Many children have been looking forward to it for weeks: the children’s holiday week. At the end of the summer, there are many more planned in our province, usually entirely organized by volunteers. But those volunteers are harder to find this year. This is apparent from a tour of Omroep Brabant.
Almost all organizations we approached indicated that this year it was more difficult than other years to recruit volunteers. This is also the case with Stichting Doe-Week Dommelen, says chairman Geoffrey van Gerven. There are several reasons for this, he says. “We have not been able to organize a Doe-Week for two years because of corona, which has interrupted the tradition that was passed on from generation to generation.”
“We use all resources in terms of recruitment.”
In addition, the school holidays in the South region are very late this year, which is a disadvantage for many organizations. “We hold the children’s holiday week in the last week of the holiday and then the MBO schools, HBO schools and universities have already started. We normally have many volunteers from that group.”
So it remains a battle, but they do not give up in Dommelen. “We use all resources in terms of recruitment: from posters on lampposts and distributing leaflets to sharing on social media and organizing a free party evening for all volunteers.”
There is also a considerable shortage of volunteers at the organization Hiep-Hoi, which organizes the children’s holiday week in Beek en Donk. “We have never had this problem in previous years. Unfortunately, the various calls we have made via social media and the local newspaper have not yet yielded enough. Fortunately, more and more volunteers are signing up and we assume that it can continue. to go.”
“It’s always difficult to find that last 20 percent of volunteers.”
In Gemert they now have enough volunteers, but Ruud Vermunt, chairman of Kindervakantieweek Gemert, sees that it gets more difficult every year. “We get the majority of the volunteers together, but it is always difficult to find that last 20 percent. And because we have more and more children who participate, we also need more volunteers every year.”
They also recognize the problems in Helvoirt, Budel, Helmond, Nistelrode, Sint-Oedenrode, Uden and Oirschot. In Udenhout, the number of volunteers has even halved compared to 2019.
A solution that is used by several organizations is the use of parents of participating children. For example, in Nistelrode, Hapert and Helmond it is mandatory for parents of participating children to help out for at least one day.
“In 2019, more than eight hundred children took part, now only half.”
Then there is another problem. In Goirle, the number of participating children is much lower. “In 2019, more than eight hundred children took part, this year only half.”
The explanation? “Of course we have been absent for two years due to corona. It is possible that many families have not been on holiday in the past two years, but will go this year and take less account of the children’s holiday week.” The Slabroekweek in Uden and Kindervertier in Helmond also have considerably fewer participating children this year.
Fortunately, the problems are not everywhere. In Bergeijk and Dongen there is even a waiting list to become a volunteer and in Tilburg-Noord they can handle more children than have registered so far.
Despite the problems, all children’s holiday weeks – sometimes with some adjustments – can continue as usual. There is now also an alternative for the children’s holiday week in the Achtse Barrier. One of the parents, Vanessa Nijman, was disappointed that it didn’t go ahead and took matters into his own hands. In collaboration with the OKA and Dynamo Jeugdwerk, there will still be fun activities for children during the last week of the holiday.
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