We Are Annual Report 2014-2015
Table of Contents Executive Board 2014/2015
Page 2
Introduction
Page 3
Vice-President’s Message
Page 4
Representation
Page 5
Media and Communications
Page 6
Community
Page 7
Awareness and Education
Page 8
Training and Development
Page 9
Financial Report
Page 10
Timeline of Activities
Page 11
Executive Board 2014-2015 Emma Portelli Bonnici
Jean Marc Pace Ricci
President
Community Officer
David Debono
Jasmin Duffil
Vice-Pesident
Treasurer
Matthew Vella
Marthese Formosa
Secretary General
Awareness & Education Officer (until January 2015)
Iggy Fenech
Mark Josef Rapa
PRO (Photo by Deo Falzon)
Awareness & Education Officer (from January 2015)
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Introduction
Over the past year quite a few things have changed within our society. We had the aftermath of the introduction of the Civil Unions Act (not quite the Armageddon that was expected), and the introduction of the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sexual Characteristics Act, an Act We Are is very proud to have contributed towards and one which has been hailed as the ‘world’s most progressive’ law on gender identity.
President
The GIGESC Act did not come without controversy, however. We Are held a string of debates on the topic to ensure that the student body was given adequate time in which to ask any questions they might have had or tackle any issues. I was also given the opportunity to represent We Are on the Gender Identity and Gender Roles ad hoc Committee organized by KSU’s Social Policy Office. Through this role, we set up a consultation session with students, the fruit of which was then presented to the Minister for Social Dialogue, Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties, the Hon. Helena Dalli. The information gathered in the consultation session actually became part of the law, an occurrence, which I can say, I’m truly proud of.
Emma Portelli Bonnici
Aside from tackling the new laws that came into force, We Are continued to touch base with its members by organizing various events throughout the 14/15 term, such as our collaboration with Aldo for World Aids Day in December and Sex Week, in which we organized various events. Most recently we organized a Mean Girls screening as a way in which to gain new members and strengthen old friendships. For the first time, this executive was nearly completely fresh – with no old executive members aside from myself (I’d been secretary general for a little under a year prior to holding my current position on the board), carrying on aside from myself the difficulty was increased. Not to say that this had no positive aspects – having fresh ideas is always good, but the fact that we were a new team lacking certain experience made the start of our term that much harder. Freshers’ Week went from being one of the highlights of We Are’s year to being one of the low points, at least in my view. In fact, we didn’t increase our membership by much and certain downfalls which occurred have yet to be remedied. The fact that Freshers’ Week didn’t go as planned is one of the primary reasons for changing the time at which the organisation holds its AGM. Like this, the new executive will have ample time within which to bond and plan the year. It often feels like we’ve not met our aims or achieved our goals, and seeing as this year’s executive term was shorter than the others before it, it’s truer than ever before. I believe that in the time we’ve spent working together throughout the year we’ve achieved a lot, we’ve garnered respect from our peers, and have been approached to become part of an umbrella organisation in Malta in order to further our reach and extend our ability to affect change. As someone who doesn’t fall under the LGBTI+ heading, I think it’s important that we continue oyr outreach to straight allies and the like – at the end of the day, it isn’t only people who identify within that bracket who are responsible for the creation of new laws and the education of our society. If I had a euro for every time a person has asked if I’m straight, I’d have enough to retire. The assumption that one needs to fall under that umbrella in order to work towards a more inclusive society is something that requires our constant effort and work in order to change the general assumption and idea that exists within our society. Regardless, We Are has had quite the impact on my life – I’ve learnt how to ignore that which doesn’t matter and spend more time on that which does, I’ve become more sensitized and empathetic towards other people’s feelings and ideologies, and I feel as though I’ve grown tremendously as a person, going beyond that which I thought I could do, and doing far more. I hope the next executive will have the hindsight and foresight to understand that which did not work and to change it, to understand that which did and expand upon it, and to work together harmoniously for the best possible result. WE ARE has been a wonderful experience and I wish you all the best of luck! Emma
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Another term of We Are’s executive board has come and gone, and it has certainly been a very challenging year. Having previously been involved with We Are’s executive, when i was one of the founding members so many years ago, I definitely came in with certain expectations. Very few were met, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. Working with my fellow executive members has been a very eye opening and enlightening experience. I’ve learned to understand and accept my own limitations, and not to take on more than I can handle.
