2016 was a year full of determination and hard work. As years go by, student activism is taking new shapes and forms, in a number of initiatives to influence and inspire others.
While it’s impossible to list them all, here are the student bodies that Third Eye predicts will be having an eventful year in 2017. Michela Galea writes why she thinks so.
JEF
While JEF offers all those interested, various international and local opportunities, The Zero Hour campaign is a campaign which is financed by Erasmus+ and supported by EUPA. It essentially aims to highlight a selection of topics which we feel youths need to give their input on including topics like radicalisation, mental health, the digital agenda and the environment among others. JEF’s ultimate aim is youth empowerment through a series of workshops and debates which produce a series of recommendations and concerns of young people which will be presented to policy makers and persons of influence. The F Word is another campaign that JEF are truly excited about as it allows them to share their passion for a united European political front. Apart from the fact that Federalism starts with the letter F, the name shows the stigma surrounded with federalism and over the years the large amount of euro-scepticism in Europe keeps on rising. This gives young people the opportunity to explore this political philosophy and hopefully join our movement.
As the PRO of JEF, Naomi Bugre explained to us that school visits are an essential part of their project. This leaves them with amazement by how much young students are passionate about the EU.”We believe that you are never too young to shape your country’s future”.
UoM Futsal
It’s easy to say that the University Futsal Team is now the most followed sports team on campus. Born just three years ago, they have come out in the long run as a serious and professional team that competes with some of Malta’s elite futsal teams in the domestic league, giving them a run for their money and getting points home. They play their games in the Futsal arena at the Pavillion at Kordin and get crowds of almost a hundred each time.
In 2016 they have succeeded in getting senate-recognised and their organisation name has been shortened to a simple UOM FUTSAL. Their hard working committee has taken their marketing skills to the next level, and added a social element to the sport. Moreover, for the first time ever, the club decided to create a crowd funding initiative in which students will be able to donate as much as they would like to, with the asset that if they donate more than 10 euro, they will have their name written on the team players’ shirts. Good luck Knights, keep going.
ASCS
ASCS is the heart of the BCom students, representing almost two thousand students on campus. It’s well known for its annual business trip, which year after year has proved to be a permanent and popular fixture on the University student’s calendar. Combining elements of business education with sightseeing, team bonding, and fun, every year the ASCS business trip has raised the bar. Previously having toured major European cities like Munich, Madrid, Dublin, London and Paris, this year’s adventure will take us to the beautiful city of Vienna, Austria. A city filled with everything from art and culture to delicious food and nightclubs. ASCS have planned a vacation which will be the centrepiece of countless memories and the highlight of our University years.
ESO
ESO is one of the smallest organisations on campus, representing european students at the Institute of European Studies. The institute has just over a hundred students, over its three age groups. The ESO team has an exciting year ahead especially since Malta will be hosting the EU presidency in the first six months of 2017.
Their big campaign for the year is the MSE (Manifest, Suggest, Endorse) Campaign. The term MSE was brought up by ESO executive members themselves. Through the MSE Campaign, various events will be organised , such as debates, talks, and information sessions amongst others. The events will be open for anyone who is interested, particularly for those students who are studying in courses which have to do in any way with the EU Presidency. Each event will be uploaded on the MSE Facebook page; therefore those who are interested are encouraged to stay tuned with this page.
The primary objective of this campaign is to involve all students in Malta, most of all those students who are reading a course in European Studies. ESO’s role is not limited to student representations, but also to act on ongoing affairs and most importantly being proactive. Therefore, ESO shall strive to keep students updated with what is happening in Malta in the coming year and maintain a close lens on Malta’s Presidency of the Council of Europe.
KSJC
The Kunsill Studenti Junior College isn’t just an organisation, but it’s the student body representing some 2,400 students at University of Malta’s younger sister in Msida – GF Abela Junior College. Students have just elected a new team last November, now composed of 7 council members elected on the Pulse ticket under the leadership of Owen Michael Grech. SDM have dominated the KSJC council for the past 4 years and have lifted standards by miles where marketing image and student projects are involved. The ball is now in Pulse’s front garden, and students are eager to see if their promises can be kept and keep delivering. With their manifesto divided into quarterly visions, they have one hard nut to crack, but we wish them all the best in doing so.
BETAPSI
Betapsi is another student organisation that has climbed up the ladder in the past years. Despite not being the largest course around, it has turned out to be one of the most active organisations emerging – and we’ve certainly noticed that.
