Last month, around 240 students from the Mcast Institute of Art and Design at Tarġa Gap, Mosta, took part in a week-long programme of activities to apply their talents and energy to be of service to the wider community, including Mt Carmel Hospital, the Eden-Razzett Foundation, Dar tal-Providenza, St Monica School, St Francis School, Verdala Boys Junior Lyceum and Fortini Secondary School.
At the junior lyceum and St Monica School, students worked on artistic murals to embellish the schools' environment. At St Francis School, 21 students helped pupils create and decorate custom-made Carnival masks, and took on the role of teachers for a day.
Over 100 students worked directly with people with different physical and mental impairments. In collaboration with trained facilitators, they carried out arts and crafts exercises with the clients at Eden-Razzett Foundation, and produced clay souvenirs with the residents at Dar tal-Providenza.
At Mt Carmel Hospital, Higher National Diploma fine art students produced a range of artistic creations inspired by and capturing different aspects of the hospital environment, buildings and museum artefacts.
This was the first time ever that the institute has held such an activity, which was the initiative of its director Stephen Vella, and judging from the positive feedback received from all organisations involved, it will become an annual event, with all the organisations 'pre-booking' for next year's programme.
"It was always my firm belief that all parties stand to gain from the collaboration. The organisations benefited from the energy and vitality that our students naturally injected in these activities while the students were exposed to a highly enriching experience, as well as gaining first-hand awareness of different aspects and needs of the community in which they live. As artists and designers, this awareness is crucial for their cognitive development as well as their moral and spiritual growth," Mr Vella said.
The co-ordinators of the participating organisations were also positively impressed by the students' diligence, hard work, enthusiasm and energy, even when they were confronted with challenging and unfamiliar situations, such as working with children and youths with special needs.
"It was a joy to watch the interaction between the younger and older students," added Melanie Mizzi, co-ordinator of this programme. Preparation for the programme involved intense co-ordination between the institute and the various organisations.
The initiative was also well received by the students themselves. Some of the most timid or reluctant students came back with a new outlook. "They learned one of the most important lessons in life; that, even in a small way, they can make a difference in other people's lives," said Ms Mizzi.
Mcast principal and CEO Maurice Grech, said: "Educating young people involves much more than moulding them into future workers or citizens. In education, each person should find identity, meaning, and purpose in life through connections to the community, the natural world, and to spiritual values such as compassion. These activities were one experiment in holistic education that gave results and should be explored further."