Navigating the changes associated with the current health crisis has been a challenge for all. For those who are working in a school environment, the physical closure of the school doors meant that we needed to adapt to a new, remote way of working online.
The benefit of the CHANGE programme is that it is very easily adaptable to an online environment. The lesson plans are easily adaptable to an online environment, and with the support of the JRS partner, even the encounter can be facilitated. While nothing can replace a face-to-face encounter, we have done our best to retain all the important elements of CHANGE in this new situation.
Just recently, Sara, a JRS Malta staff member, made the shift online after a couple of weeks of planning and evaluation. The meeting was held with students who had been participating in the CHANGE programme before the closure, and who were in the process of implementing their actions. We started the meeting by brainstorming the way forward for the actions they had selected. We also used this time as an opportunity to reflect on the implications that COVID-19 are having on people who have been forced to flee their homes, particularly on the situation here in Malta.
It has been incredible to see the effects that participating in the CHANGE curriculum leaves on young people. To see them so engaged, and applying the knowledge and insight they gained to current affairs. We look forward to engaging with more young people in the very near future.