At the peak of the festa season, Gozo is today celebrating one of its major feasts with St George’s Basilica en fete, attracting thousands of visitors from both islands. Village feasts are perhaps the biggest annual events that portray the highest levels of tradition and folklore. They are indeed a very popular manifestation of everything that we have inherited from our ancestors by way of religious beliefs and a vast array of related forms of culture. None of this ever-growing activity would happen were it not for the dedication of hundreds of enthusiastic volunteers who lend their skills and talents all year round. Indeed, volunteering is at its very best at the core of every aspect of our local feasts.

Since my childhood, I have admired the genuine team spirit demonstrated by so many people during the months leading up to the week’s festivities. I was always amazed by the synergy of young and old, combining the wealth of years of knowledge and experience with the enthusiasm and energy of the younger, passionate volunteers.  

This type of inter-generational collaboration is one of the basic values in our cultural heritage and it is cherished. As a nation, we have enjoyed this wealth for many years and this government has a vision of a society where such esprit de corps is also seen in many other aspects of community life. We are already blessed that, in real terms, voluntary activity is a constant that flourishes in many events. It shows that individuals – whatever their age and abilities – are to be continuously enabled to play a full part in civil society. 

My portfolio includes this specific task which, together with other duties, aims at providing elderly and disabled people with equal opportunities to participate in community life. My Secretariat is fully committed to realising this through various initiatives and projects and it goes far beyond the call for caring! We design the necessary structures and provide the appropriate and rightful spaces for everyone who can personally contribute within both their immediate and the national community. They have the right to participate, the right to be part of the organisational planning and, eventually, the right to enjoy fully participating in the actual events.

It was, in fact, in line with this that last week – in my role as Parliamentary Secretary for the Rights of People with a Disability and for Active Ageing – I renewed last year’s agreements with Gozo’s two main band clubs for operatic events in October. My Secretariat ensures that a number of theatre seats are made available to the elderly to give them the opportunity to enjoy an evening of culture. I can clearly recall the comments of many successful applicants who had always wanted to attend an opera in Gozo but had never had the opportunity to do so. This initiative was twinned with another one – Nieħduk Għawdex (‘We’ll take you to Gozo’) which included a package agreed with the Gozo Tourism Association which will also be renewed this year.

The tickets will be given for both operas and also for an operatic concert, all of being held in Gozo. In this way, the Secretariat is also promoting art and culture among our elderly, as well as tourism for the elderly in Gozo. Elderly people who apply for these free tickets will be evaluated according to certain criteria, such as whether they are Kartanzjan holders, whether they are attending any of the learning courses we run or are involved in voluntary work.

Apart from such initiatives, my Secretariat’s timetable includes a very busy schedule for the planning and realising of projects. We constantly monitor work in progress on a regular basis, thus ensuring that everything is done within a diligent project management of time schedule and budget plans. But we also monitor each project’s effectiveness to ensure that everything we plan and in which we invest provides the highest quality of service.

In line with this, it was really a pleasure this week to take a look at the structural and refurbishing work being carried for the first Lifelong Learning Hub in Gozo for people with disabilities. In a true spirit of cooperation, the government has entered into an agreement with the church authorities for the lease of a building in Għajnsielem with an 800 square meter footprint. The need for this hub had long been felt and it is indeed a great satisfaction that we are carrying out this project in collaboration with three major national entities: the Employment and Training Corporation, the Malta Communications Authority and the Sapport Agency.

For the first time on these islands, people with a disability will have what will be the first ever centre exclusively dedicated to their learning and training. Under the guidance of professionals in various fields, they will be taught and trained to develop their individual skills with a view to reaching the stage of being employable. Our final goal is to provide further opportunities for these people in the labour market and basically offer the necessary tools to help them secure the human dignity and independence they deserve.

This will be a holistic project which, although based in Gozo, will operate on a national level, providing the necessary attention to the individual’s needs and personal disability and enabling and upgrading his or her skills. It will, in fact, provide an additional but responsible impetus towards supporting these people in the further enhancement of their quality of life – a life they can lead without the traditional dependence on others. Such a need had been strongly felt for many years and, apart from filling such a void, it will complement this government’s determination to provide Gozitans with everything they deserve in Gozo itself.  

It is part of my duties to ensure that what we plan is actually done – and on time. This Gozo project is, in fact, scheduled to be functioning by the end of this year. Although my busy schedule is taken up with parliamentary work, new legislation and the planning and monitoring of an endless number of ongoing refurbishment and upgrading projects around both islands, I never stop ensuring that my fellow Gozitans benefit fully from all that this government is accomplishing for the whole nation. The two sectors with which I have been entrusted have fast become my mission and, with the constant help of my collaborators, I am fully committed to them.

Whilst wishing everyone who is celebrating their village feast the best of times with their families and friends, I would remind you all that moderation is the best recipe for enjoyment. And while I’m about it, in view of the latest prediction of high temperatures, I appeal for all the necessary health precautions, especially for those who may be vulnerable in such a hot climate.