Volunteers: All work and no pay Se a ‘outside a crumbling facade behind a tiny square. An oddly quiet keen teens Str tion of any description. Se ee ree eet an es ee eo Ue eee ed Se eee Lo tte a eet oe es strangers. They have lived and worked side by si cs See || Inside, university student Aids Bervenuto is concentrating an lacing not soup ico a bow An elderly lady wrapped in 2 shaw to keep her thin frame warm in the chilly evening ait is waiting for what is possibly thor only meal ofthe day. ‘Ic braals my heart to tee them éay ater day, and | feel embarrassed that while | have been sheltered from the ‘worsening economic situation, they haven't been spared) reveals Alda when Ital to her later ‘Curious abouc ths lack of a scial If, | ask when she finds time to ‘connect with friends or have a night off By the lock she gives me, | realise having fun tent particularly high on her agends. "Witnessing tis level of poverty is a very humbling experience Irforces you to put ‘others fret | canteturn my back on them when they need me here, she replies in earnest. [gj lesa sentiment echoed by all ofthe sefiess volunteers Ive spoken to in Europe's crisis-hit south, where austerity measures hare eaten wry ac public unas reculcng i an even greatar nees for local, ‘community-led food programmes. Across the Adiarc, in Grae, ‘where the situation grows worse by the day, community soup kicchens and cooperatives have sprung up like mushrooms on a forest floor, Joining them are movements fighting food waste. [i] ‘Wich them acting as middlemen, their plan entailed bringing together donors and recipients, The concept has eersainly aught on, On a daly basis now, restaurants, hotels, bkeries and other food points contact them with details of what they wish to donate. Welfare instcutions such as erpanagos, soup kitchens and homes for the elderly let the group know of chair needs, and a coordinated, mutual beneficial food pick-up ie arranged, Through this imovative redistribution, over si milion meals have been provided for scrugging weffare organisations. [5 “The wre benefits of this are not immediately obvious. For while community kitchens previde sustenance for thousands, che stgrna cof waiting in a food queue can be quite traumacie, particulary for children, However, by buying and therefore cooking their own food, {families ean maintain their dignity despite the soul-crushing weight of poverty. (6 All of this gives me food for vhought and | consider the nature of my own charicable involvement. use las week | signed an online petition for a worthy cause. A tally prominently alzplayed on the page informed me that | was signee numer \7,388, but 200000 signacures ‘were raquired for further action to be taken: | forwarded ito afew friends. Moving on to Facebook, a link directed me to group fighting 10 save a local park from redevelopment, and ic urzed me to ‘Like! it. | licked ‘Like’ Why nx! | enjoy paris a€ much a the nex person. | ‘mentioned it on Twitter: [7 Who was I kidding? A couple of digital campaigns requiring nothing ‘more than cieks did net make me 3 philanthropist. It was nothing than hasheag activism, where instead of sexually doing something | pretended to care by posting things all over social media, elt sickened by my owa rarcissim masng & altruiem, ‘That's noc who | want to be. So Ihave resolved to get invalved and do ry bit. Brighe and early this Sunday morning you'll find me, painebrush Inhand, outside the homeless shater | won't flm myzelf or post about icon socal media. I wil simply contribute to 3 good cause, and | wil do so without the promise cf receiving meaningless Facebook ees in rerunYou are going to read an extract from a magazine article. Seven paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs AH the one which fits each cap (1 ~ 7). There is one extra paragraph which you do notneed to use, A One is Boroume, a group that came up with a simple ides for © prevalent problem: What if instead of throwing ‘out tons of surplus food from different sectors, it could be donated to those who desperately needed it? In 2011 o-founders Xenia Papastavrou, Alexander Theodoridis and Alexie Moatsou puit the idea into practice. B vs simple; theyre ashamed. Ashamed of their poverty. Ashamed that their straitened circumstances have forced them here. Ashamed to be waiting fora free meal at a community soup kitchen. In this country af all places, legendary forts cuisine. The irony is both apparent and appalling. They're looking for answers that are nigh impossible to find, especially where focd waste is concerned. But in trying to address the issue of hunger, they have come aeross 2 multitude of other problems. Foremost among these is the question of community involvement and how the youth can be convinced to lend a helping hand, There's no doubting the level of dedication or the sincerity behind the remarks. As pots and pans are scrubbed clean, and floors vigorously swopt in preparation for the following evening, | ask one final question. its @ lot of hard work. What do you get out of it “Yes, i's hard, and it's often distressing, but someone's got to do it and its a labour of love, she says with real feeling. E They're not alone in reaping the benefits: the needs of the volunteers who make it all happen are also being met. At countiess charities and non-profit organisations, voluntary work gives people a sense of involvement in community and a purpose. This is even more important for volunteers who ara unemployed, of whom there aro ‘many in Europe's south. According to those | interviewed, helping fee's good. F She is one of a growing number of determined young adults banding tegather to tackle hunger: one of socetys worst problems, Her evenings are not spent cut with friends, but here at this citizens’ cooperative, feeding the most destitute and vulnerable. On those afternoons when she has no classes, she can be found prepping the evening's meal G Later that same weck | received yet another appeal for help. It was a text message from a friend rounding up volunteers 10 remove the unsightly graffi outside a homeless shelter. Could | spare a fow hours on Sunday morning? | sent my apologies along with details ofa fictitious prior engagement. 