Social stigma : barriers faced by young people from Vittoriosa

Abstract

All cities have identities, but only some also have stigmas ascribed to them. This stigma tends to permeate the lives and practices of individuals within it, becomes engrained into popular discursive regimes and turns out to be extremely difficult to change. For more than half a century the city of Vittoriosa has been the bearer of such stigma. This has been mainly associated with socio-economic problems and has brought about many social injustices which the people of Vittoriosa had to suffer due to this negative label. The aim of this study was to investigate whether young people from Vittoriosa are still encountering stigma in their daily lives and how this effects their self-esteem and identity development. It also aimed to investigate whether professionals working with these young people believe that this stigma still exists and what coping strategies they are using to help young people overcome these challenges. Through the adoption of a qualitative approach, a focus group was conducted with six young people from Vittoriosa who are greatly involved in different cultural activities. In addition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with professionals working with these young people This in-depth analysis affirmed that the stigma ascribed to Vittoriosa still exists and that, notwithstanding the regeneration and gentrification that has taken place over the past few decades, young people are still experiencing stigma with the prime producers being the media and public discourse. The ramifications of this stigma are diverse and variations thereof depend greatly on young people’s social and educational background. The key role of education, whether formal or informal, was found to be of essence in helping young people overcome this “mark of disgrace” (Goffman, 1963) which in this research study proved to be Vittoriosa itself. Recommendations are based on further research and the role of youth work practice in educating young people to cope with this stigma. In addition, it is recommended that Government, Local Councils and diverse stakeholders, need to organise, support and promote more activities that attract “outsiders” to Vittoriosa and its neighbouring cities so that they experience first hand the positive change that has occurred.