Teen Times Darren GleesonThe lead-up to Christmas, to paraphrase Joey Tribbiani of Friends, is a time for giving, and sharing, and having, and receiving. Admittedly Joey was referring to something rather different when he gave that speech, but the principle still holds true.

Unfortunately, as I have found out recently, some are more prepared to give than others. I recently fasted for Concern, and in order to raise money for this charity I had to trawl my locality looking for generous people.

What I experienced could well be the New Ireland in a microcosm.

I'm not exactly wet behind the ears when it comes to collecting for causes; I've had doors slammed shut in my face before. However, what I encountered in my comfortable housing estate probably shook my basic faith in humanity a little.

I visited approximately 40 houses, and of those that answered, only a dozen gave their spare change to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Of course, people have the right to say no if they wish; that is their prerogative. What surprised me was some of the, shall we say, "inventive" responses that I received.

One woman listened intently to me until I mentioned the word "sponsor". Her face changed at that point, and all of a sudden bathing an alleged infant became an emergency.

Another man listened for all of three seconds, whereupon he shut in the door in my rather humiliated face. Admittedly, this guy looked like he'd been evicted from Planet of the Apes, but even hominids sometimes show compassion towards their own.

I would now like to impart a few guidelines to those who may collect for some worthy cause in the future:

This is a generalisation, but it is true to my experience: if you see a driveway with one or more luxury vehicles, keep walking. Those that have the most tend to be rather hard-hearted. In contrast, young single people or older people are almost always willing to help you out. Sometimes they even invite you in from the cold while they count their change, God bless them.

A locked gate does not usually signify a person amenable to giving to charitable causes. The symbolism is powerful, and should be noted.

Guilt-trips are not the way to go.

Previously, I had dismissed films such as The Tiger's Tail as being as being an "ah, weren't we great when we were poor", mawkish view of Old Ireland. While this is probably still the case, I'm beginning to think that maybe there is a grain of truth in such a view.

To those that were willing to give, I thank them. Their generosity has probably saved a malnourished family somewhere, or at least kept them alive for the time being.

To those who refused, I ask them to look inside themselves, and to try and find some compassion for those less well off than us.

Perhaps the latter, particularly at this time of year, may be well advised to read Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. If Ebenezer can do it, there's hope for us all.

Darren Gleeson (19) is a second-year journalism student at Dublin City University

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