A delegation from Malta have visited Limerick in recent days to learn about social and economic initiatives in regeneration areas.
A team from the Foundation of Social Welfare Services of the Government of Malta visited projects in Ballinacurra Weston, Southill, St Mary’s Park and Moyross.
A regeneration project is also underway in an urban area of Malta’s capital Valleta .
Alfred Grixti, Chief Executive Officer at the Foundation for Social Welfare Services said:
“Part of the project programme is that we visit another EU country to look at their regeneration project and see what we can learn from them and apply to the Malta context if it can be transposed.”
Mr Grixti is a former educator and was particularly impressed by the Moyross Youth Academy.
“We used to call them trade schools and with economic progress you might think, we don’t need these things in Malta, that’s not where the economy is going. But like you (in Ireland) now, it’s very difficult for us to find a plumber or an electrician or somebody to fit your kitchen top. So, I really liked it. I felt completely at home there. I used to teach in a trade school and we were often treated as the Cinderella of the educational system but they are very needed. Very much needed and it’s only a matter of realising what we have lost.”
Tiernan O’Neill, Social Co-Ordinator of Limerick Regeneration said:
“It was fantastic to be able to showcase the wonderful social initiatives that are happening across the four regeneration communities. The Maltese delegation were hugely impressed by the Initiatives that are enabling children and families to maximise their life opportunities. Organisations like Moyross Youth Academy are meeting young people where they are at, and enabling them to fulfil their potential and embrace opportunities that are available to them in the city and wider region.”
The entire city of Valleta is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It has a population of just over six thousand people.
Mr Grixti explained that there is an “element of gentrification” in Valleta with young people being forced to move out of the city as property prices continue to rise.
“It’s mostly an aged population and the renaissance it is going through since we were European Capital of Culture in 2018 is a double-edged sword."
“We have 100,000 foreign workers in Malta. They earn good money and can pay good money for rent and that has caused a problem which the Government is addressing.”
The total population of Malta is less than half a million.
The Valleta Regeneration scheme is EU funded through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) with a budget of €1,150,288.80.