Noisy teenagers

6th January 2012



This Sunday will see thousands of youngsters traipsing the streets of Poland accosting members of the public, spending hours risking illness in the freezing midwinter - yes, it’s time, once again, for the over-syllabled Wielka Orkiestra Swiatecznej Pomocy. This will be the twentieth edition of the annual telethon, rendered into English as the Grand Orchestra of Christmas Help, that raises money to assist hospitals, providing life-saving equipment.

“So what?”, some might ask, raising a world-weary eyebrow and thinking, “It’s just a telethon.” But there is one thing that makes WOSP (as it is sensibly shortened to) stand out against it’s counterparts. Most of these big charity drives are led by major organisations, providing the necessary support structures. WOSP has always been based largely on the work of enthusiastic kids led by a manic DJ in Trevor Horn glasses (30 years later). Certainly, all the people out shaking their collecting boxes and offering a heart-shaped sticker in return are adolescents, and I think that’s pretty amazing.

Young people only tend to get in the papers if they’re the perpetrators, or victims, of crime. But it’s a lazy stereotype to only notice the thugs and hooligans, while ignoring all the thousands of nice, friendly, studious types - empty vessels make the most noise, I suppose. Except, not this Sunday, because when a spotty adolescent shakes a noisy, rattling collection box in my face this Sunday, I shall do my best to fill it. I hope you’ll do the same. Happy New Year!

---

Readers Comments

---

This article is over 90 days old so comments are now closed