Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/483475
Events 28 maltatoday, Sunday, 22 March 2015 Invest in your children's future these Easter holidays There's no denying that schooling, education and general knowledge are all very important aspects for a successful future. But equally important is the acquisition of personal and social etiquette skills early in life, both from a personal and career perspective. Lasting impressions are formed in the first few seconds of meeting someone, hence the importance of knowing how to carry ourselves, dress and act in whatever social or professional situation we find our- selves in. With these objectives in mind, Ramona Galea and Elaine Fenech are introducing the first Etiquette Masterclass Training Programme for Teenagers in Malta. Ramona and Elaine, founders of First Class Etiquette and Etiquette First re- spectively, are both successful etiquette consultants and train- ers, and together they have de- vised a social etiquette training programme specifically aimed at teenagers. Spread over two full days, the programme will delve in- to various topics that highlight the importance of everyday behaviour skills in the civilised world. These include common courte- sies such as introducing family and friends, how to walk and greet oth- ers, posture, poise, deportment, sitting and standing. "We will also guide course participants on how to dress and groom themselves, how to master table manners and communication skills such as the use of hands, tone of voice and how to conduct a conversation". Net etiquette, the where and how of using tablets and mobile phones will also be discussed. The training programme in- cludes all the elements one would learn in a finishing school. It is intended for teenagers who want to stand out from the crowd, both now and in their future endeav- ours. They will learn about Euro- pean etiquette during interactive and practical training sessions that will include an actual lunch eti- quette tutorial where participants will sit at table and go through the process of formal dining, among other activities. Apart from both being accredit- ed etiquette trainers and consult- ants by the International Etiquette and Protocol Academy of London, both Elaine and Ramona enjoy successful corporate careers. They stress that, "whilst our education system has been successful in pre- paring us for exams, the practical side of social and business life has often been given much less impor- tance. Students are left on their own when it comes to learn the crucial life skills that ensure a suc- cessful future". The benefits of this Masterclass in Social Etiquette are endless. Manners, grooming, dress codes and how to become a leader with- out being overpowering, learnt early in life, will shape how people are perceived for a lifetime. The training programme will be con- veniently held during the Easter holidays, between the 9 and 10 April 2015. For more information, please call on 7979 0108, 7924 2479 or send an e-mail on etiquettemasterclass@ gmail.com. On the occasion of the UNESCO National Commission's 50th anni- versary and UNESCO's 70th anni- versary this year, Malta's National Commission is hosting a major con- ference on best practices in island and coastal biosphere reserves from the 24 to the 26 March. Biodiversity experts from the five continents will be meeting at the Corinthia Palace Hotel, Attard, to explore sustaining and improving relations between man and nature in a world network. Malta currently does not have an official biosphere reserve. Of such reserves there are over 610 in 117 countries. The chairman of the UNESCO National Commis- sion, Professor Henry Frendo, said that the closest to such a site in the Maltese Islands so far is Dwejra in Gozo, although other 'nature' sites exist such as the Majjistral and Bus- kett. Dwejra has the Fungus Rock, an inland sea, the azure window and various endemic fauna and flora in addition to particular geological formations and archaeological re- mains. It is still a largely unspoilt ar- ea, as may be seen from the attached photograph/s taken for this occa- sion by Philip J. Cassar, the National Commission's executive secretary. As the world's population grows and urbanisation creeps into and encroaches on natural spaces, bio- sphere parks are becoming all the more important 'for people and na- ture to co-exist', as an added input to sustainable development, Profes- sor Frendo added. Many biosphere parks are larger than the entire Maltese Islands, but Malta being small, over-populated and over-built, we 'desperately need ecological open spaces where man and nature can inter-act.' Malta's UNESCO National Commission al- so has ambitious plans for a sizeable nature site dedicated to indigenous flora and fauna, a project for which it has been short-listed. The conference opens on Tuesday 24 March with an address at 9am by