The Malta Independent on Sunday - 10 July 2010

Raising Spirits is a flagship project launched within the Framework of the European Year of Volunteering 2011. This one-year project is being led by SOS Malta in partnership with Mater Dei Hospital, Malta Cancer Foundation, Voices Foundation and The Malta Council for Culture and the Arts.

The overall objective of the Raising Spirits project is to promote and develop an enabling and facilitating environment for creative and artistic volunteering within healthcare, aimed at improved patient recovery and community well-being.

To achieve this, the Raising Spirits partners are setting up a volunteer-based structure called the Volunteer Committee. In line with this, the Raising Spirits partners are looking for 10 people to form this Volunteer Committee whose role will be to promote the concept of creative and artistic volunteering at Mater Dei Hospital.

Apart from laying the ground for new volunteering services within the health ambit in Malta by persons who are artists, performers, event organisers and so forth, the Raising Spirits project will also encourage creative and artistic volunteering by health professionals and hospital staff for patients and visitors.

Through its partnerships and planned activities, Raising Spirits will lead to the exploration and development of synergies between stakeholders working within the health, creative and artistic and volunteering sectors. Furthermore, this exchange and the activities implemented within the Raising Spirits project will produce a three-year Action Plan aimed at introducing regular creative and artistic volunteering activities on the national healthcare calendar of events.

For more information visit www.sosmalta.org/raisingspirits.