Culemborg Alderman Stolwijk: "We can help children better through collaboration" | December 4, 2019
Culemborg Alderman Stolwijk: “We can help children better through collaboration.”
Every year, more than 250 children in Culemborg participate in sports, swimming lessons, or cultural activities through the Youth Sports and Culture Fund (JFSC). The municipality of Culemborg believes it's so important that everyone can participate in society that it even has a dedicated Policy Plan for Making a Living. Alderman Collin Stolwijk: "With this plan, we're working together towards our goal: that in a few years, no child in Culemborg will live in poverty."
It policy plan was developed based on city-wide discussions over the past year. “It was very interesting to talk with young people, employers, and community organizations, for example. This way, we know what everyone truly needs. What emerged clearly was that prevention is important: helping people before the problems become too big. It's important that we pick up on the 'soft' signals. A teacher who sees that a lunchbox never arrives or that a child never plays sports, a neighborhood team that investigates what lies behind that one specific need. We can share these signals and refer people. The barrier for people to ask for help is high, and I can certainly understand that. It's reassuring to hear that you can turn to accessible organizations like JFSC.”
Broad school helps children
Fortunately, many families in Culemborg are finding their way to JFSC, more than the average. Collin Stolwijk: “Our policy isn't something new; the municipal executive and the council have long believed that children should be able to fully discover their talents. To this end, we also invest in the 'Brede School' network. Cultural and sports providers provide introductory lessons at all schools in Culemborg. This way, all children are introduced to activities in a relaxed manner. Once they're enthusiastic, but their finances are a challenge at home, the providers point them towards JFSC. I'm pleased with the enthusiastic network in Culemborg, where people work hard every day to ensure that as many children as possible can participate.”
Knowing each other
Collin Stolwijk is committed to expanding and strengthening that network. “It's good to get to know each other and understand what we do. That's another reason why the city-wide discussions were important: once you've spoken informally with someone, it's easier to pick up the phone and arrange something together. Establishing these connections aligns with the changing role of the municipality in the participatory society. Instead of solving everything ourselves, we facilitate the community to do it together. Even when we provide subsidies to similar organizations, we emphasize the need for collaboration. We also try to organize as many new networking opportunities as possible. For example, we deliberately signed the Child Poverty Alliance in May with partners, including JFSC. Many of the alliance's principles are already commonplace in Culemborg, but this way we demonstrate that we stand for them together.”
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