Municipality of Meppel pulls the wallet to expand the youth work in Meppel. For this, Stichting Welzijn Mensenwerk from Meppel receives a subsidy of 210,000 euros for a year and a half. This must be used to prevent nuisance and other problem behavior among young people in Meppel.
“We are very happy with this step,” says Welzijn Mensenwerk-Director Walraad van Dalen. The organization is committed to, among other things, the well -being of young people in Meppel. “Prevention is better than extinguishing fires. With this subsidy we can expand youth work and work more preventively, signal problems in young people in the past and prevent them from getting bigger or sliding into crime.
In Meppel, nuisance was caused by young people, a recurring problem. With this subsidy, the municipality responds to concerns that live in the Meppeler society about the problems. “We have seen signals of nuisance for a long time, such as in the city center. To make a real difference, we have to reach and guide young people earlier. Preventive youth work plays a crucial role in this,” says alderman Alfred Peterson.
Exactly how youth work will be expanded, Welzijn Mensenwerk still has to discuss that with the municipality. “That is possible in different ways,” says Van Dalen. You can use youth work in the short term, or in the longer term. “
“Youth work in Rotterdam-Zuid, that is a completely different approach than what we do here. In a week more short-term actions are needed here than in six months. Youth work in Meppel is more focused on the longer term, on prevention, offering perspective and offers support for all kinds of topics such as money, leisure, school, relationships.”
According to Van Dalen, prevention is ‘the keyword’, and this subsidy contributes to that. “Prevention is always important, but I also see reason for more short -term actions. By using more youth workers you are more present in the neighborhoods, so that you also come across things on the spot that you as a youth worker have to do with something.”
For the Meppeler youth worker Indigo Ploeger, the goal of the extra subsidy is clear. “What I am at the run -up is that we are so limited in the hours. I work for 16 hours in Meppel and my colleague too. In two days it is very difficult to work preventively, because you are so little. And then you are also in consultation. So what can you actually offer someone that way?” “32 hours of youth work for Meppel that is actually not possible. As organizations we have also made choices: we focus on one neighborhood and one school. That is what you can do with these hours. If that has to be more, money must be added.”
With the subsidy of 210,000 euros for a year and a half, that wish must therefore become reality, in the first instance for a year and a half. Based on interim evaluations, it is examined whether the extra use of youth workers is structurally necessary. “First start and then evaluate and adjust well where necessary,” says Van Dalen.