Vice-President’s Message David Debono
Vice-President
One of the largest challenges that We Are has faced this year is that most of the executive were new – only Marthese & Emma carried on from the previous executive. This has never been the case – usually it is just one or two members that change, not one or two that remain on. This resulted in us having to learn the ropes as a group, a very challenging task. As a result of having a brand new executive, I personally felt that we lost touch with our core members – for the simple reason that many, if not most, of last year’s core members were friends with the executive. My perception (and I could be mistaken here) is that once certain people were no longer on the executive, once they no longer had that pull, many people started drifting away from the organisation. Having said that, when we organised the most successful event of the year, the screening of Mean Girls, most of our previous core members showed up. So maybe my perceptions aren’t quite on point. Another major challenge that this executive faced, that was never faced by an executive before, is that for half the year, students in the executive were a minority. This didn’t help – it’s infinitely easier to give your time and dedication to an organisation when you are not a full time worker. No one is going to scold you or threaten to fire you if you missed a lecture to attend an activity or an event – but if things don’t get done at work, you risk losing your job. This was one of my short comings this year – We Are had to take a second (sometimes even a third) place to my work, and as such my work with the organisation was very, very limited – something I feel absolutely terrible about, and it is the main reason that I am not contesting re-election. We Are deserves better than I am able to give it – but I will always be an active member, and I hope that the next – and future – executives know that they can always call on me if they need an extra hand. If I have one piece of advice for the next executive, it is to know and accept your limitations – and do not bite off more than you can handle. Remember, it is better to organise a small activity that is done excellently, that may not have a large outreach – than to try to overshoot, target a large audience and fail epically. Remember also, that We Are caters to a minority of a minority – youth and students are already a minority in a small country like Malta – imagine what a small percentage of the population the LGBTQQI community makes up. Don’t be put off by a low turnout – it’s quality that counts, not quantity.
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Representation Mark Josef Rapa
Awareness & Education Officer Representation In April of this year, Malta has introduced the Gender Identity Act. We, as We Are have been involved in the drafting of this law, as we were members of the consultative board set up by Hon. Helena Dalli, Minister for Social Dialogue Consumer Affairs and Civil Liberties. Related to the latter, we were also involved in the KSU sub-committee on Gender Identity and Gender roles ad hoc. The outcome of the sub-committee was conveyed to the Ministry in November, which, in turn, took on board one of the proposals put forward by the same subcommittee; the inclusion of ‘X’ as a gender symbol on official documents, etc. We were also invited by MGRM to be involved in the consultation on the strategic plan, making sure that the voice of LGBTQQI students and youth is represented and that the needs which students and youth feel that should be addressed are on the agenda. A number of meetings were on the organization of Pride Month. We Are was present once again, and we organized a number of events on and outside campus, which were then included in the calendar of events set up during these meetings. MGRM also set up a Rainbow Support Service Drop-ins. We participated in a few of these meetings, and also took active participation in the discussion by sharing our experience and offering our support to those present. The organisation shall continue to be represented on the former mentioned consultative board which brings NGOs that work within the field of LBTQQI together, serving as a link between the same organisations, enhancing cooperation and aiding work commitment.
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Media & Communications Iggy Fenech
PRO
As We Are’s PRO, my role was to strengthen our organisation’s relationship between with its members as well as with the general public. This, as has been the case in previous years, was done through social media, print media and a monthly newsletter, among others. As a board, one of our aims this year was to expand our reach to people who do not attend university and others who may not form part of the LGBTI community. In order to do this, I focused on building professional relationships between WE ARE and various companies and institutions. This included designer Parascandalo Marco, who designed our T-shirts and will be giving us promotion on his website; WriteMeAnything. com, who proof and publish all our media correspondence; ALDO, who we collaborated with for World Aids Day, and others. I am pleased to say that, currently, WE ARE has a good relationship with all media outlets on campus as well as with the Times of Malta, and that our Facebook presence is still strong with 2,313 likes at the moment of writing. There are undoubtedly many things we could and should work on in the future, one of the most pressing being the interaction between the organisation’s executive and WE ARE’s members, It is often easy to forget that We Are’s main role is to offer a safe space, and I urge the next exec to continue working on building a stronger community for LGBTI youth and students.
