Since the pandemic, associations have hardly found volunteers, while the quality of life in a village is often linked to an active association life. How should that proceed? “These are exciting times.”
Associations are having a hard time and the future offers little hope. Membership numbers are declining, energy costs have risen and volunteers are scarce. This started during the pandemic, but many associations now fear that they will collapse because they have to keep things running with too few volunteers. Management tasks remain unfulfilled, (youth) trainers are difficult to find. And the new generations do not seem inclined to commit themselves to a task at an association.
This problem has been going on for years, but is now reaching a critical point. “You can compare it with the climate. Initially, people hardly respond to signals, because what is one and a half degrees? Suddenly the problems become visible. Only then will the signals be taken seriously,” says Peter Noordhoek, one of the initiators of the national association research.
Cries for help from associations
These problems are now serious. Where corona could previously be used as an argument for a lack of volunteers, the problems now seem more persistent. The volunteer shortage is increasing. And that is difficult for the clubs that mainly rely on people’s spare hours.
There are two reasons for this. Firstly, much of the association work is in the hands of a group of retirees. This aging group is getting bigger, but also older. In the future they will be increasingly less able to do volunteer work. And that is also the second reason, because the number of younger people is small. In families with two earners, there is little time left to fill a position at an association.
The corona crisis gave an extra pendulum to the downward spiral, says Noordhoek. Members canceled their membership because many things were at a standstill. The crisis has abated, but many associations are still struggling. Volunteers and members did not return.
On the other hand, student clubs and industry groups are recovering, Noordhoek notes. In those groups, people seek each other out within an association. “It is an exciting time for associations, but the Netherlands is and remains an association country.”
Self-reliance and quality of life
Associations are the social cement of the village, says Tialda Haartsen, professor of rural geography at the University of Groningen. “Involvement in associations strengthens the feeling that you belong to the village where you live. You feel more part of village life. You meet each other, which creates new ideas that contribute to the self-reliance and quality of life of a village.”
She continues: “For example, during the sidelines of the football field. While talking, new things come to light. Not only village gossip is discussed, but it is also about, for example, tackling a dangerous intersection. The villagers are self-reliant and will get to work on this themselves.”
This is different from cities, where residents encounter each other less and are less connected to each other.
Associations under pressure
A reason that is often mentioned in the volunteer discussion is the arrival of city people who look for space and settle in a village. The general idea is that they have no interest in village troubles.
But that is not correct according to Haartsen. ,, Locals say that the newcomers do not contribute to the associations, but they do. Especially at associations where they have a direct line, for example their children’s football club. The active newcomers seem to be a blind spot for the locals .”
Solution: short-term projects
What there is room for within young families are short projects.
Working on a project for a month or two fits better into busy agendas. That can provide relief for the associations, says Haartsen. She emphasizes that it is only a matter of speculation, but there are certainly opportunities for the future. “You can, for example, split up the positions that are normally filled for about four years. In short projects with a clear beginning and end.” What is certain is that it will be ‘very exciting’.