Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/736806
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 9 OCTOBER 2016 15 on the wellbeing of society, both for adults and children. We have a Children's Council, which meets around this very table. Seven-to 11-year-olds, all from very differ- ent backgrounds. The environ- ment is huge on their agenda, when they get talking. I mention this because the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child holds its general meeting every year in Geneva. A member of the Chil- dren's Council went there to talk about the 'Secret Garden' project as something positive for the en- vironment. We also had two chil- dren who went to the Eurochild conference in June, again to talk about the project: about how chil- dren use the open space to their advantage..." Interestingly, the 'Secret Gar- den' project itself came about at the request of children them- selves: when asked what they feel most hindered their well-being, 'lack of open space' was one of their answers. The idea (to quote from the 'mission statement' is to 'create an interactive and crea- tive place at San Anton gardens that will give Maltese children the space to express their personal- ity, express their opinions and become more conversant in life- skills'. "On a Saturday from April to June, this place is jam-packed. There are kids doing their own thing in different ways. One ac- tivity we had last year, which was great fun, was again suggested by the children themselves. They wanted to know how kids in oth- er countries lived. So we invited ambassadors to come and be in- terviewed. The children here de- cided what questions to ask, and it was documented on our website... and the ambassadors were good sports and went along with it." As with her experience with the Child Policy, what Farrugia finds most interesting is the perspec- tive of the children themselves. "For instance, we have a li- brary for children. There are bookshelves on wheels, which they can take out in the garden. We also support a programme called 'Read With Me', but when we asked the children they said: 'That's fine, but all we want is to just sit down and read...' To me that was so refreshing. What they were telling us was that they were fed up of people structuring their time. They could use their own imagination, and use the space how they wanted to..." Meanwhile, the Foundation it- self (as its name implies) deals with the wellbeing of society as a whole: not just children. Far- rugia admits that both 'society' as a whole, and also its 'wellbeing', turned out to be much broader themes than she had at first im- agined. "For instance, we have a con- ference coming up about retire- ment. Research shows that there is a dip in wellbeing associated with retirement. So far this seems obvious. What I didn't know, however, was there are some good examples, here in Malta, of companies helping people to deal with retirement. We got to know that Farsons, for example, has a scheme for employees reaching retirement age. You can take on a mentorship role, which gives the satisfaction of passing on what you've learnt to the younger generation. It's also a way of be- ing phased out slowly before you leave, so it's not a case of being a full-time employee one day, and then nothing the next. There are more of these examples, and our mission as a Foundation is to learn more about them." One recent meeting that stands out in her memory was with sur- vivors of domestic violence. "For obvious reasons what was shared around that table was never publicised. But they got together and discussed what worked for them. I won't say they left the meeting 'on a high', but there was definitely a sense of positivity. They all said that it was a dark time in their lives... but some also added: '...and these are things that helped me through it'. Others said, 'that's a really good idea. Maybe I can use it...' This is ultimately what this space is all about. Every meeting we have, for us, is about learning what works. And people have some very in- genious ways of making things work..." Interview We all have rights, but what are they worth if the systems which guarantee them prove unreachable in practice? RUTH FARRUGIA, of the President's Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, highlights difficulties facing children caught up in the judicial process access PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS MANGION