70% of 13 to 25 year olds report feelings of anxiety says Richmond Foundation

Apr 23 2022

According to findings from a Barometer Research of Youth Mental Health, around 70% of people aged between 13 and 25 years have reported feelings of anxiety.

The findings were revealed during a press conference by the Richmond Foundation, an organisation which provides mental health care services.

Representatives highlighted how the demand for its services by young people increased by well over 1000 over the past two years. Services to other age groups also doubled during the last two years.

In response to the demand, the foundation revealed that it has prepared educational material for young persons through an ESF funded project. It will also target training for parents and professionals working with youth with mental health issues.

A fund raising campaign was also launched by the foundation, which will enable it to reach more people experiencing mental health challenges. The president of Malta, George Vella, gave a speech at the event, reiterating the importance of mental health prevention in youth.

Due to the demand for the service increasing drastically, the Foundation said that financial help is essential as free professional services incurs several costs. Several spokespersons highlighted the importance of such services given the demands.

Other topics such as national mental health services, the importance of the environment inn elation to mental health as well as the reluctance by many to seek assistance.

WATCH: Claudia Faniello performs with sign language during Muzika Muzika

Apr 23 2022

Performing during the competition Mużika Mużika, local singer and songwriter Claudia Faniello incorporated sign language into her performance of ‘Ġmielek’.

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The singer described it as an unforgettable moment from her performance, thanking Rita Portelli who helped her make a dream of hers come true – which was to sing whilst using sign language.

The inclusive move from Faniello gave a wider range of audiences who would otherwise not had the possibility of listening to her song to understand the lyrics. The song, with lyrics written by Joe Julian and music composed by Philip Vella, addresses themes of love and acceptance, working well with Faniello’s approach.

Faniello will be performing ‘Ġmielek’ once again tonight after managing to pass to the finals. She will be going up against numerous talented singers and artists for this year’s edition of the acclaimed competition.

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‘He loved the sea and now he’ll be part of it forever’ says late sailor’s daughter

Apr 23 2022

77-year-old John Perkins is the man identified as having unfortunately lost his life during a storm when his yacht in Marsaxlokk was wrecked on the coast.

His daughter, Emma Walker, described him as a friend to many, as well as a lover of the sea. ‘He loved the sea and now he will be part of it forever’ she said in a Facebook post.

Perkins lost his life after his yacht cut its moorings and ended up getting wrecked against the shore due to gale force winds on Thursday. His body was found off Delimara on Friday morning by an Armed Forces Patrol boat.

Perkins was also described as a good dad, grandad, great grandad and brother to all those who loved him. ‘We’d like to thank you all for being part of his journey’ said Walker in tribute.

The police had said that at around 7pm on Thursday they were informed that the yacht had cut its moorings, but the police found no one inside the wreckage. They were informed that the man was on the vessel at the time of the accident. Rest in Peace John.

Condolences to all the family.

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There is a bus stop every 15 minutes in walking distance in Malta

Apr 23 2022

A recent data analysis showed that commuters are rarely more than 15 minutes away in walking distance from any given bus stop.

The new data looking at the distance between pick up points for public transport was crafted by analyst Charles Mercieca, who wanted to see how well served Malta is when it comes to public transport.

Publishing his findings in a new blog post, Mercieca went about asking how far the nearest bus stop is from any given point. Factors such as bus frequency and efficiency were admittedly not taken into account.

Despite this, it was found that access to public transport was still important as it is tied to aspects such as accessibility to healthcare, education and work, especially when it comes to people of lower socioeconomic standing.

Mercieca was able to use OpenStreetMap, which is a community-owned editable geographic database, to plot the location of all 2,060 bus stops in Malta and Gozo. Picking a random spot in Malta, he found that a person would be an average 340 metres away from a bus stop.

The only places that exceeded a 2.8 kilometre capping distance were Comino and Filfla. Assuming a walking speed of 5 km/hour, Mercieca found that it would be pretty difficult to be more than 15 minutes walking distance from a bus stop on the island.

Authorities have tried to make public transport use more effective and available. It is currently free for anyone aged between 14 and 20, students over 21-years-of age, over-70s and people with disability.

In the last October Budget Speech, Finance Minister Clyde Caruana had also announced that free public transport would be extended to all Maltese residents.

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