The EuroAsi – From Europe to Asia: Capitalizing Experience in Youth Work is a 3 week programme designed for a job shadower to experience Terra di Mezzo (TDM) 2000 Malta’s day to day activities and to learn how the organizations in Europe collaborate with each other. This project is sponsored by the Erasmus plus programme and the education, Audio visual and Culture Agency. This Job Shadowing and the European Voluntary service are both opportunities that would uplift the youth in certain Asian countries such as Indonesia and Philippines. The main objectives are for participants to learn best practices in Europe and uplift their skills through job shadowing so they become more employable and better participants in both local and international community-based projects.
Job shadowing in a non-governmental organization is not really new to me, because I worked in a non- governmental organization 11 years ago prior to joining in a hospitality industry. The spirit of volunteerism, and working with other non-governmental organization are always close to my heart.
I have encountered a lot of challenges when I was processing my application for this program: preparing documents for visa application, time limitations, to name a few. But as they say, perseverance and patience always pay off. However, the very moment I held my passport stamped with a European visa and the plane tickets, all doubts and negative emotions disappeared. Deep in my heart, I felt another wonderful journey is about to begin.
My first Europe experience begins when I landed in Rome. I had to stay an overnight in Rome because my flight to Malta is scheduled the following day. It was a chance of a lifetime to see the beauty of Rome even for a day. I visited the Basilica Di San Giovani, Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum, all in one day. I met fellow Filipinos and some became my friends later.
My first week in Malta is such a wonderful experience that I would treasure it for the rest of my life. From the moment I arrived in the airport to the time I stepped inside the house where I’m staying I already felt that I am in the right place. The people around me, especially my hosts, treated me like a part of the family. I am very comfortable talking to them since most of them speak English. They were very hospitable and I felt surrounded and overwhelmed by the typical Maltese kindness. The weather here luckily is quite manageable, not that cold compared to Rome and other places in Europe. The sun is out most of the time though in the night time, it’s a bit cold.
Malta is beautiful. On my first day, I visited a few of its most historic and beautiful places. I was fascinated by the beauty and charm of Medina or the Silent City, situated on top of a large hill right in the centre of Malta. With its narrow streets, few inhabitants, beautiful views and great architecture, Medina is truly amazing and magical.
Walking in the beaches of Sliema Bay is also a great experience since I feel like I’m home away from home as I always love to walk on the beach in Boracay Islands, Philippines.
I went to the Museum of Fine Arts and Archaeology in Valletta, Malta’s capital, to see its beauty and to learn about Maltese history.
I later visited Gozo, a neighboring island in the Mediterranean Sea. This place is known for its churches, temples, rural hiking paths, red sand beaches and diving sites. While in Dwerja Bay, located on the West Coast of Gozo, a tourist village, I took a long walk to enjoy scenic views and amazing landscape. A very nice experience indeed! I’ve seen the azure window on the same place which is a natural arch that looks like a table over the sea. It also featured in the movies “The Clash of the Titans, and the count of Monte Cristo”. At the heart of the island was the tiny fortified city of Cittadella. According to history, when the knights of Saint John came to Malta, they used the Citadel as a shelter in case of attack. You can also see the whole of Gozo from this site. I met Filipinos going around the Citadel who work in Malta. The cultural visit also help me learn the history of Malta, its people , their art, architecture and other elements that helped shaped their way of life which is significant for the project.
On the following day, TDM President, Duncan Muscat conducted an orientation about the 3-week program. We met TDM members. A lot of activities and events included in the program are in cooperation with other organizations, stakeholders, and public and private institutions. He also talked about the aims and objectives of the project and solicited our expectations in order to provide guidance on the things that we want to achieve during the program.
During the session, I was asked to briefly introduce myself and to describe my preferred method of Learning and Style which is an important guide for the job shadowing. We also discussed the focus areas of TDM 2000 Malta which are Youth and International Cooperation, Volunteerism, Social Policy and Democracy and Youth Culture and Conflict Management. It was reiterated during the session that the main objective of the entire program is to enhance youth participation and contribution to society in local and international levels through projects such as youth exchange programs and fund raising to benefit of local and charitable institutions.
I met Professor Alexie Dingli, the Mayor of Valletta. During our meeting, he told us about their ongoing and upcoming projects and issues concerning the city. In return, I told him about the purpose of my visit in Malta and shared stories about Boracay and the Phlippines.
I was also introduced to Rebecca Micallef, President of the Student Council in Malta with other members. TDM collaborates with the student council in some of their projects. She briefly discussed about the importance of the organization in the university where the council provides a structure in which students can debate issues of concern that will benefit the wider community as a whole and other activities that the students can participate.
The Chief Executive Officer, Miriam Tuema, of Agenzija Zghazagh was also introduced to me. Her organization presented a copy of the contract with Organizations like TDM for a funding structure which called “be active” which includes a series of debates involving youth in active participation.
We also had wine at the Meridiana Wine Estate in Ta’qali Malta, organized by the Kunsill Studenti Universitarji(KSU). The 19-hectare vineyard produces world-class wines with Maltese character.
The other interesting TDM project that I witnessed was the training of rescue dogs in collaboration with the SOS Malta K-9 unit Search & Rescue team. The aim of this project is to make available rescue dogs to humanitarian missions sent to disaster areas both local and abroad. TDM helped raise funds to purchase K-9 training equipment. I was impressed on how these dogs could learn to locate a missing person on piles of rubble and debris.
I hope that with the things I learn from this program, I will contribute in my own little ways to inspire and empower the younger people in the place where I live, in Boracay Island, Philippines. Euroasi has showed me that there are opportunities for those who don’t stop dreaming and that there are best practices in Europe that can be adapted in other parts of the globe to make this world a better place.
Flordeliza Gamo, job shadower from Philippines in TDM 2000 Malta