Sedqa agency recently participated in a conference held in Trento, Italy, titled “Young People and Alcohol”, which discussed the policies, strategies and actions to fight alcohol abuse by young people.

Sedqa operations director Jean-Claude Cardona addressed the two-day conference and focused on Sedqa’s alcohol strategies and campaigns over the last two years.

Mr Cardona referred to local studies showing wide alcohol abuse by young people in Malta, which served as a basis for the agency’s social marketing campaigns in the past years.

The Trento conference was part of a campaign by the Assessorato alle Politiche per la Salute della Provincia Autonoma di Trento based on two research studies about attitudes, behaviour, values, awareness and peer pressure. The campaign targets mainly young people between 15 and 22 years of age. Several speakers from various European countries, including Malta, Spain, Scotland, Finland and The Netherlands addressed the conference.

Family and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina expressed satisfaction at these initiatives and said there was much to gain from experience-sharing.

“The Foundation for Social Welfare Services (FSWS) is doing sterling work in the provision of services and awareness-raising towards a preventive approach to problems brought about by abuse of substances,” she said.

Furthermore, she added, the government will shortly launch a campaign to educate the public about the new legislation regulating the consumption of alcohol by minors under 16 years of age.

An inter-ministerial permanent focus group was set up last year within the Family and Social Solidarity Ministry, of which Agenzija Sedqa forms part. Mrs Cristina pointed out that this new legislation was vital in helping to regulate and address this problem through a hands-on approach.