The European Commission has awarded the Don Bosco Voluntary Service (DBVS) for “best practice” in work with marginalised youth in Malta, children who are “poor, abandoned and in danger,” as Don Bosco used to say.

The young volunteers of the DBVS are a branch of the Salesian organisation within St Patrick’s in Malta. They have been given the award in recognition of the work they did in conjunction with St Patrick’s Care Team during the summer of 2004.

The project, entitled Arts and Living, was jointly funded by the European Commission and the Salesian community of St Patrick’s in Sliema. St Patrick’s is a Salesian organisation that provides residential services to young people who are in need of care and protection in Malta and this project brought together a number of these youngsters as well as other young people, who after having experienced the care system themselves now wished to do something good for the resident children and their separated siblings by way of helping them grow, bring out the best in them, enable them to be creative and integrate into society.

The best practice projects of European Youthweek 2007 number 33 and are chosen from all over Europe. All projects show how dealing with social exclusion and minorities in society can be improved through intercultural project work. The award ceremony will take place in Brussels. More information about this and the other best practice projects can be found at http://www.youthweek.eu/active-best-practise-projects.html.

The previous European Youth Week was held two years ago. Working within the Youth Programme of the European Commission, the Don Bosco Voluntary Service (Malta) furthers the Salesian aims of reaching out to marginalised youth, being present with the young and promoting positive role models for the benefit of the young who need them most.