Viewing is one thing, doing is another: the dilemma of a would-be volunteer

Being a volunteer for a good cause comes naturally to some people. We all know of someone who fits this category, and we admire them. But what happens when we’re put on the spot and asked to ‘help out a bit’? Our pained expression belies our guilt at really wanting to do some good, but then we start thinking about our limited time, the pressures of work and our own families (kids’ extra-curricula activities take up our time, there’s the supermarket shop to fit in, an MBA to study for…and so on).

We’ve all been in the ‘I would help, if I could, but you know what it’s like….’ situation. But late last year, a group of students at the University of Malta came up with a new style of volunteering which makes it far easier for us to give some time, using our particular expertise, when and where we can. There are obligations, but within a far more manageable framework of volunteering. Here’s how it works, in their words.

What is Get up, Stand Up?
GetupStandup is a new voluntary organisation created to offer more channels for activism in Malta. The desire to promote love and friendship among all people is at the core of our beliefs. In Malta, there are many community-oriented projects, but the areas of human rights and cultural acceptance are often neglected. So, our initial focus has been on improving the conditions of immigrants, spreading awareness about human rights and campaigning for improved inter-cultural relations.

Whilst the immigration issue is close to our heart, there are many other social causes which we feel deserve more awareness. The environment, education and poverty, are particular aspects of human life which we feel passionate about, and which we want to devote our energies towards changing.

A new approach to volunteering
We feel that there are plenty of people who have a passion for social causes, but many don’t end up getting involved with any projects because of a fear of long commitments. Our website is designed to allow people to commit to roles within different projects and events. This means that you can choose a role depending not only on how much it interests you, but also to the extent of time you can give to it and playing to your strengths and areas of expertise.

Get Involved
Each project or event that we take on is coordinated by one or two project managers. This means that any project can be undertaken by the group, as long as there is a project manager to take responsibility for it. So if you can identify with our causes, or you feel like a cause you are passionate about ties in with our group, please contact us!

Apart from affecting change with small steps through our projects we also feel passionate about creating an environment where we challenge ourselves. Thomas Edison summed it up when he said “Restlessness and discontent are the first necessities of progress”. We want to create an environment where young people challenge their beliefs and think creatively without the inhibitions of dogma. We hope to create a platform for debate, discussion and friendship!

Come and visit us here: www.getupstandup.org.mt

Final word (Editor’s note)
Clearly, some roles like project manager need people who can commit more. But, the ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ way in which we can give time frees us up to help with less worry about committing and at least gives some projects man-hours that otherwise would never come their way. Finally, don’t be cynical about this initiative; and note too that being generous and compassionate lifts our own spirits and can bring us well being (if we still have the need to think of ourselves as we volunteer).

Photo: Walter Lo Cascio

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Diversity and inclusion don't usually sit together. Perhaps it's time they did.

Today, I finally had some time to catch up on in boxes on various social media, and browse around – to learn, research, and think about what we should have more of on Malta Inside Out. I am glad I did. Because I came across a message from the British Council, Malta, about a competition they ran last summer under the Council’s Inclusion and Diversity in Education project (INDIE) for schools. If you haven’t heard about this yet, do read on…

The Council had asked anyone who felt inspired by INDIE, to use their mobile phone cameras to make a three-minute film about the meaning of ‘diversity’. This was music to my ears. Malta is so often characterised as a society that relishes tradition, homogeneity and uniformity and one increasingly intolerant. So I did read on…

Malta was active in competing in its INDIE country cluster, which includes young people from the UK and Spain. Marlon Formosa from Kirkop Boys Secondary School won second prize. I clicked through to watch a wonderfully moving, sensitive piece of film about a boy called Deemar who suffers from a very rare condition called Metatropic Dysplaysia.

About the film
This is what Marlon says about his friend and his film: “I like him [Deemar] because in him I don’t see any disability but a great ability to fight against his physical limitations and have a positive attitude towards life. When the head of school told us about the INDIE Goes Mobile short film competition, Deemar came into my mind straight away.

“In creating this short film I found great help from his Learning Support Assistant, teachers and students altogether. But the main protagonist was Deemar himself.

“The first part of the video is about Deemar thinking about the problems he encounters in everyday school life. On the other hand, during the second part Deemar realises that he can be, and is a part of the school family.”

If you haven’t seen it, take three minutes out to watch Marlon’s film ‘Deemar’ below. He, Deemar and countless other young people like them are the people Malta can be proud of.

Read more about the winning entries.

Photo: Walter lo Cascio

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Dr Edward de Bono: low-tech presentation for high-powered thinking.

I went to a talk by Edward de Bono yesterday. He’s on a week’s visit taking time out of his world-hopping schedule. It’s always enlightening to hear him and you come away wishing you’d studied his creative, lateral, parallel and ‘Six Thinking Hats’ methods of thinking. Life could be so much simpler or richer, perhaps. His approaches are at once easy to grasp yet not; easy to imagine implementing, and then again, for most of us, near impossible to do so in our daily routine. Can you work to his systems alone or do you need a groundswell of ‘de Bono’ adherents to put things into practice?

