Over the last three years, the government has introduced a number of initiatives to meet the needs of our young people and give them a say, through decision-making groups, on matters that affect them and their future. Young people are a very important sector of our society, apart from the fact that, numerically, they form more than a quarter of the total population, and it is accepted that they are doing well in at least two important sectors, namely education and employment.
We note with pleasure that the number of youngsters following tertiary education has continued to rise in recent years. About 18,000 students are following courses at either the university, MCAST or the Institute of Tourism Studies and the fact that, together with others studying in Sixth Form, about €23 million is spent annually in stipends alone, apart from the Vote on education, is impressive.
The local situation regarding young people is in striking contrast with that of neighbouring countries, especially where the labour market is concerned. Youth unemployment rates in Europe reflect the difficulties being faced by young people in finding jobs. Commission figures show that youth unemployment in the EU is 21 per cent and it is estimated that the cost to society is around €2 billion per week – or one per cent of the EU’s economic output.
The dramatic situation elsewhere
The EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion has remarked that “the current situation for young people in many EU countries is becoming dramatic”. Because of this situation, last month the EU Commission announced a plan to tackle youth unemployment in the 27 member states. The Youth Opportunities Initiative promises to create 370,000 placements across Europe and will cost €30 billion, which will come from the European social fund. Comparing this alarming situation in Europe with the local situation, it is obvious that our government deserves credit for its plans for our young people.
Malta is in the top five European countries with the fewest young people unemployed. This is partly due to the success of the Agenzija Zghazagh, which aims at improving the youth services provided by the government. The agency, which was only launched last February, is structured on three pillars, namely Youth Empowerment, Policy Streaming and a Research Unit. Youth empowerment is extremely important, as the government is committed to empower our young people and help them develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they need to be successful in life – even in posts of responsibility at local and national levels.
Locally, The Youth Empowerment Programme will serve as a medium through which young people will be given tools to understand the issues that are influencing their quality of life and become empowered to take action. Our young people are doing well in this sector, mainly because they are being well prepared in a most professional manner.
National Programme
The National Programme aims at creating a learning environment that will enable young people to voice their opinions, become more active citizens and identify and develop their creative potential through various projects run by Agenzija Zghazagh and other stakeholders at national and community level. The current proposals include Konkors Letteratura ghaz-Zghazagh, Structured Dialogue and VolTours – which help young volunteers find the special field in which they would like to invest their time and energy, Divergent Thinkers, which seeks contemporary artistic practices by young Maltese artist that explore divergent thinking, the Social Theatre Context, which seeks to provide opportunities for young Maltese theatre groups to share, explore and develop their talents and National Youth Media Days, which provide workshops and hands-on experience for young people on how media and mass communications work.
The local programme is organised in collaboration with local councils and KNZ with the aim of encouraging a group of young people aged between 14 and 18 to form a youth local council parallel to the local council. The young councillors adopt particular roles and are encouraged to assess the needs of young people in the area and write a proposal for addressing these needs. These proposals are forwarded to Agenzija Zghazagh which will ultimately finance the top three projects.
Training courses are available in many areas and the Empower programme, which aims at releasing young people’s potential, developing their leadership abilities and engaging them in healthy wellbeing, while enhancing their creativity and thinking skills and encouraging them to bring about changes in their area, is attracting considerable interest.
Giving empowerment to our young people is the best way of guaranteeing that, in the future, we will have the right leaders in top administrative structures at local and national levels.
This can only be achieved with the proper guidance and training – which is exactly what we are doing. Our youngsters are being empowered in a most professional manner that will pay rich dividends in the future.