Luca, who is currently following a masters degree at the University of Malta, joins 7 other kayakers including local environmentalist Cami Appelgren, and veteran kayakers David Abela, Karl Borg, Alan Borg, Chris Mercieca, and Dorian Vassallo and Albert Gambina both of whom they are currently training to kayak from Greece to Malta in aid of Kayak for Charity.

The group plans on kayaking in an anti-clockwise direction starting at Golden Sands at 15:00 and making their way to Filfla by sunset and then onwards to Birzebbuga for their first rest stop. After that, they’ll kayak past the Grand Harbour towards the tip of Malta at Ahrax Point, go all the way around Gozo, and back to their starting point. This extraordinary adventure will see the team attempt to kayak around 4 islands in 24 hours.

Luca and his team of kayakers are taking part in this crazy mission to help raise funds for local NGP St John Rescue Corps so that they would be able to purchase a new Rescue RHIB. The St John Rescue Corps is the Maltese voluntary rescue services and assists authorities in any kind of emergency scenario by having their volunteers on standby at all times ready to support in firefighting, water rescue, first aid, or high angle rescue.

The COVID-19 emergency has, among others, delayed our efforts to acquire a new rescue boat. We will be reviving the project through a fundraising event organised on July 4, tagged #Kayak4StJohnRescue.

A group of experienced kayakers – including one of our own members, Cami Appelgren – will be kayaking around Malta, Gozo, and Filfla this Saturday. The corps will be providing logistical support, rescue, and first aid service throughout the 24-hour challenge.

Andrew Grech, Commissioner and Corps Commander

Our seas are a risky place, donating towards the St John Rescue Corps is one way of safeguarding our friends on the water. A noble service run by the bravest voluneteers!

Luca Arrigo, ESN Malta President

You can support Luca and his team by donating towards this fundraising event:

• For private donations, click here.
• For corporate donations, emails the St John Rescue Corps on pr@sjrcmalta.org for more information and for donations.

The post ESN Malta President to Kayak Round Maltese Archipelago appeared first on The Third Eye.

The STARawards are an annual initiative of the Erasmus Student Network aimed at the recognition and appreciation of the work member organisations do in a span of one year. Each year local and national organisations submit their initiatives, activities, events, projects, programmes, and campaigns across several categories, in the hope of being crowned as the best member out of 550 section and 42 countries.

An international jury consisting of experts in the field of health and wellbeing alongside other volunteers selected ESN Malta’s Sports Programme worthy of an honourable mention. ESN Italy was awarded the StarAward for health for their organisation of their National Erasmus Games 2019. However, ESN Malta received recognition for their remarkable initiative and work carried out over the past year.

Over 200 international students participated in the ESN Malta Sports Programme this year. Alongside the weekly activities, ESN Malta also organises the Health & Wellbeing Week on campus. This is part of an international initiative which was organised for the first time back in October 2019.

The ESN Malta Sports Programme began in 2017 when an Erasmus student in Malta would organise a weekly 5-aside football session between Maltese locals and other Erasmus exchange students. Today, ESN Malta organises two 7-aside sessions each week which are open to all.

A highlight of this year’s sports programme was ESN Malta’s decision to partner with the Malta University Sports Club. MUSC’s successful 2019/2021 GIDA League team included a number of Erasmus and international students. Besides partnering with other student societies on Campus, ESN Malta has also collaborated with local businesses such as Dive Base and Malta Surf School.

Apart from competitive activities, ESN Malta also promote leisurely Sunday hikes which are organised by Ray Saliba, a receptionist at the University Residence. These hikes allow students to discover Malta in a more sustainable way as they explore the greener side of the islands all while listening to the interesting stories that Mr Ray Saliba has to offer.

ESN Malta is committed to promoting a healthy lifestyle among the Erasmus Generation and hopes to expand the number of sporting activities on offer. ESN Malta is currently looking for sports coordinators to join the team for 2020/2021.

The post ESN Malta receives honourable mention for their Sports Programme appeared first on The Third Eye.

The aim of this European initiative is to involve local and international students in activities focused on sports, healthy lifestyle, nutrition, responsible party, mental health and other areas, as well as to show international students that they can adopt a healthy lifestyle while being on exchange. 

9th March – Football and Rugby Game

The week will kick off, quite literally, with a Football Game at Lija Athletic Football Ground from 8:30pm till 9:30pm. And if football is not your cup of tea, a Rugby Game will take place on the same day at 9:00pm till 10:00pm.

10th March – Salsa Night

Dancing on to the second day, it is time to show off your Salsa skills! And no, not the sauce. A Salsa Night will be held at the Truth Lounge in Paceville at 9:00 pm. This will surely help you sharpen up your skills for a whole night of dancing at the club.

11th March – Padel Rodeo

A Padel Rodeo will be taking place at Padel Malta in Pembroke from 7:00 pm till 9:00 pm. It is the perfect mixture of tennis and squash, providing you the right amount of fun.

12th March – Erasmus Party

ESN are letting it loose at Footloose! It is time for the Erasmus Party and you better be there at 10:30 pm sharp.

13th March – Archery, Beach Volleyball and Disco Bowling

Friday is quite an eventful day and luckily, all the activities are spaced out! Start of the day with some Archery at 12:00pm at the Falcon Archery. Head off to the beach at 4:00 pm for some Beach Volleyball at Sprachcaffe in Pembroke. Party the night away with some Disco Bowling at the Eden Superbowl at 9:00 pm. I guess Friday the 13^th is not so bad after all.

14th March – Diving

Dive into Saturday with some Scuba Diving at the DiveBase Malta in Qawra from 2:00 pm till 5:30 pm. In the evening, relax with a friendly quiz and BBQ night at the Sprachcaffe at 8:00 pm.

15th March – Ring Road Race and Hike

Ending the week with a bang, a Ring Road Race will take place at 8:45 am, followed by a Hike with Ray!

Make sure to fill in the form to book your place for each event you are interested in!

The post What's going down during Health and Wellbeing Week? | ESN Malta appeared first on The Third Eye.

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) and the European Students’ Union (ESU) have been playing their part to improve the Erasmus+ Programme in various ways, some of them being; #ErasmusUpgrade Manifesto and the Erasmusx10 campaign.

ESN and ESU took part in the Erasmusx10 campaign which has raised proposals amongst the European Commission. The proposals revolved around the current issue with the funding that goes into Erasmus+. ESN and ESU are set to improve the funding for “a more inclusive and accessible Erasmus”.

The initial proposal, set by the European Commission, stated there will be a two-fold increase in funding compared with the current Erasmus Programme. Adding to that, the European Parliament promised a tri-fold increase. Unfortunately, none of these proposals were met. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, recently declared the final proposal which did not sit well with ESN and ESU.

The final proposal is nowhere near the other two proposals – the budget is currently €21.2 billion which is 30% less than the original proposal made by the European Commission. The irony of it all is that the European Council stated they will “work towards stepping up mobility and exchanges, including through a substantially strengthened, inclusive and extended Erasmus+ Programme”.

This will seriously affect the growth of Erasmus+. ESN and ESU want the European Council and the Member States to reconsider their proposal.

The post European Council cuts proposed Erasmus budget increases by half appeared first on The Third Eye.