The Youth Solidarity Concert is approaching. One more year, the Ayete schoolchildren have proposed to fill the Kursaal to help the Homeless People served by CARITAS GIPUZKOA. Next Friday, March 1st at 8 pm, the Orquesta Sinfónica Reino de Aragón and the Orfeón Donostiarra will perform "Resurrección", Symphony No. 2. G. Mahler, under the baton of director Iñigo Pírfano; María José Montiel, mezzo-soprano and Carmen Solís, soprano. 

Aitzol Mendiburua, coordinator of Hotzaldi, explains the reality of the night shelter of Caritas Gipuzkoa, to which the funds of the Concert will be destined. 

- I am very close, but you do not see me". Does this phrase reflect, in the opinion of CARITAS GIPUZKOA, the status of the Homeless?

Totally. That expression sample perfectly describes the state in which Homeless People find themselves. We do not realize how close we are to the people who are in that social reality.

- Why does something like this happen so close to us?

Homeless people are a fairly invisible group. And I don't know if society wants it not to be that way. That is to say, to see it we only have to place a mirror in front of us. And since we don't like what we see....

- How many people do you serve at Hotzaldi?

Hotzaldi is an emergency service that is open 365 days a year. It never closes. We are currently serving 47 people every night; the center cannot respond to all the social needs that exist in the city. If the people who are in the center are not eligible for other public social care services, the stay at Hotzaldi becomes longer. The status is delicate.

- If a person sleeps on the street, it means that we are failing in something. How can we fight it?

The center does not respond to all the needs that exist in the city. There are many people sleeping on our streets and also staying overnight in accommodation resources such as Hotzaldi. They are waiting for social policies that can accompany them to get out of it, and access training, employment and housing projects. 

From CARITAS GIPUZKOA we think that it is essential to generate opportunities in different areas of life, such as subsistence or housing... But also in training, employment or social participation to end homelessness. With the homeless, human rights are violated and homelessness exists because society is poorly structured. A person can end up on the street for various reasons: economic, social... The more time I spend at Hotzaldi, the more I realize that no one is Exempt of ending up in that status.

- To be able to help, you first have to know how to do it. What do you need in CARITAS GIPUZKOA and what do the Homeless need?

In CARITAS GIPUZKOA we need welcoming and non-exclusive looks. We need to build bridges between people. And Homeless People need two things: life opportunities (self-esteem, work...) and other people by their side to walk together. A person can go a day without eating. But what they miss, day in and day out, are social relationships: a smile, a conversation... By the way, and who doesn't? The volunteer activities of CARITAS GIPUZKOA does a great job in this area. Oh, and volunteer, you can be anyone!

- Although the main reason for the concert is to raise awareness, CARITAS GIPUZKOA has received an economic financial aid in the past editions of the Solidarity Concert. What do you invest it in?

The main goal of CARITAS GIPUZKOA is to improve the quality of life of people. That is where we invest it. 

- Is it important that it is young people who promote the concert initiative? Why?

Tomorrow is about young people. We have to work together to improve what surrounds us. Because the present is the future. The word solidarity is a little worn out and sometimes misunderstood; it is much more than a few sporadic acts of generosity. As Evangelli Gaudium (EG) points out, it means creating a new mentality that thinks in terms of community, of prioritising the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few people.

- Are the young people of Gipuzkoa supportive, or do you think that we live in a state of comfort from which it is difficult to emerge?

The young people of Gipuzkoa show solidarity. And they prove it to us every day. We young people must continue along this path and not be conformist in the face of social injustice. We must all promote the 'Pedagogy of Solidarity'. To generate dignity and autonomy in people, and naturally, dignified life projects.