Assisting a local council in the development of an

aspect of a sustainable development strategy within

the community
EER5202 Local Agenda 21 Strategies

Martin Cassar

Assisting a local council you are familiar with that does not have a sustainable
development strategy. Target locality: Birkirkara
Addressing global issues in sustainability should be done by looking first within the local
context, building capacity within the community. Thus enabled, the wider challenges can thus
be addressed. This is the basis for Local Agenda 21, where local authorities are enlisted to
support Agenda 21 initiatives while promoting sustainable development.

Within the following suggested project, the following Agenda 21 aims are addressed:

- Activity 28.3: The local authorities, in this case Birkirkara local council, will be
dialoguing with local organizations and stake holders in order to adapt a local agenda
21 strategy. This will be done through consultation with local authorities and
consensus building with citizens and target participants.

- Activity 28.4: Work with local institutions, i.e. Birkirkara Local Council will enable
local environment management.

- Activity 28.5: Through the pooling of resources between local authorities and different
stakeholders (Agenzija Zghazagh and Nature Trust), there will be exchange of
information, experience, and mutual assistance.

The following strategy will look at the Birkirkara local council and the involvement young
people have within the community. An action plan will be proposed where a youth
community centre will be serve as the main meeting hub for the localitys young people. The
action plan will take a three-stage approach, from the short to the long-term. By the end of
the project, the aim is to have a larger community integration where the young people will be
also aware of and able to develop their own urban gardening.

Situation description

As per the local Administrative Unit (LAU) classification, Birkirkara is classified as part of
the Northern Harbour district. The estimated population in March 2014 is of 22,247
inhabitants.

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The aim of the proposed project is to provide a centre where young people between 15 and 24
are introduced to the concepts of urban gardening. This will be provided through a joint work
between the local council and Agenzija Zghazagh through its project called Youth Local
Councils. This is a yearly project, aimed at encouraging active participation of young people
from 14 to 18 within their own locality. The councillors are introduced to research with the
practical purpose of outlining the localitys needs. These are followed by an action plan that
brings about the targeted changes. Young people involved in the initiative meet every two
weeks to discuss matters of interest to themselves and the local council. Via the Youth Local
Councils project, Agenzija Zghazagh provides funding for the winning project to a maximum
of 3,000; 80% is financed by Agenzija Zghazagh, 20% by the local council. A youth worker
is provided by the agency to facilitate the learning process and assist the young people for the
duration of the project. Although the Youth Local Councils Project is a yearly enterprise, this
can be extended indefinitely by the local councils request.

According to the Census of Population and Housing 2011: Preliminary Report, the 15 to 24
age group population bracket in Birkirkara is 2,652, making up 12.3% of the localitys total
population, amounting to the highest number of young people per locality in Malta and Gozo.
Community services relate mainly to the different parishes (6) and the political parties club,
i.e. the Malta Labour Party Club and the Partit Nazzjonalist Club. The locality has boasts own
football club, while at the local council premises a number of lessons, like yoga and ITC for
beginners, are provided.

When I approached the local council to discuss a possible strategy within the sustainable
development remit, I did not receive a reply, beyond being told that someone would get in
touch with me. After repeated attempts, this did not happen. Thus, in order to gather some
information regarding the young peoples hanging out areas, I carried out some preliminary
interviews within particular areas where I often see them in the evening. Birkirkara, despite
or because of being the largest locality in Malta, has only two public gardens: one annexed
to the Birkirkaa Alligators RFC ground and the Old Railway Station gardens (Map 1). During
evening walks I have often noticed that the former was seldom used, as opposed to the Old
Railway Station, which is often frequented by young people whose age is between 13 and 20.
Throughout the proposal, this garden served as both the site where informal interviews were
carried out, as well as where the action plan would be developed.

At the beginning of the 20th century, this garden was a connecting station for Maltas train
that used to travel from Valletta to Rabat. When the train was no longer in operation, the
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station itself was preserved, including the Station Building. This was occupied for some time
by the Birkirkara local council until the present-day larger premises was build. The building
is currently being used as a childcare centre. A 3rd Class Railway Carriage was kept for
decorative purposes. However the was severely vandalised over the years, resulting in its
removal in January 2015 for restoration purposes. Opposite the Railway building is another
two-storey building. This lies abandoned, with the front entrance door open. Going inside the
still well-preserved edifice one comes across turn of the last century office dcor, suggesting
that the building was another office for the Malta Railway. In the present days, the Railway
Station Garden is sporadically used for local council or parish feasts, and more often it is
simply an area for people to sit down and enjoy the gardens trees.

