The opening ceremony marking the opening of National Youth Day and a week of national activities was successfully held in Bay Street on Sunday 18 March. This event was held through the collaboration of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Employment, Youth Section, the National Youth Council (KNZ), the National Youth Information Centre (NYIC) and the Commissioner for Children, who once again teamed up to organise the main activities for this special yearly event. The Bay Street location was chosen specifically because of its appeal to young people from different sectors of life.

The Minister for Education, Youth and Employment, Louis Galea spoke during the opening activities and said that: “All young people are important in the eyes of the government – both those with or without qualifications.” He added: “We accept and celebrate diversity because we can understand that people are different. We can understand that young people are given different opportunities, some possibly less than others, but we want to help everyone equally to enjoy life and we are convinced that every young man and woman can overcome obstacles and be creative and productive.”

The events held at Bay Street were extremely well-attended and included a colourful mix of singing, acting and dancing, discussions, creative workspaces and information stands. The events centred on the European Union’s campaign towards diversity, human rights and participation, known as the All Different, All Equal campaign. The activities also focused on the importance of including all individuals in society, especially those forming part of the six groups, which the European Union considers as vulnerable and most likely to be discriminated in society.