Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/326223
29 maltatoday, SUNDAY, 8 JUNE 2014 THIS WEEK STREET Smart is Fundacion Mapfre and Middlesea Insur- ance's second contribution to our country's educational pro- gram this year alone. Following the great success of Ċaqlaq! (a primary school campaign fo- cusing on the importance of a healthy lifestyle) Street Smart has retained much of the same ethos of education through humor and applied it to a dif- ferent cohort and subject mat- ter. As the name suggests, Street Smart strives to create broader awareness on transport safety, this time however within the secondary school system, fo- cusing primarily on Forms 1 through to 3. "The full attention of the average 12-year-old is some- what of a rare commodity. With that in mind I chose to go with writing a show that is instantly captivating, rhyth- mic and physical to lock in the young audience from the word go. And hold them from begin- ning to end, seldom giving them a moment's lull at which to drift off. And it worked," Jon Mallia, the show's writer, said. The production of the touring show, that has visited a total of 20 local schools across Malta and Gozo was again entrusted to Generation Green, a com- pany specialising in creating educational material within a popular education framework. The energetic performance is very mentally and physi- cally taxing on the three ac- tors as they must blitz through multiple characters each in the course of one hour. Fur- thermore most of the acting is done within an upbeat choreo- graphed rhythmic structure. Following three weeks of high intensity rehearsals Mario Cassar, Julian Calleja and PJ Xerxen were ready to get the crowds of students and teach- ers roaring with laughter and chanting pro transport safety anthems, whilst of course ex- pounding on the importance of being a diligent participant in the transport system. Street Smart is endorsed by the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Transport. In fact both Minister Bartolo and Minister Mizzi visited and spoke at two of the tour marks. This project has been a collaborative effort between Fundacion Mapfre, Middlesea Insurance, Generation Green and JPA Advertising. 'Street Smart' goes live Education Minister Evarist Bartolo