Dawra Madwarna is an organisation made up of professionals from different fields who work together, voluntarily, to propose better green public spaces for Malta. Our open spaces are an important part of our life as they create a sense of community and enrich our social life. They are our outdoor living room. If planned and designed well, they have the potential to provide many benefits. At Dawra Madwarna this is what we believe in, and this is what we strive to achieve.

There is a growing need for green recreational spaces close to where we live and work. Seeing various professionals being proactive in voluntarily presenting suggestions about how our urban environment could be transformed, the idea of an interdisciplinary platform was born.

Dawra Madwarna was co-founded in 2021 by Nina Hattingh, Sarah Scheiber and Faye Sciberras to act as a catalyst and to create a space to positively explore and discuss the challenges and opportunities of such visions. The main goal is to promote ideas which prioritise people’s physical, social and psychological well-being by re-introducing nature into our urban areas.

The aim at Dawra Madwarna is to contribute, be proactive, visionary and inspiring. We believe in listening to people’s stories of their everyday needs, wants and dreams. We also believe in research-based methods to find out what affects people’s quality of life. We will build on these findings to propose alternative ideas which can trigger local imagination.

As a community organisation, we will seek ways to engage with the public. Through storytelling, research, proactive thought, co-leadership and collaboration with society, we will promote a new model for the design of urban open spaces.

There are deep cultural associations inbuilt in the name ‘Dawra Madwarna’, from play, placemaking to a sense of rebirth when we state, “induru dawra madwarna”. It insinuates a conscious will towards transformation. We want the platform to offer that alternative space where transformation can be achieved collectively and respectfully through action, research, imagination and design. Our logo embodies this interconnection of people with each other and their environment. We would like to thank Rachael Marie Scicluna for her involvement in the first steps of creating the base of this organization.

Credits:

• Web development: Elaine Vella Catalano
• Web hosting: Thomas Scheiber / OI-Soft Ltd.
• Legal advice: Jackie Mallia & Ilona Vella / GVZH Advocates
• Illustrations (activities & toolkit): Anna Horvath
• Concept & Design: Nina Hattingh