Mediart Blog

Break the RULES, BE A VOLUNTEER!

31/8/2021

You only live once, this is the first mantra that I learnt when I was living in Australia. I try to put it into practise everyday, but you know, sometimes it gets in the way. In my case, I live in Málaga (Spain) and this year (three months ago) I became a teacher of Social Sciences. I was so happy to have my certificate, surrounded by my family and my friends. But I always have this tic-toc inside me. This tic-toc is a small voice saying me: “Look Iria, it’s time to travel, it is time to discover the world”. Also I have another voice - a rude voice - inside of me; it is the voice of fear and it says to me: “Iria you need to find a full job, you need to earn money in order to pay bills, you need to live your comfort zone”. And now I am going to tell you my second mantra, you can’t live with fear.

And with these two mantras I decided to come to Greece and start my volunteering in Praxis. And now that this adventure is coming to an end I can say that coming here was the right decision. Because these two months I have had amazing experiences, meeting incredible people and developing myself. Yes, this summer I am not the richest girl in the world. Wait a minute, what does being rich mean to you? It's a very interesting question. For some people to be rich is to have money, for me it is to be at peace. Traveling and discovering new places and new cultures is what brings me happiness. So, after these two months I can say that I am the richest now.

Also we live in a capitalist society and we grow up thinking that everything in our lives needs to have a personal purpose and an economical result. If you think about it, it is so sad. We only do things in a selfish way. Volunteering means breaking the rules. It is about doing something for others, it is about opening your mind and being more human, more empathic with the rest of the world. When you are a volunteer you create a new family, you choose to learn about different cultures and feel other countries as your home. This experience will be in your heart forever. So please be open to go out of your comfort zone, to live new experiences and to work for a better world. Make a change, make an impact in the society and inspire others to be better. Be creative and work, because this opportunity is amazing. Enjoy each day, any podcast on the Radio and any activity in the city with local people.
And remember, you only live once.

IRIA TORRES GUTIERREZ

Iria is a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organization, writing her own experience about the project.

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THE CHARITY BUSINESS

19/8/2021

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Contrary to popular belief, the fundraisers seen on the streets raising money for non-profit organisations are not actually volunteers for these organisations, but workers for external fundraising companies. The main objective of these private companies is to recruit donors in order to increase their funds; NGOs that are part of this include the famous Red Cross, Doctors of the World and Caritas. These workers have to get the bank details of the person in record time, which is why they use infallible marketing techniques. Donations to the association are four times less than those collected by external companies, which raises doubts about the real objective behind this practice.
The director general of Médecins du Monde explains how they use this tool to obtain donors, as it is the quickest and most effective way, as they have extensive experience in this and know how to benefit from this practice.
The humanitarian aid sector has become more professionalised, and many companies are now dedicated to it, which is a new activity that is booming, the so-called humanitarian tourism. This type of tourism allows people to volunteer in a developing country for a high amount of money. Contrary to this doctrine of the commodification of humanisation, in Cambodia, awareness-raising campaigns are being carried out in which children are displayed in showcases while tourists take photos of them (with the slogan "children are not tourist attractions", in order to denounce companies involved in humanitarian tourism). It is important to add that humanitarian tourism organisations use slogans typical of an amusement park and play on the precarious situation of children.
On the other hand, there are also child protection NGOs behind these companies, which consider that children have become a tourist destination, and think that donors have good intentions, but that sometimes this is not enough to eradicate this barbaric measure.
Orphaned children come from areas at risk of social exclusion and remote areas, and many of them are not orphans as they make themselves known, they are separated from their families and sent to tourist areas due to the precarious situation they live in their homes and the money they receive for lending them helps them to alleviate this situation.

