Youth workers keep an eye on the fair: “They come to us more easily”

It’s Monday night, around 7:30 PM. The youth workers gather at the brand new blue stand, which is right behind the bumper cars. In total there are five of them that evening and the youth workers are clearly recognizable by the black and white hoodies, which bear the number ‘0229’ (the area code of Hoorn).

“We are really proud that we are the only one in the Netherlands to have a physical place at the fair,” team coach Jerrol Lashley of Stichting Netwerk told NH Nieuws.

Patrol

According to the foundation, it is very important that they are physically present during the fair. “We are already known in the schools and neighborhoods, but also online,” says Lashley. “That range is so large that it is much easier for young people to come to us during the fair.”

At 7.57 pm Lashley gives the last instructions to the team, after which they start their round on the Spoorstraat.

straight path

One of the youth workers who will join us tonight is Guevaro Schoop. During his childhood years he dealt with the wrong types, but that past is long behind him. Today, he himself helps young people to stay on the right path. “What are we paying attention to this evening?” Schoop wonders aloud, “we pay a bit of attention to group formation, because young people are usually pushed there and then things sometimes go wrong.”

According to Schoop and Lashley, young people – if there are problems – try to contact them more quickly than with enforcers or security guards. “I think it’s really cool that they walk around here,” says a 16-year-old boy who visits the fair. “Sometimes there are some issues in the evening, such as calling each other names or fighting. Then it is a good idea that the foundation tries to keep young people on the right path.”

Someone else is also pleased with the presence of the youth workers. “You cannot share everything with the police, because then you will immediately be put in a boarding school. But here you can simply lose all your things.”

Next to the bumper cars

The youth workers do not only walk on the street, they can also be found in the blue stand next to the bumper cars. For those who do not dare to knock physically, there is also an app number (06-86843140).

“In this way we make the threshold for young people as low as possible,” emphasizes Lashley. In doing so, the foundation wants to offer a ‘safe haven’. “We have only received positive reactions so far and the enforcers and security guards also know where to find us.”