Are you in the media? I’m sure you are not. Although you are all third sector leaders and international networkers, it’s likely journalists don’t know you because they don’t have a clue about the third sector- not even that it exists. Yes, my friends, they ignore us and this is unacceptable.
Read my story. It’s a typical example.
It was my first day back in Italy for Christmas holidays – oh my God (with capital G in Italy) he’s spending 2 weeks in his homeland! Will our hero overcome such a challenge? Prey for him – and I was asked to give an interview with RAI1, the national broadcaster – the one that Berlusconi hasn’t liberated of the communists yet.
You find it normal: an international networker comes home and the media rush for an interview. People want to know more about their heroes. The natives celebrate. Another opportunity to stay at home and not go to work. Italians love their families, celebrate every national festivity and decrease their productivity to give more market shares to developing countries. Such good Christians!
Anyway, I was expecting to be interviewed for my successes in developing civil society across the world but realized that I had been asked for my time – I’m very busy as you know beloved readers! – to tell my story as a representative of the brain-drain (in Italian called cervelli in fuga). Yes, the country has just realized that the most talented young Italians have to leave the country to make a career because the country is held back by the elderly and their young servants. Are you wondering why innovation is not trendy in the Belpaese (the name of a cheese and Dante’s definition of Italy as a beautiful village literally)?
Instead of listing my international achievements, I had to confess why I had to leave the country since I failed with every new initiative I had started. The TV director took the piss a bit, stressing that if you have to live in London it’s not such a bad constraint. He was right. However, it wasn’t a choice. In any case, wherever you are, you are still an Italian. And the others don’t miss an opportunity to remind you: “Nice guys, but neither reliable nor serious. Just funny and good company to have a drink”. This doesn’t help you when you work internationally!
I’m complaining about Italy instead of writing about the third sector in the media. Sorry, it’s so Italian! leaving Italy aside, the TV director asked me to talk more about the third sector. Although he founded an onlus (it’s the equivalent of a charity in Italy) and had several collaborations with Riccardo Bonacina, (the founder and president of Vita – for the few ignorants who don’t read my blog regularly) I expect you to know our patron dear readers, the TV director didn’t have a clue of the third sector and its relevance in our society. He thought it was something between a marginal charitable activity and a smart trick to avoid taxes. He’s not totally wrong when you look at Italy today!
However, the embarassing question came at the end, when he asked me if any mainstream media covers the third sector, I had to amit that I know some columns in national newspapers like Society in the Guardian but no TV channel is dedicated to the sector. What a shame!
It’s time for change. When Michael Bloomberg started there wasn’t any TV channel just for financial services. Why not for the third sector. There is a Gay TV, Adventure TV and a TV even for fat people but nothing for the sector despite our millions of followers in every country.
This is a call for Riccardo Bonancina. Will you be our Michael Bloomberg? Riccardo, you created VITA the first third sector magazine in Italy, and launched VITA EUROPE the fist web-news for the first sector in Europe. Isn’t time to launch a third sector TV? This must be your new year resolution. We are ready to follow you. Otherwise, I will have to ask Berlusconi. He’s very busy to fight communists and Muslims, and hasn’t gone to Damascus to get his enlightenment… yet!
PS I’m glad to realize that I’ve been able to refer to Berlusconi several times as any other loyal Italian for Christmas!
Cosa fa VITA?
Da 30 anni VITA è la testata di riferimento dell’innovazione sociale, dell’attivismo civico e del Terzo settore. Siamo un’impresa sociale senza scopo di lucro: raccontiamo storie, promuoviamo campagne, interpelliamo le imprese, la politica e le istituzioni per promuovere i valori dell’interesse generale e del bene comune. Se riusciamo a farlo è grazie a chi decide di sostenerci.