Special Olympics Malta is launching a new mental wellbeing programme for athletes with intellectual disabilities which will be funded by the proceeds of this year’s edition of A Night at the Palace.
The Strong Minds programme is part of a new phase of health-related services and support for athletes with intellectual disabilities. Designed by specialised professionals, the programme will provide free screening and interactive practices to help athletes to better adapt to challenging life situations such as stress, anxiety, and personal or family difficulties.
The programme will also help them prepare mentally for competitions both in Malta and abroad.
It will form part of six screening services under the Healthy Athletes programme which provides medical support and preventive care to hundreds of children ad youth with intellectual disabilities.
Held earlier this month at Girgenti, A Night at the Palace featured the Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of Maestro Aurelio Belli, performing an open-air concert of cinema music.
Speaking after the event, the prime minister’s wife Lydia Abela said the “generosity of the Maltese public will give a new hope for the mental wellbeing of hundreds of persons.”
She highlighted that like everyone else, individuals with intellectual disabilities and Special Olympics Malta athletes experience moments of pressure and challenges, including when representing their country in competitions abroad.
“Strong Minds will serve as an essential tool to help athletes approach life with greater optimism and resilience,” she added.
The national director of Special Olympics Malta, Anna Calleja, hailed this programme as a “historic milestone” for the NGO which is marking its 25th anniversary this year.
“This was a dream that we wanted to deliver for many years,” Calleja said.