The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology launched the Domestic Violence Application designed and created by MCAST ICT student, Robert Cassar Pace. The launch was held in the presence of European Affairs and Equality Minister Helena Dalli.
During November and December 2017, MCAST held a variety of events and activities to inform and create awareness on domestic violence. The campaign aimed to inform students to recognize different forms of domestic violence and associated behaviour and empower them to stand up and take action against it. The campaign also provided information on how to seek help and support.
Students hailing from different MCAST Institutes participated in this awareness campaign. ICT degree student, Robert Cassar Pace designed and created a Mobile App to share among all students and the general public detailing information on domestic violence and where to seek help. The content for this application was provided by Health and Social Care students from the Institute of Community Services.
The application was designed to provide a user-friendly environment which facilitates information accessibility to visitors. The information was also provided via two technological channels, Website and App. The reason of having a website version and an application version is to reach a wider spectrum of users using various digital devices and digital media platforms. The APP/Website provides useful information such as; what is domestic violence, violent behaviours, frequent asked questions (FAQ) section and services. Robert Cassar Pace is currently reading for a BSc in Multimedia Software Development.
Other MCAST Institutes also participated in this campaign against domestic violence. The Applied Sciences Institute collected small gifts and presents and donated them to children hailing from domestic violence environments and who are currently homed within church institutions. The Creative Arts Institute chose domestic violence as a unit of their journalism studies and wrote various articles on the subject. Photography students worked on material to create further awareness on domestic violence. The Business Management and Commerce Institute worked on a flier detailing information on basic financial literacy skills and basic budgeting for victims of domestic violence. Students from the Community Services Institute organized specialized awareness sessions for Hairdressing and Beauty students and for Early Years students who in their daily duties may easily come across victims of domestic violence. Hairdressing and Beauty Services provided services for domestic violence victims homed in Church Institutions. The Institute of Engineering and Transport carried out voluntary maintenance work at Dar Merħba Bik. This included the servicing of cars, servicing of AC’s, rebuilding of rubble wall and restoration of an old well stone (ħorża). The Gozo Campus held a thematic talk and participated in the Gozo Conference on Domestic Violence held in November 2017.
Several other activities were organized. These included a number of training sessions for MCAST staff and students at the different MCAST Institutes. The Student Support Services Department (SSSD) created short video-clips on domestic violence which were projected on screen throughout the campaign. Students were also invited to visit the SSSD stand from where they collected informative leaflets were also given information on the services offered by the Student Support Services Department. A ‘wall’ representing the campaign was created aiming at having students from the various institutes visit the youth hub/ satellite institute together with their lecturers. The students were invited to write or draw on the ‘wall’ (using resources available, coloured papers, felt-tip pens etc.) and take photos were uploaded on social networking sites. The aim of all the above-mentioned activities is to create awareness and unite against domestic violence.