Forty-nine people have successfully completed the “Working with Offenders” course which is an introductory course by professionals in the field and covers seven subjects, including criminology, psychology, rehabilitation and reintegration. The course helped to raise awareness of the challenges faced by people who have run afoul of the law and spent time in prison, along with the process of their reintegration into society.
Organized by the RISe Foundation, this course was financed under the Training Initiative Scheme (TIS) administered by the Maltese Council for the Voluntary Sector. The course was held for the first time in the year 2022. In the last two years, the Government invested in the RISe Foundation more than €17,000 through the TIS and through the Voluntary Organizations Project Scheme ( VOPS). Part of this money was used to be able to carry out courses designed for individuals who work with people who have served a prison sentence, or who are interested in this field, to improve their knowledge about their role and therapeutic support in an environment of persons undergoing rehabilitation stages.
This is crucial so that these people are also given support in order to break the cycle of recidivism. The course also had the support of the Faculty of Social Welfare of the University of Malta. The activity during which the certificates were distributed to the participants of the course was addressed by the Minister for Inclusion and Volunteering Julia Farrugia Portelli who explained how society should do everything possible to reintegrate the same individual back. within it. “This is the goal, this is the goal behind the help that is given to organizations such as the RISe Foundation for the fulfillment of a mission with such a noble goal”, stressed Minister Farrugia Portelli.
Minister Farrugia Portelli wished the participants of the course for the success they achieved and expressed her optimism that the experience gained will be beneficial for people who have gone through a difficult experience.
The Chief Executive of the Maltese Council for the Voluntary Sector, Mauro Pace Parascandalo stressed, “Therefore we express the satisfaction that the course was not only built and uploaded, but generated enough interest to be held again. In this way he continues to increase his skills in this field and in the end he continues to do more good in society.”
