How Hub Members Move and Haagse Helpers combined for social impact
We sat down with Luuk Clausing, Hub member and Project Coordinator for The Hague and Leiden at Stichting Move, to discuss an interesting meeting of minds and organisations that led to a fruitful collaboration working with children in the city of The Hague.
About one year ago, just before Move moved into the Humanity Hub and found out that the Haagse Helpers were located there as well, Haagse Helpers and Move partnered up. This local partnership meant that young volunteers from The Hague, devoted Haagse Helpers, are involved in societal projects in the city.
These projects focus on improving life chances for children from lesser advantaged neighbourhoods, improving societal participation, and facilitating connection between socially distanced groups. During the past year Haagse Helpers and Stichting Move have put a nice first step in this collaboration with which we aim to contribute to a more social and connected The Hague. This summer, we have prepared the next step to further the partnership the coming years.
As a part of this process Alex, Esther and Rachel from Haagse Helpers joined in on a Move-project themselves to experience the hands-on activities that their volunteers usually organise. Together with Milou and Luuk from Move they took on the role of a Move volunteer during a day at the summer school at Kindcentrum Bamboe in the neigbourhood Morgenstond, Escamp. Together with 30 pupils ranging from 10 – 12 years they devised and carried out a project to give the neighbourhood a boost.
The children had creative ownership during the project and the Haagse Helpers functioned as project leaders. Together they discovered their talents, got an insight in each other’s ‘living environments’, and eventually experienced how they can have a social impact by doing something small for their neighbourhood.
While the first part of the day was focused on getting to know each other and on finding out more about the children’s thoughts about the future and their neighbourhood, during the second part they went out into the neighbourhood to interview people and to brainstorm about what they could do to give the neighbourhood a boost.
Eventually one group voted for the idea to decorate cookies and hand them out on the streets as a treat to all “the beautiful people”. The second group decided that a bit more positivity would be nice as well, and wanted to design arty cards with compliments on them to hand out in a shopping center nearby. During the afternoon the children prepared and carried out the initiative. The children made a lot of people on the streets happy and received many compliments for organizing such a positive and connection action! Their proudness could be seen on their faces, a beautiful sight!
Stichting Move and Haagse Helpers are always looking out for new ways to collaborate and help make The Hague a more social, connected, and harmonious place. If you’d like to team up with either of the organisations, check out their websites, or reach out via email.
