Welcome to Life Network Foundation Malta

Life Network Foundation Malta is a Maltese Pro-Life registered foundation (VO: 1070/15) which was founded in 2014 so as to foster a culture of life by endorsing value to every life.

Our Mission

To save generations by empowering women, men and children to accept LIFE.

The foundation strives to achieve this by:

• Promoting a strong spiritual dimension. sustained by prayer
• Educational programmes targeting all levels of society
• Organisation of conferences, seminars, workshops and lectures
• Providing training and support for pro-life activists
• Establishing and encouraging active networking between local and international pro-life groups
• Raising life issues in all forms of media
• Advocacy on the sanctity of human life
• Outreach to mothers in crisis pregnancy
• Providing post-abortion support.

Our Work spans three main areas:

1. 1. Support
   2. Education and
   3. Advocacy

Support:

see www.lifelinemalta.eu

Education:

See ERASMUS Project: Youth Positive Potential, Project Research Results/ Archipelago of Treasures (AOT) @ Feb 2023

    

In January 2020, Life Network Foundation began to implement the project, Youth Positive Potential, under the Erasmus Plus Programme Action KA2, Strategic Partnerships section (no 2019-1-MT01 KA 201-051251), as the leading organisation. The project was implemented in partnership with the European Institute for Integrated Prevention (Warsaw, Poland), the Vilniaus Pedagogine Psichologine Tarnyba (Vilnius, Lithuania), the Ostoja Foundation (Nowy Sącz, Poland), and the European Institute for Integrated Prevention Foundation (Warsaw, Poland). A partnership agreement was signed in Falenica, Warsaw, on 30 January 2020, during the first Transnational Project Meeting. The project took place in the three partner countries (Malta, Lithuania, Poland). The project was completed in December 2022, despite of the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 Pandamic.

Signing of Contract in 2020, Teams working together across European borders and Training of Maltese Team 

About the Project 

Our project’s aim was to disseminate the integrated prevention programme across all the participating countries, by involving schools, parents, teachers and religious leaders. The Programme, entitled the Archipelago of Treasures (AOT), had already been introduced in Polish schools. It was known that participants perceived the AOT Programme as a highly effective tool in preventing youth problems. During the project, the AOT Programme was offered to 14 to 15-year-old students across the three participating countries.

The Archipelago of Treasures was conceived as a suitable aid for youth in preparing them for ‘the journey of life’. The AOT Programme describes the youth’s pursuit for a meaningful life in the following way: a conscious effort to strive for the most important life goals, to realise their life-vocation and to fulfil their deepest dreams.

The intention of the project is to contribute to preventing such social maladies as early school leaving, mental health difficulties, susceptibility to mental health problems, behavioural problems etc.

Research was conducted to identify youth’s expectations in each of the participating countries. In Malta eleven Public, Church and Private Schools participated in this research with a total of 1222 valid responses. This was done so as to tailor the AOT Programme to the respective needs of the participants.

Several of the EIIP’s surveys and research studies clearly demonstrated that multiple problems and risk behaviours were correlated. They identified a number of common risk factors of youth problems. One of the most important is the sexualisation of the public sphere that has a serious impact on adolescents’ life.

The Archipelago of Treasures Programme is widely perceived as a programme that efficiently counteracts these alarming trends and is able to empower youth, as well as school staff, to meet impending mental breakdowns. The effects of the Programme have been proved by professional evaluation research.

The project was divided into 4 distinct phases: 

1. Research Study
2. Adaptation and implementation of the Archipelago of Treasures (AOT) Programme
3. Dissemination and exploitation of research results (Conference in Nov 2022, Malta)
4. Project evaluation.

By the end of the project the following objectives were reached: 

• Three country-based reports on problems faced by youth aged 14-15
• Empowered over 1,000 youth across Malta, Poland and Lithuania through the AoT Programme
• Three conferences where organised, one each in Malta, Lithuania and Poland, for the dissemination and exploitation of the research results.

The Archipelago of Treasures (AOT) Programme in Schools

The Archipelago of Treasures^® is a vivid and dynamic prevention programme for middle and upper secondary school students. The Archipelago of Treasures^® is a registered trademark. The development of the programme, training of the instructors, as well as quality supervision lie in the responsibility of the European Institute for Integrated Prevention.

The Programme can be implemented only by the institutions and trainers who are qualified and licensed by the European Institute for Integrated Prevention (EIIP). Thanks to the Erasmus Funds, the Youth Positive Potential Project, allowed for Life Network Foundation, Ostoja Foundation and Vilniaus Pedagogine Psichologine Tarnyba, to acquire such certification and licence by the EIIP after intense training and support by the same Institute.

AOT in Malta was delivered with very positive feedback to 614 students, between the age of 14-16, in large groups of between 60 to 100 students, in an assembly hall or in a school gym. The Programme was conducted by a team of 3-4 specially instructed trainers.

Conducting AOT in Maltese Schools, as an effective integration prevention programme 

Message of the Programme 

The Programme teaches a healthy and wise lifestyle. It encourages young people to avoid alcohol, drugs, violence, pornography and to wait with sex until marriage. The Archipelago of Treasures^® shows the young their huge positive potential – as opposed to the image presented by mass media. Utilising two 4-hour workshop blocks, over two subsequent days, a group of adolescents are transformed into treasure hunters, where treasure means great happiness, long-lasting love and the accomplishment of one’s passions and dreams.

