"YOUTHNET 2000" - A MILLENNIUM PROJECT FOR YOUTH ORGANISATIONS

"YOUTHNET 2000" - A MILLENNIUM PROJECT FOR YOUTH ORGANISATIONS

Thanks to the new project "YOUTHNET 2000" Maltese youth organisations can now network among themselves and create similar networks on the international youth sphere.

"Youthnet 2000" can be considered as one of the millennium projects of the Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Education. Its prime objective is to develop a national information and communication network through computer and communication equipment that will be accessed and utilised by the Secretariat, youth, youth-workers and youth organisations, both locally and internationally.

This project was recently officially launched by the Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon. Jesmond Mugliett, who was the prime mover behind it. He explained the aims of "Youthnet 2000" thus:

equipping Youth Organisations with the necessary IT skills and equipment.

assisting Youth Organisations to enhance a professional approach to youth work

creating and strengthening an environment wherein youth organisations find it easier to synergise and energise.

Apart from catalysing and facilitating the development of this network, the Parliamentary Secretary, together with the Department of Youth and Sport is providing training to youth-workers from the various organisations in the use of IT as tools to develop their organisation activities. "YOUTHNET 2000" has also provided training to representatives from the various youth organisations on how to develop international relations and access global resources.

The first groups of beneficiaries were recently presented with a donation in order to acquire the necessary IT equipment and were also offered six months free access to the Internet, donated by Terranet Ltd. The youth organisations were:

Centru Zghazagh Vittoriosa

Ghaqda Zghazagh Frangiskani, Marsa

Grupp ghat-Tielet Dinja

Osanna Pia Hostel, Sliema

Oratorju Salesjan, Dingli

YMCA, Valletta

Youth Alive, Sliema

"Youthnet 2000" is an ongoing project and more youth organisations are expected to benefit from it in the near future.

In order to facilitate participation, the Secretariat is at present identifying other youth organisations that do not have the necessary equipment and communication resources. Subsequently, this project will also promote and enhance synergy both locally and internationally.

As part of this project, these youth organisations will be interacting through various activities, such as sport-games and radio programmes, creating and sharing ideas, resources, initiatives, projects and events. Synergy will not just be promoted on an organisational level, but will also enable youth individually to be motivated to interact with other youths from different parts of the world to share ideas, interests, experience and studies.