It’s half past seven in the evening and the sun is still high in the sky over Rabat. However, a small crowd is waiting to enter Tattingers Night Club, which surprisingly is already open at this hour. The reason is the Revive Party organised by Caritas two weeks ago and a big board indicates that this evening is special.

Caritas arranges a party on a regular basis (six times a year), exclusively reserved for teenagers aged 14 to 16. The rules of these parties are simple – no alcohol, no smoking, no drugs.

“We try to raise awareness among young people that it is possible to have good fun without resorting to drugs or alcohol,” says Marcette Busuttil of Caritas. “We want to give teenagers the opportunity of having a good time with people their age.” She insists that the quality of entertainment offered to these young people is very high. For example, DJ Andre is a professional DJ who voluntarily offers his service free of charge, the sound is good, the lights are the same as in discotheques everywhere else, the place is clean and the professional security staff keeps a watchful eye.

What’s more, 10 Caritas’ volunteers supervise the teenagers. More than 100 young people attended this particular Revive party, which was held at Tattingers for the first time. Owner Dominic Micallef offered the premises to Caritas for free. “It is a little strange and different because it’s a +18 club here,” he said.

Indeed, the cigarette vending machine is off. The bartender, another volunteer, has covered all the bottles of spirits behind him with a white sheet. He’s only selling soft drinks at 20c each. “The money is not for me of course,” he says with a smile, “it is for Caritas!”

Alcohol is a huge issue with Maltese youth. “It is a cultural problem,” says Ms Busuttil, “as they are exposed to alcohol all the time.” A study published in 2002 by the World Health Organisation revealed that half of the 15-year-olds drank alcohol at least once a week, which was twice the European average.

Two of the services offered by Caritas is helping people come off drugs and a Prevention Education Awareness programme specifically for teenagers to inform them of the negative effects of drug abuse. In fact most of the teenagers at the party had attended a weekend seminar dealing with drug abuse and alcohol problems.

“We send invitations to schools during the school year,” said Alex Attard, the head of the Prevention Unit. “Every year we organise 15 live-in weekends each with 36 students. We give them information about drugs to help them have a better perception of their effects.” However, Mr Attard admits that the majority of teenagers drink alcohol.

The dance floor is now crowded and girls and boys give it all they’ve got as the music booms out. Are they having fun? “They have as much fun here as anywhere else,” says Luciano, a volunteer in charge of the entrance tickets. Two friends with the same name, Wayne, who are both 14, take a little rest before going back to the dance floor. “It is the second time we have come to this party, because we knew we would have a good time,” they say.

“It is so much fun. Alcohol has nothing to do with it, we are here to dance,” says Sarah, 15. “Drinking alcohol can be fun as well but it depends on the people you are with,” she adds.

“We’ve never had incidents”, says Ms Busuttil. The ticket guy does not quite agree: “more or less without problems”. Another objective of these parties is to reassure parents. “Parents are happy, as the place is safe and they trust Caritas,” says Mr Attard.

At 11pm the party is over, a time when discotheques normally open their doors. The success of these Revive parties could send a signal to Maltese teenagers that alcohol parties are not necessarily better and one can have just as much fun at an alcohol free party.