Data collection

Informal, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 15 young people through three
focus groups, one session per group, each of which lasted about 15 minutes. Although I amid
at a gender balance, this was not entirely possible; each group had its own dynamic and
gender predominance. One of the group was composed of 4 young female participants
between 13 15, another was predominantly male (5) with two females, with the groups age
being between 16 -17, while the third group was of equal gender balance, being two couples
whose members were about 17 years. It is important to note that the figures are not
representative, but there to give an idea of the needs of the particular sub-group being
targeted.

Since the local council did not get back to me, I was lacking in an identified major issue that
could be addressed through sustainable development practices. Given this limitation, I opted
for a semi-structured, open discussion with young people, facilitating the discussion and
suggesting a possible outcome that addresses their need for involvement and engagement.
The questions asked were:

- Do you come here much, and if so, how often?

- Are there any other places of interest where you might go?
- What do you do when you are here?
- Would you be willing to engage with other youths, if there would be such a
possibility?
- Would you like to have a space where young people can hang out that is neither
political, not religious?
- How often do you spend time outdoors in nature?

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 - Would you be interested in the possibility of growing your own herbs, flowers and
vegetables?

Summarising the replies, the young people said that they go to the garden on weekdays and
sometimes on the weekends; always in the evening. The lack of recreational centres aimed at
those who are not interested in football, religious or political activities was pointed out many
times; thus, they come to the garden, meet up with their friends, eat at McDonalds (which is
about 150 metres away) and generally talk about their issues. Because of this lacking
infrastructure catering for the young peoples need, many were looking forward to getting
their licence in order to have more travelling options. Other places of interest were located
outside Birkirkara, mainly Valletta (weekdays) and Paceville on the weekends.

When asked if they would be interested in a youth centre, which they themselves would be
able to manage, the reply was, for 11 of them, a positive one. However the youths also
pointed out their conviction that such a possibility would not be taken up by the local council.
Reasons given vary, from the local council not catering for the needs of those who are not
interested in football, to there not being an active involvement of young people to begin with.

Map 2 shows a vacant railway building which is currently abandoned; it is situated in the
garden. With open doors windows, anyone can go in there. When I pointed the site to the
youths, they showed an interest in the idea where this building would be converted and given
to the youths.

When inquired about their nature or countryside activities, the replies were often pointing to
the lack of green spaces, and there not being anything to do in the countryside.
Environmental appreciation was given to overseas forests and landscapes (mountains, etc.),
but not to the local context.

Proposed SD strategy

From these informal interviews, it is clear that the youths who spend time at the Railway
Garden are lacking external stimuli that would otherwise help them in developing themselves
as active citizens within their own community. The sense of entitlement and ownership within
(their) Birkirkara local council is negligible. While there is a space for them where to spend

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time in the evenings, this is clearly decontextualized of any meaning or significance within
any wider youth interest or educational awareness.

Thus, I propose that a youth centre would be opened within the same garden where the young
people currently frequent. This building, as mentioned above and shown in Map 2, is already
in existence and currently lies in a state of abandonment. In the short-term, the youth centre
would open in the evening, hosting the young people and providing them with a more
engaging form of entertainment, including digital games and others like pool, table soccer
etc., following the current model adopted by Agenzija Zghazagh. As the centre becomes more
established with the young people, a more structured programme can be set up for the
medium to long-term planning. This includes working with Agenzija Zghazagh and
establishing a Youth Local Council where the participants will themselves apply for projects
and assist in the centres running.

Given the lack of public green areas within the Birkirkara local council, as seen in Map 1,
once the youth centre is more established, it is proposed that an added informal educational
programme is introduced in collaboration with Nature Trust. As seen in Map 1, there are
areas where it is possible to establish allotments for vegetable gardens. In a 2011 survey of
500 children, the UK Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) discovered a lost generation of
gardeners, where less than 1% of parents gardened at school, compared to 55% of
grandparents and 40% of children (http://press.rhs.org.uk). Although figures in Malta are
lacking, I believe the situation to be in a similar predicament, where Maltas emphasis on a
knowledge-based, academic education has detracted the importance of gardening, resulting in
many people in their 20s and 30s not knowing the basic gardening skills. The project would
address this by involving the youths in starting their own gardens. These would go beyond
allotment to also include innovative ideas, like living walls using pallets, composting, and
other projects using recyclable materials.

The idea of spaces for young people to involve themselves within their local community is
mentioned in the Draft National Youth Policy Framework 2015-2020. The framework
proposes sites such as Youth Cafes and Youth Hubs, helping the young people to improve
their community engagement, while also providing a site where non-formal education and
training can be provided, thus fostering development geared towards enhanced civic
engagement.

