The project Mumenti, supported by Arts Council Malta, kicked off on Saturday, 17 February by means of a half-day seminar organised for those who hold a decision-making role or are coordinators of a section or working team within Azzjoni Kattolika Maltija (Malta Catholic Action).
Around 40 people, aged between 20 and 70 years who voluntarily lead different sections and groups of the organisation, participated in this seminar held at the Iklin Parish Centre. This event was a way for these members to continue to get to know each other and to be supportive of each other. It also aimed to help them express the beauty they experience and the challenges they face while carrying out their mission within the organisation.
An artistic workshop was held, with the help of Ian Stilton, an artist by profession, who helped the participants discuss ways how to overcome such challenges and to think about what makes them resilient and want to continue to persevere in their role within the organisation. He delivered this by exploring symbolism and visual representations in the workshop. The participants used different comparisons to represent and symbolise their thoughts and emotions.
Group leaders and team coordinators learnt about the importance of resilience and perseverance. Despite the several difficulties they might face, on a personal level or within the group, there is the need for resilience for that individual to adapt and continue moving forward. It is through perseverance that one reaches their personal and collective goals even though they might face failure.
The seminar was intentionally scheduled for 17 February to coincide with the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Maltese Catholic Action, which fell during that week. The organisation was started in Malta by a small group of University students on 5 April 1929, thanks to the guidance of Fr Danjel Callus. On 19 February 1930 the official statute of the organisation was approved by the Archbishop of that time. From then on, this date has been commemorated as the anniversary date of the organisation. Since then, more youth groups have been founded in different parishes. Their aim was to take an active role in conveying the message of the Church and to be of service to others. This small initiative developed into one of the largest Maltese Catholic organisations in existence today. The members of the organisation commemorate this special anniversary through a number of meetings and activities.
This seminar was only the start of the project Mumenti, which will continue until February 2025. The next part of the project will see a number of creative workshops come to life, where with the help of many established locals artists, the Maltese Catholic Action will be bringing together members from different generations and different localities, to continue to get to know each other but also to continue to express themselves in a creative manner. The beauty of all this is that it will unite elderly members with young people under one roof, offering them an experience they may never have encountered before. The creative workshops will focus on art, music, dance, drama and writing. The writing workshop will include young and elderly people corresponding by post, which may be something young people no longer do. The aim of all this is to continue to build and strengthen the sense of community and fraternity within the organisation.
In the coming months the organisation will also be planning a number of cultural visits around Malta, where participants will have the opportunity to discover cultural spaces in our country that they may never have had the opportunity to visit or explore. Later on this year, through the Mumenti project, a group of young people will also be trained in setting up and creating a podcast where they will have the opportunity to interview and discuss topics and subjects with the older members of the organisation.