the Minster for Sustainable Devel- opment, the Environment and Cli- mate Change Leo Brincat. He will be followed by Professor Frendo on behalf of the UNESCO National Commission. There will then be an introduction to the thematics of the conference by Miguel Clus- ner-Godt from UNESCO's Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences, in the light of the Madrid Action Plan for Biosphere Reserves, under whose auspices the conference is being convened. Visiting experts from Spain (Dr Francisco Cantos), from Korea (Professor Do-Soon Cho, of the Madrid Action Plan), from Menor- ca (Mr Ferdinando Villalonga) and Young-Hoan Wang, Head of the Jeju Biosphere Reserve in Korea, will deliver brief introductory mes- sages. Thirty-five participants in sev- eral workshops will then analyti- cally depict biosphere reserves in their respective countries and dis- cuss future plans. These hail from Portugal, Canada, the Philippines, France, Germany, Estonia, Chile, Tunisia, Senegal, Japan, Australia, Iceland, Spain, the Republic of Ko- rea, China and elsewhere. On Friday 2 March delegates will be taken on a conducted tour of Dwejra by Prof. Alan Deidun from the Physical Oceanography Unit, followed by a visit to Valletta and a farewell dinner (attended also by the Minister for Education and Em- ployment Evarist Bartolo and the Minister for the Environment). As part of UNESCO anniversary celebrations, an art exhibition 'Film and Fame' by Dr Ruth Bian- co will also be inaugurated on the evening of the 24th March and re- main open for public viewing at the Corinthia's Orange Grove, Attard, until the 27 March and again from the 27 April to the 23 May. Other activities by the UNESCO National Commission are planned, includ- ing a ceramics exhibition 'Heritage Link' by Godfrey Xuereb set for in- auguration on 22 May. Brooks Brothers, America's oldest ap- parel brand and FC Internazionale's official formalwear sponsor, teams up with the Valletta Local Council for a charity concert at the Royal Op- era House (Teatru Rjal) in Valletta. The special event aids PUPI Founda- tion, a non-profit organisation cre- ated by former football player and FC Internazionale's Vice President Javier Zanetti to support children in Argentina. The concert features Maltese pop star Ira Losco and will take place at the famous Malta Royal Opera House on Saturday 28 March starting from 8 PM. The concert will be attended by Janvier Zanetti and Irene Fargo. Profits deriving from ticket sales will be entirely donated to PUPI Foundation. There will be a basic ticket selling at 15 euros and a VIP ticket at 25 euros, which allows ac- cess to the VIP area and party hosted by Mr Zanetti and Ira Losco. Tickets for the concert can be purchased from Brooks Brothers in Republic Street, Valletta, the Valletta Local Council Offices in South Street and the Embassy Ticket booth. The following Monday – 30 March – a celebration cocktail party will be held at the Valletta Brooks Brothers Store on 243, Republic Street. The soiree will start at 6 PM with a press conference and Mr Zanetti will be in attendance to receive a cheque with the total amount collected through the ticket sales. Fans and supporters of both Brooks Brothers and the PU- PI Foundation will have the opportu- nity to visit the store, meet Zanetti and find out more about their charity initiatives. Brooks Brothers for Pupi Foundation in Malta World experts discuss 'man and nature' parks Four leading organisations in Malta marked the 14th annual Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Day with respective employees volunteering a day's work at homes which help various vulnerable people facing dif- ferent social problems. CSR day is held annually on the 19th March public holiday of St Joseph the Worker. Hundreds of employees from Farsons Group, Fore- stals Group, HSBC Bank Malta, and Tumas Group, gave a helping hand at Fon- dazzjoni ta' Dar il-Wens in Fgura, St Jean Antide Foun- dation in B'Bugia, Dar Frate Jacoba in Marsascala, and Dar Merħba Bik in Balzan. The President of Malta H.E. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca and officials from the four organisa- tions visited the volunteers in the various locations and thanked them for their ster- ling work and for their par- ticipation in this initiative. HSBC Malta staff volun- teered at Dar Frate Jacoba, a home that welcomes young- sters coming from difficult social backgrounds. HSBC Bank Malta CEO Mark Watkinson said: "In line with the original ideal of CSR Day 14 years ago, we want to enable HSBC em- ployees and staff from other local leading organisations to support a worthy cause in the local community, and to make a big difference in the quality of life of the people living in these homes." Leading companies steer social change on CSR Day 2015 HSBC Malta staff stacking freshly baked figolli for the residents of Dar Frate Jacoba in Marsascala