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Community Events Jean Marc Pace Ricci Community Officer
This past year has been a busy one for WEe Are, both with our own events and with keeping up with and contributing to other organisations’ events. The first order of business for the executive board was Fresher’s Week. A stall was manned throughout the week and from there we recruited new members, explained the aims of the organization, and made people’s days a little bit brighter with some home-baked cookies. We also had information available about MGRM’s Rainbow Support Service and raised awareness about this. Some members of the exec also made an effort to help out at the Rainbow Support Service Drop-ins on Tuesday evenings. Roughly a month later, we had a welcoming event for our members, both old and new. This was held at Salisbury Arms pub in Sliema, which quickly became a favorite venue for the organisation. The winter months were dotted with We Are members attending other organisations’ events and raising awareness about our organisation and what we do. One such event was the 1voice4all March in December. The previous exec had contributed towards the planning of this march on Human Rights Day, and that work was carried over and the event was successful in raising awareness on human rights issues. There were a few sexy events along the way too! Sex 360: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Sexuality was a one-day seminar organised by BetaPsi where Mark Josef Rapa, We Are’s education and awareness officer, delivered a presentation on the criminalisation of HIV in Malta as well as in the UK. This set the mood for We Are’s Sex Week’s events in the second week of March. Over five days, a human library was held in the KSU common room, which allowed members and nonmembers to ask questions, voice their concerns or just have a little chat with members of the exec and volunteers, who played the role of books and did a great job sharing their knowledge and experiences. A Sex Week-themed Quiz Night was also held, and it was all capped off with a casual drinks night at the pub. Members of the exec also attended both Pulse’s policy forum - Proactive Policy, and SDM’s Think 2020 events. These were great opportunities for networking with other organisations and exchanging ideas, it was also great to see the progress being made at the University of Malta when it comes to social issues and updating policies. The exec made it a point to lend their support to other organisations by attending JEF’s Civil Liberties Building bridges event, PHROM’s AGM, FOIPIN’s Kuntrasti, and the Gender Liberation Launch, among others. One of the last community-based events of this exec was the highly-successful screening of Mean Girls. This year marked the 11th anniversary of the film and its clear that its just not getting old any time soon! The screening was followed by casual drinks at quad and by the end of the night it was clear that everyone had had a good laugh and a great time. This past year has had its ups and downs – as they all do – but, ultimately, it was quite a successful one. Awareness was raised, members were added, friends were made, and laughs were had. Thanks to the work of the exec, members and the organisations that have supported us throughout, We Are is now one year older, one year wiser and one year stronger.
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I was appointed as Education and Awareness officer only in January 2015, replacing Marthese Formosa, who I would like to take this opportunity to thank for their tireless work within the organisation even after they had left the office. Throughout the year, We Are has organised and attended many events, including Diversity Day at Junior College, where we organised a quiz on the Civil Unions Act and on the GIGESC Act, which were then still a bill. The participants were mainly students studying Sociology, who, because of their line of study, already had a background in the subject, at least in respect to civil unions from a socio-legal point of view.
Awareness & Education Mark Josef Rapa
Awareness & Education Officer
For World Aids Day, on 1 December, we collaborated with the ALDO Fight AIDS foundation. ‘Friendship bracelets’ were sold on campus with proceeds going to the same foundation. In the words of Aldo Bensadoun, the founder and executive chairman of the ALDO Group: “this bracelet is an important symbol. It represents friendship and solidarity. It’s an invitation to join together in the fight against AIDS” Moreover, the Scouts Association of Malta approached We Are for support in the LGBTI field as they have recently set up a Diversity & Inclusion team within the Scouts. For this, we prepared a list of LGBTI-themed films with the aim of inspiring conversation, education and awareness. As an organisation we have also been invited to participate on two radio shows, (FOIPN on Radio 101 and Drive on Radju Malta 2. Through such media we are continuing to reach out to the general public and breaking through the boundaries of stigmatisation. For Sex Week, a pub quiz led by Gaby Gauci was organised. During this, participants were questioned on different subjects, including film, sports and politics related to sexual health and LGBTI matters. The event was well-attended and gave us an indication on which activities our members and others students are after. This year has seen the introduction of the Gender Identity Act, praised as the most progressive Act in the world that recognises the needs of transgender and intersex people. We feel that it is important for us to continue working on this, and to continue creating a bridge between what is happening in society at large and University of Malta students. In order to do so, we will keep working towards creating awareness, and our first step towards this was by organising a talk on campus together with Gender Liberation, which saw the attendance of a number of students and also of the press. After an invitation by Il-Ghaqda tal-Malti, we also participated in the Festival tal-Ktieb fuq Kampus 2015, for which members of the We Are exec read from excerpts from Gharaq Xort’Ohra. This allowed us, as an organsation, to take onboard a different, and often neglected, aspect of the LGBTI spectrum, LGBTI-related literature. For the International day against homophobia (IDAHO), on 17 May, the current executive will be working an exhibition showcasing different individuals with their own opinions on the importance of this day and the meaning behind it. This year we are also working in collaboration with the Giovanni Curmi Higher secondary school to extend this activity within their education establishment. Furthermore, at UoM campus, we shall be setting up a timeline of LGBTI rights in Malta, not to merely educate but to also showcase the work that’s been done by We Are and the many other LGBTI-related organisations in Malta. In conclusion, I would like to thank the rest of the executive for taking me and my ideas on board. It is only in sharing these ideas, giving input and effectively working on them together that we have made this year another success.
