A training course funded by Erasmus+ was held at the Archbishop’s Seminary in Tal-Virtu, Rabat between the 17th and 23rd October 2016, with three days of the training held by Colin Wilson and Derek Newton, British psychologists who facilitated sessions on Person Centred Planning. The aim of this training course was to address the needs of the young people in our care to help them be the centre of the planning process for better inclusion in society.
The participant youth workers and youth leaders were equipped with methods of how future plans and life paths can be created with young people rather than for them, and including all the people who are important in their lives, so they could think about how they could make a good future for themselves. This serves to empower the young people by giving them control over their life decisions. Person Centred Planning was developed for people with disabilities, however it is a tool that can be used by everyone for everyone.
The participants came from Malta, Spain, Latvia and Romania, and all work with youth who come from difficult backgrounds and face some challenges. All the participants expressed that they would be able to use this new tool with the young people they meet in the course of their duties. The training was very much hands-on as the participants had several opportunities to put in practice this new method.
A young person from the Homes was also given the opportunity to plan her path with the trainers. This not only served as a demonstration for the participants, but also as an excellent experience for the young person to reflect on where she wants to be in the future and the possible paths on how to get there.
Comments from some of the participants who came for this training can be found through the following link: http://inclusivesolutions.com/blog/training-in-malta/ 
