The overall aim of ‘Star Kids’ is to enhance active inclusion for children who are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, either residing in the community or in residential care. These children will be given an opportunity to gain practical ICT skills that are relevant for them to improve the quality of the educational experience. Such investment will contribute towards facilitating participation in further education or sustainable employment. The project will kick off with a study to understand the dynamics of the gaps that exist in terms of ICT skills and tools. It will proceed with the development of an appropriate training programme and eventually with the provision of ICT tools and facilities as well as the delivery of the training.
The training programmes that will be delivered through this project will primarily focus on be-spoke IT training taking into account the needs of the children concerned, including age and ICT knowledge. In order to support children that have an aptitude towards ICT, MCA believes on giving these children an opportunity to nurture on that aptitude with the prospect to instill a positive attitude towards learning. For some children this could be the step towards a positive learning experience, and in this regard, it is the intention of MCA to maximise this by offering further ICT training where applicable.
Parents / Caregivers will also be brought on board to support children’s participation. In parallel, a study will be undertaken to assess the results of the project in order to contribute towards lessons learned for future planned interventions.
For this project, the MCA has partnered with: the Church in Malta; the Ministry for the Family and Social Solidarity; the Foundation for Social Welfare Services; the Ministry for Education and Employment; the Commissioner for Children; and the University of Malta.