Last March I was present at one of the fringe meetings organised by the Labour Party to discuss one of the five social documents approved by the party’s general conference a few weeks before. It was a true pleasure meeting Dr Justyne Caruana MP for Gozo who was responsible for the document on youth. She looked young and vibrant, just like everyone else in the room. She told me that the consultation process had been very wide and she had met young people and organisations from all walks of life. It was a really inspiring event in which she spoke with such passion, deep understanding and readiness to reach out to young people in ways that connect with their everyday lives and which tap into their skills and eagerness.
A couple of weeks ago the Labour Party published a number of policy documents issued by the party over the last four years. The 648-page publication presents the underpinning vision of Labour’s election programme, embracing innovative position papers about Malta-EU relations, education and health, the family and its younger and elder members, work and the environment and the renewal of the tourist and public sector, among others.
Being in my twenties, I was particularly interested to read again the section regarding youth, which mainly focuses on those who seek work, those who want to pursue further studies and even those with an entrepreneurial attitude who aim to open their own business. For the benefit of those young people who are way too busy to read the Labour Party’s pledges to them, I have managed to summarise them in just a few lines.
Once in government, the Labour Party will give to each and every young person a youth card that entitles them to discounts on their educational, sporting and cultural needs. To enhance employability, a national fund in conjunction with the private sector will be set up for continuous re-training and re-skilling. There is also good news for those who are finding it costly to purchase an apartment or a maisonette to start building up a family on their own. Firstly, the stamp duty for couples buying a home for the first time will be reduced and secondly, no VAT will be levied on work and materials for such couples.
For aspiring young entrepreneurs, an incentive system will be introduced for people who are in the process of setting up their own business. Young entrepreneurs will be exempt from paying national insurance contributions during the first two years of their venture. A hostel for young Gozitans studying and working in Malta will be built, while a National Youth Centre will be set up and EU funding will be used to establish a European Centre for Youth NGOs.
From an academic point-of-view, the guidance service will be improved in order to help young people be better informed, and thus able to make better decisions about what they can do after they leave school, while funds will be allocated for the establishment of a unit within the department of Youth Studies at the University of Malta. Furthermore, a new Labour government will also give the utmost priority to the implementation of the Bologna process for the acquisition of
bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees.
Labour is the natural home of the young and young people understand that Labour is the party of innovative and far-reaching fresh ideas. It is also the party of social justice, which when in Government always sought the best way to invest in improving education and reducing child poverty, so that, regardless of background, there is equal opportunity for all young people. Day after day I see incredible energy, keenness and passion among young people. But many do feel a sense of powerlessness and frustration at the lack of opportunities.
Labour is right to make sure that young
people are part of the political process, not only by listening to them but by putting political power in their hands.
Josef Cachia
Hamrun