September 11, 2025

ABN AMRO organizes the Week of the Beginning together with the Youth Fund

Research by Ipsos I&O, commissioned by ABN AMRO and the Youth Fund for Sport & Culture, shows that almost three out of four (74%) parents from disadvantaged backgrounds need financial support to enable their child to participate in sports, arts and culture. Based on recent figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), this amounts to over 100,000 households with children in the Netherlands.* More than four in ten (43%) are currently not receiving financial support. 

Furthermore, the study shows that children growing up in low-income families participate in sports twice as often as children from higher-income families. Besides cost, factors such as time, motivation, distance, available spaces, and information also play a role in why children are unable to participate in sports, arts, and culture. With initiatives like the "Week of Beginnings," ABN AMRO and the Youth Fund for Sport & Culture are working together to remove barriers and offer more children equal opportunities to develop their potential.

The majority of parents believe their child develops through sports, arts, and culture. This applies to both parents of children from non-disadvantaged backgrounds (88%) and those growing up in less fortunate circumstances (68%). However, the latter group is less likely to get their child to participate in sports.

Week of the Beginning
To introduce more children to sports and culture, especially those who might not otherwise be exposed to these activities, ABN AMRO, together with the Youth Fund Sport & Culture, is organizing the Week of Beginnings from September 16th to 22nd. Nearly 4,000 children across the country will have the opportunity to discover sports, arts, and culture during this week. Petra Bosman, Director of the Youth Fund Sport & Culture: “Every child deserves to participate in sports and culture, even if they have limited funds at home or face other barriers. During the Week of Beginnings, children discover how fun and valuable this can be, and sometimes even where their passion or talent lies. That's precisely why it's so important that parents know where to find a place like the Youth Fund. This way, we can collaborate systematically to offer as many children as possible the opportunity to participate.”