During the two days of workshops, knowledge passed on to the youth covers:

• love, sexuality and building relations based on trust and respect
• how to deal with the “tigers” living in the “jungle”, which is in the depth of every persons human heart
• specific tips on how to manage sexual arousal
• specific tips on how to manage attraction (which can be beautiful but blind)
• specific tips on how to manage anger and rage.

We encourage young people to use the tips provided in order to strengthen their character.  From our research we know that almost every participant of the Programme uses at least one of the pieces of advice received during the first day of training!

During the Programme we explain to the teenagers the most important laws of love and we discuss problems related to:

• sex and pornography addiction
• alcohol and drug addiction.

All these subjects are treated with great subtlety and seriousness in order not to hurt those who have such experiences, while cautioning others who have not yet been through such an experience. An important aspect of the Programme is assertiveness training. During the workshop, participants practise their ability to oppose negative peer pressure through the different activities included in the Programme.

Ways of presenting the content 

In the Archipelago of Treasures® a wide range of methods of working with a group are utilised. These include multimedia presentations with embedded sound, short videos and music. There are also dynamic exercises in which a large number of volunteers take part (usually with great enthusiasm). Afterwards they are rewarded with some small appropriate gifts, as well as applause. The students are engaged in answering questions, voting and playing games and drama. An important moment of the Programme is the Youth Creativity Festival, when participants volunteer to create a personal piece of work over-night, such as writing a poem, designing a poster, producing a song or presentation on relevant topics like: “Respect towards Women”, “Stop to Pornography”, “The Importance of Sobriety in Love”, “How to Deal with the Tiger of Anger” and many others.

The photo attached is one such example that a student was able to create as a result of attending the Programme. This student wanted to draw attention to Addiction; one form being the addiction to technology.

The Programme is listed in the “System of Standards and Recommendations for Prevention Programmes” and signed by the most important agencies of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education (Education Development Centre, National Agency for Solving Alcohol Problems, National Office for Drug Prevention, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology ).

Should you wish to talk about this Programme for your school, kindly contact us by e-mail on: Lifeawareness@lifnetwork.eu 

Empowering Youth Positive Potential Conference:

Three National conferences where organised, in Malta, Lithuania and Poland for the dissemination and exploitation of the research results. The one in Malta was held on the 17th of November 2022, at St. Dominic’s Priory, St. Dominc’s square, Rabat.

Research results of 1222 students from Maltese schools were presented in the conference, together with research results for Poland and Lithuania.

The review of the research report was prepared by Dr. Ewa Siellawa-Kolbowska (PhD), Dr Szymon Grzelak (PhD) and Ms. Agata Balcerzak (MA).  

Presentation of Research Results – AOT International Conference 17 November 2022

The Results:

• The results were analysed by conducting frequency analyses of the obtained answers and correlation analyses. The type of correlation coefficients was chosen adequately to the scales on which the analysed variables were measured
• As a result of the analyses, it was possible to find links between drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes, drug use, viewing pornography, early sexual contact, suicidal thoughts and depression
• It was also possible to identify protective factors against engaging in risk behaviours, such as mother and/or father as life guides, being heard in family conversations, religious practices, turning thoughts to God, a good climate in class, acceptance in class, grade average in school, the belief that true love grows over time, belief in true love, and contact with model good marriages
• Risk factors were also identified, such as parental divorce, school truancy, fear of school violence, being in alcohol and drug company, and sexualisation  
• The approach in which risk factors are analysed on the one hand, and protective factors on the other, enabled a multifaceted approach to the analysed issues, making it possible to indicate which factors should be eliminated and which should be strengthened in future preventive interventions
• The description of the results of the studies also includes the interpretation of the strength of the relationships between the analysed variables, which made it possible to determine which factors are the most important and key to the occurrence of the analysed risk behaviours and which are less important. Interrelationships between risk factors were also analysed. To ensure the clarity of description, the most important results were appropriately illustrated graphically. The analyses were carried out taking into account an important differentiating factor, which was the sex of the respondents (being a boy or a girl)
• Conclusions from the research made it possible to confirm the successful verification of the integrated prevention model
• The results obtained can provide a very well-founded starting point for further in-depth research, e.g. using standardised tools, which would also enable the analysis of more complex statistical models verified within path analysis or structural modelling.

Detailed Research Reports can be found using the following links:

1. Report for Malta
2. Report for Lithuania
3. Report for Poland
4. National Report for Malta, Lithuania, Poland.

 

 

Advocacy:

See News/ More (this section is being updated)

 

Older information: Some of Our Work

The scope of our work extends from raising public awareness, to showing young people the pro-life facts, to participating in radio programmes, to contributing articles to the local newspapers and to being active on social media.

October 2015 Press Conference

 

Youth Parliament: Participation of Life Network Youths

During November 2015, Sara Portelli and Ramon Bonett Sladden of Life Network Youths took part in a parliamentary debate and spoke about defending life from conception.

 

 

Radio programmes

 

March for Life December 2015

 

 

The Gianna Jessen talk at the University of Malta

 

University Of Malta Freshers Week

 

 

Schools Outreach

 

 

Seminars 

 

 

 

 

Our campaign slogan  is: “Endorsing value to every life”. Love demands action – it demands that we act to protect life and to counter the forces which are beginning to promote abortion, euthanasia and other threats to life and the family here in Malta. Your generous prayers and financial donations are essential to the mission of Life Network Foundation Malta. Please help us continue to defend life from conception to natural death.