'm not proud of that, but 'd reescned at the time that it was perfectly acceptable since I'd already got behind smo causes that week. H Support, in a different form, is also available for incividuals and families registered with local councils. Again, in an intermediary role, the group connects the most destitute with benefactors who provide funds solely for the purchase of food. Payments are redeemed for vouchers that are distributed to the beneficiaries to make Purchases st participating supermarkets.ees the el tribes Sar ane Sr eeste hye mt oh Vm pa ead in the ciSEbe lees) at generation and the current one. ‘Hopes and dreams, she replies immediately. ‘Whether your classmates achieved those things or nots relevant. The impertant thing is you had ideas about your future; you had aspirations. When | have asked that question in recent years, instead of setting thai sights on becoming a scientist, a lawyer or an artist the best some children could think of was going an the dole, being famous, or being the boss of a gang; she says, 3 {tiga vioious cele thet becomes inoreasingly cificuit fobreak. twas crucia for my peers and | that we knew people who worked and we could make decisions about our ambitions based on same knowledge. We had the benefit of eing our parents, relatives and neighbours goins to work, returning from work, talking about their jobs, or thai time at university. These experiences informed our ideas, ambitions and, let's face it, our expectations, too. We wouldn't have reamt ofthe alterative. Aer al, work and study were our ‘ans to get ahead and miake our way into. [3] “Thisiies at the very cere of a gang's appeal. The laimlessness of Some youllis’ experience is replaced by the rigid system of rules, rituals, and codes of behaviour that members follow, and which gives them a purpose y there was a smattor cri 3 to fire the Soe ae eaehee ss 1 Sica ‘that can drive such a change. known many young boys who have tumed over a new she S878. "The Key fIntervention atthe eg macet eat ‘Community programmes that keep kids off the streets and involve them in pro-socil actives are great deterrents. Strong after-school programmes that meet children's needs for supervision are also successful in reducing attraction ‘o.gangrteated actos, Thase cost money, thauah, and authorities are often not willing to spend,’ she explains, ‘and ‘sadly, some kids fi through the cracks 6] What chance for ranabitation do they have, [wonder when ‘ey cing to their gangs even in these crcumstences? ‘Romitedy, the need for suruival plays role since those in roan ry on thelr fo gang membors for protection Attra, pracr is no piono ands posealy more dangerous an environment thar the outside word, But even in here, thersis hope. 7 “You can't make anyone succeed, but you can help them {o see that success in Ife is possible outside of the narrow ‘confines of tre gang, says Margaret. If we give young people oppertunites to bring about a change in their sircumstances, they can build s happy future. Let's hope that the next time Margaret asks ‘the question’ there wil be some scientists, enlrepranaurs and plumbers in the group,You ate going to read an extract rom 3 magazine article, Seven paragraphs have been removed from the extract. Choose from the paragraphs A—H the one which fits each gap (1 ~ 7). There is one extra paragraph which you do not need to use. ‘A. Success, however, can be measured in a myriad of ways, anc for those without traditional role models, gang culture becomes increasingly alluring as a way to make something of thomsolves. They're net inherently bod kids,’ says Marcus, hay just have ne direction and no one to look up ta. Ware they to attach value to work and education, their whole outlook on life would change and they wouldo't need what gang membership provices” B_ Though there is no conclusive evidence, many erties of popular medi believe exposure to vielent films and song lyrics, particularly rep music; has a negative influence; glamorising gang life and encouraging at-rik youths 10 jain ‘gangs or to poricipate in gang-related erie as a means af gaining a sense of belonging and empowerment. © Those who do join @ gang inevitably end up in a downward spiral, losing ary moral foundation they had and hurtling headiong into a Ife of violence and crime. And yet. even when they are placed in juvenile detention ‘centres, or worse —in adult prisons ~ seme maintain their allegiance to the gang and look upon their membership ‘as a badge of honour, a mark of success, not failure. D_ Thick and fast came the replies. Teacher,’ said a bospectacled gir in the front row. Mrs Mareus smiled to herself ‘The prospective teachers always sat a3 close es possible to the board, eager and setious. Football player!” shouted a tal lad from the back, raising his erms in victory as though he'd just scored a winning goal against Argentina at the World Cup. Mrs Marcus knevr he'd be a ive wire in class. ‘Prime minister,’ sid another, garnering a round of applause as well as ridicule from his classmates. E How has it core tothis? A recent report has fouine that children in some etees of the country have so litle ‘contact with working poople that the concept of employment almest foreign. They live in the 20-called ‘welfare ghettos’ where more than half of the working-age population depends on cut of work benafit. In many families, lunemployment isintergenerstional with grandparents and parents living on the dole. F Thankfully, n many cases the lure is temporary. It becomes nothing rore than a phase that plays to their fantasies of rebellion end desie for high drama, in part fueled by pop culture through music and films that glamorise thug life. In time, these wennabe gangsters find ether interents andl reject the values of the gang Fast forward twenty years and Mrs Margaret Marcus is now teaching st an inner-city schoo! in large metropolis Hoping to get some insight from this forty-year veteran of the education system, I'm interviewing her abaut the challenges faced by young people today. ‘So you became a journalist instead of a teacher, she says with a winklo inher eye. Yes, | was that child in the specs long ago. Before getting down to business, we reminisce for a few moments about my classmates, H. There are many ergarisations that are working positively wth young people in gangs, both inside and outside cof detention, and helping them through some very difficult times in their fives. With this help they can stop their slide into crime andviolence, and make the tough transition of evolving into productive, responsible and law abiding members 6 society.