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Krasny & Doyle (2002) identify Participatory Action Research and Participatory Rural
Appraisal as a means by which community members, especially in socially disadvantaged
settings, can take action to improve local conditions. Community members evaluate local
resources, while experienced facilitators assist the community to draw up an action plan. In
their research, it was noted that the youths were involved in the gardening programme
because an adult was involved; at the same time, gardeners were interested to participate
because of the opportunity to work with young people and imparting their skills. A hands-on
approach and fostering curiosity are key to engaging youth in urban agricultural activities
(Miller, 2013, 14).

As already indicated, the proposal targets young people in Birkirkara aged between 14 24.
A youth centre will be provided, where they can engage in community activities relating to
any issue they deem appropriate within any given time. Running in parallel to this youth
centre will be a horticultural programme, assisted by Nature Trust and through funding
provided by Agenzija Zghazagh, where the young people will be given the opportunity to
learn about gardening within an urban environment.

Lack of green spaces within inner-city neighbourhoods is an issue in many North American
cities (Fulford & Thompson, 2013: 60). Horticultural knowledge is effective on many fronts;
Fulford & Thompson (2013) point out that benefits cover areas of employability thanks to the
strong work ethic that transferrable job skills. A sense of discipline, improved nutirution and
development of what the authors refer to as the four Circle of Courage values of (1)
belonging, (2) mastery, where the young person is enable to pursue new learning
opportunities; (3) independence and (4) generosity (Fulford & Thompson, 2013: pp. 63 64).

While the reviewed literature looks at urban gardening from the youth perspective, it was
noticed that the targeted groups were often characterised coming from a low-income
background or otherwise addressed within an educational institution. On the other hand, the
proposed action plan that follows is horizontal in nature, i.e. it is open to anyone regardless of
their socio-economic background. Neither is it tied to any educational institution. This allows
the proposed action to be more inclusive. Added to this, I follow in Miller (2013), where he
urges the importance of fostering curiosity in agricultural science, especially since the target
audience is largely disconnected from the land.

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A summary of the action plan is as follows:

Action Plan Goal: To promote youth participation within the Birkirkara local
council.
Action Plan Target: Within three years of the programme setup, 25% of the
registered youths with ages between 14 to 24 will be attending the youth community
centre on a recurrent basis, and taking part in the informal activities promoted through
the centre.
Action Plan Trigger: If the number of youths participating in the first stage of the
programme will be 10% of the local populations 14-24 age range, then the
Horticultural programme will be initiated.
Performance Indicator: Indicators are te number of young people visiting the centre,
measured twice a year.
Evaluation: This will be done every three months in order to assess any feedback
given by the young people participating in the programme, as well as amending the
programme as necessary.

When looking at the action plan in more detail, one sees it is divided into three stages, each of
which follows from, and builds on, from the one before it. Each stage lasts a year, and looks
at the action plan from the short, medium, and long-term, to a total of three years. Thereafter,
continuity can be achieved by continuing the stakeholder dialogue with Agenzija Zghazagh
and Nature Trust.

Stages:

1. Stage 1: Short-term planning: Duration 1 year Setting up the Youth Community

Centre.
2. Stage 2: Contacting the funding stakeholders and initiating the Horticultural
programme
3. Stage 3: Starting Life-long educational programmes on urban agriculture within the
Railway Gardens itself.

Stage 1: Short-term; Duration: 1 year

Phase 1: Approach the primary stake holder, i.e. the Birkirkara local council. This
is important in order to obtain the necessary permits so as to rehabilitate the

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 presently abandoned building and start its conversion into a youth community
centre.
Phase 2: Approach the young people through:
o A youth event at the Railway Garden. This would be a free music concert.
Adverts for the concert will be predominantly through social media
networks and word of mouth through youth workers who would be doing
outreach work in Valletta and the Birkirkara garden.
o During and following the concert, awareness of the new project is raised.
An expression of interest directed at the youths will be put forward, where
who would be interested in participating in the Youth Community Centres
rehabilitation plans will be invited to a series of meetings where their ideas
and proposals will be listened to.
Phase 3: Contacting Agenzija Zghazagh to start the Youth Local Council scheme.
The local council, through the young people who showed interest in the Youth
Community Centre rehabilitation, applies for the scheme. The schemes first target
is to set up and start running the Youth Community Centre.
Phase 4: Start the renovation works on the Youth Community Centre, through the
young peoples supervision and monitoring
Phase 5: Start running the Youth Community Centre through the Youth Local
Council scheme.
Phase 6: Final evaluation: Assess the percentage of the young people visiting the
Youth Community Centre, gather their own perception and ideas regarding the
project.

Stage 2: Medium-term; Duration: 1 year.

