Civilizations around the world have been celebrating the start of each new year in various ways for at least four millennia. A few weeks ago, most of us ended 2017 in as many ways as we started it: Some were surrounded by beloved friends and family members, or enjoyed the sun in a warm paradise, while others celebrated another New Year’s Eve alone, far from home or their own country.
The first days of the new year can inspire feelings of immense excitement but also deep loneliness and pressure. Different surveys taken over the last year found that increasing numbers of people in Europe are pessimistic about the future. People are extremely worried about losing their job or their homes in a crisis, as well as being a victim of terror or deaths within the family.
Socially, worry and sense of precariousness change our behaviour in lots of ways. Our spending behaviours change. Our leisure and travel behaviours change. But most of all, worry and precariousness change the way we treat each other and our sense of community.
Eurodiaconia and its members work on a daily basis to promote solidarity-based communities to ensure that people at the margins have access to appropriate and high standard social and health services. This is our DNA and what we will keep doing to foster a fairer and more just society.
We are proud of our network for their determination and commitment to a world where these objectives are brought to life. Happy 2018!
Antonio