Where to from here? - Strategies and priorities for the futureAuthor: Helen Borland & Carmen Ilibasic Summary of the final session of discussionThe aim of this session was to identify and prioritise strategies which the Maltese community could use to address issues pertaining to Maltese youth. Communication with the Maltese CommunityThe issue of the means of communication to members of the Maltese community was raised. Such communication was considered to be important to bring the attention of people at large to educational issues and other issues discussed in the fonun. A person who had been in Australia for two and a half years made the point that many Maltese people were not aware of the Maltese Community Centre, what goes on and what is available. As there is no longer a local Maltese newspaper in Victoria, radio has become even more important for the community. Radio programs on 3ZZZ, for example could include a program dealing with education. The content of the radio needs to reflect community issues and assist in disseminating important information to the community. Employment and education are important welfare issues that need to be dealt with as part of a broader strategy for community education. A short term immediate step would be to approach SBS to get publicity for what has been done today by having each and every speaker interviewed at length as each speaker had only touched the surface of their area of expertise. Other possibilities that could be considered are: reviving the newspaper and the establishment of a website. It may be possible to get new graduates or students enrolled in current courses that deal with website construction to assist with the website, but it would be important to develop appropriate links for the site to encourage community members to access it. Maltese Background Youth and EducationMaltese are quiet achievers. We need to be positive and to reflect this to the community. Raising awareness of issues involving youth was important: at the centre of this is an issue of justice and equity. In the secondary education sector, Maltese kids are achieving - one student won a Premier's Award - but they are not achieving to their full potential. Victoria University was commended for looking after their students by monitoring their progress, and encouraging and supporting their educational aspirations. However, there is a major crisis within the schooling system currently, primarily because of the lack of funding. Political strategies are required to raise awareness of the downgrading of education within the community and to put pressure on politicians to improve the situation. Cuts to ESL and Careers areas of secondary colleges impact on the community in comparison with private schools which have higher funding levels. To have an impact the MCCV should lobby the government, but it is vital that parents be encouraged to lobby through school councils which have an ability to make decisions about funding allocation. We must also approach the Catholic Education system to lobby for Maltese students. Congratulations to people who organised the Forum. Can the message be passed on to other communities to hold similar Forums within other communities and then get together for political impact? Support for YouthThe MCCV does not have the money to be able to provide youth programs. Very few youth attended the Forum. We should get youth to the Forum and get them to discuss the issues let's hear what their needs are from them. There is a need to think of strategies that will reach out to youth, including use of the youth group. In providing activities for youth, we need to go to where the young people are as they are not going to come to Maltese Community Council initially. We could access them through: Universities, Schools, other places where the Maltese community congregates (eg. festas, other gatherings). Inviting students at university to attend talks by visiting speakers has proved to be successful at Victoria University. Youth who have already achieved can be used to act as mentors to younger counterparts. Similarly, we need to consider ways in which established community members can assist youth in gaining work experience and networks that can assist them in achieving their career goals. The President of the MCCV, Victor Borg, mentioned that the Council was considering setting up a register of mentors to provide experience and support across a broad range of careers. It was evident from the presentations and discussion at the Forum that identity, self-esteem and education are all linked together. We need to provide opportunities for culture to be discussed. Many young people don't feel proud because they don't understand what it means to be Maltese - this is not an 'at fault' issue, but opportunities need to be created for further discussion and awareness raising. A revival of ethnic identification seems to be happening in the 2nd and 3rd generation and this should be supported as it can contribute to stronger self esteem. Australia is a young country with one of the highest suicide rates amongst its youth; 2nd/3rd generations are at a loss at a time of crisis because there is very little that they are aware of which will sustain them collectively. It was suggested that further research should be initiated to establish the importance of making the cultural connection to being Maltese. The fact that we are having a dialogue about these issues is important; other issues for discussions could include: parenting, family, young people and religion. Source: Maltese Background Youth - Editors Cauchi M, Borland H, Adams R, 1999, [Europe Australia Institute], p 87
   
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