Update February 2006

The Deaf People Association Malta (DPAM) is planning to organise a training course that will be targeted at Deaf people between the age of 20 and 35 who are actively involved in Deaf youth groups or associations. It will focus on the rights of young Deaf persons in Europe, on the obstacles that prevent these persons from asserting their rights and on ways in which they can ensure that these rights are respected.

The trainers delivering the course, some of whom are Deaf persons themselves, will act as facilitators to enable the participants to discuss these issues together and to arrive at solutions that suit their particular circumstances.

The methods used in the group discussions and the workshops will entail the active participation of the participants themselves who will thus be enabled to explore and develop their ideas about disability in general, and deafness in particular, and to find practical ways they can use in their work to promote the rights of young Deaf persons. During the course, there will also be meetings with key decision-makers in the areas of disability and youth policies and a look at the life of young Deaf people in Malta. In addition, the participants will have the opportunity to take part in diverse social and recreational activities.

The 6-day course that will be held in September 2006 will be conducted in Maltese and British Sign Language while English will be the spoken language used. The DPAM will be seeking funds from the European Union Youth Programme.

If you are interested in participating, please contact Ms. Anne-Marie Callus on the following e-mail address: amcallus@knpd.org or by telephone number +356 2148 7789, text telephone +356 2144 6536 or fax number +356 2148 4609 by 1 st March 2006.