The Football Social Responsibility department of the Malta Football Association was in Latvia this month for several football-related events and meetings in collaboration with the Latvian FA.
Whenever the FSR department visits a country for football-related events, as in this case the European Union funded project TARGET (gender equality in football), they carry out several sessions which mirror the work the Malta FA does in our country within the community.
Whilst in Riga, FSR Department director Peter Busuttil, accompanied by Luis Figueroa, carried out several sessions.
He met children within the spectrum of autism and mental disabilities at the Riga 1st Elementary School – Development Centre, then he had a session with youths living in Orphanages at the Playoff Arena and at the Cesis Juvenile Detention Institution.
At the Juvenile Facility, Busuttil and Figueroa carried out an Outraged session with over 30 youths as well as the staff at the facility.
This was followed by football sessions which understandably included an element of basketball, given that Latvia has a special relationship with basketball.
Resocialisation
In the words of the administrators of the facility this session was “an essential part of the resocialisation of the residents at Cesis.”
Outraged is a UEFA project on diversity and inclusion and one can follow the project on UEFA TV.
“Outraged is a useful project for us to engage with a number of social realities and do so an effective manner. Football has the power and the means to affect communities effectively on all levels “said Busuttil, FSR at the Malta. FA.
In Latvia the Malta FA was assisted by Alise Petersone and Karlis Boitmanis from the Latvian FA, as well as Katrina Spure and Elina Admidina, Communications specialists at the Latvian Prison Administration, together with Jelena Belkova, Head of the Resocialistaion Unit at the Cesis
Correctional Facility for Juveniles.
The Malta FA is currently carrying out several FSR projects with local clubs and communities based on its UEFA Hat-trick and European Union-funded projects.