During 2017, Betapsi will continue developing their recently launched ’Mind the Mind – Mind Shift’ campaign aimed at combatting the stigma associated with mental health in Malta. The list of schools where these workshops will be held by their volunteers has increased drastically for the new year, and the workshops will also be brought to University for the first time with the help of various student organisations. Betapsi are also proud to be launching ’Exposed: The Anti-Harassment Campaign’ during February as part of KSU’s Campaign+. As the president of Betapsi, Valeriya Bonkova told us that they hold this topic extremely close to our hearts and believe there’s a need to speak up about harassment in Malta. Furthermore, they will be holding their annual ’360 Conference’ in collaboration with Willigness Malta, and with the support of GħSL and CSA, for which this year’s topic to be tackled in a multidisciplinary manner will be ’Addiction’. As part of Betapsi’s ’Let’s Talk about Sex’ initiative, they will be holding the final session for our term focusing on ’Sadism’ as a topic. On a similar note, their final ’Student Staff Seminar’ for the term will focus on the topic of Autism, which the team believes is extremely relevant locally. ’The Malta Student Psychology Forum’ which has also recently been launched will kick off in the coming weeks, allowing students to develop their social skills by presenting on various psychology related topics in front of a professional panel of judges. Betapsi are also looking into developing various other initiatives, and ending the term with their well established ’Betapsi goes Camping’.
SACES
"Archibabble’ will be one of the events happening during the months of 2017. This interesting event is a discussion meeting where students can ask a series of questions to a chosen panel. Last year’s panel included Alex Torpiano (Dean), Perit Sandro Valentino, Dean of Arts, and an art student from abroad who was studying for her PhD. The theme was the role of creativity in architecture and the link between art and architecture.
Keep an eye open for this year’s theme, as it is to be announced soon! The "Architrip’ is another event which is going to take place in a European city with a lot of architectural heritage. Besides all this, this year SACES is going to host talks in degree plus hours and discuss current affairs regarding development and the environment and then issue statements based on the students collective opinion.
ELSA
ELSA Malta will also be contributing as they will be embarking on a campaign, funded by KSU’s Campaign + in collaboration with Gender Equality Malta- GEM. The campaign will tackle the issue of gender wage gap both from a practical and legal perspective. The aim of the campaign is to educate as much to as gather knowledge and to create a platform to encourage students at the University of Malta who are usually not active on campus to get engaged and get involved in on this matter.
USPA
USPA will be organising the second edition of "The Performing Arts Days on Campus’. This event is dedicated to celebrate all aspects of the performing arts and serves as a means of creating an environment that encourages creativity, expression, dialogue and improvisation in the name of performing arts. Activities in the Quadrangle include performances, interactive performance-based workshops and masterclasses, educational and informative workshops and/or info sessions, JAM station, BOOST speakers, dialogue sessions and "In Focus’ student debates. USPA aims to highlight all the different aspects of the performing arts (academic, recreational, performative, educational) and the relevance of the performing arts to society, one’s wellbeing and both personal and community development. One other objective of the activity is to provide a platform for artistic freedom and expression on campus, especially to students who don’t always have access to such platforms
MMSA
From the 13th to the 19th of March 2017, MMSA will be holding its annual Health Fest, their biggest celebration of health. A multitude of exciting events will be held at a variety of locations like the University Quadrangle and at Valletta — each with the precise aim to help promote the importance of leading a holistically healthy life. Their events, like 2016, will be centred around the relevant theme of Family Health, as they will raise awareness about immediate health issues, like stress and mental health, that individuals from all age groups could potentially endure throughout their lives.
Today’s world is more demanding and competitive than ever before and starting from an early age we are conditioned to be better than others. As we grow older it only gets worse as competition and work load increases but this is met with an attitude indifference as people tell us it is normal to be stressed and tired out in our University years. This is exactly what MMSA’s Mental Health campaign stands for. It is not “OK” to be stressed and burnt out. It is not “OK” to be anxious all the time. It should however be OK to admit that you are tired and stressed without being called weak and this is what our campaign stands for.
GhSL
GħSL (Għaqda Studenti Tal-LiÄ¡i) has recently released a policy paper on Euthanasia which is available online. They will also be continuing our “Know Your Law” series throughout the year which provides readers with snippets of legal information on a multitude of subjects. The publications team have been busy working on a constitutional transcription which is set to be released soon. Additionally, a new edition of the prestigious law journal “I’d-Dritt” is scheduled to be released mid 2017. GhSL are excited to announce that they will be bringing back Legal Week which includes a moot court competition named “Make Your Case”, “Lawyers vs Notaries” and “Lawyer for a Day”. They are also currently preparing for our international exchange Netherlands in collaboration with JSVU. This will be the second time that this exchange will be taking place, this time however, they will be including the option to travel with GħSL to Amsterdam.
