Approximately 25 professionals, who all work within services in the community, have benefited from a training seminar entitled ‘Working Together to Develop and Provide More Supported and Sustainable Communities.’ This seminar, part of a dissemination exercise by Appogg Community Services staff, focused on the methods of service and interventions employed in the context of community services.

This training came about after six Appogg professionals were the direct beneficiaries of a job placement in Ireland. The emphasis during this training, based on the beneficiaries’ experience during this placement was on the core of community work – that of reaching out to people and of working with them rather than for them.

The common challenge faced by community services is to constantly focus and keep in perspective what can be done to be closer to the people, to listen more to the residents of that community, and to work in a partnership with other entities within the same community thus enhancing networking and maximising on resources.

The Irish host agencies were three Family Resource Centres – St Brigid’s in Waterford, and Newpark Close and Father McGrath in Kilkenny. The placement lasted two weeks and the local beneficiaries – all professionals from the Appogg Community Services based in Valletta, Msida, Qawra and Cottonera, had the opportunity to observe and participate in initiatives, meetings and conferences held by their Irish counterparts.

This training and sharing of expertise is yet another effort by the Foundation for Social Welfare Services in its commitment to invest in the development of community services since it believes that such services and resources is the way forward and they constantly need to be enhanced for the benefit of the residents.

This project has been made possible through a Leonardo Da Vinci funding, under the Life Long Learning Programme managed by the European Union Programmes Agency.

Present for this training were professionals from various local entities including the YMCA Malta, Caritas, Paulo Freire Institute, Home-Start Malta and Home-Start Gozo, the Jesuit Refugee Services, the Millennium Chapel, St. Jeanne Antide Foundation, Mount Carmel Hospital, the ACCESS Resource Centres, and also from various services within the Foundation for Social Welfare Services.

There were presentations about the Irish community services and workshops during which all participants had the opportunity to discuss and explore creative ways to build new levels of networking which may better meet the needs of the communities in Malta.

An overview was also given of projects and initiatives that the beneficiaries have already started within the community they work in following the visits to the Irish Family Resource Centres. These include the Women’s Group held at the Cottonera ACCESS Centre and the outreaches held in Msida.

The Women’s Group involves getting together a group of women from Cottonera who meet with the Appogg Community Services staff to discuss issues that are chosen by the participants themselves. Some of the sessions are being organised and delivered by the participants themselves, as a way of sharing skills and building confidence.

In Msida, the Community team is carrying out an outreach exercise, where they are visiting each family in the immediate neighbourhood to get to know them, inform them about the services and assess the needs and resources as perceived by the residents themselves. This would give the team a clearer idea on what action to take within the community.

For more information about the Appogg Community Services, one may visit the website www.appogg.gov.mt or else refer to any of the ACCESS Community Resource Centres based in Valletta, Msida, Qawra and Vittoriosa.

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