Queen Máxima spoke with lonely young people in Den Bosch on Thursday afternoon. She paid a working visit to the Join Us Foundation. The foundation is committed to the mental health of young people who are lonely. Join Us is one of the winners of an Appeltje van Oranje 2024 from the Oranje Fonds.
“Everyone could tell their own story to Máxima,” says Anouck Somers after the conversation with the Queen. “I had a burnout at a young age. Due to the long waiting lists at the mental health service, I did not receive professional help for this. I knew it was important not to isolate myself and that is why I joined Join Us. The contacts here have helped me not to sink deeper into burnout or depression.”
Mareno Klijnholstz from Uden was also extremely lonely. “Through Join Us I met a lot of new friends and did all kinds of fun things. I was quite nervous that Queen Máxima would come today, but we were able to explain what Join Us means to us and how we ended up here.”
At the beginning of the meeting, initiator Jolanda van Gerwe said that Máxima’s visit makes her emotional. “I once started Join Us because I want to connect young people with each other and make them socially stronger. When you see how we have grown and what we have achieved with the young people, it touches me at such a moment, ” says Jolanda.
Jolanda feels honored by Máxima’s visit and the award of the Apple of Orange. “We do it for the young people, of course, but this recognition emphasizes how important the theme of loneliness is and how valuable our work is. The icing on the cake.”
“The money is for further growth.”
The Join Us Foundation started in Veghel in 2018 and has since grown into an organization that helps lonely young people in 92 municipalities. Figures show that 450,000 young people in the Netherlands feel lonely. This loneliness increases the risk of serious consequences such as depression, addictions and suicidal thoughts.
With the Apples of Orange, the Oranje Fund annually awards and rewards three initiatives that are committed to an inclusive, involved society. These initiatives ensure that no one has to go it alone and that everyone can participate. The prize consists of a bronze statue, designed by Princess Beatrix, and a cash prize of 25,000 euros. “We mainly want to use the money to grow further,” says a proud Jolanda van Gerwe.