The money invested in Haiti after the catastrophe of 2010, after the great earthquake that caused great material and human losses was mismanaged, being allocated 5 million euros, 20% to NGOs and the remaining 80% to large international institutions such as the European Commission and the United Nations. Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world, what did it do with more than half of the gross domestic product that was invested in the country so that everything is still in ruins two years after the disaster? The money has not been spent by NGOs to enable the people of Haiti to have decent housing and a decent life, but everything is still unhealthy and squalid. Temporary shelters have been set up, which are quite expensive despite the fact that they are rudimentary and in poor condition. Critics in Haiti are trying to propose the creation of more affordable housing that will last in the long term.
Why are substandard houses called shelters being built? The UN estimates to have built around 3000 temporary shelters, years have passed and they are still investing in this when in reality it does not benefit the population at all, the big organisations do not have a vision of development but of patches wrapped in capitalism. A UN worker confesses that they have such a colossal budget that it is practically impossible for them to spend it, giving the example of people who work 24 hours to be able to spend part of the big budget, but if this budget is so big, why do those affected by the catastrophe in Haiti still not have stable housing and an improvement in society after so many years of the catastrophe?
International cooperation does not really help the development of countries. Emergency works are very profitable, and there are companies that are even specialising in it, because when they are needed, both the state and the organisations turn to these private companies.
When the earthquake in Haiti happened, some people saw the opportunity to make a profit, because of the foreign aid they were going to receive, catastrophes can be big business for those who take advantage of it.
In Haiti there are hundreds of NGOs, but they act in a disorganised way, without attending to the needs of the population, doing incoherent actions. They use people in need as a means to activate their business. In 2014 there were still between 270 and 1000 organisations, while society continues to live in poverty and in dire situations.
The abuse of these NGOs and their lack of control on Haitian territory is immense. One such example is an American organisation, Grace International, founded by a Haitian evangelical pastor. This pastor asked people to help improve Haiti, he wanted to bring material and spiritual aid to those most in need. This NGO earns about 2,400,000,000 euros. The NGO in Haiti has numerous buildings, as well as the second largest refugee camp in Port-au-Prince with 17,000 people. On its website it shows these refugees as happy and content, but the reality of this camp, which is quite hidden behind walls, wire and gate surveillance, is that the refugees were forced to pay a fee of about 4 euros as rent, if this payment is not made they are thrown out of the camp and their homes are destroyed, even beating and blackmailing these people in exchange for sex. The leader of the camp, the son of the NGO's founding pastor, denies all these claims and accusations against them. The image of the camp is of refugees living in abject poverty, far from what they claim on their website. This NGO has managed to make a business out of the human need of the refugees.
Due to all these events on the island, there has been discontent with the NGOs. Western countries have allocated millions of euros for these underprivileged people, of which it seems that practically nothing has reached them, as poverty and human need are still present on the island. Despite all this, NGOs are indispensable in disaster relief and management all over the world, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, the question is whether they should look at long-term development, thus achieving their effectiveness on the ground, but also giving credibility to their work and thus giving hope to the caring people who want to continue to donate and help all these people in human need.
All this shows that NGOs operate in a capitalist social system where solidarity and humanity are played with (which often serves to cleanse the conscience of the individual and that is why many popular figures invest in them) and, although they play a fundamental role, this does nothing more, on most occasions, than produce and reproduce precarious situations. This makes the work of social workers and their working environment diffuse and unconnected with the real purpose that they are supposed to have, which is to propose structural changes, with the help of social policies, in order to eradicate, even if only in a small part, these impoverished situations.

Yeray halifi morales

Yeray is a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the World Humanitarian Day. He was the blog responsible in his volunteering period.

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THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BE

18/8/2021

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Since the beginning of the humanity, older generations have thought that the youth are less competent even though they live in a better situation than them. Researchers have shown that this phenomenon could be due to the fact that older generations forget that the skills they currently hold have been added over the time and are not inherent to their personal features.

