Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/429113
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 7 DECEMBER 2014 News 9 "I know this may not sound so rigor- ous or scientific to some people out there, but in reality all youths need is someone to take care of them." As CEO of Agenzija Zaghzagh, Miriam Teuma is keenly aware that youths need to be reminded of social realities and what's expected of them professionally, but she doesn't be- lieve this should come at the expense of the emotional well-being. "As a youth agency, we always do background checks for the youths that come to us, and more often than not it's simply a case of adults not finding the time to discuss what really matters to them. So they need someone to sit down and speak to them in an honest, non-threatening way. That way, you build confidence, and impress upon them that they can achieve whatever it is they want to achieve…" Founded in early 2012, Agenzija Zaghzagh – which forms part of the Education Ministry – aims to de- velop and implement initiatives and programmes to address and help meet young people's needs and aspi- rations, while also initiating contacts and approaches with other govern- ment ministries and agencies with a view to "developing a coordinated cross-sectoral approach in meeting young people's needs". More recently, the agency intro- duced 'Youth.inc', an initiative that offers part-time tuition in subjects such as Maths, English and IT Skills (among others). "The incorporation of Youth.inc will not only expand the agency's capacity, responsibilities and remit, but will also require it to refocus its role: one that uses both formal and non-formal learning methods and approaches," Teuma says. The emphasis on non-formal edu- cation is an important one for the agency, given that Teuma believes there is a real lacuna within the Mal- tese educational system. "Early school-leaving remains one of the biggest problems we face when it comes to local youths," Teu- ma says in no uncertain terms. "The lack of practical, hands-on education within traditional institutions has contributed to this. In a lot of ways, the system has failed these youths by concentrating too much on theory. This is something we try to address with our own courses," Teuma says, stressing that an informal setting is also crucial to providing a more en- gaging educational experience. But Teuma also adds that various 'real-world' social factors come into play that lead to youths dropping out of school 'before their time'. One would think that, for example, the promise of a stipend – unique among EU countries – would entice students to stick around. "But the thing is, a stipend is still less money in their hands than a part-time job would provide them with, even at minimum wage. A lot of these students don't really think of the long-term consequences. Since they still live with their parents, hav- ing a job provides them with enough money to go out, and to save up for a car, for example, so they're happy." Teuma also contends that cultur- ally, Maltese youths tend to be more pampered by their parents when compared to their international counterparts, and that this doesn't motivate them to better their profes- sional opportunities. "This can be problematic because it means they're not flexible. They may think that they can survive working in one particular field, or in the fam- ily business, but things might change in the future, and if they don't have any real skills they'll end up profes- sionally stranded soon enough…" Apart from offering tuition with a more practical bent, and ensuring that its young clients are psycho- logically taken care of, Teuma claims that cultural activities can also play a part in boosting the morale of young people across the board. The agency is in fact directly in- volved with one such upcoming ac- tivity. Running from 12 to 14 December and organised in collaboration with St James Cavalier, '#malteen' will be a cultural weekend 'for youths by youths'. From music concerts to dance installations, from theatre productions and scriptwriting work- shops to human board games and ab- seiling, the programme of '#malteen' will celebrate teenagers' creativity and their urge for self-expression. Claiming that such collaborations are "evidence of the agency's ongo- ing commitment to promoting cul- ture and arts among young people," Teuma believes such events can be beneficial in more ways than one. "With these activities, we get a chance to highlight the positive as- pect of youths… rather than the neg- ative clichés we're often inundated with in the media." treljic@mediatoday.com.mt TIM DIACONO MALTA is the only European country, and one of the few coun- tries in the world, that imposes a blanket ban on abortion and newly- registered NGO Life Network plans to keep it that way. Describing abortion as "the great- est genocide ever in history, with twice the number of babies aborted annually than people lost in World War II", Life Network is set to em- bark on an outreach awareness and educational campaign. A meeting with university students has already been scheduled for February. "People need to understand that abortion is not a simple medical procedure, but one that creates victims out of both the mother and her unborn child," said Life Net- work president Miriam Sciberras – a dentist with a degree in Bioeth- ics who has previously spoken out against IVF and gay adoptions. "Embryos have as much life as you and I and should therefore be pro- tected." All major Maltese political parties have zero-tolerance policies where abortion is concerned and no Mal- tese NGO has as yet taken any- where near a strong pro-abortion stance. It begs the question – will Life Network simply be preaching to the converted? "I do not think the legalisation of abortion in Malta is an imminent threat," Sciberras admitted. "How- ever, we still need to keep ourselves on constant guard because interna- tional pressure on Malta to change its stance on abortion will keep on rising. "If your society is at peace, that doesn't mean that fighting for peace is worthless. The same argument applies with abortion in Malta. Our aim is not simply to maintain Malta's anti-abortion stance but to promote the stance through pro-life aware- ness and educational programmes for all types of people. If someone doesn't fight for these values, they run the risk of dying out. "Despite political assurances, Malta is surrounded by countries that disrespect the sanctity of life," fellow Life Network member Klaus Vella Bardon said. "Our mission is to defend life and the flourishing of life in all its dimensions. One can- not be vigilant enough." Early school leaving biggest problem for youths New NGO to keep anti-abortion flame burning Ahead of a St James Cavalier-organised event aiming to empower local youths, Agenzija Zaghzagh CEO Miriam Teuma tells TEODOR RELJIC that too many local kids are dropping out of school too fast, and that offering them individual attention may just be the key to keeping them there "Things might change in the future, and if they don't have any real skills they'll end up professionally stranded soon enough" Miriam Teuma: "The lack of practical, hands-on education within traditional institutions has contributed to this. In a lot of ways, the system has failed these youths by concentrating too much on theory" PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD Life Network president Miriam Sciberras with her husband Mark at the Italian March for Life in Rome back in May