Have you also noticed that weโre constantly connected through social media, but still many people feel more disconnected than ever?
Next week, the ๐๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด kicks off in the Netherlands, and itโs got me thinking about how many people, even in a bustling city like Amsterdam, feel disconnected. Did you know that 4 out of 10 adults in Amsterdam regularly experience loneliness? Itโs a huge number, and yet itโs something many of us donโt talk about enough.
Iโve been lucky enough to be involved with two organizations that are trying to make a difference in their own waysโHumanitas and JCI.
Humanitas, a national nonprofit, is focused on supporting people through community service, and one of their main pillars is addressing loneliness. Their Van Mij Naar Wij (From Me, To We) project pairs volunteers with individuals seeking more connection, offering them much-needed companionship and support.
On the other hand, JCI (Junior Chamber International) is a global network of young professionals, with a broader mission to contribute to society through leadership and social impact. While loneliness isnโt a specific theme for JCI, itโs a space where members can create projects that help their communities.
Humanitas recently launched a new campaign to shine a light on loneliness and the impact of Van Mij Naar Wij. Part of the campaign is to record personal and heartwarming stories around the theme of human connection.
I had the opportunity to join forces with an amazing person equally committed to raising awareness for this cause and project. Together, we filmed a story that reflects the power and importance of connection, which Iโm happy to share below (in Dutch).
To build on this, a group of us from both Humanitas and our local JCI chamber, Amsterdam Zuid, collaborated to create something special: an art exhibition focused on connection. Weโre opening the exhibition next Thursday in De Hoftuin, right at the start of the Week Against Loneliness, and it will run for a week.
Weโre showing artwork that participants and volunteers of the project made, around the theme of โconnectionโ. The goal is to spark more conversations about loneliness and how we can all do our part to combat it.
Raising awareness is key. Loneliness is something many people struggle with, but itโs also something we can all help address, even in small ways. Whether thatโs through volunteering, checking in on someone, or just being a little more mindful of those around us, we can all make a difference.
๐๐ณ ๐๐ผ๐’๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐บ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ, ๐๐ฒโ๐ฑ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ ๐ง๐ต๐๐ฟ๐๐ฑ๐ฎ๐, ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฟ 26๐๐ต, 2024 ๐ฎ๐ ๐ญ๐ณ:๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐ณ๐๐๐ถ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐บ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐บ, ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐น ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ผ๐ฝ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ.