Village and community centers more necessary than ever: ‘A pound of welfare saves a kilo of care’

It is a quarter to nine in the morning when the first toddlers enter the hall of community center De Schuilhoek in Heemskerk. Some with grandma, others with mom or dad. A blue, metal tricycle and two green pedal tractors are ready and will be put into use in no time.

The orange, plastic slide is also in great demand. Grandma Lyda is sitting at the low table with her grandchildren Juul (3) and Jens (1). She has been with the toddler and child group for two months. “It’s part of the day. I always babysit on Tuesdays. This is a different environment, playing with other children. They also really enjoy it themselves.”

And Joel, Mina’s father of almost 2, is also playing at the Schuilhoek together with Mina’s grandmother. “Mina’s shelter is taken up by my in-laws. My girlfriend has five sisters, so there is plenty of enthusiasm,” says Joel. “A toddler group like this is really a big advantage for her. This is a good way to practice with other children.”

First smile

A survey carried out by the Kieskompas agency on behalf of NH shows that 64 percent of North Hollanders attach great value to village and community centers. Although the primary responsibility lies with the municipalities, the province must do more to support these places, for example by compensating for higher gas bills.

According to Silke Brosig, who has been working as a youth social worker at MET Heemskerk for 22 years, this is a good idea, because community centers and village centers are essential: “Traditionally, it has been a meeting place, where all kinds of people come together for fun, billiards 4 to 5 times a week, information, language classes, and hobbies and craft clubs.”

For the last seven years, Silke has enjoyed attending the toddler and child group every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. “You’re just so successful. When the kids come in, the first smile is yours. And it’s very educational for them. You see them change so much because they look at other kids.”

At MET Heemskerk, in addition to playing, they also offer a listening ear to parents and grandparents, provide language support for toddlers and support parents who encounter problems with their children and therefore have to look for a suitable place for their child. And that in addition to all other activities for all other age groups. “A community center simply has a broad social function. And this is still affordable,” says Silke.

But whether it will remain affordable in the future is the question with the current rising costs. According to Cindy Henneman, coordinator of the d’Evelaer community center in Heemskerk, extra support would be welcome. “The energy bills are getting higher, so are the personnel costs. That makes it difficult. You still want to keep it accessible and affordable for the people who come here. A community center focuses on development, talent development, social cohesion and social contacts. That is important for the social cohesion of a community.”

‘Slap old talk’

Community centres, village halls and community centers are also important for the elderly. At the De Hofstede community center in Velserbroek, the billiard battle between the elderly men has erupted. An older gentleman bends concentratedly over his cue until his chin almost touches the cue and takes a shot. He knows how to dodge all other balls with the hit ball. “Well, that’s nice, you’re back”, he grumbles to his opponent.

Every Tuesday morning the men can go to the community center for a cup of coffee, a game of billiards and, according to regular visitor Aad, ‘weak talk’: “Yes, they can!” There is a lot of laughter and jokes thrown at each other. It is a welcome pastime for Aad. “I recently started living alone. This way I can keep my social contact. If you don’t have that, then you have nothing at all. Then you are upstairs in a room.”

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Patchwork and coffee

In the same room where the two billiard tables are located, there is a table that five elderly ladies are busy with patchwork. The table is littered with scraps of cloth, pincushions and thread. Anna, who lives across the street from the library, makes a red, square placemat out of fabric. Before Christmas.

“It’s fun to do together. What one doesn’t know, the other does. You can make very beautiful things. Small pieces, but also a bedspread, for example,” she says. “It’s mainly about being together. Exchange some news. Because if you seek contact, you can only go to the snack bar here in the village. Other than that, they are just retail stores.”

But you can also go to the De Hofstede community center for just a cup of coffee. It only costs €1.10 per cup. Every morning Minke, resident of the seniors complex above De Hofstede, can be found in the community center for a cup of coffee or a chocolate milk ‘if the coffee isn’t good’. And in the afternoon she has two glasses of wine with the other ladies. “Yes, not too much. It shouldn’t get too crazy…”

Five years ago she came to live here with her husband, but he died three weeks after the move. And now she lives alone. “Only I don’t like it, so I come here. My daughter lives three hours away from here on the border with Germany. You don’t just go there either. She said: mom, come and live with us. But mom won’t do that . I don’t want to be a burden to her.”

Longer at home through the community centre

The visitors to the community center are all in agreement. This must not go away. And Thea Verburgh, welfare worker at Stichting Welzijn Velsen, also agrees. “We are always busy connecting people by offering activities. Many people are lonely and are looking for a place where they can come together and tell their story.”

But dispelling loneliness is not the only benefit of the community center’s activities. People are also having to live at home longer and longer. And that does not happen automatically. “One kilogram of our well-being saves one kilogram of care,” says Thea. “We help people to stay at home longer. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday we cook for over 40 people. That dining club is very cozy and eating together is very important for these people.”

It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the activities, because there are fewer and fewer paid employees. Due to a different working method and cutbacks, they have reduced from 48 hours of professional to now only 24 hours. “It’s still going pretty well here, but that’s because we have very good volunteers. We currently have six voluntary caretakers who take care of the day-to-day things. But you do notice that the number of volunteers is also decreasing,” says Thea.