As we complete the 3rd season of the Batallitas video podcast, we take stock of the road we have traveled and all that we have learned while fighting against the unwanted loneliness of our elders.
We always say that Batallitas is more than a podcast and more than a volunteer activity. It is a social transformation project that impacts the life of every person who participates in one way or another in it.
We have not only had an impact on the fifty or so protagonists that Batallitas accumulates, elderly people and volunteers who lived the experience in first person and keep it in their hearts forever. We have also had an impact on:
- The residences with which we have collaborated, in their teams and in their routines, opening them a new window of connection with their residents never explored before, and we have also impacted on the social perception of the volunteers of this service, bringing them closer to the world of residences so necessary and extremely human and professional.
- Each of their families, who have seen the spirit of their elders come alive and will forever cherish their legacy through this very special video podcast.
- More than 26,300 people have watched Batallitas. Some will have heard stories they had never heard before, others stories that they recognize almost as their own, but all of us will have heard experiences from the past that teach us to live in the present and to value the tremendous treasure that is ours in our society.
When reality exceeds expectations
The impact of Batallitas has been much more profound than we ever imagined. I don’t want to expand, but allow me, with the permission of its protagonists, to share 3 true stories.
- Loli, our Galician protagonist from season 1, rediscovered her voice and completely transformed the way she relates to others after the Batallitas experience. Her therapist told us that since then, she has opened up to the team and the other residents, and feels confident to express herself and participate, increasing her integration and mental and physical well-being.
- Sofia, director of one of the residences, explained to us that as a result of the project they opened their minds and implemented moments of active listening with the residents, strengthening their bond with them and improving their quality of life.
- Pilar, a volunteer who participated in Batallitas, said, “It has been the best volunteering I have ever done in my life”. She could not have imagined that she would connect so much with Mari Carmen that morning, and she would be the bridge to relive her own family history and the genuine relationship she had with her grandmother. Pilar was reminded through this intergenerational experience of the value of the elderly to each of us.
Today I bring you these true stories that we accumulate every time we turn on the Batallitas microphones. Stories of the present while we listen to stories of the past that teach us as a society, the essentials of life.
Join us
If you want to be part of this transformative experience, impact the lives of many people and help expand this legacy for posterity, count on Volies and its Batallitas project.
Are you up for it?
📩Contact me , and find out how to join Batallitas.
