Robin Lockhart ilu jaħdem maż-żgħażagħ fir-Renju Unit għal iktar minn għoxrin sena. Bħalissa jinsab Malta biex flimkien ma’ ħaddiema oħrajn maż-żgħażagħ minn pajjiżi oħra jieħu sehem f’konferenza mtella’ mill-Commonwealth dwar il-ħidma maż-żgħażagħ.
Huwa qasam l-esperjenza tiegħu maż-żgħażagħ u tkellem dwar kif f’pajjiżu naqsu ferm il-fondi allokati għal dan is-settur:
“Our youth service has been decimated. It’s been cut back severely over the past few years. Its one of the only services in England that is not a statutory service. In the rest of the UK its statutory, and I think we’ve seen the results of that. What I see is that young people are not expenses that should be cut. They are things that need to be invested in”.
Is-Sur Lockhart kien impressjonat bix-xogħol li qiegħed isir f’pajjiżna. Huwa faħħar ukoll ix-xogħol li qed tagħmel l-Aġenzija Żgħażagħ li fost l-oħrajn qed twassal biex iż-żgħażagħ Maltin huma fost l-iktar żgħażagħ li jaħdmu fl-Ewropa:
“From what I see here, its happening here. You’ve got more youth workers per head than anywhere else in Europe. The structure is here, the training is here, the agency are doing the right work”.
Huwa kkuntrasta s-sitwazzjoni f’Malta ma’ dik fir-Renju Unit, u sostna li ż-żgħażagħ u l-potenzjal tagħhom m’għandhom qatt jiġu ssagrifikati:
“To me that’s unexplainable and unforgiveable. Malta is not a big country and yet you’re putting so much energy and funds and time and effort into your young, because you want the country to be better in the future”.
Il-konferenza tal-Commonwealth li qed issir f’pajjiżna se tittratta diversi temi sabiex ikompli jittejjed is-settur tal-ħidma maż-żgħażagħ f’pajjiżna.
