community initiatives for a more supportive Christmas – Ateneu

Christmas can be a time of lights, gatherings and celebrations… but it can also be a particularly vulnerable time for many people. Unwanted loneliness, precariousness, emotional pressure and care overload are more strongly present when everything around seems festive.

It is in this context that the value of community care becomes even more evident.

From the social and solidarity economy, there are many initiatives that understand well-being as a shared responsibility. In Baix Llobregat and throughout the territory, cooperatives, associations and neighborhood networks organize solidarity actions to accompany elderly people, guarantee gifts to vulnerable children, offer safe spaces for women and children, or simply to connect people who, without these initiatives, would spend the holidays in solitude.

Other projects, such as care cooperatives or dependency care services, remain active during the festive period, reinforcing care tasks with a focus on dignity, empathy and community.

These practices remind us that care is not a private matter, nor exclusive to the home, nor the responsibility of a few people. They are a common good. And the holidays are an opportunity to strengthen bonds, put life at the center and recover the deep meaning of Christmas: take care of each other.

This Christmas, more than ever, let’s network We accompany, share, listen. Because care doesn’t make a vacation, but it can make a community. And this is also to celebrate.

Albert Rodríguez Hilario