We cannot allow ourselves to accept as normal a situation in which advances in technology, digitalisation and artificial intelligence, which should improve the amount of time available to us for our personal lives, are instead creating a feeling of living under constant time pressure.
When a child understands why a rule exists, it is easier for them to make it their own and incorporate it as part of their way of relating to others.
Social entities are key spaces for detecting and preventing emotional distress in young people, especially in a context marked by the impact of social networks.
Volunteering is a space for growth and development of oneself and society. It is an opportunity to act in solidarity, to contribute to our communities, learn and connect with other people.
In a humanitarian emergency, it is necessary to listen to communities, respect their dignity and trust the organisations that know the territory and work on the ground.
As governments around the world increase their investments in humanitarian assistance, they are recognising a simple reality: today's crises are becoming more frequent, more complex, and more interconnected.
"Not necessarily a space with swings and goals, but places where you don't have to produce, compete, buy or demonstrate anything. A bench in the square. A library. A neighborhood association."
What a time! Good to be asked to write and make some sense of the COVID 19 crisis from a volunteering perspective in Scotland.
Despite the importance of physical distance, which can mean health these days, volunteering has shown different, beautiful, and in many aspects, new colours of social connection and solidarity.
All are worried about their organisations, their staff and their beneficiaries, but let’s not be afraid to be human and acknowledge that we are juggling other concerns too.
We are facing an unknown situation, in which uncertainty, the lack of information regarding the virus itself, can arouse feelings such as fear, frustration and even symptoms compatible with anxiety and depression.
