Suppose you feel unsafe while going out or on a date? So how do you ask for help as unobtrusively as possible? In April, the municipality of Assen announced the ‘Ask for Angela’ initiative. People who feel threatened or intimidated can then ask for help from catering staff in an accessible way.
As soon as you ask catering staff if ‘Angela’ is there, they know you’re in need. Five catering establishments in Assen are participating in the project, including Frank van Urk of café De Koppelpaarden. “There are sometimes situations in which we can do something for people. ‘Ask for Angela’ will certainly help, it’s a good initiative. All signals that people should feel safe while going out are good,” says Van Urk.
In the toilets of the cafe hangs the poster explaining how people can use the code word. The catering staff have also received instructions if they receive the request for help. For example, they should ask what is going on and what they can do. If necessary, the catering staff can call the emergency number 112.
British student Alice Chamberlain started the project in the United Kingdom in 2016 and has now also set it up in Assen for her studies. “It’s a great success for us. In fact, sometimes people only go out on a certain occasion when they know they can ask for ‘Angela’. Think of blind dates, but many young students also look closely where they can and can’t go. It gives them a sense of security knowing that help is always close at hand,” said Chamberlain.
Van Urk has followed special training in recent months. “What should you do in a certain situation? You have to feel how to intervene. Experience is very important in that case.”
With the TT approaching, this initiative comes just in time, thinks Van Urk. “Of course I hope that it is not necessary for people to ask for ‘Angela’. But with less supervision and a lot of people on the road, it could help.”
If the project turns out to be a success, the municipality of Assen also wants to approach other catering establishments to participate in the project.