Wherever we live and however we celebrate, the end of one year and the beginning of another is a chance for most of us to relax. Christmas, Hanukkah, Yaldā, Kwanzaa, Yule, Shōgatsu — you name it, someone, somewhere is having a party 

From the depths of the northern hemisphere winter solstice to the long hot midsummer days down under, the holiday season is also one of the few chances we get to take time out. Time to recharge our batteries. Time for long walks with the dogs. Time to reflect on our place in this world.

Until very recently, we humans believed ourselves to be set apart from other species by, among other things, this capacity for self-reflection and self-examination — and with it, the ability to feel empathy and solidarity with other people. Recent research, however, suggests that many animals, including dogs, can feel and process what is going on around them. In other words, they are not just alive, but conscious. Whether consciousness is a prerequisite for self-awareness — and whether that naturally extends to empathy — is, however, unclear.

Today, we are urged by the United Nations to mark International Human Solidarity Day by promoting ‘the culture of solidarity and the spirit of sharing.’ Giving selflessly of our time, sharing our expertise and helping others are, of course, the hallmarks of charitable organizations around the world. These qualities are embedded in the DNA of ADI members whose staff, volunteers and donors train and provide life-changing dogs and who epitomize solidarity with the people they serve.

It was the Uruguayan journalist, writer and novelist Eduardo Galeano who said ‘I don't believe in charity, I believe in solidarity. Charity is so vertical. It goes from top to bottom. Solidarity is horizontal. It respects the other person. I have a lot to learn from other people.’ That’s a sentiment echoed by both ADI and our sister organization the International Guide Dog Federation (IGDF). Just like Eduardo Galeano, we can always learn from other people. More importantly, we can use that knowledge to deepen our understanding of, our empathy with, and our respect for, the people we serve.

Learning from both the people we serve and the dogs we train, and treating both as equal partners, is at the heart of our two recent joint position statements on client services and ethics and ethical training and welfare. Both these powerful statements reject the patronizing, top-down approach which so often characterized charities in the past. Instead, they emphasize solidarity, empathy and self-determination.

Many of us are lucky enough to live without serious mental or physical disability, and it’s insulting to suggest that we can ‘walk in the shoes’ of those who do (although I was once blindfolded at a Guide Dogs UK open day to experience, albeit in a very limited way, what it’s like to rely on an assistance dog: a sobering lesson). But what we can do is express our solidarity and empathy through action, because solidarity is meaningless without action. Those of us old enough to remember the collapse of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 90s will recall it all started with one movement: Solidarność. By their deeds will you know them, indeed.

So as we kick back and enjoy a few days of R ’n’ R over the holidays, it’s worth reflecting on the words of the UN Independent Expert on human rights and solidarity. ‘Civil society is the engine of international solidarity,’ says Professor Cecilia Bailliet. ‘Solidarity is the expression of a spirit of unity… the interconnectedness of peoples and generations in the act of recognition of the rights of others, and shared agency and responsibility to cooperate to address common challenges.’

If that’s not ADI in a nutshell, I don’t know what is.

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Martin Atkin, Communication Consultant for ADI.