Coming from the country with the highest unemployment rate within the UE, I feel extremely disappointed with the way developing countries are dealing with the difficulties of the youth. We are underpaid, with no job stability nor future perspective. And yet, we are more skilled than the precedent generations. According to a survey carried out by the INE (the Spanish National Institute of Statistics), in 2019, people from 25 to 29 years old have lost 6,7% of their salary within 9 years. Moreover, given that nowadays we are witnessing a process of population ageing, all OECD countries spend more, per capita, on the elderly than on children and youth.

The structural problems faced by my generation are primarily a matter of political willingness. We can observe that solutions to tackle youth revindications have emerged all over the globe. From different angles, the voice of the future seems to have been heard. In Spain, a youth employment guarantee has been developed in order to help companies to hire young workers. In France, a check of 300 euros to cover culture related expenses have been offered to the 18 years old citizens. In addition, the European recovery plan, boosted by Next Generation EU, has the youth demands at its heart, with an increase in funding of the Erasmus+ programs now amount to almost double the previous program. Nevertheless, these actions are not enough, and the political response must be rethought in order to allow young citizens to evolve personally and professionally in a safe environment.

I do believe that even though the youth is been mistreated in economic and social terms, we still are the keystone of our communities. In fact, young people retain the skills that marches better the digital revolution and the globalization that today´s world is experiencing. Moreover, the youth is more aware of the challenges that are being faced but also, they are more engaged to overcome them. Among their main concerns, we can find environmental issues, education funding and quality along with gender equality. According to a research conducted by the European Union, the African Union and UNICEF, 65% of respondents affirmed being active in a local youth organization.

Although we may not take part in the “traditional” political decisional process on account of the fact that the youth regularly break abstention records, we are trying to look for alternative ways to ensure that our demands are being heard. Local organizations, the internet, international networking programs among others are the main platforms to share the youth revindications.

Finally, I would like to remind all our readers that the youth is more than ready to face all the challenges that the previous generation has given us as inheritance. The perseverance, resilience, and open-mindedness characterizing today´s youth will allow us to become the change-makers the world is asking for.

ANA ROJO SÁNCHEZ

Ana Rojo is a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the Youth Day.

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The new generations of young people are going for it

17/8/2021

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One more year we are celebrating the International Youth Day, a very special day to remember and feel inspired about our new generations. The world is changing so fast, and we are living in the Digital Era and youth people are adapting so quickly. Nowadays, we have more opportunities – at least in Europe – to go to the university, learn more languages and develop our personal and professional skills. But also, young people realize that they need to be part of this world, making an impact and fighting for a better future. Youth people need to be antiracist, feminist, LGTB friendly and ecologist.

We are changing the rules of the game. What is more, youth people are participating directly in political, economic, and social life and processes. An example of this is the climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg who spent the last few years fighting climate change. Or the activist Ivett Ördög who has been fighting for LGBT rights in Berlin since he had to flee his country, Hungary. From Spain we have Nuria Varela, she is a writer and journalism specialist in feminism that fight against the gender discrimination. So many new faces that are working to have a better future for the next generations.

But also, we are an example, all of us. European Solidarity Corps gave us the opportunity to be a volunteer at Praxis Greece, an NGO where we are developing our professional skills, meeting people from different countries and growing as people. We are so different but also, we have a lot of similarities, and we are working together, helping each other, and creating an impact in the society.
We must keep growing and trusting in young people because they are the future. But we also need them to make more policies thinking about youth’s necessities; we need more and better opportunities in the labor market, we need more money to be invested in education and we need culture to be accessible to everyone.
To end, about the history of this day, in 1999, the General Assembly endorsed the recommendation made by the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August be declared International Youth Day. As you can find in the UNESCO’s website the International Youth Day (IYD) gives an opportunity to celebrate and mainstream young peoples’ voices, actions, and initiatives, as well as their meaningful, universal, and equitable engagement. So, create your own impact in the world!

IRIA TORRES GUTIERREZ

Iria is a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the Youth Day.

