Youths Tal-Ibwar showcase their work

Between the 1^st and the 3^rd of December 2023, an Open Weekend was organised at the Tal-Ibwar Adolescent Therapeutic Centre whereby members of the public were invited to tour the premises and witness firsthand the important work being carried out in the facilities. A series of hourly tours were organised for individuals who registered their attendance. In these tours, attendees were invited to walk through each designated area of the premises and understand, through a series of informal talks or lectures, the important elements that make up the therapeutic process of rehabilitation. A large component of this was exploring the various Educational Hubs, namely the Agri-Business Learning programme, the Learning Hub (crafts, painting and claywork) and the Digital Media Learning Hub.

The Digital Media Learning Hub was on full display showcasing the investment made in high-end audiovisual, musical and IT equipment, purchased through the ESF co-funded project (European Social Fund – https://eufunds.gov.mt/. An interesting venture that took place saw the students designing and printing their own T-shirts to be showcased at the Open Weekend. The process entailed using a variety of different artistic formats to be printed on plain T-shirts, highlighting the students’ individual talents and interests. Using equipment purchased through these ESF funds, some of the students used professional photography to capture images at MUZA (National Museum of Art). These photos were then manipulated using Adobe Photoshop software and printed on their respective t-shirt. Other students created their own original digital artwork using the software, in one case manipulating a photo taken of their own painting.