A COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR COTTONERA

A COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR COTTONERA

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Policy Lawrence Gonzi today presided over an information meeting with organisations in the Cottonera region during which he outlined Government's intention to develop a community resource centre for the Cottonera region.

Flanked by the Majors of Cottonera and the Chief Executives of the Social Welfare Development Programme, the Housing Authority and the Employment and Training Corporation together with the Director General in the Ministry for the Environment, Minister Gonzi said that this initiative is the first of its kind by any government in Malta in the sense that it provides the environment for community regeneration and growth while promoting the concept of integrated service delivery. This will accompany the economic and demographic changes which the Cottonera region will be experiencing in the coming years with the advent of the Cottonera Waterfront Project which has been started this week.

Minister Gonzi described the Community Resource Centre as a centre for education, information and community organisation. It will be a family-focused and family-centered network service aimed at serving and strengthening the families living in the Cottonera region.

The deliberate choice for the establishment of the first Community Resource Centre in the Cottonera region focuses on three basic tenets. First of all, Government strongly believes that this region has enormous social, economic and cultural potentials, which are still being under utilised. Long term socio-economic barriers have tended to suffocate this potential which can only be tapped if economic investment is accompanied by strong community based services which are designed specifically to maximise on the opportunities which lie within the community.

Cospicua, Senglea and Vittoriosa have the highest population density in the southern region, even though these localities have experienced a decrease in population density over recent years. This density has tended to highlight the social challenges faced by a number of families including, and especially, the housing needs, which have long been identified. The need to have a community based service, which empowers citizens, and families living in this particular area of Malta are therefore being recognised.

The second reason for choosing this area is that the Cottonera region will, during the next three years, be undergoing a total transformation brought about by three major projects namely, the Cottonera Project, the Sports Centre and the Housing Regeneration projects. Whilst being the perfect choice for urban and economic regeneration, these projects may have social implications in the communities living within and nearby, and it is of utmost importance for government to maximise on the positive social impact which they are bound to generate.

Thirdly, the experience gleaned during the past five years, with the establishment of a Community Development Unit in Cospicua, has reaped significant benefits and has paved the way for the expansion of this unit into a Community Resource Centre for the whole of the Cottonera region. Within the Resource Centre the work of this Unit would be enriched through the interaction and co-ordination with the other service provides which are to be located in this Centre.

The Community Resource Centre's philosophy will revolve around the concept of the community as a resource rather than a problem, said Minister Gonzi, with the community, rather than the service systems, being the focal point of work. For this reason, the Resource Centre will foster the promotion of family welfare; work towards a climate in which innovative solutions to complex social problems are sought, whilst engendering a decent quality of life. It will also seek to create a society which is evermore socially and economically inclusive, that is, a society where equality of treatment, opportunity of access and respect for the autonomy of the individual are the norm.

This project is in line with the concept of Social Capital being promoted by the Council of Europe whereby professionals and groups at the local level are empowered to work together to upgrade the quality of the social work services in the community. Moreover, the services and programmes would be customised to the needs of the locality and would reflect the social priorities of the region.

The Resource Centre will be spearheaded by the Cottonera Local Councils together with the Social Welfare Development Programme, the Employment and Training Corporation and the Housing Authority. However, other service providers can deliver their services from this centre. The project will also provide the support necessary for the existing resources in the community such as cultural, sport, social and other groups. The Centre will offer its facilities to these groups to enhance their capabilities and improve networking in the region.

The main features of the project would be Social Work support, Counselling to families, advice regarding the needs for the Elderly, Child Psychology, a Child Nursery, Family Counselling, Job Centre facilities, Vocational training, advice on Housing needs and Housing Support. The Centre would have a multi-purpose room and meeting room, which will be available for use by local groups.

It is also intended that the facility will be available for use after office hours and over the weekend in order to facilitate better use of this resource. Families will be encouraged to spend time in the grounds of the facility which are going to be upgraded and made as family-friendly as possible. For this purpose the adjacent children's playing field will also be upgraded.

The Cottonera Community Resource Centre will become operational by June 2001 and services will be introduced and expanded gradually. Architect Ivan Coleiro from the Environment Ministry is managing the refurbishment project of this Centre which will be located in the ex-DOE premises in Fortini.