July 17, 2019
Michel and Juliette: 'A seed has been planted'
The Municipality of Kampen gave Welzijn Kampen the opportunity to organize Cultuur@CruyffCourts. Welfare workers Michel van Olst and Juliette van Ommen worked tirelessly to make it a success. And they did! "We made many children happy."
"You ideally want to reach those children who aren't yet active in club life," says Michel. "Ideally, children are introduced to an activity at the Cruyff Court and then move on to lessons. Of the 600 children we reached, a large proportion were already active. But you can see that they were introduced to a wide variety of activities. The children all took something away from it, literally and figuratively. And everyone was so happy. That gave the clinic providers a lot of satisfaction, even though it was eight weeks of hard work."
Short but very powerful
It wasn't just about giving children fun clinics. Michel: "Our goal is to find out what children like, what's on their minds. So, besides organizing the activities, you're also involved in that. All in all, it was short but very powerful." Juliette: "After each clinic, we consulted with the teacher. It's great that you can offer so much in a short time, but you have to make sure you can sustain it. The creative activities were particularly popular. Painting was the most popular, but so were making dream catchers and hand lettering. One lesson learned is that next time we need to be more critical about what we offer at once. Three activities at a time, three times a week, is a lot."
Close cooperation
A Cruyff Court usually only hosts sporting activities. Michel: “The fact that it was about culture was one of the benefits. We now also have contact and close collaboration with cultural activity providers. That's so valuable, also for the future. Even though we're not sure if children will continue afterward, a seed has been planted.”
More visible in the neighborhood
Cultuur@CruyffCourts was valuable not only for the children, but also for Welzijn Kampen. "We were visible for eight weeks," says Michel. "That way, we built name recognition and trust. I think parents now find us easier if their child can't join a club for financial reasons. It lowers the barrier. It also strengthens contact with the school. The teachers now have a better understanding of who we are and what we offer. It's now important for us to maintain continuity. But if you give me the chance again, we'll do it again!"
More about Cultuur@CruyffCourts
Also read:
Jenneke Bos (JOGG): 'Culture@CruyffCourts is more than just fun activities'
Councillor Irma van der Sloot: 'Sports and culture ensure prevention'
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