Two local NGOs, YMCA Malta and TAMA, have been chosen as the Maltese winners of the Argus 70th Anniversary Competition, the ‘Our Future is You’ initiative, and will receive an €8,500 donation each.
This community contest encourages charities and non-profits based in Malta, Gibraltar and Bermuda to submit their ideas for youth-focused initiatives. Argus will be donating over €70,000 to help bring those ideas to life.
YMCA Malta is a non-profit, voluntary and ecumenical non-governmental organisation, which seeks to promote the vision of building a more just society. TAMA’s volunteers, on the other hand, are focused on “bringing out the best in each other through efforts of mentorship, skills-sharing, and constant self-development”.
Tyrone Montovio, chief executive, Argus Insurance Company (Europe) Ltd, congra-tulated YMCA Malta and TAMA. He said: “We are confident that the donation by the Argus Group will enable these organisations to significantly improve the lives of young people in Malta, particularly of those who are in the greatest need of support.”
Argus is marking 70 years of service within Malta, Gibraltar, Bermuda and Canada. Group CEO Alison Hill explained that the 70 years of Argus were, more than anything, “a celebration of our focus on the community, and of our confidence in a better, more sustainable and compassionate future for our younger generations”.
Participating charities and non-profits were asked what they would do if they had the funds to shape the next 70 years by supporting local youth. Proposals were submitted through the official website OurFutureIsYou.com, where participants could make a case for their charity or non-profit organisation to receive one of six €8,500-€10,000 donations. In Malta, Argus employees could vote on their choice of beneficiaries from a shortlist prepared by the company’s steering committee.
The initiative, proposed by YMCA Malta, sets to empower teenagers in expressing their hopes and concerns about the communities in which they live, and society as a whole. The organisation will focus primarily on teenagers with limited opportunities, those coming from migrant communities and early school leavers. The NGO will carry out activities that will help these groups better understand the origin of their emotions and then channel them through creative mediums so that they may create advocacy projects that reflect their own vision for a better society.
TAMA’s initiative focuses on the children of asylum seekers and unaccompanied minor asylum seekers who struggle with access to care and mentorship, particularly where trauma-informed approaches are needed.
Among other services, therapists will now be providing support to the younger groups, while the unaccompanied minor asylum seekers and other disadvantaged youth will be matched with a TAMA staffer who will assist them with everyday issues, offer a platform for support and engage with them on human rights topics which facilitate a person’s integration in Malta, and in the workforce.