To the Youth Fund Intermediaries Meeting in the province of Utrecht a successful page

Utrecht Province Intermediary Meeting a Success | February 10, 2021

Utrecht province intermediary meeting a success

On January 25, 2021, the Utrecht Youth Fund for Sports and Culture, in collaboration with the Sports and Culture brokers from ZIMIHC and Sport Utrecht, organized an online ZOOM-based inspiration and exchange meeting. All local contact points and (potential) intermediaries from the city and province of Utrecht were invited. The goal of this meeting was to discuss how we can reach more children in poverty together and lead them to regular participation in after-school sports and/or arts activities.

Results 2020

After a brief warm-up, Jolanda Kamphuis, coordinator of the Youth Fund for Sports & Culture, presented the 2020 results and the key priorities for 2021 for the Utrecht Youth Fund for Sports & Culture. She highlighted the toolkit developed specifically for education last year and the campaign page. myyouthfundaction.nlIn addition, the support provided by local contact points and the SAM& portal campaign were discussed.

Can I join again soon?

Reach was also discussed: In 2020, 4,100 children in the province of Utrecht were helped (3,180 in sports and 917 in culture). Due to the coronavirus crisis, more families are facing financial worries. To raise awareness, the campaign Can I join in again later? launched. This campaign will continue into 2021.

Sports & Culture Brokers ZIMIHC

Afterwards, Sports & Culture Brokers Kathelyn Spanjers and Anne Rutten gave a captivating presentation about their approach and the successes achieved within the Sports & Culture Mix projects. They presented excellent examples of how sports and culture complement and blend each other, such as photographing sports or warming up to music. Children who don't have access to sports or culture at home can be introduced to sports and culture in this way. They can discover where their talents lie and what they enjoy. They hope this will encourage even more children to participate regularly.

Initiatives during Corona

Due to Corona, everything went differently this year. The sports & culture brokers of ZIMIHC & Sports Utrecht and the Utrecht Youth Fund for Sports & Culture then launched the project Bag for Home This free bag was designed for children between 6 and 12 years old and was packed with sports and cultural activities. It was specifically designed for families where laptops and homeschooling aren't readily available. Athletes and artists also submitted various assignments for children to complete at home.

Exchange of experiences

In the second part of the programme, the intermediaries exchanged experiences in smaller groups on the question: What can I do to reach and help more children? Experiences, tips, and ideas were shared. New intermediaries received an explanation of the application process and the rules of the game during the information group. Finally, the process leaders, each group, provided a brief summary of what had been discussed. most important tips are recorded in this document By Marieke Wagenaar of MindMatterz. A valuable document that is also inspiring for future intermediaries.

Words of thanks from the board

Board member Joscha de Vries thanked everyone present on behalf of the two boards. Joscha: “We need you to reach as many children as possible. Every child you can support in this way to participate is a valuable contribution. So please look around and let us know any children we can help. Even if it's difficult or you can't immediately think of a suitable offer, sometimes a temporary offer can be a stepping stone to permanent participation. We are incredibly grateful for your efforts and are thrilled that we will soon have even more intermediaries. Thanks to everyone who contributes.”

We thank all attendees for participating in this very successful and successful meeting!

Jolanda Kamphuis, coordinator Youth Fund Sports & Culture Utrecht

Anne Rutten and Kathelyn Spanjers, Sports & Culture brokers from ZIMIHC and Sport Utrecht