If participation and attendance of young people at the Youth Community Centre is showing a
growth, then the second phase of the strategy can start, where an Urban Agricultural
educational programme is initiated.

Phase 1: Propose the Urban Agricultural educational programme to the young

people involved in the Youth Local Council, and discuss with them the strategy
and ideas. This will be followed by another submission for funding with Agenzija
Zghazagh.

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 Phase 2: Set up and promote another youth activity within the centre and the
Railway Garden, where the young people, including those whose attendance at the
Youth Community Centre is not as regular, will be invited through social media.
This event could be a music concert, during which, another call for dialogue and
citizen participation will be set up, in order to gather what the Birkirkara youths
think of the Urban Agricultural educational programme
Phase 3: Set up the discussion groups as per the best method, which the youths
will have already discussed about during the concert; gather their feedback for
later use.
Phase 2: Facilitate the young peoples second year application for the Youth Local
Council scheme with Agenzija Zghazagh, where the Urban Agricultural
educational programme is proposed with the young peoples amendments.
Phase 3: Stake holder dialogue:
o Once the funding is given, a call for local gardeners within Birkirkara is
made. This is in order to create an enhanced sense of community and
identity within the local council community, where shared experiences and
moments, together with transfer of knowledge, is achieved through a
solidarity with the localitys citizens.
o Contact Nature Trust to forward ideas, seeds and possibly also the
facilitation of experts who can give enhanced feedback on the endemic and
indigenous flora with which the Urban Agricultural educational
programme can be enhanced.
o Together with these stake holders (Nature Trust, local gardeners, and the
young people), locate the most suitable spaces for the Urban Agricultural
educational programme, which plants to use in specific areas according to
soil constitution, amount of sunlight, etc.
Phase 4: Start the hands-on gardening phase, where the young people are given
the opportunity to use the Railway Gardens as a space for their own creative
expression through gardening.

Stage 3: Long-term; Duration: 1 year.

At this point, if the Urban Agricultural educational programme has been successful, capturing
the interest and involvement of 25% of the Birkirkara young people within the stipulated age
range, then a Life-long educational on urban agriculture can be set up where the young
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people, together with of other (not necessarily falling under the young peoples age bracket)
community members can join in order to learn more about the concept of urban gardening. In
the third year, the Youth Council project is again applied for, where the success of the two
previous years serves to propel further action plans and to seek other stakeholders. At this
stage, more complex gardening concepts can be taught. The final part of this stage is
marketing vegetable sales and attending training opportunities for interested participants.

Continuity of the project is ensured through the yearly application submittal with Agenzija
Zghazagh of the Youth Local Councils.

Concluding remarks

The proposed action plan looks at sustainable development as a long-term investment in the
young people of a locality that is heavily built up and with little green areas. It addresses the
lack of gardening and agricultural skills present in contemporary urban youth, while
providing a site where young people can come together to share ideas and build
collaborations. Through local authorities, i.e. Birkirkara Local Council, and other
stakeholders (Agenzija Zghazagh and Nature Trust), the concept of Urban Gardening is
promoted, fostering an increased sense of community and engagement with young people in
Birkirkara.

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References

Census of Population and Housing 2011, Preliminary Report. - Valletta: National Statistics
Office, 2012 xxx, 53p.

Fulford, S., & Thompson, S. (2013). Youth Community Gardening Programming as

Community Development: The Youth for EcoAction Program in Winnipeg,
Canada. Canadian journal of nonprofit and social economy research, 4(2), 56.

Gravina, A. (2015). Lifelong learning skills development through informal learning in youth
centres within the Maltese context.

Krasny, M., & Doyle, R. (2002). Participatory approaches to program development and
engaging youth in research: The case of an inter-generational urban community gardening
program. Journal of Extension,40(5), 1-21.

Chicago

Miller, H. (2013). How Do You Engage Youth in Urban Agriculture Activities?.The

Agricultural Education Magazine, 85(4), 14.

Morgan, S. C., Hamilton, S. L., Bentley, M. L., & Myrie, S. (2009). Environmental education
in botanic gardens: Exploring brooklyn botanic garden's project green reach. The Journal of
Environmental Education, 40(4), 35-52.

Chicago

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National Youth Policy (Draft). (2014). A shared vison for the futire of young people. Malta:
Parliamentary secretariat for research, innovation, youth and sport.

United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (1992: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil).
(1993). Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de
Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992. New York: United Nations.

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Map 1

Public green areas in Birkirkara, marked in green.

A: Old Railway Station,
B: Birkirkara Alligators RFC ground
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Map 2

Proposed Allotment and Youth Community Centre; the allotment is circled in red, while the Youth Community Centre is above it, on the opposite
side of the garden.

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