At least for an hour today listening to him, I was thinking, not ‘just doing’, as Nike puts it. De Bono’s answer to my queries above came when he said that creative thinking takes discipline, and training. One needn’t have innate talent to embrace it. Phew!

Dr Edward de Bono is Malta’s 20th century icon; our only world-renowned brand and personage. There are of course others who pass muster on some international stages – there’s Dom Mintoff (a former Labour Party prime minister) whose name some people overseas still mutter in connection with Malta; and Frank Zarb, a US citizen born of Maltese emigre parents, who was chairman of the NASDAQ in the dotcom boom and bust years. But no one comes close to de Bono fame. His biog says he’s been chosen as one of the 250 people who has most contributed in humanity’s history.

De Bono, now aged 76, was still the smooth speaker he was when I interviewed him around 15 years back one sultry August when he was in Malta for his annual month of book writing (he’s prolific; one or two a year). He presented yesterday using an aged overhead projector and acetate slides. His point is that we often confuse technological power for the power of creative thinking. No laptop and PowerPoint for him. He had four coloured pens and scribbled away to illustrate his points, projector whirring noisily.

He talks with colourful examples of his thinking systems in action; name-dropping excused as this is a man who has sat and advised world leaders, Nobel Prize winners and chief economists and executives for well over 40 years.

Today, he was addressing a small hall of local IT students. He starts with a joke, and flashes a few inches of jaunty socks and wears a tie which seems to have the letters of the word ‘thinking’ strewn over it. His only trappings of the arty interpretation of creativity; de Bono’s definition of the word is about sensing or creating value, not aesthetics.

De Bono is fleetingly ‘home’ in Malta. It’s a place he’s always been keen to be associated with, for all his world travel and fame. The newest venture he’s set up, The World Centre for New Thinking has its seat in Malta, at Bighi, an old British naval building overlooking Grand Harbour. Its website says ‘from the oldest civilisation, comes the newest thinking’. I like the strapline, but do wonder to what extent this oldest of civilisations is putting this new thinking into practice. May be just doing is the hardest part after all!

Further info, see: The World Centre for New Thinking and also Edward de Bono’s portal.
Dr Edward de Bono was speaking at STC Training Ltd, Malta, which runs courses in creative thinking and innovation.

Photo: Courtesy of STC Training Ltd

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Kids' schooling is at the centre of any expat family's decision to move to Malta

If you are planning to move to Malta and uproot with your family, it’s a life changing event, not only for you but for your young budding Einsteins. You may be able to take it in your stride, but your kids – if they’re over the age of five – will probably have an opinion about your plans and so may not be in agreement with them.

I remember so clearly the day we all sat around the kitchen table in the UK to discuss our move to Malta. The news was met with, “Where’s Malta?” and then floods of tears. Our eldest child aged 10 at that time found the news the most devastating having had a best friend from day one reception with whom he was inseparable.

English and Friendly
The first visit to a new school can be pretty daunting for any child, but for those that are on the shy side it can be more difficult. As English is the language of choice in the playground, and of teaching in most of Malta’s private sector schools, it makes it much easier for an English-speaking child to settle.

On the first day of school the Maltese children were particularly welcoming, all saying “Hello” without being prompted by the teacher and appearing genuinely interested and pleased to meet a new member of the class. The Maltese children, as well as being friendly, appear to have a strong sense of self worth and are particularly confident, a real positive attribute that I have begun to notice in my children.

How does the curriculum compare?
Our concerns about the quality of the curriculum in comparison to the UK were settled quite quickly as our eldest child was using exactly the same text books in maths and it seemed very similar in other subjects. The examination process at IGCSE levels also appears comparable to the UK, which is great if you are only here for a few years and your child is at that important age.

Homework
The homework workload during term time is particularly high. The senior school children have between one to two hours of homework every evening, this does take sometime to get used to, however, on the flip side 12 weeks holiday in the summer goes some way to compensate for it. Homework is taken extremely seriously at school and therefore is always completed in our home!

Maltese and Religion
Maltese and religion are not compulsory subjects for non-nationals, and you can decide whether you would like your child to participate. If not, then there’s some time to study or read in the library for the senior school and, in our case, a course of media studies for younger children.

Life now they’ve settled in
We have now been in Malta for 18 months and have all settled down to Maltese life. Although I know my children would never have chosen to come to live in Malta, I feel that they have grown through the experience. They have both Maltese and expat friends and have formed some strong friendships. They have friends for tea and sleepovers as we did in the past and masses of affordable after-school activities. I am sure they will find it more difficult, than they expect, when the time comes for us to return to the UK.

Photo: Leslie Vella

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Now, what to do with the little tigers this mid term?

Next week, Malta’s school kids have three days off for mid term. It’s barely a month since they went back to school after the endlessly long summer holiday, so thankfully mid term is short.

