Litter, construction and pollution were among the topmost issues addressed by young Maltese reporters in a yearly competition.
With a staggering 250 entries compiled by students from 28 schools through the Young Reporters for the Environment (YRE) programme, the upcoming reporters from Malta and Gozo gave a heavy flack to certain decisions that were taken at policy level while suggesting practical sustainable alternatives.
YRE is an international programme run by the international organisation FEE – Foundation for Environmental Education which is represented locally by Nature Trust – FEE Malta. Through this Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) programme, students are provided a platform to carry out investigations and air their views about issues related to sustainable development by reporting through article writing, videography or photography.
An awards ceremony was held at The National Aquarium on June 2, in an event sponsored by AKTI and Zero Waste Future.
All students were presented with certificates, while winners of the different categories were presented with trophies and cash prizes. HSBC Malta Foundation funded freebies for schools.
While highlighting the achievements of this year, the national YRE coordinator, Audrey Gauci, gave details of the Litterless Campaign Phase V and projected future plans.
She also mentioned the experience students had in Portugal, where they met other reporters and worked together for a week to report on sustainability issues.
Another highlight was the online international collaboration between Slovenia and St Nicholas College Dingli Secondary school, which resulted in a joint video.
Present for the awards were Erica Schembri from WasteServ, Glenn Bugeja from HSBC and Laura Sue Armeni, director, risk management, policy and EU affairs, with the latter presenting awards to the best three reports on sustainable mobility.
Miriam Dalli, Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development, was not present for the event but sent recorded answers to questions posed by students. They mainly targeted litter issues, and the connection between mental health issues and the environment.
Out of the seven entries sent abroad for the competition, four managed to be shortlisted. The international winners will be announced in July.
Following the event, students were offered a visit to the Aquarium – kindly sponsored by AKTI.
Nature Trust – FEE Malta thanked sponsors – MARS Wrigley foundation, HSBC, AKTI and the Ministry for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development – for making the programme possible.
The winners
The following are this year’s winners, with a selection of shortlisted entries for the international jury.
Best campaign photo: Sacred Heart College – Nothing to See Here by Nicole Farrugia Wismayer and Melissa Sansone Sciberras
For more info, visit https://yrecompetition.exposure.co/malta-71
Best reportage photo – shortlisted: Sacred Heart College – Nature Finds a Way by Elizabeth Jade Pace and Zoe Zammit
For more information, visit https://yrecompetition.exposure.co/malta-70
Best series of photos: De La Salle College Junior School – Tiles from the Ocean by Benjamin Calleja Falzon
For more information, visit https://yrecompetition.exposure.co/maltanbsp-1
Best article 11- to 14 years – shortlisted: St Nicholas College Secondary School Ħad-Dingli – ‘Dance to the beat but beat the litter’ by Jay Agius. The article is available at https://yrecompetition.exposure.co/malta-74.
Best article 15 – 18 years: St Augustine College – ‘The world is your weath: the Impacts of an educational campaign’ by Benjamin Borg and Andre Mizzi. To read the article, log on to https://yrecompetition.exposure.co/malta-75.
Best video press kids: Maria Regina College, Naxxar Primary School – The Mediterranean Sea: Friend or Foe? by Jack Bartolo Lautier
Video 11-14 years – shortlisted: St Martin’s College – Out of mind but not out of sight: The problem with litter by Catriona Jo Buhagiar
Video 15-18 years – shortlisted: St Thomas More College Middle & Secondary School, Żejtun – ‘Making our school tuck shop greener’ by Luca Attard, Avril Muscat, Mariah Victoria Grima, Cressida Azzopardi, Neil Demarco, Cleavon Borg, Aiden Delia, Gabriella Caruana, Shelley Callus, Leah Marie Camilleri and Liam Galea.
For more information, or to participate in the Young Reporters for the Environment programme, contact Audrey Gauci on yre@naturetrustmalta.org More information about the Litterless campaign is available at www.yre.global/litter-less-campaign.
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