Maltese youths aged between 16 and 18 are being invited to apply for the 2014 Benjamin Franklin Transatlantic Fellowship (BFTF).
The US Embassy in Malta will fully fund the successful Maltese applicant to take part in the three- to four-week fellowship workshops, which will be held in the US this summer.
The BFTF aims to foster relationships between young Europeans and Americans to promote freedom globally and advance shared values. About 35 Europeans and 10 Americans will take part in the forthcoming intensive exchange, which will focus on common challenges that youths on both sides of the Atlantic face in the 21st century.
The Sunday Times of Malta asked four previous Maltese participants to share their experiences of the fellowship.
Jenny Pullicino Orlando, who took part in the BFTF in 2005, said engaging in impassioned debate with young people from so many different countries gave the participants a unique insight into the way opinions are formulated.
“If we do not allow ideas to be aired and discussed in an international setting, our understanding of those ideas will almost inevitably be prone to a one-sided, restricted reading of global issues,” Pullicino Orlando said, adding that she had become more malleable in her previously hardline positions.
She said this was one of the positive effects programmes like the BFTF have on young people. “It may be a small world, but [it is] only through understanding one another’s perspectives, creating avenues for constructive dialogue and reaching diplomatic compromises [that we] can help make the world even smaller,” she said.
Hillary Briffa, a participant in 2010, said the BFTF showed her that there are courageous, passionate young people all across the globe, capable of circumventing personal divides and finding mutual understanding. It also inspired participants to want to step up and make a real difference rather than just sitting on the sidelines, she said.
Briffa added that at the same time, the voluntary work aspect of the fellowship kept participants grounded, focusing on grass roots and seeing how they could make a tangible difference.
She said empowering teenagers in this manner was a step towards achieving international cooperation and she recommended the experience to other young people.
Cristina Cefai, who took part in 2012, said that as the only participant from Malta surrounded by representatives of each European country, the BFTF brought out her patriotism. She recalled being irked when Malta was linked to a small town with the same name in Ohio or when it was written off as just another island south of Italy.
“These challenges must be overcome if Malta is to consolidate its position in Europe and on a global level,” she said, urging youths with a passion for international affairs and a keen interest in debate to apply to take part in the event.
Last year’s participant, Jacob Portelli, said that without a doubt the BFTF had widened his perspective on the world’s diverse cultures. He said the programme helped participants to approach different cultures holistically and learn to respect and accept them.
“Experiencing another culture first hand further nurtures the learning of different ideologies and traditions of other participants,” he said, adding that it is an opportunity not to be missed.
For further information, contact the US Embassy on tel. 2561 4147 or e-mail usembmalta@state.gov.
The closing date for applications is February 28.
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