[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Featuring Bill Niada with Andrea Franzi and Cristina Carpinelli<\/p>\n
Between 2015 and 2021, Italy lost one million volunteers<\/b>, as stated by Francesco Maggio in Corriere della Sera on June 16.<\/p>\n
In analyzing the phenomenon, I share the author’s observation: \u201cFor too many years, unfortunately, the Third Sector has become gloomy<\/b>.\u201d<\/p>\n
Many of its leaders predominantly communicate bureaucratic messages\u2014they discuss only fiscal, regulatory, and financial demands, often arguing over issues of mere power. This is compounded by an ever-present sense of self-righteousness, which fuels a bubble of self-reference and closed-mindedness.<\/p>\n
\u201c… Organizations have a natural tendency to preserve and replicate themselves. But only by questioning themselves, by accepting influences from different ways of thinking, can they become attractive again.\u201d
\n(Alessandro Rosina in BN, May 30)<\/i><\/p>\n
Self-preservation and self-reference create disaffection \u201cbecause volunteers are nourished above all by ideal impulses,\u201d as wonderfully demonstrated by those who came from all over Italy to Emilia-Romagna without any association mediation.<\/p>\n
And I add: there\u2019s no need to project a sad image of oneself as many do\u2014with depressing photos, websites, flyers, posters, etc.<\/p>\n
On the contrary, precisely because the topics addressed are sometimes very heavy, they should be lightened with positive, friendly messages<\/b>. Sometimes, all it takes is a picture of a smiling team to change the message conveyed.<\/p>\n
For example, consider \u201cMagica Cleme\u201d,<\/b> who has been working for years with children suffering from leukemia: their days of leisure have always been a success because, in those moments, the children forgot their worst times\u2014thanks also to the cheerfulness<\/b> of those who helped them and to the quality of the materials used.<\/p>\n
The images in this article are taken from events held in the past in Albiate<\/a>.<\/p>\n My \u201csocial vision\u201d was born at Esselunga in the 1990s.<\/p>\n