St Augustine’s Parish Church in Valletta has recently implemented a very successful project financed through the European Union’s Youth in Action Programme. This project sought to address certain social problems present in Malta’s capital city such as relative poverty, economic deprivation and structural depravation by providing the right means for an informal learning environment.

This project, organised by the parish’s youth community, helped St Augustine’s Church to set up a summer school for the purpose of providing a safe and informal learning environment to Valletta’s adolescents and children. A number of social and cultural activities were organized and participants had the opportunity to learn new crafts, take computer lessons and also participate in educational games.

All topics discussed revolved around arts and culture, as well as topics related to Valletta’s social problems such as drug abuse and alcohol addiction. Participants were addressed by a number of officials from different organisations that included SEDQA, Heritage Malta, Forum Malta fl-Ewropa, YMCA, NECC, National Youth Council and others.

This project was led by Parish Priest Fr Saviour Grima OSA and benefitted from a grant awarded under the Youth in Action programme.