Women of Nu Meppel belongs to the past. After 85 years, the curtain has fallen because the board of the association no longer sees a future.
It is mainly the aging of the association that takes its toll, says chairman Siepie Sietzema. “Sometimes members die, and new members don’t join anymore. That’s why we now only had 48 members.” A large part of them were already over 80. “You can no longer rely on them for busy board activities, which made organizing meetings increasingly difficult.”
The older target group also turned out to be less susceptible to change. For example, cooperation was set up with other organisations, but that meant that the Women of Now met on different days and times than the members were used to. “And that turned out to be difficult. Also because some have to be brought by family,” says Sietzema.
The corona crisis actually gave the last push towards closing the association. “Due to the strict rules, hardly anyone came anymore, but even when the corona crisis disappeared, it was difficult to get going. You can call it a blow to the neck.”
Organizing activities also became increasingly expensive, which is difficult with a smaller group of interested parties. “We like to invite a speaker. He then tells us about his profession, or about a nice trip. But those people have raised their prices to hefty amounts after the corona crisis.”
Sietzema herself became a member of the Women of Nu after her retirement in 2015. She noticed that the dissolution of the association had actually already begun, partly because no one wanted to be chairman. That’s why she became it herself.
She managed to postpone the termination of the association for more than seven years. “That didn’t feel like a postponement of execution, we did it with great pleasure. But also with realism, we knew it would be difficult. Women of Nu originate from rural women. And Meppel is perhaps too urban for that.”
“We also don’t have the image with us,” Sietzema continues. “That old-fashioned lingers on us. And the young girls have of course acquired very different interests. They work more, have their own parties and often want to be less bound by such expectations that you are there every month.”
The search for media attention, the introduction of a one-day board, collecting extra subsidies and advertising in markets have not been successful. “It is now very difficult to make a decision, but it is no different,” says Sietzema. “We have done everything to turn the tide, but it is finito. I hope that the members do not fall into a black hole and find other warm spots.”
The national organization of Women of Nu reacted disappointed to the news that the department in Meppel is closing, but according to Sietzema they were not surprised. “They find it annoying, but it is difficult throughout the Netherlands and departments are about to collapse.”