Angela (20) recently wrote to tell us about what’s been going on in her life. She lives in Malta and is one of four young people to receive the Artivisti Award for activism in the arts awarded by the Arts Council Malta with Aġenzija Żgħażagħ (Malta’s national youth agency). Angela will receive mentorship and opportunities for networking, as well as a €4000 grant toward her project. Her project is called ‘Changing Perceptions’, and she is planning to work on a young adult fiction novel she has drafted, where the main character Jessica has Down’ syndrome, and who she says is loosely based on herself.
Angela recently spoke at the World Down Syndrome Congress 2021. Her presentation was called ‘Achievements and challenges of a young writer with Down’s Syndrome’, and covered her journey as a writer, as well as her involvement in performing arts and advocacy.
“I was really happy to be invited to speak at the Congress. It was actually very easy as it was a recorded presentation so there wasn’t too much pressure. But sadly I couldn’t be present for the panel as I was performing in an integrated mixed-ability dance show at the same time. In the presentation I talked about my achievements and challenges as a young person with Down’s syndrome and I think that it was received very well and I also got a contact from another speaker who was a mother of a child with Down’s syndrome in Canada. This lady is a writer and she has now helped me to improve the start of my memoir!”
Angela was also recently selected to be a presenter on a programme for TV Malta called Avarù. The Sensory Show is created for audiences aged 5 to 7 years and is broadcast daily. Angela presents some of the weekly sensory boxes
“I was selected for Avarù after an audition and so far I have done six videos. The great part is that I get to experience how it’s like to film in front of a green screen where later on, the filmmakers can put in some CGI effects like changing the background.”
Angela has also been busy starring in Malta’s first real mixed-ability theatre show (The Fig Tree) and also performed in another mixed-ability show called Automaniacs.
For the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, Angela was featured on a programme for TV Malta.
In March 2021. Angela and her friends made a special music video for World Down Syndrome Day. She is now thinking about her project for 2022!
Thank you for updating us Angela… we always love hearing from people about their lives!