Spain
participants
In this initiative, we try to not have people feeling alone on Christmas Day. It is very difficult for some people, like elderly people or foreign students, to have someone to spend the holidays with. That's why four NGOs of Valladolid, our city, get together to facilitate this issue and get people who are in the same situation in contact. The activity consists of a volunteering event where international students join local volunteers from different associations to provide company to people that otherwise would spend the day on their own.
The main objective was to ensure that neither international students nor local people spend such a special day as is Christmas Day alone. Furthermore it allowed students to share their home traditions and life experiences with people from different social backgrounds that otherwise they would have not had the chance to meet.
The main concept is a combination of local social associations and student from different countries. While local organizations like ASDE Scouts and AsAlVo supply the knowledge of local volunteering, ESN supplies the international participants. Through this collaboration, ESN Valladolid is able to provide excellent social events that give back to the community, moreover providing the students' space for their own personal development.
The activity doesn't start on this day, but beforehand, we get everyone involved in contact. They are told who they will be spending the day with and what should be prepared. The initial preparation is an important phase of the main activity. Afterwards, on the 25th of December, from 11 to 14 the main activity takes part and happens.
