Making it in a male-dominated world

Scales of equality

Seeking a job and growing in it may seem like a commonplace thing nowadays. Yet for women at the top of their game today, the path was fraught with hurdles and required the utmost determination. THINK takes a moment out of the incredibly busy lives of three central women at the University of Malta (UM) to discuss their life stories and challenges quashed. Words by Martina Borg.

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Voluntourism: serving your Instagram, your CV, or people in need?

Policy strategies laud volunteerism, but critics frown upon ‘voluntourism’, which is travelling to so-called developing countries for short-term voluntary work. University of Malta researcher Dominik Kalweit, who is also a director of the Maltese NGO Kopin, and researcher Dr Stefano Moncada, unpack this phenomenon.

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Routes over roots

Tree roots

In Malta, protests against plans to remove a row of iconic trees drew unprecedented crowds, leading authorities to promise to plant new trees and replant those found in the way of planned infrastructure projects. Emma Clarke looks into the science of tree replantation to see how feasible this would be.

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Tourism in Valletta: have we gone too far?

Valletta tourist attractions

Residents are generally willing to put up with the inconveniences caused by tourism because of its financial and reputational benefits. But is there a tipping point when tourism and leisure become unbearable? Having focused on Valletta as an urban planner, activist, and researcher, Dr John Ebejer warns against the risks of overtourism.

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Can passion alone sustain our teachers?

Tired teacher

With a teachers’ union slamming pervasive overtime and salary injustice, while some policymakers are contemplating recruitment of teachers from overseas, it’s about time we stop and reassess: what keeps teachers going? Lara Calleja asks experienced teachers about the sense of purpose in their work.

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They are the champions

Parathlete Antonio Flores

Parathletes challenge expectations and break boundaries. Some of them reach their peak performance relatively late in life. Strong-willed individuals also defy diagnoses and social norms, as members of Malta’s paralympic movement and para-sport experts tell Daiva Repeckaite and Shruti Sundaresan.

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You look just fine – when pain is invisible

Battery never charges

Fibromyalgia is a chronic disability which manifests with aches all over the body and profound fatigue, including headaches, sleeping problems, and difficulty concentrating. Miriam Calleja talks to people who try to make the most of their lives while being held back by this condition.

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