On Facebook, the European Commission in a video clip wishes everybody “Happy International Volunteer Day” and announces: “We are launching the European Solidarity Corps this Wednesday 7 December. Stay tuned!“ I try to stay tuned but all I can see is... too many politicians and too few real volunteers.
It starts with EC President Jean Claude Juncker delivering a speech about volunteering, then under Juncker’s voice some footage of volunteers helping migrants get off their raft, most probably in Greece. I would have liked to listen to them talking about volunteering, not to Juncker…..
Anyway, with Christmas fast approaching, the inflation of charitable events (some of them involving volunteering) has been taking over Slovakia. Yes, it’s that time of the year when I wish people noticed that children’s hospitals have more wards than the “oncology” one. It seems that at Christmas time everybody wants to help a child suffering from cancer even if the number of children oncologic patients in Slovakia is in reality much lower than the “impression” created by soapy TV shows, fortunately.