, rivers and sea, for which job they have special anti-slip talons. They are regular annual sightings here in spring and autumn but never common. We are fast approaching the peak autumn raptor migration period, so if you feel like enjoying the majesty and allure of birds of prey – maybe even an osprey – as they sail overhead, do get in touch with BirdLife. Text: Victor Falzon Photo: Aron Tanti 727. OSPREY Visit Friends of the Earth's website for more information about our work, as well as for information about how to join us. You can also support us by sending us a donation - www.foemalta.org/donate GREEN IDEA OF THE WEEK 619 Try our delicious meat free recipes: http://foemalta.org/recipes Young Working Group Friends of the Earth Malta is launching a working group dedicated to youth (ages 17 to 28). This working group aims to collaborate with other youth groups in EU countries in order to build platforms across Europe to bring young people into multi levelled decision-making and build strong, collective visions for a socially just and ecologically sound future. The young working group is meant to be inclusive to everyone, and interactive so that everyone can express themselves. The discussions within the sessions will focus on gathering people's positions and values about the future, particularly Europe's future, about the environment The Promethians win JCI Malta's National Debating Competition JCI Malta held its National De- bating Competition on 22 Au- gust with a total of five teams comprising three members each, participating. The event, which was meant to be held earlier in the year, was marred by Cov- id-19; however, JCI Malta held various online training sessions to engage and motivate partic- ipants until the day when the competition could take place - with all the necessary safety measures in place. After a series of debates be- tween all the teams, the final was held between The Prome- thians composed of Natasha Singh, Joshua Singh, and Vitto- rio Emmanuele Camilleri, and The Minutes composed of Gian Peralta, Matthias Azzopardi, and Raphael Sammut DeMarco who debated the motion 'Eu- rope needs a unified solution for handling migrants'. These two extremely worthy teams gave the judges a tough time with scoring as the debat- ing level on both sides was of superior quality; however, The Promethians were the ultimate winners. They will receive fur- ther training in the coming months before they go on to represent JCI Malta at an in- ternational event happening in 2021. Certificates of participation were presented to all the team members while special men- tions and book prizes were awarded to individuals and teams who made a notewor- thy contribution to the com- petition. These were: Most Outstanding Debater: Nata- sha Singh; Most Outstanding Teamwork: The Minutes; Best Rebuttal: Vittorio Emanuele Camilleri; Best Point of Infor- mation: Matthias Azzopar- di; Best Point of Information Rebuttal: Celaine Vella; Best Motion Definition: The Pro- methians; Honorary Mentions went to Lara Attard, Kathleen Bulteel, and Raphael Sammut DeMarco. Being an organisation that is focused on developing its members into future leaders, JCI Malta believes that know- ing how to debate and speak in public is of utmost importance and therefore training will be provided by some of the best trainers and debaters prior to the European competition. More information about events organised by JCI Malta can be found on www.jci.org. mt/events This project has been funded through the Voluntary Organ- isations Project Scheme man- aged by the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector on behalf of Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sports and Voluntary Organisations within the Min- istry for Education and Em- ployment. This project/publication re- flects the views only of the au- thor, and the MEDE and the MCVS cannot be held respon- sible for the content or any use which may be made of the in- formation contained therein. The Promethians win the JCI Malta National Debating Competition 2020