New arts event to help teens explore their creativity

A new weekend event will offer teenagers the opportunity to engage with art in a fun-filled programme which puts their aspirations and passions at the centre.

The weekend – entitled #malteen – will run between 12-14 December and is being organised for the first time by St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity together with Fondazzjoni Celebrazzjonijiet Nazzjonali and Agenzija Zghazagh.

The weekend is directed towards teenagers aged between 13 and 17 who form part of various local youth groups and organisations.

For three days, St James Cavalier in Valletta will swarm with young people who will follow a packed arts programme that puts their creative aspirations first.

From music concerts to dance installations, from theatre productions and scriptwriting workshops to human board games and abseiling and other challenges, the programme celebrates teenagers’ creativity and need for expression.

A group of teenagers will also be camping outside the Centre for Creativity during this weekend. A number of these teenagers will plan a three-minute film, act it out and film it, with the help of a group of filming professionals. This film will be premiered at the closing party event for all #malteen attendees.

The weekend programme - developed through consultation with a group of teenagers – puts young people’s aspirations, creativity and voices at the heart of this event.

“We want #malteen to be about teenagers, their dreams, aspirations and how we can encourage and enhance creativity in all its forms,” says #malteen project manager Maria Spiteri Zahra. “That is why we have focused on the things that they are passionate about and that best allow them to express their creativity.”

The arts can play an important role in discovering new experiences and breaking down boundaries, providing a freedom from the pressures of teenage life. #malteen sets out to do just that, says Zahra.

“At an age when young people’s attention tends to be overloaded and when they are beginning to develop their own adult identities, we provide a clear space for them to focus on finding their own creativity.”