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Training & Development Emma Portelli Bonnici President
The Executive, being rather new, sought external training. Gaby Gauci (as former Community Officer) offered to deliver a workshop on sensitivity and terminology early this year. The workshop proved useful, and Gaby’s experience was very well utilized. Aside from executive training, We Are also traveled to both Lithuania and Dublin for further development. The Lithuania trip was organized as part of the QuPiD Conferences and We Are was invited by MGRM to participate in the policy-making discussion. This took place in October, during Freshers’ Week – the timing being the only downside to the trip. The seminars were educational, and they helped to build bridges between Malta and the various other countries involved. QuPiD then visited Malta, an event that we helped MGRM coordinate; planning all of the social activities and dinners, which went off without a hitch. Mark and David both attended the workshops QuPiD organized in Malta on behalf of We Are. Having met the members of these organisations in our own country really strengthened the already existing bonds we had with them, paving the way to more international involvement.
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Financial Report Jasmin Duffil Treasurer
Notes
1. No grants were received this year due to administrative errors which caused issues with VO registration. The incoming executive board should be able to resolve these issues, thus enabling them to obtain grants in the future. 2. Donations received this year were lower than expected due to a miscommunication and membership fees not being collected. The incoming executive board should focus on holding more events geared towards increasing member numbers. 3. Miscellaneous here refers to deposits and reimbursements that do not fall into the ‘grant’ or ‘donation’ categories, such as the returned deposit for the Fresher’s week stand, and conference reimbursements. 4. The executive t-shirts purchased this year amounted to €156; as this equates to over 70% of the amount gained through donations it is not sustainable to continue working with this supplier. It is recommended that if the incoming executive board wishes to have t-shirts printed and personalized, a cheaper supplier be used, or the cost should be covered by the executive themselves.
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Timeline of activities September Annual General Meeting Consultative Council meeting with President Fresher’s Week - member recruitment Participated in Frisk (Fresher’s party) QUPID training in Lithuania Promotion of Spirit Day October IGLYO conference & General Assembly in Dublin We Are’s Welcome Drinks Consultation on MGRM planning day Consultation Session on the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act Joined in an online campaig for equal rights in Kyrgyzstan December Participated in Frostbite (Collaborative party between student organisations) Participated in 1voice4all (Human rights march, on human rights day)
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Participated in Junior College Diversity Day January Resignation of Marthese Formosa & Subsequent cooption of Mark Josef Rapa February Executive Training on sensitivity & terminology
Consultation with represantatives from Giovanni Curmi Higher Secondary regarding an exhibition for the International Day against Homophobia and Transfphobia (IDAHOT) (planning incumbent) Attended Proactive in Policy – Launch of Pulse policy forum
Participation in a radio show
Attended Think 2020 – by SDM
Participated in QuPid workshops
Attended Kuntrasti an exhibition orgainsed by FOIPN
Attended seminar and reception organised by Terra di Mezzo
Attended the launch of Gender Liberation
Attended a reception organised for QuPid by the President’s Foundation for Well Being
April Participated in a program on Radju malta
March Participated in ‘Sex 360 - a multidisciplinary approach to sexuality’
Attended a lecture by James Alison, organised by Drachma and the President’s Foundation for Well Being
Organised Sex week, including a quiz night, human library and drinks night.
Organised a discussion about the GIGESC ACT together with Gender Liberation
Consulted as part of the Pride planning committee
Organised a film screening of Mean Girls Screening followed by drinks on campus
Attended the Annual General Meeting for the Platform of Human Rights in Malta (PHROM)
Produced a timeline of LGBT History to be displayed in the quadrangle
Attended a JEF event – civil liberties, building bridges