NAC supporters expose their souls, dressing room sessions a great success

The dressing room sessions were initiated by NAC supporters Demian Polane, Hugo de Graaf and Levien den Boer. Based on their own experiences with mental problems, they saw the need for an accessible place where supporters can talk openly about what concerns them. They set up the pilot together with NAC Maatschappelijk.

The meetings were supervised by mental health expert Monique Almekinders. Each session had a theme, such as self-image, stigma, family or the influence of mental health on daily life. However, the program was not rigidly fixed.

“The conversations actually arose naturally from such a theme,” says Elvera de Kam of NAC Maatschappelijk. “What struck me most was how quickly people opened up. After a few meetings, a really close group emerged.”

That didn’t stop at just talking. Participants also helped each other outside the sessions. This created an app group in which people could support each other when things weren’t going well. And so a participant with low self-esteem due to being overweight agreed with a group member to work together on health goals.

According to Demian Polane, NAC was exactly the connecting factor that was hoped for. “The conversations often started with football. What did you think of the match? How do you view the season? And from there it naturally moved on to the things that were really bothering people.”

Polane participated not only as an initiator, but also as a participant. Initially he saw his role mainly as an organizer, but gradually he became part of the conversations himself. “My approach was mainly that we felt responsible for the project and therefore wanted to be present,” he says. “But you notice that you are automatically drawn into those conversations. Then you also tell what certain things are like for you.”

For him, the openness was especially special. Most participants did not know each other beforehand, but personal stories were still shared. “I thought it was really impressive how many people dared to talk. You also saw that participants took steps during the process. For some, such an evening was really a bright spot in the week.”

Polane deliberately does not want to reveal exactly which stories have been shared. “I understand that people are curious about examples, but I don’t want anyone to read something and think: hey, that’s about me. The stories told there are from the participants themselves.”

So everything stays in the dressing room, an important condition. “If you want to say something, you can,” Elvera de Kam adds. “But just listening is also good. Precisely because it felt safe, people dared to open up.”

Still, some stories made an impression. “Heavy things have certainly happened,” she continues. “Then you realize that there is sometimes much more behind someone than you see on the outside. At the same time you also discover that everyone struggles with something, big or small.”

She saw something special develop during the process. “Many participants came in thinking: what can I get out of this for myself? But in the end you saw that everyone not only got something, but also brought something. It was that mutual support that made it special.”

A new group will start after the summer. “We have always said: if we can help one person, then it has been a success,” says De Kam. “Eventually there were many more.”