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THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

6/8/2021

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Nowadays, followers on social networks are shown as a sign of the dreamed reputation that any young person surrounded by new technologies aspires to. This can cause many people to feel lonely and empty in a world with which they do not feel identified: should they really trust anyone through social networks, do they really define their worth and their friends, what causes them to be rejected by this system of use and consumption?

All these questions are generators of multiple mental illnesses that affect young people in their daily lives and that sometimes can lead to tragedy because of the consequences that this can have. People, by nature, have the need to interact with other people, human beings are social beings and therefore behaviours related to isolation do not have any positive consequences for the development of minors or the management of adult emotions.

It is recurrent that many people in their childhood have experienced that feeling of rejection, feeling out of place, not being understood by their peer group and all that this causes, affecting their relationships with others and how they can manage them correctly so that they do not feel overwhelmed. Social networks are a tool that on many occasions can avoid being physically exposed to experiencing negative feelings thanks to a profile that goes beyond face-to-face relationships and focuses more on ephemeral relationships, relationships that in many cases provide good things and connect people from anywhere in the world, but in many other cases make it even more difficult to manage emotions face-to-face for fear of being rejected or that the relationship is too solid for what today's society demands, which seeks the immediate, the liquid. This causes many people to be unable to recognise whether the friends they have can be qualified as such or whether they are simply acquaintances who help them feel less lonely in a society that is so connected and so little polarised at the same time.

It is important to mention that this affects people of any age, although it is true that young people, for the most part, are the ones who use social networks the most and who are most aware of the lack of support networks and the mental illnesses that this can cause, such as depression or a deficient emotional intelligence that can lead to tense and inefficient networks, but in this globalised and mobile world no one can be saved from this worrying phenomenon.

When we move on to the vital stage of adolescence, we observe that having a good support network among your peer group is fundamental to create a good self-concept and a good self-image of oneself, so crucial for both the near and distant future, often avoiding recurring psychological disorders such as social anxiety or extreme insecurity that makes an adolescent feel that he or she is not capable of maintaining face-to-face relationships for fear of rejection and consequent exclusion. Despite having good relationships within the family, it is still crucial to have healthy relationships with friends who contribute to your day-to-day life. The family is fundamental for the early development of a baby but the peer group and its opinion becomes more relevant when we start to define our friendship and style, so the lack of it is highly dangerous and can be categorised by the person as a personal failure when it really is not and multiple factors influence this phenomenon.

Having a friend with whom to share joys and tears may seem normal to us but this is really necessary for the daily life of human beings who need society to feed back to it and feel part of a community that is in line with their identity and ideas, so, a good early emotional intelligence, from school and a good future management will be crucial to avoid potential discrimination on people classified as different for the simple fact of not fitting into the normative, something really valuable.

For all these reasons, on July 30th we celebrate the International Day of Friendship, which aims to value what friendship really is, all the positive consequences it has and how through stable and lasting bonds we can create a better world for the common good. Friendship is something precious and we should start to value it because it really is the most precious treasure.

YERAY HALIFI MORALES AND MARÍA BOLLERO GONZÁLEZ

Yeray and María are a Spanish volunteer in Praxis organisation involved in the International Friendship Day.

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MEDIART

Break the RULES, BE A VOLUNTEER!

THE CHARITY BUSINESS

Yeray halifi morales

THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BE

ANA ROJO SÁNCHEZ

The new generations of young people are going for it

IRIA TORRES GUTIERREZ

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

YERAY HALIFI MORALES AND MARÍA BOLLERO GONZÁLEZ

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Archives

MEDIART

Break the RULES, BE A VOLUNTEER!

THE CHARITY BUSINESS

Yeray halifi morales

THE CHANGE WE WANT TO BE

ANA ROJO SÁNCHEZ

The new generations of young people are going for it

​

IRIA TORRES GUTIERREZ

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

YERAY HALIFI MORALES AND MARÍA BOLLERO GONZÁLEZ

Categories

Archives