Everyone is welcome and belongs. With this starting point, SennZi wants to radiate a hospitable Assen. That is why the healthcare provider has joined a Belgian initiative, so that people who are less fortunate can enjoy a treat, for example.
Assen is the first Dutch city to follow Enchanté’s Belgian example. The idea? Entrepreneurs join a network of ‘friendly places’. They then offer their services and products. Fifteen catering establishments and a hairdresser are now participating in the Drenthe capital.
“For example, you drink a cup of coffee and at the same time you also order for someone else,” Anja Wouters from SennZi explains the concept. “You then fill in a heart that is visible on the counter. Someone else can use that.”
And so you can benefit from much more. Think of a bowl of soup, reading the newspaper, warming yourself up after a walk in the cold or simply charging your mobile phone. There is nothing better than doing this together, is the thought of the initiators.
Wouters also points to a city map of Assen, which shows all participating entrepreneurs who participate in the friendly places. Anyone who then looks up this company will see a sticker stuck to the door.
Eleven cities in Belgium are now participating. SennZi visited Ghent and got a ‘warm and beautiful’ feeling during the tour there. “That touched us,” says Wouters. “Of course we will participate in Assen. We immediately received enthusiastic responses from the entrepreneurs here.”
But why does a healthcare provider participate? “We think it is important to contribute to society, to a hospitable society. There is already a lot of trouble in the world, which personally makes me sad. We would like to do something positive.”
SennZi hopes for more entrepreneurs to join the network soon. “So that everyone feels welcome.”