In the aftermath of the recent Paceville incidents, there have been alarming signs of a nascent subculture of young rebels that has engulfed our younger generation. This subculture has been blamed on the paucity of age-related entertainment pushing our youths to “night clubs, bars and fast-food outlets as the only options”.

Without any shadow of doubt bars and night clubs should be shunned by young teenagers, who should instead indulge in active leisure in the form of physical recreation such as rambling, hiking and backpacking as well as sports both competitive and recreational, activities that ensure a healthy lifestyle and the feel-good factor.

The coming generation should eradicate once and for all the shameful tag of being the most obese and the laziest in Europe.

There are other forms of leisure on our island that include drama, theatre, dancing and social groups and various cultural entities all easily accessible to youngsters. It is most opportune that the schools, particularly secondary schools, should address the phenomenon of free time and channel it into active leisure.

The dawn of a new era in youth-oriented leisure should start early in schools. With the welcome introduction of Secondary Education for All in the late sixties pushing the school-leaving age to 16, peer pressure took over from strict parental guidance and opened the floodgates to unsavoury forms of recreational pursuits.

My suggestion to include preparation for leisure in schools is not new. I vividly recall the headmaster of St Joseph Technical School, Mr Cuschieri, in the early seventies, who realising the challenge of leisure introduced various ‘clubs’ that functioned during the mid-day break and as extra-curriculum activities. They were clubs for photography, history, canoeing, philately and other educational pursuits run by enthusiastic teachers.

The concept of leisure should be immediately included in the educational lexicon in letters of gold as leisure is intrinsically linked with education.

In recent years leisure has received considerable attention from sociologists, educationists, political scientists and economists, all presenting healthy and sustainable antidotes to the problems of inactive free time.

With more free time on their hands and money in their pockets, our youngsters are more prone to boredom

The connection between leisure and education becomes very apparent in the Greek word skole, meaning leisure. Skole also related to places where scholarly discussions were held, such as the grove next to the Temple of Apollo Lykos in Athens which became known as a lyceum - again implying a close link between leisure, the proper use of free time - and education.

Leisure was so central to the refined Athenians that work was referred to as askolia, the absence of leisure.

It is interesting to note that because of Malta’s geographical size and unique family pattern, leisure takes on a much wider and delicate dimension. The intimate structure of the Maltese family once had as its main strength that of moral guidance; however presently young teenagers are being weaned out of this protection because the strong element of peer pressure has taken over, channelling them to follow the herd blindly.

Our little island makes all recreational venues easily accessible with the result that Maltese youths have more time on their hands. Furthermore, I venture to add, because of our generous caring parents, students, especially those in tertiary education are spared the hassle, worries and expense normally encountered by their counterparts abroad. With more free time on their hands and more money in their pockets, our youngsters are more prone to boredom with the resulting consequences.

Another factor when considering free time is the mentality of a small island that blindly mimics with exaggeration the social mores of the nearby continent.

We are now becoming increasing aware of this youth-oriented situation that calls for an environment worth living in.

Environmental protection does not mean only the protection of the natural environment and the prevention of pollution of the air, water and the sea around us. It also means the modelling of a sports milieu carefully planned in accordance with today’s needs. “A town which provides no playground for its children,” warns the German sociologist Mitscherlick, “no easily accessible recreational areas for its teenagers, no swimming pools and youth clubs in its housing estates, should not be surprised if these planning deficiencies result in anti-social individuals.”

In this regard the Sports Council, the local councils and the national sports associations, can all play their part in diffusing all types of sport in all localities of the Maltese islands.

So far their efforts are still not very encouraging as there are localities where only football is played. Visitors to our islands remark about the lack of maritime leisure activities in an island surrounded by sheltered bays where canoeing, rowing and sailing can be practised daily yet few schools and colleges have embarked massively to promote these sports.

Our islands need a concerted effort to rescue our youth from a life of idleness or misspent youth. In pursuance of a better future for our teenagers the input of NGOs and parish councils has a special significance by assisting the rising generation to enjoy the benefits of active leisure.

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