Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1495665
28 Unity SUNDAY 26 MARCH 2023 Prof. Maureen Cole Department of Social Policy and Social Work THE Faculty for Social Wellbeing celebrated its 10th anniversary last year. Prof. Andrew Azzopardi, Dean of the faculty, Ms Jamie Bonnici, a former research support officer, and I put together a publication entitled 'A Decade of Us 2012-2022' to com- memorate this milestone. In this short piece I selected what I consid- er some important experiences and insights about the first decade which I augur that the Faculty for Social Wellbeing will take forward into the next. Social justice was central to the faculty's mission at its inception and during the first decade of its life. This centrality of social justice remains vital and is even more per- tinent today and for the future as societal challenges and complexity increase. A social justice lens will ensure that the faculty continues to be sensitised to issues of oppression and human rights both locally and internationally. Oppression can take many forms and as Mattaini and Holtschneider (2016) state when quoting Young (1990), it might manifest itself as ex- ploitation, marginalisation, as in the case of homeless people, powerless- ness, cultural imperialism, demand- ing that people of other cultures live by the values of the dominant group in society and by various forms of vi- olence . This social justice perspec- tive could continue to be the guiding light for important decisions taken by the faculty in terms of its teach- ing, research, community engage- ment, and advocacy. Collegiality and collaboration were highlighted by several of the key ac- tors involved in the early days of the faculty's life. During this early period, collegiality and collaboration were fuelled by the strong commitment to the faculty project. This helped the faculty members to immerse them- selves in building new connections across the faculty to share knowledge and expertise. Several opportunities for joint projects were forged and brought to fruition. The enthusiasm of the early days helped to overcome and transcend any differences when these arose. Although the enthusi- asm of the early days of the faculty's life might wane over time, it is vital that the strong dedication to collegi- ality and collaboration do not. Students are a primary focus of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing. They are in many ways its raison d'être. The faculty prides itself with a popu- lation of around 1,000 students who are reading for degrees in a broad spectrum of subject areas at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The flourishing growth of the courses of studies of the first-decade merit evaluation and the consolida- tion of areas of strength. As is usual practice, this process will undoubt- edly be enriched through the partic- ipation of present and past students and key stakeholders in the sector. The faculty does not only attend to students' academic development; it has always given attention to stu- dents' wellness and their growth as persons. This likewise merits taking forward. A striking feature of the Faculty for Social Wellbeing has been its abili- ty to not only respond to national debates but to also push social con- cerns onto the national agenda. This is a role that the faculty should con- tinue to foster especially in relation to social issues where it has devel- oped specialist scholarship which could inform policy development and practice. This reciprocal relationship with the community we serve is a vital lifeline for the faculty to continue to have relevance. The faculty has laid good foundations for more op- portunities for co-production with members of the community in terms of both teaching and research. These foundations should serve well for more ambitious projects of deep col- laboration with the community. Although the road ahead might be steep and fraught with many chal- lenges, I am convinced that the Fac- ulty for Social Wellbeing has built sufficient reserves to face the future with confidence. Legacies for the future And in closing... Michaela Magro Administrator II IN Malta, we have different kinds of traditions all intended to bring together our commu- nities. Every town and village have their own traditions. One tradition not given that much importance is bell-ringing. The harmony brought about by church bells ringing throughout the day is unique. These sounds occur in practi- cally every Maltese town and village, and are heard most notably during the summer months when every Sunday includes a number of feasts across both Malta and Gozo, and special occasions, namely Christmas, Easter and funerals. Given that the sound of a bell represents something unique, each event has its own time signature. For example, in the older times bell-ringers used to wake up the country folk with the sound of the "Pater Noster" at 4am. This sound represent- ed a signal for the villagers to wake up and kick off their day in the fields. The truth is that the older generation used to depend on the sound of the bells. My first experience and en- counter as a bell-ringer hap- pened when I was 14, and I have never looked back. It was my first experience in our locality and the first time in Malta that a female person joined the bell-ringing group. Bell-ringing had previously been traditionally associated with teenage boys, because women were thought to lack the stamina and strength re- quired. Bell-ringing helped me surpass difficult times; for this I thank parish sexton Christo- pher Bartolo who encouraged me to join the community of bell-ringers. Like every community ser- vice, bell-ringing requires much dedication and patience. In due course I was also in- volved in leading and teaching a new generation of bell-ring- ers, and disciplining accord- ingly in this art. When ringing the church bells, one needs to show interest, precision, gen- tleness, and punctuality when pulling a rope cord. It is similar to playing an instrument: it is easy to get out of tune if you're not careful... funnily enough the local community does no- tice when a mistake is made and the bells are out of tune! It would certainly be a pity if such traditions are abandoned or taken over by artificial, elec- tronic, forms of bell-ringing instead of the genuine experi- ence of tugging a rope to the rhythm of the particular occa- sion. Let the community 'hear'