Meppelse (11) starts a petition to save the Scala arts center

Is the Scala arts center in Drenthe disappearing? At least not if it is up to 11-year-old Nora Lynn Rozema from Meppel. She started a petition to save Scala.

It was a bit of a shock for the Meppel woman when she opened the newspaper last week. In large print she read the text ‘End is approaching for Scala’ while she is taking dance and drawing lessons there. “I really enjoy doing that. It would be a great pity if that is no longer possible, because it is always a lot of fun with the teachers and other students.”

That’s why she didn’t hesitate for a moment and decided to take action. At school she recently had a lesson in writing petitions. She could use that knowledge immediately. “I walked up to the teacher and asked if I could work on a petition during class. That was allowed and the teacher even helped me.”

And with success, because the petition ‘Red Scala’ has been online since last Thursday. The target? Keeping the doors open of the arts center that is active in several municipalities in Drenthe. The petition has now been signed about 1780 times and the counter is still running. “I really didn’t expect it to go so fast,” says Nora Lynn.

She wants to hand over the petition to the municipality of Meppel before the Christmas holidays. “I don’t know exactly who I should be with,” she laughs. “Hopefully Scala can continue to exist in the future.”

The board of Scala Center for the Arts wants to pull the plug on the foundation due to financial problems. The number of students using the center would also have fallen sharply. Chairman of the Board Maud Diemers previously stated in a letter that he no longer sees a right to exist in the organization.

The foundation is active in Meppel, Hoogeveen, De Wolden, Westerveld and Steenwijkerland (Overijssel). The board says it can guarantee the obligations towards teachers and staff until 1 January 2023. Scala is now working on liquidation plans in order to prevent bankruptcy.

The arts center tries to continue to teach the already registered students until July 2023. Especially since these students have already transferred the money for the lessons. Scala asks the five municipalities to guarantee so that the current season can be completed.

Mother Jacomijn Rozema proudly watches her daughter’s action. “I’m a bit surprised. It’s getting so big now, I hope it can actually bring about something. But we still have to wait and see, of course. She also does this to encourage the people who work at Scala They are of course very shocked.”

Rozema would regret it if Scala stopped. “Nora Lynn and my other daughter often go there. They learn things that will help them for the rest of their lives. It’s about a bit of relaxation, of course, but it’s also a nice place to be in Meppel. When one daughter is dancing, the other can do homework in peace. If you can hear all the sounds of music and dance in the background, that’s very nice.”

The petition will remain in the air until the Christmas holidays. She does not know how many signatures Nora Lynn wants to collect in total. “If there are enough of them,” she adds. “By the way, I would also really like to take guitar lessons. That is why Scala must continue to exist.”

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