I had no idea until around a week ago that things are organised in Malta to occupy the little dears for the mere three days. So, if like me, the usual outings – beach (weather permitting) or Playmobil Funpark don’t appeal (horrendously crowded and been there, done that lots of times), you’ll be relieved to hear that there is something intelligent, fun and creative for kids to do. And some new venues and activities are coming on stream, which, word has it, are proving popular. They might be booked up for this mid term, but get on the mailing lists for the future!

Two that stand out are: the workshops at St James’ Cavalier, Centre for Creativity, Valletta; and the music and art sessions at the Carmelite Priory Museum, Mdina. And for something authentically seasonal, the Manikata Pumpkin Fair should be a nice diversion for kids Sunday 1 November, from 10.30. See our article on pumpkins too.

St James Cavalier

The Centre has been running a programme of Family Sunday afternoon sessions in the creative arts. I went to Halloween mask and model making last week, for instance. Now, the Centre is running on 2 & 3 November, a creative workshop for 4-7 yr-olds, from 09.30 – 12.30. Price per child, Euro 15, and booking by Friday 30 latest!

Older children (9-12 yrs olds) are catered for with a performance workshop animated by Austrian artist Luise Kloos who has been working with children, their fantasies and stories for several years. Children will be encouraged to form, perform, invent and move. Sessions are free, but on a first-come-first-served basis for 25 places. For this, and the younger kids’ workshops, contact: Amanda Palmier on (+356) 2122 3216 or email schoolsprogrammes@sjav.org.

The Carmelite Priory Museum

A newcomer this year as a cultural venue and a real gem of a place to visit any time, the Priory in Mdina is opening its doors to children for mid term workshops in music and art. Sessions are 2 & 3 November; choose from morning or afternoon. The Music Workshop will be held in the Oratory under the direction of Christine Gauci; in it, children will work on melody, rhythm and other related activities. The Visual Art workshop will be held in what’s described as “the peaceful surroundings of the Cloister” (peaceful, with kids?) under the direction of Maxine Claire Attard. All materials are provided.

What I really like about the Priory’s sessions is that “accompanying adults are invited to relax in the Old Priory Café or attend a Lectio Divina which will be conducted by a Carmelite Friar.” Now, call me elitist, but that seems a dream compared to many a mid-term venue I’ve had to suffer. Children and adults also get a tour of the museum by curator Michelle Galea.

Workshops are Euro 6.75 a child (including light refreshments) and are not suitable for the under fives. Booking is recommended since attendance is limited to 20 children per session. Places are still available as we go to press. Phone on 27020404 or email: carmelitepriorymuseum@gmail.com.

Photo: Anne Muscat Scerri

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Malta's schools start back after summer - finally!

For most of Malta’s kids, today marks the autumn return to school and routine. I spent three hours last night labeling school books, pens, bags, drink bottles and you name it, anything that can and must be named. At the 11th hour, I discovered I had to mend a school shirt minus buttons that have vanished somewhere over summer… and midnight saw me making the dreaded ‘No, I don’t want sandwiches’ lunch box.

There’s nothing so far in my preparations for the start of the school year that’s so very different from those parents anywhere in Europe face. But, hang on, yes, there is a one glaring difference – I’ve had a month more than my European counterparts to get to grips with book lists and buttons. Because Malta gives its kids a whopping three months summer holiday; this year’s lasted a record for my son – a total of 13 weeks! The holiday is so long that my son’s teacher of last year gets a cabin crew job with Air Malta for the summer season.

September has been considerably cooler than June, their last month at school, so they could have started back at least three weeks earlier. Only one school in Malta I know kicks off at the beginning of September, because it follows the International Baccalaureate curriculum and needs to.

So, parents out there contemplating an expat move to Malta, be warned, especially if you are both working parents and don’t have convenient family around to lend a hand with childcare.

There are three camps of parents I’ve come across in Malta:
(1) those who shrug shoulders and just accept the status quo. They say the teachers will never agree to shorten the summer recess, and in any case, public sector workers here mostly do half days in summer so it’s the accepted norm to ease off a lot in summer;
(2) those who have only one full-time working parent in the couple. The non-working one feels quite relaxed about summer with the kids, enjoys time off from the school run routine, and relishes an excuse to laze on the beach or at beach clubs more or less every day; and
(3) the working parents who rip their hair out and are frazzled by end August (still with a month to go) after having spent summer driving around in the heat taking and picking up kids from summer schools and various activities so they can snatch their working hours.

Today, I celebrate the return to school but incredibly so does my son; even he says three months is a long time, and he’s keen to get back to see friends and have some structure and routine.

Perhaps that’s the lesson in all this. Malta’s long summer holidays prevent the “whining school-boy, with his satchel…creeping like snail unwillingly to school” (to quote Shakespeare’s As you Like it‘). And to steal from Shakespeare again, you could say there’s method in this madness after all.

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